In spite of recent selling, insiders at Clean Science and Technology Limited (NSE:CLEAN) are the largest shareholders; own 75% shares

Key Insights

• Insiders appear to have a vested interest in Clean Science and Technology's growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership
• 52% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders
• Insiders have been selling lately

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Clean Science and Technology Limited (NSE:CLEAN), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 75% to be precise, is individual insiders. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Insiders are at the top of the company's shareholdings despite selling some shares recently. As a result, they were also the biggest winners as market cap hit ₹142b last week.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Clean Science and Technology.

View our latest analysis for Clean Science and Technology

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Clean Science and Technology?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

Clean Science and Technology already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Clean Science and Technology's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Clean Science and Technology. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is the CEO Ashok Boob with 32% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 19% and 18% of the stock. Note that two of the top three shareholders are also Senior Key Executive and Member of the Board of Directors, respectively, once again pointing to significant ownership by company insiders.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Clean Science and Technology

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our information suggests that insiders own more than half of Clean Science and Technology Limited. This gives them effective control of the company. That means insiders have a very meaningful ₹107b stake in this ₹142b business. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been selling any of their shares.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 12% stake in Clean Science and Technology. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 3.9%, of the company's shares. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Clean Science and Technology better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Clean Science and Technology (including 1 which makes us a bit uncomfortable) .

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.