Public companies account for 34% of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A.'s (BIT:INW) ownership, while private companies account for 30%

Key Insights

• Significant control over Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane by public companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• 64% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders
• 17% of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane is held by Institutions

If you want to know who really controls Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A. (BIT:INW), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are public companies with 34% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Private companies, on the other hand, account for 30% of the company's stockholders.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane, beginning with the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane. Our data shows that Vodafone Group Public Limited Company is the largest shareholder with 34% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 30% and 1.4%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 2 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 64% stake.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane S.p.A. in their own names. We do note, however, it is possible insiders have an indirect interest through a private company or other corporate structure. It is a very large company, so it would be surprising to see insiders own a large proportion of the company. Though their holding amounts to less than 1%, we can see that board members collectively own €518k worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 19% stake in Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane. 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 30%, 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.

Public Company Ownership

Public companies currently own 34% of Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane stock. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane you should be aware of.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its 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.