Both retail investors who control a good portion of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TSE:9104) along with institutions must be dismayed after last week's 3.8% decrease

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by retail investors in Mitsui O.S.K. Lines indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• 45% of the business is held by the top 25 shareholders
• 48% of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is held by Institutions

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A look at the shareholders of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (TSE:9104) can tell us which group is most powerful. With 52% stake, retail investors possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Following a 3.8% decrease in the stock price last week, retail investors suffered the most losses, but institutions who own 48% stock also took a hit.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, beginning with the chart below.

See our latest analysis for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Mitsui O.S.K. Lines?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 Mitsui O.S.K. Lines' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Mitsui O.S.K. Lines. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 7.8% of shares outstanding. Nomura Asset Management Co., Ltd. is the second largest shareholder owning 5.0% of common stock, and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management Co., Ltd. holds about 4.4% of the company stock.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves.

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 Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. insiders own under 1% of the company. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own JP¥2.6b worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a substantial 52% stake in Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This size of ownership gives investors from the general public some collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

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 3 warning signs for Mitsui O.S.K. Lines you should be aware of, and 2 of them shouldn't be ignored.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.