Stock Analysis

Do Institutions Own AptaBio Therapeutics Inc. (KOSDAQ:293780) Shares?

KOSDAQ:A293780
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A look at the shareholders of AptaBio Therapeutics Inc. (KOSDAQ:293780) can tell us which group is most powerful. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. I generally like to see some degree of insider ownership, even if only a little. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb said, 'Don’t tell me what you think, tell me what you have in your portfolio.

AptaBio Therapeutics is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of ₩573b, which means it wouldn't have the attention of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about AptaBio Therapeutics.

View our latest analysis for AptaBio Therapeutics

ownership-breakdown
KOSDAQ:A293780 Ownership Breakdown February 24th 2021

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About AptaBio Therapeutics?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

We can see that AptaBio Therapeutics does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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 AptaBio Therapeutics' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

earnings-and-revenue-growth
KOSDAQ:A293780 Earnings and Revenue Growth February 24th 2021

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in AptaBio Therapeutics. With a 22% stake, CEO Jin Soo is the largest shareholder. With 11% and 4.8% of the shares outstanding respectively, Hwan Sung and LB Investment Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders. Interestingly, the second-largest shareholder, Hwan Sung is also President, again, pointing towards strong insider ownership amongst the company's top shareholders.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 13 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of AptaBio Therapeutics

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

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.

It seems insiders own a significant proportion of AptaBio Therapeutics Inc.. Insiders have a ₩199b stake in this ₩573b business. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, mostly retail investors, hold a substantial 52% stake in AptaBio Therapeutics, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand AptaBio Therapeutics better, we need to consider many other factors. Like risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 4 warning signs for AptaBio Therapeutics (of which 2 are significant!) you should know about.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials.

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. 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.
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