Retail investors in Wonik IPS Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:240810) are its biggest bettors, and their bets paid off as stock gained 7.5% last week

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by retail investors in Wonik IPS indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• The top 25 shareholders own 47% of the company
• 14% of Wonik IPS is held by Institutions

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If you want to know who really controls Wonik IPS Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ:240810), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 53% to be precise, is retail investors. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

As a result, retail investors collectively scored the highest last week as the company hit ₩1.4t market cap following a 7.5% gain in the stock.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Wonik IPS, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for Wonik IPS

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Wonik IPS?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Wonik IPS. 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. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Wonik IPS, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Wonik IPS is not owned by hedge funds. The company's largest shareholder is Wonik Holdings Co.,Ltd., with ownership of 33%. Pzena Investment Management, Inc. is the second largest shareholder owning 3.9% of common stock, and The Vanguard Group, Inc. holds about 2.6% of the company stock.

Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

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 Wonik IPS

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. 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.

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 Wonik IPS Co., Ltd. in their own names. Keep in mind that it's a big company, and the insiders own ₩1.2b worth of shares. The absolute value might be more important than the proportional share. 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 -- including retail investors -- own 53% of Wonik IPS. With this amount of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to vote on acquisitions or mergers that may not improve profitability.

Public Company Ownership

We can see that public companies hold 33% of the Wonik IPS shares on issue. It's hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Wonik IPS better, we need to consider many other factors. Take risks for example - Wonik IPS has 1 warning sign we think 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.