Institutions profited after Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V.'s (BMV:VISTAA) market cap rose Mex$2.4b last week but retail investors profited the most

Key Insights

• Significant control over Vista Energy. de by retail investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• The top 24 shareholders own 50% of the company
• 10% of Vista Energy. de is held by insiders

If you want to know who really controls Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V. (BMV:VISTAA), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 43% stake, retail investors possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

While retail investors were the group that reaped the most benefits after last week’s 5.9% price gain, institutions also received a 34% cut.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Vista Energy. de.

Check out our latest analysis for Vista Energy. de

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Vista Energy. de?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Vista Energy. de. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. 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 Vista Energy. de's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Vista Energy. de. The company's largest shareholder is Abu Dhabi Investment Council, with ownership of 13%. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 5.6% and 4.4% of the stock. Miguel Galuccio, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chief Executive Officer.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 24 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company.

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 plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Vista Energy. de

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Vista Energy, S.A.B. de C.V.. Insiders own Mex$4.3b worth of shares in the Mex$43b company. That's quite meaningful. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 43% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 4 warning signs for Vista Energy. de (2 are significant!) that you should be aware of before investing here.

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.