Ekovest Berhad's (KLSE:EKOVEST) market cap dropped RM104m last week; Retail investors bore the brunt

Key Insights

• Ekovest Berhad's significant retail investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• 42% of the business is held by the top 25 shareholders
• Insiders own 21% of Ekovest Berhad

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If you want to know who really controls Ekovest Berhad (KLSE:EKOVEST), 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 retail investors with 58% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

While insiders, who own 21% shares weren’t spared from last week’s RM104m market cap drop, retail investors as a group suffered the maximum losses

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

Check out our latest analysis for Ekovest Berhad

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Ekovest Berhad?

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 Ekovest Berhad. 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 Ekovest Berhad, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Ekovest Berhad is not owned by hedge funds. From our data, we infer that the largest shareholder is Kang Lim (who also holds the title of Top Key Executive) with 18% of shares outstanding. Its usually considered a good sign when insiders own a significant number of shares in the company, and in this case, we're glad to see a company insider play the role of a key stakeholder. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 10% and 2.9% of the stock.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 25 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. As far as we can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of Ekovest Berhad

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

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 most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Ekovest Berhad. It has a market capitalization of just RM741m, and insiders have RM155m worth of shares in their own names. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, collectively holds 58% of Ekovest Berhad shares. 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.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 13%, of the shares on issue. 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.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 2 warning signs with Ekovest Berhad , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

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.