Koninklijke Vopak N.V.'s (AMS:VPK) largest shareholders are private equity firms with 48% ownership, individual investors own 27%

Key Insights

• Koninklijke Vopak's significant private equity firms ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• 51% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders
• Institutions own 21% of Koninklijke Vopak

Every investor in Koninklijke Vopak N.V. (AMS:VPK) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 48% to be precise, is private equity firms. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And individual investors on the other hand have a 27% ownership in the company.

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

Check out our latest analysis for Koninklijke Vopak

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Koninklijke Vopak?

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 Koninklijke Vopak. 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 Koninklijke Vopak's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Koninklijke Vopak is not owned by hedge funds. HAL Investments B.V. is currently the largest shareholder, with 48% of shares outstanding. The second and third largest shareholders are Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd and Maple-Brown Abbott, with an equal amount of shares to their name at 3.0%.

To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 2 shareholders have a majority ownership in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions of 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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Koninklijke Vopak

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.

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.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Koninklijke Vopak N.V.. It is a pretty big company, so it is generally a positive to see some potentially meaningful alignment. In this case, they own around €120m worth of shares (at current prices). It is good to see this level of investment by insiders. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 27% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Equity Ownership

With an ownership of 48%, private equity firms are in a position to play a role in shaping corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. Sometimes we see private equity stick around for the long term, but generally speaking they have a shorter investment horizon and -- as the name suggests -- don't invest in public companies much. After some time they may look to sell and redeploy capital elsewhere.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Koninklijke Vopak better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Koninklijke Vopak that you should be aware of.

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.