Stock Analysis

    What Kind Of Shareholder Appears On The Newater Technology, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:NEWA) Shareholder Register?

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    If you want to know who really controls Newater Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:NEWA), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Warren Buffett said that he likes 'a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people'. So it's nice to see some insider ownership, because it may suggest that management is owner-oriented.

    Newater Technology is a smaller company with a market capitalization of US$62m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutions are not really that prevalent on the share registry. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about NEWA.

    See our latest analysis for Newater Technology

    NasdaqCM:NEWA Ownership Summary, June 3rd 2019
    NasdaqCM:NEWA Ownership Summary, June 3rd 2019
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    What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Newater Technology?

    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.

    Institutions own less than 5% of Newater Technology. That indicates that the company is on the radar of some funds, but it isn't particularly popular with professional investors at the moment. So if the company itself can improve over time, we may well see more institutional buyers in the future. When multiple institutional investors want to buy shares, we often see a rising share price. The past revenue trajectory (shown below) can be an indication of future growth, but there are no guarantees.

    NasdaqCM:NEWA Income Statement, June 3rd 2019
    NasdaqCM:NEWA Income Statement, June 3rd 2019

    We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Newater Technology. 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 Newater Technology

    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.

    Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

    Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Newater Technology, Inc.. Insiders have a US$11m stake in this US$62m business. 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 retail investors -- own 52% of Newater Technology . With this size 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 decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability.

    Private Company Ownership

    Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 27%, of the company's shares. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.

    Next Steps:

    I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too.

    I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free .

    Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies.

    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.

    We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

    If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. 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. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.