Natuzzi S.p.A. (NYSE:NTZ) Top Key Executive Pasquale Natuzzi's holdings dropped 15% in value as a result of the recent pullback

Every investor in Natuzzi S.p.A. (NYSE:NTZ) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 62% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

And following last week's 15% decline in share price, insiders suffered the most losses.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Natuzzi.

See our latest analysis for Natuzzi

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Natuzzi?

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.

We can see that Natuzzi does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. 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 Natuzzi, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

It looks like hedge funds own 10.0% of Natuzzi shares. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. From our data, we infer that the largest shareholder is Pasquale Natuzzi (who also holds the title of Top Key Executive) with 62% 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. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 10.0% and 4.1%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

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. 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 Natuzzi

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 information suggests that insiders own more than half of Natuzzi S.p.A.. This gives them effective control of the company. Given it has a market cap of US$138m, that means they have US$85m worth of shares. 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, who are usually individual investors, hold a 16% stake in Natuzzi. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Natuzzi better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Natuzzi (1 is concerning) that you should be aware of.

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.

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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.