Despite recent sales, Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC) insiders own 68% shares but recent downturn may have set them back

Key Insights

• Significant insider control over Atlanticus Holdings implies vested interests in company growth
• 58% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders
• Insiders have sold recently

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ:ATLC), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that individual insiders own the lion's share in the company with 68% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And our data suggests that insiders own the top position in the company’s share registry despite recent sales. As a result, the group bore the brunt of last week’s US$59m market cap loss.

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

View our latest analysis for Atlanticus Holdings

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Atlanticus Holdings?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Atlanticus Holdings. 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 Atlanticus Holdings' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Atlanticus Holdings. From our data, we infer that the largest shareholder is David Hanna (who also holds the title of Top Key Executive) with 29% 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. With 29% and 5.0% of the shares outstanding respectively, Frank Hanna and William McCamey are the second and third largest shareholders. Additionally, the company's CEO Jeffrey Howard directly holds 4.2% of the total shares outstanding.

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.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Atlanticus Holdings

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 the majority of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation. This means they can collectively make decisions for the company. So they have a US$315m stake in this US$463m business. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish todiscover (for free) if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 18% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

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 Atlanticus Holdings , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

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.