Stock Analysis

    Shareholders Should Note That Insiders Own Shares In China Internet Nationwide Financial Services Inc (NASDAQ:CIFS)

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    If you want to know who really controls China Internet Nationwide Financial Services Inc (NASDAQ:CIFS), 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. I quite like to see at least a little bit of insider ownership. As Charlie Munger said 'Show me the incentive and I will show you the outcome.'

    With a market capitalization of US$282.8m, China Internet Nationwide Financial Services is a small cap stock, so it might not be well known by many institutional investors. In the chart below below, we can see that institutional investors have not yet purchased much of the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about CIFS.

    See our latest analysis for China Internet Nationwide Financial Services

    NasdaqGM:CIFS Ownership Summary September 18th 18
    NasdaqGM:CIFS Ownership Summary September 18th 18

    What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About China Internet Nationwide Financial Services?

    We don't tend to see institutional investors holding stock of companies that are very risky, thinly traded, or very small. Though we do sometimes see large companies without institutions on the register, it's not particularly common.

    There could be various reasons why no institutions own shares in a company. Typically, small, newly listed companies don't attract much attention from fund managers, because it would not be possible for large fund managers to build a meaningful position in the company. It is also possible that fund managers don't own the stock because they aren't convinced it will perform well. Institutional investors may not find the historic growth of the business impressive, or there might be other factors at play. You can see the past revenue performance of China Internet Nationwide Financial Services, for yourself, below.

    NasdaqGM:CIFS Income Statement Export September 18th 18
    NasdaqGM:CIFS Income Statement Export September 18th 18

    We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in China Internet Nationwide Financial Services. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known.

    Insider Ownership Of China Internet Nationwide Financial Services

    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. 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.

    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.

    It seems that insiders own more than half the China Internet Nationwide Financial Services Inc stock. This gives them a lot of power. So they have a US$209.0m stake in this US$282.8m business. Most would argue this is a positive, showing strong alignment with shareholders. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

    General Public Ownership

    The general public holds a 25.5% stake in CIFS. 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.

    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. Therefore, you may wish to see our free collection of interesting prospects boasting favorable financials.

    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.

    To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

    The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

    Simply Wall St analyst Simply Wall St and Simply Wall St have no position in any of the companies mentioned. This article 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.