Stock Analysis

    Do Insiders Own Lots Of Shares In Fintech Acquisition Corp. IV (NASDAQ:FTIV)?

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    If you want to know who really controls Fintech Acquisition Corp. IV (NASDAQ:FTIV), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones. 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.

    Fintech Acquisition IV is a smaller company with a market capitalization of US$107m, 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 seems that institutions don't own shares in the company. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Fintech Acquisition IV.

    See our latest analysis for Fintech Acquisition IV

    ownership-breakdown
    NasdaqCM:FTIV Ownership Breakdown December 26th 2020

    What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Fintech Acquisition IV?

    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 Fintech Acquisition IV, for yourself, below.

    earnings-and-revenue-growth
    NasdaqCM:FTIV Earnings and Revenue Growth December 26th 2020

    Hedge funds don't have many shares in Fintech Acquisition IV. The company's CEO Daniel Cohen is the largest shareholder with 25% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second largest shareholder is Fintech Investor Holdings, LLC holding 21%.

    Our studies suggest that the top 2 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

    While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. As far I can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

    Insider Ownership Of Fintech Acquisition IV

    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. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

    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.

    It seems insiders own a significant proportion of Fintech Acquisition Corp. IV. Insiders own US$26m worth of shares in the US$107m company. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.

    General Public Ownership

    The general public -- mostly retail investors -- own 54% of Fintech Acquisition IV. 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 21%, 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:

    While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. For instance, we've identified 1 warning sign for Fintech Acquisition IV that you should be aware of.

    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.

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    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. 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.
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