Retail investors among Lesaka Technologies, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:LSAK) largest stockholders and were hit after last week's 15% price drop

Key Insights

• Significant control over Lesaka Technologies by retail investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• The top 5 shareholders own 52% of the company
• Insiders have bought recently

Our free stock report includes 2 warning signs investors should be aware of before investing in Lesaka Technologies. Read for free now.

If you want to know who really controls Lesaka Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:LSAK), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 37% to be precise, is retail investors. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

As a result, retail investors as a group endured the highest losses last week after market cap fell by US$54m.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Lesaka Technologies.

View our latest analysis for Lesaka Technologies

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Lesaka Technologies?

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 Lesaka Technologies. 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 Lesaka Technologies, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Lesaka Technologies is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that Value Capital Partners is the largest shareholder with 21% of shares outstanding. International Finance Corporation is the second largest shareholder owning 9.7% of common stock, and Xie Fei Pang Wong Lin holds about 8.7% of the company stock.

On looking further, we found that 52% of the shares are owned by the top 5 shareholders. In other words, these shareholders have a meaningful say in the decisions of the company.

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. There is some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Lesaka Technologies

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 Lesaka Technologies, Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just US$325m, and insiders have US$42m worth of shares in their own names. 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-- including retail investors -- own 37% 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.

Private Equity Ownership

With an ownership of 30%, private equity firms are in a position to play a role in shaping corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Lesaka Technologies better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Lesaka Technologies is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

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.