Navigator Holdings Ltd.'s (NYSE:NVGS) 4.9% loss last week hit both individual investors who own 52% as well as institutions

Key Insights

• Significant control over Navigator Holdings by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• The top 2 shareholders own 52% of the company
• Institutional ownership in Navigator Holdings is 29%

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Navigator Holdings Ltd. (NYSE:NVGS), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private companies with 52% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Following a 4.9% decrease in the stock price last week, private companies suffered the most losses, but institutions who own 29% stock also took a hit.

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

See our latest analysis for Navigator Holdings

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Navigator Holdings?

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 Navigator Holdings does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Navigator Holdings' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Navigator Holdings is not owned by hedge funds. Ultramar Ltda. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 31% of shares outstanding. With 21% and 2.9% of the shares outstanding respectively, Sohmen Family Foundation and Acadian Asset Management LLC are the second and third largest shareholders.

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. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Navigator Holdings

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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.

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 less than 1% of Navigator Holdings Ltd.. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around US$10m worth of shares (at current prices). It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 18% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 52%, of the shares on issue. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Take risks for example - Navigator Holdings has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

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.