Stock Analysis

    Who Are The Major Shareholders In Glu Mobile Inc (NASDAQ:GLUU)?

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    In this article, I'm going to take a look at Glu Mobile Inc’s (NASDAQ:GLUU) latest ownership structure, a non-fundamental factor which is important, but remains a less discussed subject among investors. A company's ownership structure is often linked to its share performance in both the long- and short-term. Differences in ownership structure of companies can have a profound effect on how management's incentives are aligned with shareholder returns, and whether they adhere to corporate governance best practices. Although this is an important factor for long-term investors, many investors can also be impacted by institutional presence and their high-volume trading. Therefore, I will take a look at GLUU's shareholders in more detail.

    See our latest analysis for Glu Mobile

    NasdaqGS:GLUU Ownership Summary August 15th 18
    NasdaqGS:GLUU Ownership Summary August 15th 18
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    Institutional Ownership

    In GLUU's case, institutional ownership stands at 50.71%, significant enough to cause considerable price moves in the case of large institutional transactions, especially when there is a low level of public shares available on the market to trade. However, as not all institutions are alike, such high volatility events, especially in the short-term, have been more frequently linked to active market participants like hedge funds. For shareholders in GLUU, sharp price movements may not be a major concern as active hedge funds hold a relatively small stake in the company. Although this doesn't necessarily lead to high short-term volatility, we should dig deeper into GLUU's ownership structure to find how the remaining owner types can affect its investment profile.

    Insider Ownership

    An important group of shareholders are company insiders. Insider ownership has to do more with how the company is managed and less to do with the direct impact of the magnitude of shares trading on the market. With a stake of 1.54%, insiders seem to have some alignment of interest with shareholders. A higher level of insider ownership has been found to reflect the choosing of projects with higher return on investments compared to lower returning projects for the sake of expansion. I will also like to check what insiders have been doing recently with their holdings. Insider buying may be a sign of upbeat future expectations, however, selling doesn't necessarily mean the opposite as insiders may be motivated by their personal financial needs.

    General Public Ownership

    The general public holds a substantial 27.87% stake in GLUU, making it a highly popular stock among retail investors. This level of ownership gives retail investors the power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and potential acquisitions. This is a positive sign for an investor who wants to be involved in key decision-making of the company.

    Public Company Ownership

    Another group of owners that a potential investor in GLUU should consider are other public companies, with a stake of 19.88%. While they invest more often due to strategic interests, an investment can also be driven by capital gains through share price appreciation. An ownership of this size indicates a strong financial backing and has the potential to influence GLUU's business strategy. Thus, investors should dig deeper into GLUU's business relations with these companies and how it can affect shareholder returns in the long-term.

    Next Steps:

    The company's high institutional ownership makes margin of safety a very important consideration to existing investors since long bull and bear trends often emerge when these big-ticket investors see a change in long-term potential of the company. This will enable shareholders to comfortably invest in the company while avoid getting trapped in a sustained sell-off that is often observed in stocks with this level of institutional participation. However, ownership structure should not be the only determining factor when you’re building an investment thesis for GLUU. Rather, you should be examining fundamental factors such as Glu Mobile's past track record and financial health. I highly recommend you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:

    1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for GLUU’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for GLUU’s outlook.
    2. Past Track Record: Has GLUU been consistently performing well irrespective of the ups and downs in the market? Go into more detail in the past performance analysis and take a look at the free visual representations of GLUU's historicals for more clarity.
    3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

    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.