Insiders still control 47% of Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ:PEGA) despite recent sales

Key Insights

• Pegasystems' significant insider ownership suggests inherent interests in company's expansion
• A total of 2 investors have a majority stake in the company with 53% ownership
• Insiders have sold recently

A look at the shareholders of Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ:PEGA) can tell us which group is most powerful. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are individual insiders with 47% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Insiders are at the top of the company's shareholdings despite selling some shares recently. As a result, they were also the biggest winners as market cap hit US$6.0b last week.

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

See our latest analysis for Pegasystems

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Pegasystems?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Pegasystems. 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. 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 Pegasystems, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Pegasystems. The company's CEO Alan Trefler is the largest shareholder with 47% of shares outstanding. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is the second largest shareholder owning 6.4% of common stock, and Capital Research and Management Company holds about 3.6% of the company stock.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. 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 Pegasystems

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.

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.

It seems insiders own a significant proportion of Pegasystems Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just US$6.0b, and insiders have US$2.8b worth of shares in their own names. That's quite significant. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 10% stake in Pegasystems. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

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. For instance, we've identified 2 warning signs for Pegasystems that 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.