public companies who own 44% along with institutions invested in Sapiens International Corporation N.V. (NASDAQ:SPNS) saw increase in their holdings value last week

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by public companies in Sapiens International indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• A total of 4 investors have a majority stake in the company with 51% ownership
• 39% of Sapiens International is held by Institutions

We check all companies for important risks. See what we found for Sapiens International in our free report.

A look at the shareholders of Sapiens International Corporation N.V. (NASDAQ:SPNS) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 44% to be precise, is public companies. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

While public companies were the group that benefitted the most from last week’s US$58m market cap gain, institutions too had a 39% share in those profits.

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

See our latest analysis for Sapiens International

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Sapiens International?

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

Sapiens International is not owned by hedge funds. The company's largest shareholder is Formula Systems (1985) Ltd., with ownership of 44%. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 3.0% and 2.5% of the stock. In addition, we found that Roni Al-Dor, the CEO has 1.5% of the shares allocated to their name.

To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 4 shareholders control more than half of the company which implies that this group has considerable sway over the company's decision-making.

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 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 Sapiens International

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

We can report that insiders do own shares in Sapiens International Corporation N.V.. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth US$24m. Most would see this as a real positive. It is good to see this level of investment by insiders. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 16% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 44% of Sapiens International. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.