Retail investors are Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp.'s (NASDAQ:SHIP) biggest owners and were hit after market cap dropped US$27m

Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by retail investors in Seanergy Maritime Holdings indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• 46% of the business is held by the top 25 shareholders
• Insiders own 27% of Seanergy Maritime Holdings

Every investor in Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SHIP) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. We can see that retail investors own the lion's share in the company with 51% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Following a 11% decrease in the stock price last week, retail investors suffered the most losses, but insiders who own 27% stock also took a hit.

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

Check out our latest analysis for Seanergy Maritime Holdings

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Seanergy Maritime 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 Seanergy Maritime 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. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Seanergy Maritime Holdings' historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Seanergy Maritime Holdings. Our data shows that George Economou is the largest shareholder with 9.0% of shares outstanding. With 7.9% and 7.3% of the shares outstanding respectively, Stamatios Tsantanis and Konstantinos Konstantakopoulos are the second and third largest shareholders. Stamatios Tsantanis, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chief Executive Officer.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

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 Seanergy Maritime Holdings

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.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Seanergy Maritime Holdings Corp.. Insiders have a US$64m stake in this US$233m business. We would say this shows alignment with shareholders, but it is worth noting that the company is still quite small; some insiders may have founded the business. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, collectively holds 51% of Seanergy Maritime Holdings shares. This size of ownership gives investors from the general public some collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

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. Be aware that Seanergy Maritime Holdings is showing 2 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

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.