To get a sense of who is truly in control of Nanjing Hanrui Cobalt Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:300618), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. With 49% stake, individual investors possess the maximum shares in the company. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.

Following a 4.9% decrease in the stock price last week, individual investors suffered the most losses, but insiders who own 31% stock also took a hit.

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

See our latest analysis for Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd. 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 Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is the CEO Jie Liang with 16% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 15% and 2.6%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 22 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% implying that 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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Nanjing Hanrui Cobalt Co.,Ltd.. It has a market capitalization of just CN¥15b, and insiders have CN¥4.6b worth of shares in their own names. That's quite significant. Most would say this shows a good degree of alignment with shareholders, especially in a company of this size. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 49% 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.

Private Company Ownership

It seems that Private Companies own 4.5%, of the Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd stock. It might be worth looking deeper into this. If related parties, such as insiders, have an interest in one of these private companies, that should be disclosed in the annual report. Private companies may also have a strategic interest in the company.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. To that end, you should be aware of the 2 warning signs we've spotted with Nanjing Hanrui CobaltLtd .

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies.

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.