Key Insights

• Significant control over Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
• 55% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders
• Institutional ownership in Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd is 10%

If you want to know who really controls Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town Co.,Ltd. (SZSE:000069), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 56% stake, private companies possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

As a result, private companies collectively scored the highest last week as the company hit CN¥25b market cap following a 7.6% gain in the stock.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd.

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd?

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 Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd 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. 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 Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd. Overseas Chinese Town Enterprise Limited Company is currently the company's largest shareholder with 48% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 7.1% and 3.1%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

To make our study more interesting, we found that the top 2 shareholders have a majority ownership in the company, meaning that they are powerful enough to influence the decisions of the company.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd

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

I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Shenzhen Overseas Chinese Town Co.,Ltd. in their own names. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own CN¥16m worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 34% stake in Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Private Company Ownership

We can see that Private Companies own 56%, of the shares on issue. Private companies may be related parties. Sometimes insiders have an interest in a public company through a holding in a private company, rather than in their own capacity as an individual. While it's hard to draw any broad stroke conclusions, it is worth noting as an area for further research.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Shenzhen Overseas Chinese TownLtd is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about...

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its 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.