Key Insights

• ApicHope Pharmaceutical's significant private companies ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
• The top 2 shareholders own 57% of the company
• Insiders own 19% of ApicHope Pharmaceutical

To get a sense of who is truly in control of ApicHope Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd (SZSE:300723), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 44% to be precise, is private companies. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And following last week's 6.2% decline in share price, private companies suffered the most losses.

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

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About ApicHope Pharmaceutical?

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.

We can see that ApicHope Pharmaceutical does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. 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 ApicHope Pharmaceutical, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

ApicHope Pharmaceutical is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Guangdong Guangrun Group Co., Ltd. with 41% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 16% and 5.4% of the stock. Hanxiong Li, who is the second-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Chief Executive Officer.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 2 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 57% stake.

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

Insider Ownership Of ApicHope Pharmaceutical

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in ApicHope Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Insiders own CN¥1.3b worth of shares in the CN¥7.0b company. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

With a 22% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over ApicHope Pharmaceutical. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 44%, of the company's shares. 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 ApicHope Pharmaceutical .

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

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.