I am going to take a deep dive into Ariadne Australia Limited’s (ASX:ARA) most recent ownership structure, not a frequent subject of discussion among individual investors. Ownership structure of a company has been found to affect share performance over time. Since the effect of an active institutional investor with a similar ownership as a passive pension-fund can be vastly different on a company’s corporate governance and accountability of shareholders, investors should take a closer look at ARA’s shareholder registry. All data provided is as of the most recent financial year end.
See our latest analysis for Ariadne Australia
Institutional Ownership
Institutional investors transact in large blocks which can influence the momentum of stock prices, at least in the short-term, especially when there is a low level of public shares available on the market to trade. With an institutional ownership of 5.42%, ARA doesn’t seem too exposed to higher volatility resulting from institutional trading. Low coverage stocks like ARA tend to be favourite picks of legendary investor Peter Lynch, who used to cash in on the rally supported by institutional buying as the stock gained popularity.
Insider Ownership
Another important group of shareholders are company insiders. Insider ownership has to do more with how the company is managed and less to do with the direct impact of the magnitude of shares trading on the market. ARA insiders hold a significant stake of 62.17% in the company. This level of insider ownership has been found to have a negative impact on companies with consistently low PE ratios (underperformers), while it has been positive in the case of high PE ratio firms (outperformers). It’s also interesting to learn what ARA insiders have been doing with their shareholdings lately. Insider buying may be a sign of upbeat future expectations, however, selling doesn’t necessarily mean the opposite as insiders may be motivated by their personal financial needs.
General Public Ownership
A big stake of 17.58% in ARA is held by the general public. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power in deciding on major policy decisions such as executive compensation, appointment of directors and acquisitions of businesses. This level of ownership gives retail investors the power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and potential acquisitions. This is a positive sign for an investor who wants to be involved in key decision-making of the company.
Private Equity Ownership
With an ownership of 10.88%, private equity firms are a major stakeholder in ARA and are in a position to play an important role in shaping up corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. This is a positive sign for potential investors as these firms play an important role in aligning company policy with shareholder returns.