Significant control over Dolly Varden Silver by retail investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
48% of the business is held by the top 20 shareholders
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Dolly Varden Silver Corporation (CVE:DV), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that retail investors own the lion's share in the company with 52% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Meanwhile, public companies make up 29% of the company’s shareholders.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Dolly Varden Silver.
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Dolly Varden Silver?
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 Dolly Varden Silver 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. 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 Dolly Varden Silver's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
TSXV:DV Earnings and Revenue Growth March 26th 2025
Hedge funds don't have many shares in Dolly Varden Silver. Our data shows that Fury Gold Mines Limited is the largest shareholder with 16% of shares outstanding. Hecla Mining Company is the second largest shareholder owning 13% of common stock, and Eric Sprott holds about 9.6% of the company stock.
On studying our ownership data, we found that 20 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.
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. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.
Insider Ownership Of Dolly Varden Silver
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. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.
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 Dolly Varden Silver Corporation. It has a market capitalization of just CA$337m, and insiders have CA$34m worth of shares in their own names. This may suggest that the founders still own a lot of shares. You can click here to see if they have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, collectively holds 52% of Dolly Varden Silver shares. With this amount of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to vote on acquisitions or mergers that may not improve profitability.
Public Company Ownership
It appears to us that public companies own 29% of Dolly Varden Silver. It's hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it's worth watching this space for changes in ownership.
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. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Dolly Varden Silver (1 shouldn't be ignored!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
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.
