Why Fibrocell Science Inc’s (NASDAQ:FCSC) Investor Composition Impacts Your Returns

Ashwin Virk

Updated Tue, Jan 2, 2018, 5:29 PM

In this article, I’m going to take a look at Fibrocell Science Inc’s (NASDAQ:FCSC) latest ownership structure, a non-fundamental factor which is important, but remains a less discussed subject among investors. A company’s ownership structure is often linked to its share performance in both the long- and short-term. Since the same amount of capital coming from an activist institution and a passive mutual fund has different implications on corporate governance, it is a useful exercise to deconstruct FCSC’s shareholder registry. All data provided is as of the most recent financial year end.

Check out our latest analysis for Fibrocell Science

NasdaqCM:FCSC Ownership_summary Jan 3rd 18

Institutional Ownership

With an institutional ownership of 16.12%, FCSC can face volatile stock price movements if institutions execute block trades on the open market, more so, when there are relatively small amounts of shares available on the market to trade However, as not all institutions are alike, such high volatility events, especially in the short-term, have been more frequently linked to active market participants like hedge funds. For shareholders in FCSC, sharp price movements may not be a major concern as active hedge funds hold a relatively small stake in the company. Although this doesn’t necessarily lead to high short-term volatility, we should dig deeper into FCSC’s ownership structure to find how the remaining owner types can affect its investment profile.

Insider Ownership

Insiders form another group of important ownership types as they manage the company’s operations and decide the best use of capital. Insider ownership has been linked to better alignment between management and shareholders. Although individuals in FCSC hold only a minor stake, it’s a good sign for shareholders as the company’s executives and directors have their incentives directly linked to the company’s performance. I will also like to check what insiders have been doing recently with their holdings. 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

The general public holds a substantial 46.95% stake in FCSC, making it a highly popular stock among retail investors. 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 25.74%, private equity firms are a major stakeholder in FCSC 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.

Private Company Ownership

Potential investors in FCSC should also look at another important group of investors: private companies, with a stake of 1.61%, who are primarily invested because of strategic and capital gain interests. However, an ownership of this size may be relatively insignificant, meaning that these shareholders may not have the potential to influence FCSC’s business strategy. Thus, investors not need worry too much about the consequences of these holdings.

What this means for you:

The company’s high institutional ownership makes margin of safety a very important consideration to existing investors since long bull and bear trends often emerge when these big-ticket investors see a change in long-term potential of the company. This is to avoid getting trapped in a sustained sell-off that is often observed in stocks with this level of institutional participation. However, ownership structure should not be the only focus of your research when constructing an investment thesis around FCSC. Rather, you should be looking at fundamental drivers such as the intrinsic valuation, which is a key driver of Fibrocell Science’s share price. I urge you to complete your research by taking a look at the following:

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.
To help readers see pass the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned.