56% of Avarga Limited (SGX:U09) is owned by insiders, and they've been buying recently

In this article:

Key Insights

  • Insiders appear to have a vested interest in Avarga's growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership

  • A total of 2 investors have a majority stake in the company with 53% ownership

  • Recent purchases by insiders

Every investor in Avarga Limited (SGX:U09) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 56% to be precise, is individual insiders. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

It's interesting to note that insiders have been buying shares recently. This could signal that stock prices could go up and insiders are here for it.

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

Check out our latest analysis for Avarga

ownership-breakdown
ownership-breakdown

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Avarga?

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.

Less than 5% of Avarga is held by institutional investors. This suggests that some funds have the company in their sights, but many have not yet bought shares in it. So if the company itself can improve over time, we may well see more institutional buyers in the future. It is not uncommon to see a big share price rise if multiple institutional investors are trying to buy into a stock at the same time. So check out the historic earnings trajectory, below, but keep in mind it's the future that counts most.

earnings-and-revenue-growth
earnings-and-revenue-growth

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Avarga. Because actions speak louder than words, we consider it a good sign when insiders own a significant stake in a company. In Avarga's case, its Top Key Executive, Kooi Tong, is the largest shareholder, holding 33% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 20% and 1.2% of the stock.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. As far as we can tell there isn't analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of Avarga

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

It seems that insiders own more than half the Avarga Limited stock. This gives them a lot of power. So they have a S$87m stake in this S$154m business. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish todiscover (for free) if they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 42% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Avarga. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important.

I always like to check for a history of revenue growth. You can too, by accessing this free chart of historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

Of course this may not be the best stock to buy. So take a peek at this free free list of interesting companies.

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.

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