Yahoo Finance Individual investors own 26% of Kuehne + Nagel International AG (VTX:KNIN) shares but private companies control 55% of the company
Key Insights
Significant control over Kuehne + Nagel International by private companies implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
The largest shareholder of the company is Kuehne Holding AG with a 55% stake
If you want to know who really controls Kuehne + Nagel International AG (VTX:KNIN), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 55% to be precise, is private companies. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Meanwhile, individual investors make up 26% of the company’s shareholders.
Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Kuehne + Nagel International, beginning with the chart below.
View our latest analysis for Kuehne + Nagel International
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Kuehne + Nagel International?
Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.
As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Kuehne + Nagel International. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. 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 Kuehne + Nagel International's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
Hedge funds don't have many shares in Kuehne + Nagel International. Kuehne Holding AG is currently the largest shareholder, with 55% of shares outstanding. This implies that they have majority interest control of the future of the company. With 3.3% and 3.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, UBS Asset Management AG and BlackRock, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.
While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.
Insider Ownership Of Kuehne + Nagel International
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 Kuehne + Nagel International AG insiders own under 1% of the company. But they may have an indirect interest through a corporate structure that we haven't picked up on. As it is a large company, we'd only expect insiders to own a small percentage of it. But it's worth noting that they own CHF36m worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 26% stake in Kuehne + Nagel International. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.
Private Company Ownership
Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 55%, 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:
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. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Kuehne + Nagel International you should be aware of, and 2 of them don't sit too well with us.
Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
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.
