Advertisement
Australia markets closed
  • ALL ORDS

    7,837.40
    -100.10 (-1.26%)
     
  • ASX 200

    7,575.90
    -107.10 (-1.39%)
     
  • AUD/USD

    0.6542
    +0.0019 (+0.29%)
     
  • OIL

    83.96
    +0.39 (+0.47%)
     
  • GOLD

    2,356.50
    +14.00 (+0.60%)
     
  • Bitcoin AUD

    98,933.89
    +1,616.20 (+1.66%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,340.22
    -56.32 (-4.04%)
     
  • AUD/EUR

    0.6111
    +0.0037 (+0.61%)
     
  • AUD/NZD

    1.0986
    +0.0029 (+0.26%)
     
  • NZX 50

    11,805.09
    -141.34 (-1.18%)
     
  • NASDAQ

    17,700.80
    +270.29 (+1.55%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,129.37
    +50.51 (+0.63%)
     
  • Dow Jones

    38,279.86
    +194.06 (+0.51%)
     
  • DAX

    18,147.38
    +230.10 (+1.28%)
     
  • Hang Seng

    17,651.15
    +366.61 (+2.12%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    37,934.76
    +306.28 (+0.81%)
     

Could Singapore Exchange Limited's (SGX:S68) Investor Composition Influence The Stock Price?

If you want to know who really controls Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX:S68), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

Singapore Exchange has a market capitalization of S$9.5b, so it's too big to fly under the radar. We'd expect to see both institutions and retail investors owning a portion of the company. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it's seems that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about S68.

View our latest analysis for Singapore Exchange

SGX:S68 Ownership Summary, November 15th 2019
SGX:S68 Ownership Summary, November 15th 2019

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Singapore Exchange?

Many institutions measure their performance against an index that approximates the local market. So they usually pay more attention to companies that are included in major indices.

ADVERTISEMENT

As you can see, institutional investors own 17% of Singapore Exchange. 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. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Singapore Exchange, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

SGX:S68 Income Statement, November 15th 2019
SGX:S68 Income Statement, November 15th 2019

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Singapore Exchange. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Singapore Exchange

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

Our information suggests that Singapore Exchange Limited insiders own under 1% of the company. It is a pretty big company, so it would be possible for board members to own a meaningful interest in the company, without owning much of a proportional interest. In this case, they own around S$28m worth of shares (at current prices). 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 -- mostly retail investors -- own 59% of Singapore Exchange. This size of ownership gives retail investors collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

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 like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow, for free.

If you are like me, you may want to think about whether this company will grow or shrink. Luckily, you can check this free report showing analyst forecasts for its future.

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.