Key Insights

• Airship AI Holdings' significant insider ownership suggests inherent interests in company's expansion
• 50% of the business is held by the top 3 shareholders
• Insiders have sold recently

A look at the shareholders of Airship AI Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:AISP) can tell us which group is most powerful. We can see that individual insiders own the lion's share in the company with 53% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Insiders are at the top of the company's shareholdings despite selling some shares recently. As a result, they were also the biggest winners as market cap hit US$101m last week.

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

View our latest analysis for Airship AI Holdings

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Airship AI Holdings?

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.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Airship AI Holdings. 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. 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 Airship AI Holdings, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Airship AI Holdings. From our data, we infer that the largest shareholder is Derek Xu (who also holds the title of Top Key Executive) with 32% of shares outstanding. Its usually considered a good sign when insiders own a significant number of shares in the company, and in this case, we're glad to see a company insider play the role of a key stakeholder. With 13% and 5.8% of the shares outstanding respectively, Victor Huang and Jane Cui are the second and third largest shareholders. Interestingly, the second-largest shareholder, Victor Huang is also Chief Executive Officer, again, pointing towards strong insider ownership amongst the company's top shareholders.

A more detailed study of the shareholder registry showed us that 3 of the top shareholders have a considerable amount of ownership in the company, via their 50% stake.

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 some analyst coverage of the stock, but it could still become more well known, with time.

Insider Ownership Of Airship AI Holdings

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.

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 insiders own more than half of Airship AI Holdings, Inc.. This gives them effective control of the company. So they have a US$53m stake in this US$101m 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 41% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Airship AI Holdings. 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:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Airship AI Holdings better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Airship AI Holdings is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 3 of those shouldn't be ignored...

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.

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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.