Key Insights

• Insiders appear to have a vested interest in DGL Group's growth, as seen by their sizeable ownership
• Simon Henry owns 54% of the company
• Recent purchases by insiders

To get a sense of who is truly in control of DGL Group Limited (ASX:DGL), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 57% to be precise, is individual insiders. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

A quick look at our data suggests that insiders have been buying shares in the company recently. This might indicate that they expect share prices to rise in the near future.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of DGL Group, beginning with the chart below.

Check out our latest analysis for DGL Group

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About DGL Group?

Institutional investors often avoid companies that are too small, too illiquid or too risky for their tastes. But it's unusual to see larger companies without any institutional investors.

There are multiple explanations for why institutions don't own a stock. The most common is that the company is too small relative to funds under management, so the institution does not bother to look closely at the company. Alternatively, there might be something about the company that has kept institutional investors away. DGL Group might not have the sort of past performance institutions are looking for, or perhaps they simply have not studied the business closely.

DGL Group is not owned by hedge funds. With a 54% stake, CEO Simon Henry is the largest shareholder. This essentially means that they have significant control over the outcome or future of the company, which is why insider ownership is usually looked upon favourably by prospective buyers. The second and third largest shareholders are Spalding Holdings Pty Ltd and Kenneth Hall, with an equal amount of shares to their name at 1.9%.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of DGL Group

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.

Most consider insider ownership a positive because it can indicate the board is well aligned with other shareholders. However, on some occasions too much power is concentrated within this group.

Our information suggests that insiders own more than half of DGL Group Limited. This gives them effective control of the company. That means they own AU$93m worth of shares in the AU$163m company. That's quite meaningful. It is good to see this level of investment. You can check here to see if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 36% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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.

Private Company Ownership

Our data indicates that Private Companies hold 6.8%, 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:

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 find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

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.