With 39% ownership, Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI) insiders have a lot riding on the company's future
Key Insights
Significant insider control over Nelnet implies vested interests in company growth
50% of the business is held by the top 7 shareholders
A look at the shareholders of Nelnet, Inc. (NYSE:NNI) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 39% to be precise, is individual insiders. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
So, insiders of Nelnet have a lot at stake and every decision they make on the company’s future is important to them from a financial point of view.
Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Nelnet.
View our latest analysis for Nelnet
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Nelnet?
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 Nelnet. 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. 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 Nelnet's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.
Our data indicates that hedge funds own 5.1% of Nelnet. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. Because actions speak louder than words, we consider it a good sign when insiders own a significant stake in a company. In Nelnet's case, its Top Key Executive, Michael Dunlap, is the largest shareholder, holding 24% of shares outstanding. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP is the second largest shareholder owning 5.6% of common stock, and The Magnolia Group, LLC holds about 5.1% of the company stock. Furthermore, CEO Jeffrey Noordhoek is the owner of 1.5% of the company's shares.
We also observed that the top 7 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.
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. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known.
Insider Ownership Of Nelnet
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 maintain a significant holding in Nelnet, Inc.. Insiders own US$1.3b worth of shares in the US$3.4b company. That's quite meaningful. Most would say this shows a good degree of alignment with shareholders, especially in a company of this size. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 25% stake in Nelnet. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.
Private Company Ownership
It seems that Private Companies own 5.7%, of the Nelnet stock. It's hard to draw any conclusions from this fact alone, so its worth looking into who owns those private companies. Sometimes insiders or other related parties have an interest in shares in a public company through a separate private company.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Nelnet better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 2 warning signs for Nelnet (1 makes us a bit uncomfortable!) that you should be aware of before investing here.
Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this 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.
