Akoya Biosciences, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AKYA) market cap touched US$254m last week, benefiting both private equity firms who own 48% as well as institutions
Key Insights
Significant control over Akoya Biosciences by private equity firms implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions
The top 3 shareholders own 52% of the company
To get a sense of who is truly in control of Akoya Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKYA), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are private equity firms with 48% ownership. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
Following a 20% increase in the stock price last week, private equity firms profited the most, but institutions who own 23% stock also stood to gain from the increase.
In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Akoya Biosciences.
View our latest analysis for Akoya Biosciences
What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Akoya Biosciences?
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 Akoya Biosciences. 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Akoya Biosciences' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.
Our data indicates that hedge funds own 9.6% of Akoya Biosciences. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is Telegraph Hill Partners with 36% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 9.6% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 6.3% by the third-largest shareholder.
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 52% 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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.
Insider Ownership Of Akoya Biosciences
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.
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.
Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Akoya Biosciences, Inc.. As individuals, the insiders collectively own US$14m worth of the US$254m company. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
General Public Ownership
The general public-- including retail investors -- own 14% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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 Equity Ownership
Private equity firms hold a 48% stake in Akoya Biosciences. This suggests they can be influential in key policy decisions. Some might like this, because private equity are sometimes activists who hold management accountable. But other times, private equity is selling out, having taking the company public.
Next Steps:
It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Akoya Biosciences better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Akoya Biosciences that you should be aware of.
But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter 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.
