Keppel Infrastructure Trust's (SGX:A7RU) top owners are retail investors with 59% stake, while 18% is held by public companies

In this article:

Key Insights

  • Keppel Infrastructure Trust's significant retail investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public

  • A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 40% ownership

  • Past performance of a company along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Keppel Infrastructure Trust (SGX:A7RU), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that retail investors own the lion's share in the company with 59% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And public companies on the other hand have a 18% ownership in the company.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Keppel Infrastructure Trust.

See our latest analysis for Keppel Infrastructure Trust

ownership-breakdown
ownership-breakdown

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Keppel Infrastructure Trust?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Keppel Infrastructure Trust. 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 Keppel Infrastructure Trust's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

earnings-and-revenue-growth
earnings-and-revenue-growth

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Keppel Infrastructure Trust. Our data shows that Keppel Corporation Limited is the largest shareholder with 18% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 13% and 2.3%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. There is a little analyst coverage of the stock, but not much. So there is room for it to gain more coverage.

Insider Ownership Of Keppel Infrastructure Trust

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. 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.

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 Keppel Infrastructure Trust insiders own under 1% of the company. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own S$6.9m worth of shares. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a substantial 59% stake in Keppel Infrastructure Trust, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. With this amount of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in decisions that affect shareholder returns, such as dividend policies and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to vote on acquisitions or mergers that may not improve profitability.

Private Equity Ownership

With a stake of 13%, private equity firms could influence the Keppel Infrastructure Trust board. Sometimes we see private equity stick around for the long term, but generally speaking they have a shorter investment horizon and -- as the name suggests -- don't invest in public companies much. After some time they may look to sell and redeploy capital elsewhere.

Public Company Ownership

We can see that public companies hold 18% of the Keppel Infrastructure Trust shares on issue. We can't be certain but it is quite possible this is a strategic stake. The businesses may be similar, or work together.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Keppel Infrastructure Trust better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Keppel Infrastructure Trust is showing 5 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 2 of those make us uncomfortable...

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.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.

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.

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