What Kind Of Investor Owns Most Of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPPI)?

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A look at the shareholders of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPPI) can tell us which group is most powerful. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. I generally like to see some degree of insider ownership, even if only a little. As Nassim Nicholas Taleb said, 'Don’t tell me what you think, tell me what you have in your portfolio.'

With a market capitalization of US$821m, Spectrum Pharmaceuticals is a decent size, so it is probably on the radar of institutional investors. In the chart below below, we can see that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholder can tell us about SPPI.

See our latest analysis for Spectrum Pharmaceuticals

NasdaqGS:SPPI Ownership Summary, June 17th 2019
NasdaqGS:SPPI Ownership Summary, June 17th 2019

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Spectrum Pharmaceuticals?

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 own 76% of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. 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 Spectrum Pharmaceuticals's historic earnings and revenue, below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

NasdaqGS:SPPI Income Statement, June 17th 2019
NasdaqGS:SPPI Income Statement, June 17th 2019

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Spectrum Pharmaceuticals. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Spectrum Pharmaceuticals

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.

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.

Shareholders would probably be interested to learn that insiders own shares in Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.. In their own names, insiders own US$46m worth of stock in the US$821m company. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 18% ownership, the general public have some degree of sway over SPPI. 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:

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.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.

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