Advertisement
U.S. markets open in 3 hours 59 minutes
  • S&P Futures

    5,209.25
    -5.50 (-0.11%)
     
  • Dow Futures

    39,189.00
    -34.00 (-0.09%)
     
  • Nasdaq Futures

    18,209.75
    -21.75 (-0.12%)
     
  • Russell 2000 Futures

    2,043.50
    -6.30 (-0.31%)
     
  • Crude Oil

    82.46
    -0.26 (-0.31%)
     
  • Gold

    2,155.70
    -8.60 (-0.40%)
     
  • Silver

    25.11
    -0.15 (-0.61%)
     
  • EUR/USD

    1.0847
    -0.0029 (-0.27%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.3400
    0.0000 (0.00%)
     
  • Vix

    14.51
    +0.18 (+1.26%)
     
  • GBP/USD

    1.2680
    -0.0048 (-0.38%)
     
  • USD/JPY

    150.5750
    +1.4770 (+0.99%)
     
  • Bitcoin USD

    63,654.45
    -4,382.24 (-6.44%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    885.54
    0.00 (0.00%)
     
  • FTSE 100

    7,714.25
    -8.30 (-0.11%)
     
  • Nikkei 225

    40,003.60
    +263.20 (+0.66%)
     

What Percentage Of Aware, Inc. (NASDAQ:AWRE) Shares Do Insiders Own?

Every investor in Aware, Inc. (NASDAQ:AWRE) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. Institutions often own shares in more established companies, while it’s not unusual to see insiders own a fair bit of smaller companies. 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.’

Aware is not a large company by global standards. It has a market capitalization of US$80m, which means it wouldn’t have the attention of many institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutions are noticeable on the share registry. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about AWRE.

View our latest analysis for Aware

Want to help shape the future of investing tools and platforms? Take the survey and be part of one of the most advanced studies of stock market investors to date.

NasdaqGM:AWRE Ownership Summary January 18th 19
NasdaqGM:AWRE Ownership Summary January 18th 19

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Aware?

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.

Aware already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own 24% of the company. 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 Aware’s earnings history, below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

NasdaqGM:AWRE Income Statement Export January 18th 19
NasdaqGM:AWRE Income Statement Export January 18th 19

It looks like hedge funds own 7.5% of Aware shares. That catches my attention because hedge funds sometimes try to influence management, or bring about changes that will create near term value for shareholders. As far I can tell there isn’t analyst coverage of the company, so it is probably flying under the radar.

Insider Ownership Of Aware

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. 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.

Our information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Aware, Inc.. Insiders own US$31m worth of shares in the US$80m company. I would say this shows alignment with shareholders, but it is worth noting that the company is still quite small; some insiders may have founded the business. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, with a 29% stake in the company, will not easily be ignored. While this group can’t necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can access this interactive graph of past earnings, revenue and cash flow for free .

If you would prefer check out another company — one with potentially superior financials — then do not miss this free list of interesting companies, backed by strong financial data.

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.

To help readers see past the short term volatility of the financial market, we aim to bring you a long-term focused research analysis purely driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis does not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements.

The author is an independent contributor and at the time of publication had no position in the stocks mentioned. For errors that warrant correction please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com.

Advertisement