Key Insights

Significant control over Washington H. Soul Pattinson by individual investors implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions The top 25 shareholders own 46% of the company Insiders have been buying lately

We've discovered 1 warning sign about Washington H. Soul Pattinson. View them for free.

Every investor in Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited (ASX:SOL) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. With 52% stake, individual investors possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Public companies, on the other hand, account for 26% of the company's stockholders.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Washington H. Soul Pattinson.

Check out our latest analysis for Washington H. Soul Pattinson ASX:SOL Ownership Breakdown May 11th 2025

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Washington H. Soul Pattinson?

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.

Washington H. Soul Pattinson already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in 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 Washington H. Soul Pattinson's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.ASX:SOL Earnings and Revenue Growth May 11th 2025

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Washington H. Soul Pattinson. The company's largest shareholder is Brickworks Limited, with ownership of 26%. With 4.2% and 3.9% of the shares outstanding respectively, Robert Millner and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

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.

Story Continues

Insider Ownership Of Washington H. Soul Pattinson

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.

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.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own some shares in Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Company Limited. The insiders have a meaningful stake worth AU$729m. we sometimes take an interest in  whether they have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, collectively holds 52% of Washington H. Soul Pattinson shares. This size of ownership gives investors from the general public some collective power. They can and probably do influence decisions on executive compensation, dividend policies and proposed business acquisitions.

Private Company Ownership

It seems that Private Companies own 3.2%, of the Washington H. Soul Pattinson 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.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 26% of Washington H. Soul Pattinson. This may be a strategic interest and the two companies may have related business interests. It could be that they have de-merged. This holding is probably worth investigating further.

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. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted  1 warning sign for Washington H. Soul Pattinson  you should know about.

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this freereport on analyst forecasts.

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.

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