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Ares Commercial Real Estate’s significant individual investors ownership suggests that the key decisions are influenced by shareholders from the larger public
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A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 37% ownership
Every investor in Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation (NYSE:ACRE) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 53% to be precise, is individual investors. In other words, the group stands to gain the most (or lose the most) from their investment into the company.
And institutions on the other hand have a 45% ownership in the company. Large companies usually have institutions as shareholders, and we usually see insiders owning shares in smaller companies.
Let’s delve deeper into each type of owner of Ares Commercial Real Estate, beginning with the chart below.
Check out our latest analysis for Ares Commercial Real Estate
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.
Ares Commercial Real Estate already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can’t rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. 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 Ares Commercial Real Estate’s historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there’s always more to the story.
Ares Commercial Real Estate is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is BlackRock, Inc. with 8.8% of shares outstanding. With 5.4% and 2.5% of the shares outstanding respectively, The Vanguard Group, Inc. and Ressler/Gertz Family Foundation, Endowment Arm are the second and third largest shareholders.
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 are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.
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.
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 Ares Commercial Real Estate Corporation. In their own names, insiders own US$3.9m worth of stock in the US$249m company. This shows at least some alignment. You can click here to see if those insiders have been buying or selling.
The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a substantial 53% stake in Ares Commercial Real Estate, suggesting it is a fairly popular stock. This level of ownership gives investors from the wider public some power to sway key policy decisions such as board composition, executive compensation, and the dividend payout ratio.
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. For instance, we’ve identified 2 warning signs for Ares Commercial Real Estate that you should be aware of.
Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.
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.