If you want to know who really controls Alpine Summit Energy Partners, Inc. (CVE:ALPS.U), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 60% to be precise, is individual investors. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Individual insiders, on the other hand, account for 30% of the company's stockholders. Institutions will often hold stock in bigger companies, and we expect to see insiders owning a noticeable percentage of the smaller ones.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Alpine Summit Energy Partners.

Check out our latest analysis for Alpine Summit Energy Partners

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Alpine Summit Energy Partners?

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.

We can see that Alpine Summit Energy Partners does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Alpine Summit Energy Partners, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don't have many shares in Alpine Summit Energy Partners. The company's largest shareholder is Terrence & Nicola Mullen Foundation, Endowment Arm, with ownership of 9.2%. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 8.4% and 3.1%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. Stephen Schaefer, who is the third-largest shareholder, also happens to hold the title of Member of the Board of Directors. Additionally, the company's CEO Craig Perry directly holds 2.7% of the total shares outstanding.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 19 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Our information suggests that there isn't any analyst coverage of the stock, so it is probably little known.

Insider Ownership Of Alpine Summit Energy Partners

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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 most recent data indicates that insiders own a reasonable proportion of Alpine Summit Energy Partners, Inc.. Insiders own US$47m worth of shares in the US$155m company. We 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 -- including retail investors -- own 60% of Alpine Summit Energy Partners. 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.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Alpine Summit Energy Partners better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Alpine Summit Energy Partners is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , you should know about...

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of interesting companies.

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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