Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX) institutional owners may be pleased with recent gains after 47% loss over the past year

Simply Wall St · 09/15/2023 11:06

Key Insights

  • Institutions' substantial holdings in Alteryx implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price
  • The top 12 shareholders own 51% of the company
  • 11% of Alteryx is held by insiders

A look at the shareholders of Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX) can tell us which group is most powerful. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 75% to be precise, is institutions. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Last week's US$87m market cap gain would probably be appreciated by institutional investors, especially after a year of 47% losses.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Alteryx.

Check out our latest analysis for Alteryx

ownership-breakdown
NYSE:AYX Ownership Breakdown September 15th 2023

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Alteryx?

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.

Alteryx already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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 Alteryx's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

earnings-and-revenue-growth
NYSE:AYX Earnings and Revenue Growth September 15th 2023

Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Alteryx. Our data suggests that Dean Stoecker, who is also the company's Top Key Executive, holds the most number of shares at 10%. When an insider holds a sizeable amount of a company's stock, investors consider it as a positive sign because it suggests that insiders are willing to have their wealth tied up in the future of the company. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 9.2% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 4.9% by the third-largest shareholder.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 12 shareholders have a combined ownership of 51% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are a reasonable number of analysts covering the stock, so it might be useful to find out their aggregate view on the future.

Insider Ownership Of Alteryx

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.

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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in Alteryx, Inc.. Insiders own US$275m worth of shares in the US$2.5b company. That's quite meaningful. Most would be pleased to see the board is investing alongside them. You may wish to access this free chart showing recent trading by insiders.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 14% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. 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. Take risks for example - Alteryx has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

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.