In this article, I will take a quick look at Houston American Energy Corp’s (AMEX:HUSA) recent ownership structure – an unconventional investing subject, but an important one. When it comes to ownership structure of a company, the impact has been observed in both the long-and short-term performance of shares. Since the effect of an active institutional investor with a similar ownership as a passive pension-fund can be vastly different on a company’s corporate governance and accountability of shareholders, investors should take a closer look at HUSA’s shareholder registry. All data provided is as of the most recent financial year end.

See our latest analysis for HUSA

Institutional Ownership

Due to the big order sizes of institutional investors, a company’s shares can experience large, one-sided momentum, driven by high volume of shares removed from, or injected into, the market. A low institutional ownership of 3.74% puts HUSA on a list of companies that are not likely exposed to spikes in volatility resulting from institutional trading. Less covered stocks like HUSA used to feature in legendary investor Peter Lynch’s portfolio, which would later be bought up by fast-following institutions as the stock gained more popularity.

Insider Ownership

I find insiders are another important group of stakeholders, who are directly involved in making key decisions related to the use of capital. In essence, insider ownership is more about the alignment of shareholders’ interests with the management. 20.13% ownership of HUSA insiders is large enough to make an impact on shareholder returns. In general, this level of insider ownership has negatively affected underperforming (consistently low PE ratio) companies and positively affected the companies that outperform (consistently high PE ratio). It’s also interesting to learn what HUSA insiders have been doing with their shareholdings lately. Insiders buying company shares can be a positive indicator of future performance, but a selling decision can simply be driven by personal financial needs.

General Public Ownership

A big stake of 76.13% in HUSA is held by the general public. With this size of ownership, retail investors can collectively play a role in major company policies that affect shareholders returns, including executive remuneration and the appointment of directors. They can also exercise the power to decline an acquisition or merger that may not improve profitability.

What this means for you:

Are you a shareholder? Institutional ownership in HUSA is not at a level that would concern investors. We are less likely to see sustained downtrends or significant volatility resulting from large institutional trading. Looking for ways to reinforce your current portfolio holdings? Take a look at our free platform for a list of stocks with a strong growth potential.