Key Insights

• The considerable ownership by public companies in TF1 indicates that they collectively have a greater say in management and business strategy
• 54% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders
• 27% of TF1 is held by Institutions

Every investor in TF1 SA (EPA:TFI) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. And the group that holds the biggest piece of the pie are public companies with 44% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

While institutions, who own 27% shares weren’t spared from last week’s €73m market cap drop, public companies as a group suffered the maximum losses

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of TF1.

View our latest analysis for TF1

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About TF1?

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 TF1 does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company’s stock. 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. 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 TF1, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Hedge funds don’t have many shares in TF1. Bouygues SA is currently the largest shareholder, with 44% of shares outstanding. Amundi Asset Management is the second largest shareholder owning 10% of common stock, and Television Francaise 1 SA, ESOP holds about 9.7% of the company stock.

After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company’s shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company’s decisions.

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. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of TF1

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 information suggests that TF1 SA insiders own under 1% of the company. It’s a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own €48k worth of shares. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public– including retail investors — own 14% stake in the company, and hence can’t easily be ignored. While this group can’t necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run.

Private Equity Ownership

With an ownership of 5.1%, private equity firms are in a position to play a role in shaping corporate strategy with a focus on value creation. Some investors might be encouraged by this, since private equity are sometimes able to encourage strategies that help the market see the value in the company. Alternatively, those holders might be exiting the investment after taking it public.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 44% of TF1. It’s hard to say for sure but this suggests they have entwined business interests. This might be a strategic stake, so it’s worth watching this space for changes in ownership.

Next Steps:

It’s always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand TF1 better, we need to consider many other factors. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we’ve spotted 1 warning sign for TF1 you should know about.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter 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.

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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.