Key Insights

• Significantly high institutional ownership implies Humacyte's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions
• 50% of the business is held by the top 19 shareholders
• Insiders have been buying lately

We've found 21 US stocks that are forecast to pay a dividend yield of over 6% next year. See the full list for free.

A look at the shareholders of Humacyte, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUMA) can tell us which group is most powerful. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 40% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Institutional investors would probably welcome last week's 13% increase in the share price after a year of 56% losses as a sign that returns may to begin trending higher.

Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Humacyte, beginning with the chart below.

View our latest analysis for Humacyte

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Humacyte?

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 Humacyte does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. 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. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Humacyte's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Humacyte. Our data shows that Fresenius Medical Care AG is the largest shareholder with 12% of shares outstanding. With 5.8% and 5.3% of the shares outstanding respectively, Gavril Yushvaev and BlackRock, Inc. are the second and third largest shareholders.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 19 shareholders have a combined ownership of 50% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

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 plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Humacyte

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.

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 some shares in Humacyte, Inc.. It has a market capitalization of just US$335m, and insiders have US$25m worth of shares, in their own names. It is good to see some investment by insiders, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 38% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Public Company Ownership

It appears to us that public companies own 12% of Humacyte. 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 Humacyte better, we need to consider many other factors. Be aware that Humacyte is showing 4 warning signs in our investment analysis , and 3 of those make us uncomfortable...

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.

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.