If you want to know who really controls ESE Entertainment Inc. (CVE:ESE), then you'll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time. Warren Buffett said that he likes "a business with enduring competitive advantages that is run by able and owner-oriented people." So it's nice to see some insider ownership, because it may suggest that management is owner-oriented.

ESE Entertainment is a smaller company with a market capitalization of CA$129m, so it may still be flying under the radar of many institutional investors. Taking a look at our data on the ownership groups (below), it seems that institutional investors have not yet purchased much of the company. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner, to discover more about ESE Entertainment.

View our latest analysis for ESE Entertainment

What Does The Lack Of Institutional Ownership Tell Us About ESE Entertainment?

Small companies that are not very actively traded often lack institutional investors, but it's less common to see large companies without them.

There are multiple explanations for why institutions don't own a stock. The most common is that the company is too small relative to funds under management, so the institution does not bother to look closely at the company. Alternatively, there might be something about the company that has kept institutional investors away. ESE Entertainment might not have the sort of past performance institutions are looking for, or perhaps they simply have not studied the business closely.

ESE Entertainment is not owned by hedge funds. Looking at our data, we can see that the largest shareholder is the CEO Konrad Wasiela with 40% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 0.5% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 0.2% by the third-largest shareholder. Interestingly, the second-largest shareholder, Ravinder Kang is also Chief Financial Officer, again, pointing towards strong insider ownership amongst the company's top shareholders.

On studying our ownership data, we found that 7 of the top shareholders collectively own less than 50% of the share register, implying that no single individual has a majority interest.

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. We're not picking up on any analyst coverage of the stock at the moment, so the company is unlikely to be widely held.

Insider Ownership Of ESE Entertainment

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. 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 information suggests that insiders maintain a significant holding in ESE Entertainment Inc.. Insiders own CA$53m worth of shares in the CA$129m company. It is great to see insiders so invested in the business. It might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying recently.

General Public Ownership

The general public -- mostly retail investors -- own 59% of ESE Entertainment. With this size 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 decline an acquisition or merger 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 ESE Entertainment better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the 3 warning signs we've spotted with ESE Entertainment (including 1 which can't be ignored) .

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.

This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. 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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