Thefreedom.of the seas deck plan big shareholder groups in Gladstone Commercial Corporation (

NASDAQ:GOOD

) have power over the company. Insiders often own a large chunk of younger, smaller, companies while huge companies tend to have institutions as shareholders. Companies that have been privatized tend to have low insider ownership.

With a market capitalization of US$967m, Gladstone Commercial is a decent size, so it is probably on the radar of institutional investors. Our analysis of the ownership of the company, below, shows that institutional investors have bought into the company. We can zoom in on the different ownership groups, to learn more about Gladstone Commercial.

View our latest analysis for Gladstone Commercial

ownership-breakdown

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Gladstone Commercial?

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.

We can see that Gladstone Commercial does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. 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 Gladstone Commercial's earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

earnings-and-revenue-growth

It would appear that 6.1% of Gladstone Commercial shares are controlled by hedge funds. That's interesting, because hedge funds can be quite active and activist. Many look for medium term catalysts that will drive the share price higher. The Vanguard Group, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 10% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 7.0% and 6.1%, of the shares outstanding, respectively. In addition, we found that David Gladstone, the CEO has 1.3% of the shares allocated to their name.

Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder.

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 Gladstone Commercial

While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. 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.

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Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

We can report that insiders do own shares in Gladstone Commercial Corporation. In their own names, insiders own US$17m worth of stock in the US$967m company. Some would say this shows alignment of interests between shareholders and the board. But it might be worth checking

if those insiders have been selling.

General Public Ownership

With a 47% ownership, the general public, mostly comprising of individual investors, have some degree of sway over Gladstone Commercial. 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.

Next Steps:

It's always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Gladstone Commercial better, we need to consider many other factors. To that end, you should learn about the

5 warning signs

we've spotted with Gladstone Commercial (including 2 which don't sit too well with us)

.

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.

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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.

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