Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Johnson Service Group’s stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions
51% of the business is held by the top 7 shareholders
Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business
If you want to know who really controls Johnson Service Group PLC (LON:JSG), then you’ll have to look at the makeup of its share registry. With 80% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).
Given the vast amount of money and research capacities at their disposal, institutional ownership tends to carry a lot of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute.
In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Johnson Service Group.
View our latest analysis for Johnson Service Group
LSE:JSG Ownership Breakdown February 15th 2026
Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.
Johnson Service Group already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. 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. 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 Johnson Service Group, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.
LSE:JSG Earnings and Revenue Growth February 15th 2026
Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. It looks like hedge funds own 9.7% of Johnson Service Group shares. That worth noting, since hedge funds are often quite active investors, who may try to influence management. Many want to see value creation (and a higher share price) in the short term or medium term. Tweedy, Browne Company LLC is currently the largest shareholder, with 10% of shares outstanding. With 9.9% and 9.7% of the shares outstanding respectively, Fidelity International Ltd and PrimeStone Capital LLP are the second and third largest shareholders.
Story Continues
We also observed that the top 7 shareholders account for more than half of the share register, with a few smaller shareholders to balance the interests of the larger ones to a certain extent.
While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock’s expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.
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.
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.
Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Johnson Service Group PLC in their own names. It appears that the board holds about UK£755k worth of stock. This compares to a market capitalization of UK£547m. We generally like to see a board more invested. However it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying.
The general public– including retail investors — own 9.9% stake, and are a relatively minor group of shareholders in Johnson Service Group. We would usually expect a higher level of ownership by the general public. With such a small collective position, it may be difficult for small holders to influence the company.
It’s always worth thinking about the different groups who own shares in a company. But to understand Johnson Service Group better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we’ve discovered 1 warning sign for Johnson Service Group that you should be aware of before investing here.
If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.
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.