Microstrategy Shareholders | Who Owns The Most Shares of Microstrategy? (2024)

MicroStrategy (MSTR) stock has shed 51% of its value so far this year as the crypto winter has hit digital assets. The company’s huge bitcoin investment makes it highly susceptible to cryptocurrency market volatility.

MicroStrategy (MSTR) live chart

Who are the shareholders of MicroStrategy who own the majority of the shares of this tech company.

What is MicroStrategy?

Founded in 1989, MicroStrategy (MSTR) is a business intelligence company that provides software that corporations can use to analyse data and gain insights to help them make better decisions.

MicroStrategy has engaged in bitcoin (BTC) investing. The company devotes a large portion of its capital to buying and holding this digital asset. MSTR hopes bitcoin’s value will rise in accordance with the beliefs and predictions of its co-founder and former CEO, Michael J. Saylor.

By the end of 2021, the company had bought 53,922 BTC for a total of $2.63bn. During this same period, the firm generated total revenues of $510.76m. Most of the revenue produced by MicroStrategy came from software licensing, subscriptions and product support.

MicroStrategy went public in June 1998. The company listed its shares on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol ‘MSTR’. By the end of 2021, the firm had 2,121 employees, with most based outside the US.

In the past 10 years, MSTR stock has generated gains of 171%. During that same period, the S&P 500 (US500) and the US Tech 100 (US100) produced gains of 166.6% and 309.5%, respectively.

Who owns the most shares of MicroStrategy?

According to MicroStrategy’s latest annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 1,028 stockholders of record held the company’s Class A common stock, as of 1 February 2022.

Meanwhile, only two MicroStrategy shareholders held the firm’s Class B common shares by the end of this period. As with some other large tech firms, holders of Class B common shares have ten votes per share. Meanwhile, Class A common shares are only entitled to cast one vote.

As of 1 February, Michael J. Saylor held 1,961,668 shares of MicroStrategy’s Class B common shares. Only 1,964,025 Class B shares have been issued by the company. This means that Saylor has control over 67.8% of the corporation’s voting power.

This makes him the most prominent of all shareholders of MicroStrategy. Saylor effectively controls the destiny of the firm and can make decisions that may affect the future of the business without getting approval from the board of directors or remaining shareholders.

As for the firm’s Class A shares, data from MarketScreener indicates that the Capital Group, the Vanguard Group, Okumus Capital and Ziff Brothers Investments, held a combined percentage of 44.5% of the total shares in circulation.

All MSTR shares have voting rights, meaning all MicroStrategy shareholders have a say in the company’s affairs in correspondence with the number of shares they own.

Individuals who buy MicroStrategy stock through a broker can appoint them as a proxy, meaning that the broker can vote on their behalf. However, they can also opt to cast a vote on the company’s key decisions at MicroStrategy shareholders meetings.

Largest MicroStrategy shareholders

Michael J. Saylor

Michael J. Saylor is co-founder and executive chairman of MicroStrategy. He founded the firm in 1989, alongside Sanju Bansal and Thomas Spahr.

Saylor studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and worked as a consultant for corporations such as Exxon and DuPont before he went on to build MicroStrategy. His net worth, according to Forbes, was $1.6bn, as of April 2022.

The Capital Group

According to MarketScreener, two subsidiaries of The Capital Group hold MicroStrategy shares. Combined, they own 22.8% of all the circulating Class A shares.

The US-based asset management firm was founded in 1931 and oversees $2trn in assets for investors, as of June 2022. Many of the investment vehicles managed by the Capital Group, including its equity-focused, tech-focused and digital-asset-focused mutual funds, could be holding Class A common shares of MSTR based on their investment strategy.

The Vanguard Group

One of America’s elite asset management firms, overseeing assets of more than $8trn for its clients, as of 30 September this year. The company offers an ample portfolio of investment vehicles, including mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and guided-investment solutions for retirement planning and wealth generation.

Some of the funds managed by Vanguard invest in US stocks, which explains why the firm is listed among the top shareholders of MicroStrategy. They may also hold shares on behalf of MSTR shareholders who opt to use the firm’s self-directed trading platform.

Okumus Capital

A New York-based hedge fund. There is not much information available in regard to the leadership team or the amount of assets that the firm manages for its clients. A 2007 article from The Hedge Fund Journal commented: “Okumus Capital invests predominantly in US equities using a deep-value investing methodology”. It also mentions the firm employed 14 people, including nine investment professionals.

Ziff Brothers Investments

A family office that administers the estate of the Ziff family. According to Forbes, the Ziff family had a net worth of $15bn, as of December 2020. The family’s wealth comes from the Ziff-Davis publishing agency.

MicroStrategy major shareholders among insiders

The following individuals are considered MicroStrategy biggest shareholders among the company’s insiders, according toGuruFocus. This list includes the firm’s top executives and members of the Board of Directors but excludes Michael J. Saylor as he is listed previously.

• Carl J. Rickertsen – 4,000 shares

• Timothy E. Lang – 2,708 shares

• Phong Q. Le – 208 shares

• Stephen X. Graham – 200 shares

• W. Ming Shao – 142 shares

Data from GuruFocus pointed to insiders owning around 0.78% of all outstanding common shares of MicroStrategy. These shares have been granted to insiders by the company via stock options as part of their compensation package.

Carl J. Rickertsen

Rickertsen is a member of the Board of Directors of MicroStrategy. He is also a managing partner of two private equity firms. His role consists of advising the chairman on strategic and corporate matters. Rickertsen has extensive experience in the private equity world.

Timothy E. Lang

Lang is the senior executive vice president and chief technology officer of MicroStrategy. He has occupied this position since 2014. Before joining the firm, he was the chief product officer for Talemetry and the vice president of product of SAP.

Phong Q. Le

Phong Le is the MicroStrategy CEO. He was appointed to this position in August 2022 after Michael J. Saylor decided to step down from his role as head of the firm. Before being appointed CEO, he was MicroStrategy’s COO and CFO. Before joining the firm, he occupied executive roles at XO Communications and NII Holdings.

While it may be useful to know who owns the most shares of MicroStrategy, it shouldn’t be used as a substitute for your own research. Always conduct your own due diligence, looking at the latest stock news, a wide range of analyst commentary, technical and fundamental analysis.

Remember, past performance does not guarantee future returns. And never trade with money you cannot afford to lose.

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