Study: Austrian stocks remain highly interesting for major international investors

• Top 3 investors: Vanguard, BlackRock and Erste Group
• US investors continue to hold largest share – increase to 32.7 percent
• "Growth" and "Value" in the focus of investment experts

(Wien) International institutional investors – including investment companies and sovereign wealth funds – continue to be among the most important investor groups in the ATX Prime in 2022: This is shown by the results of a study on the ownership structure of institutional free float conducted every two years by S&P Global Market Intelligence (formerly IHS Markit) on behalf of the Vienna Stock Exchange. According to the study, 90.9% (EUR 22.1 billion) of the institutional free float is held by major international investors.

The largest share of the free float held by institutional investors in the ATX Prime continues to be kept by major US investors. They increased their share of the total to 32.7% (2020: 28.4%), as did institutional investors from the UK, who increased their share to 19.8% (2020: 15.7%). This means that major British investors have replaced domestic investors in third place, while the share of Austrian institutional investors has fallen to 9.1% compared with 2020 (16.6%). Wiener Börse AG makes a significant contribution to the visibility of Austrian issuers vis-à-vis international investors. Its conference program enables domestic companies to present themselves jointly at the most important financial centers such as New York or London.

"The considerable share of major international investors underlines the relevance of the Vienna Stock Exchange as a globally recognized trading venue from which domestic companies benefit. Just as important as a strong international network is the development of the domestic investor base in Austria," explains stock exchange CEO Christoph Boschan. "A first approach would be the re-implementation of a retention period for long-term share ownership, which is already anchored in the government program."

Vanguard Group is taking the lead

There was a change at the top of the list of major institutional investors: The Vanguard Group, a US asset manager specializing in passive investment solutions, moved up to first place. In second place is BlackRock Fund Advisors, the world's largest asset manager, another major investor from the United States. Austria's Erste Asset Management GmbH ranks third. 

Growth as the preferred investment strategy

S&P Global Market Intelligence also analyzes the investment strategies of institutional investors in the ATX Prime. Compared to 2020, professionals are shifting their focus to "Growth" (33%; 2020: 30.5%), followed by "Value" (26.6%), which was still in the foreground in 2020 (30.7%). Passive index investments (21.6%), meanwhile, are stagnating at a high level (2020: 22.6%). Furthermore, the study shows that the portfolios predominantly have a low to medium turnover rate. This underlines the relevance of Austrian equities for long-term investment plans.

Infographic on the geographic origin of institutional investors

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As the main provider of market infrastructure in the region, Wiener Börse AG is the gate to global markets. Operating the stock exchanges in Vienna and Prague, the group offers state-of-the-art systems, information and IT services. Listed companies receive maximum liquidity and investors benefit from fast and cost-effective trading by the market leader. Wiener Börse AG also collects and distributes stock market data and calculates the most important indices of the region. Because of this unique know-how the national stock exchanges in Budapest, Ljubljana and Zagreb trust its IT services. Additionally, the group holds stakes in energy exchanges and clearing houses. 

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