Themystery surrounding last year’s announcement of new owners buying intovan Eyk Researchhas turned out to be less intriguing than first reported, with the group still heavily owned by current directors Mark Thomas and Stephen van Eyk.
Late last year van Eyk Research indicated about a third of the business was to be sold to a consortium of industry figures, but documents obtained byMoney Managementfrom theAustralian Securities and Investments Commission(ASIC) show the two men still have substantial holdings in the research house.
The figures were contained in the annual report filed by van Eyk Research on January 9 and lists nine separate shareholders of which six are other registered companies and three are individuals.
Van Eyk managing director Stephen van Eyk confirmed the holdings stated within the ASIC documents and says while a number of external owners have bought into the group the number was below what was originally indicated.
The biggest shareholder of van Eyk Research, Magus Holdings, holds just under 46 per cent of shares in the group, but this group is held by director Mark Thomas. Thomas also holds a very small stake through a second group, Teralait.
Stephen van Eyk Consulting, the second largest shareholder listed with about 38 per cent, is held by van Eyk himself. He also owns a small stake directly in van Eyk Research.
Previous head of asset consulting and ex-director Rob Prugue holds five per cent of the company through his own registered group Callidum Holdings.
The amount of the research house held by Thomas, van Eyk and Prugue, either directly or indirectly, totals about 90 per cent.
The remainder of the group is held by two other individuals with just over two per cent between them, and two registered companies, one holding just under two per cent and the other, listed as Purvis van Eyk Actuarial, holding six per cent. Purvis van Eyk was the previous name for van Eyk Research.
Stephen van Eyk says despite the lower than originally expected level of external ownership the holding groups have long held stakes in the research house.
