Exploring International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) Investor Profile: Who’s Buying and Why?

You're looking at International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) because the tanker market is flashing strong signals, but you need to know who else is at the table and why they're buying, especially with the stock trading around $53.76 as of late November 2025.

The investor profile is defintely institutional-heavy, with around 67.29% of the stock owned by hedge funds and other large institutions, showing a clear professional conviction in the energy transportation sector's near-term strength. This isn't a retail-driven story; it's a capital allocation play, and the big money is piling in, as evidenced by the Q1 2025 moves where Pacer Advisors Inc. and Encompass Capital Advisors LLC purchased new stakes valued at roughly $17.3 million and $9.9 million, respectively, while Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position by 1,452.6%.

The core thesis is simple: the company is generating serious cash flow, posting 2025 third-quarter adjusted net income of $57 million and maintaining a massive $985 million in total liquidity as of September 30, 2025, plus a low net loan-to-value ratio of approximately 13%. The smart money sees a well-capitalized company committed to returning that capital, having just declared a combined dividend of $0.86 per share for December 2025. But, to be fair, you also need to weigh the recent insider selling of 32,500 shares against that institutional confidence.

Who Invests in International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) and Why?

The investor base for International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) is dominantly institutional, but the motivations are a clear mix of income-seeking and cyclical value plays. You see a company that generates substantial free cash flow (FCF) in a strong tanker market, and that cash is being returned to shareholders, which is a powerful draw.

As of late 2025, institutional investors-the big money managers like BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc.-hold the lion's share, accounting for approximately 67.29% of the total shares outstanding. This high concentration means the stock's price movements are heavily influenced by large-scale fund flows, but retail investors and hedge funds also play distinct, important roles.

Key Investor Types and Their Footprint

When you break down the ownership, you find three main groups, each with a different objective. The sheer scale of institutional money is what anchors the stock.

• Institutional Investors: These are the mutual funds and pension funds, holding roughly 67% to 75% of the stock. BlackRock, Inc., for example, is a top holder with over 6 million shares as of September 29, 2025. They represent passive, long-term exposure to the tanker sector.
• Retail Investors: Individual investors, often grouped with public companies, account for a significant portion, in the range of 30-35% of the float. They are often attracted by the high dividend yield and the straightforward cyclical nature of the shipping industry.
• Hedge Funds & Activists: These funds, like Encompass Capital Advisors LLC, engage in more opportunistic and sometimes event-driven strategies. Their activity is often seen in the quarterly 13F filings, where they are either initiating new positions or making large adjustments based on near-term rate expectations.

Insider ownership, by contrast, is quite low at around 1.62% of the company, which is typical for a large, publicly traded company but means management's financial alignment is less direct than in smaller firms.

Investment Motivations: Why INSW is a Core Holding

Investors are drawn to International Seaways, Inc. for three primary reasons that map directly to the company's financial performance in 2025. It's a classic value-with-income story in a capital-intensive industry.

1. Cash Return and Dividends: The most immediate draw is the company's commitment to returning capital. In 2025, the forward dividend yield has been robust, hovering around 5.5% to 6.3%. This is significantly higher than the average for the broader US market. The company paid a combined dividend of $0.77 per share in September 2025 and announced a $0.86 per share payment for December 2025, demonstrating a clear focus on supplemental payouts tied to strong earnings.

2. Growth and Fleet Optimization: Investors are backing a strategy of fleet renewal. The company is actively selling older, less efficient vessels (like the five sold in Q3 2025 for about $67 million in proceeds) and reinvesting in modern, high-spec tankers. This includes the purchase of a 2020-built, scrubber-fitted VLCC for $119 million and the delivery of new LR1 newbuildings in 2025, which positions the fleet for better earnings and lower operating costs in the future.

3. Financial Strength and Value: The balance sheet is defintely a draw for value investors. As of September 30, 2025, total liquidity stood at a healthy $985 million, and the net loan-to-value (LTV) ratio remained low at approximately 13%. This low debt profile provides a significant margin of safety and the flexibility to navigate the cyclical tanker market. You can dive deeper into this in Breaking Down International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Investment Strategies in Play

The mix of investors leads to a blend of strategies, but two dominate the trading landscape:

Value and Income Investing:

This is the primary strategy for the large institutional holders and income-focused retail investors. They are attracted by the low valuation multiples-a Price-to-Earnings (P/E) ratio around 11.18 in late 2025-and the high cash payout. Their strategy is to hold the stock through the market cycle, collecting a superior dividend yield while waiting for the next upswing in tanker rates to drive capital appreciation.

Cyclical Trading and Opportunism:

Hedge funds and short-term traders focus on the volatile spot market for tanker rates. They are looking for inflection points in the supply/demand balance. For instance, the company's Q3 2025 consolidated Time Charter Equivalent (TCE) revenue was $192 million, a figure that fluctuates heavily with global oil flows and geopolitical events. These investors are often trading around these quarterly earnings reports, positioning themselves to profit from short-term spikes in day rates. Their goal is not the dividend, but the quick capital gain from a rising stock price as the market anticipates higher earnings per share (EPS), which analysts forecast to be around $7.77 for the full 2025 fiscal year.

Here's the quick math: A low P/E and a high dividend yield in a cyclical peak suggests a strong cash-generating machine, which is exactly what income and value investors want.

Institutional Ownership and Major Shareholders of International Seaways, Inc. (INSW)

You want to know who is really calling the shots at International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) and why their moves matter. The short answer is that institutional investors-the big funds, pension managers, and endowments-dominate the ownership structure, controlling roughly 63% to over 75% of the company's stock. This isn't just a number; it means their collective decisions on buying or selling can defintely dictate the near-term stock price and influence long-term corporate strategy.

This level of institutional backing lends the company significant credibility in the financial community, but it also introduces the risk of a 'crowded trade,' where a rush for the exits can amplify selling pressure. We need to look closely at who the largest players are and what they've been doing with their capital as of the 2025 fiscal year.

The Top Institutional Investors: Who Holds the Reins?

When you look at the shareholder registry for International Seaways, Inc., you see a mix of passive index funds and active asset managers. The largest holders are the behemoths of the investment world, managing trillions in assets. Their positions are massive, representing hundreds of millions of dollars in value as of the third quarter of 2025.

Here's the quick math on the top holders as of the latest 2025 filings, which generally cover the period up to September 30, 2025:

• BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc. are anchors, which is typical for a major public company.
• Greenwich Holdings Ltd. holds the largest reported stake, though their filing date is earlier in the year.
• Fidelity's FMR LLC is a major active player, and their recent activity is particularly telling.

Note: Values are approximate based on a share price around the reporting dates in 2025.

Changes in Ownership: What's Moving Now?

The real insight comes from tracking the quarterly changes in these institutional positions, which are disclosed via 13F filings. This tells you if the smart money is accumulating or distributing shares. What we saw in the third quarter of 2025 was a divergence in strategy among the top holders, which is a sign of a stock in transition.

While some major passive funds trimmed their positions slightly-BlackRock, Inc. reduced its stake by -1.938% (selling 118,948 shares) and The Vanguard Group, Inc. by -0.622% (selling 27,266 shares)-the active managers were much more aggressive on the buy side.

The most significant move came from FMR LLC, which dramatically increased its holding by 77.897%, acquiring 1,609,475 additional shares. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP also boosted its position by 1.469%. This suggests a strong conviction from active, value-oriented funds who see a compelling investment thesis in the crude and product tanker market, despite the small trimming by index-tracking funds.

One clean one-liner: Follow the conviction buyers, not the passive trimmers.

Impact of Institutional Investors on Stock and Strategy

With institutions holding the majority of the float, their influence is twofold: it affects both the stock's short-term price action and the company's long-term strategic direction.

On the price side, high institutional ownership, especially from a large number of funds (International Seaways, Inc. has over 500 institutional owners), provides stability and liquidity. However, any collective shift in sentiment-say, a sudden change in the tanker market outlook-can lead to large block trades that create significant volatility. When a fund needs to sell, they sell big, and that moves the price.

Strategically, these large shareholders play an active role in corporate governance. They demand financial discipline, clear capital allocation strategies, and returns to shareholders, often through dividends or share buybacks. The company's focus on governance is evident in the updated documents like the Incentive Compensation Recoupment Policy, revised in April 2025, which aligns management's interests more closely with shareholder returns.

Their primary influence is on how International Seaways, Inc. uses its cash flow: do they buy new vessels, pay down debt, or return capital? Given the cyclical nature of the shipping industry, the institutional focus is on maximizing returns during peak cycles. For a deeper dive into the financial implications, you can read Breaking Down International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) Financial Health: Key Insights for Investors.

Next Action: Track the Q4 2025 13F filings, due early next year, to see if FMR LLC and other active managers continued their accumulation trend.

Key Investors and Their Impact on International Seaways, Inc. (INSW)

The investor profile for International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) is dominated by institutional money, with approximately 67.29% of the stock held by hedge funds and other large investors as of late 2025. This signals a strong belief in the tanker market's current upswing and the company's strategic direction, particularly its focus on fleet modernization and capital returns. The sheer concentration of ownership means that the moves of a few major funds can defintely impact the stock's daily trading and long-term trajectory.

The biggest players are a mix of passive index giants and more active, concentrated investment managers. Here's the quick math: the top five institutional holders alone control a significant portion of the company's shares outstanding, giving them considerable influence over major corporate decisions, especially those requiring a shareholder vote.

The presence of passive giants like BlackRock and The Vanguard Group brings stability, as they rarely sell large blocks unless the company is removed from an index. They are long-term holders focused on mirroring the market, but their votes on governance issues are still a major factor.

Investor Influence: The Active Capital Scrutiny

While the passive funds anchor the stock, the influence that drives near-term performance and strategic pressure often comes from active managers. Greenwich Holdings Ltd., with its substantial 16.74% stake, is a key entity whose intentions are closely watched; a stake that large gives them a powerful voice, even if they aren't formally labeled an activist. Active funds like Encompass Capital Advisors LLC, which acquired a new position valued at about $9,957,000 in the first quarter of 2025, are buying because they see value in the company's strategy, particularly its fleet optimization program.

This active capital is essentially endorsing the company's dual focus: improving the fleet and returning capital. You can see this reflected in the company's Q3 2025 results, which showed a net income of $71 million and adjusted EBITDA of $108 million, providing the cash flow to support shareholder-friendly actions. The investors are buying into the idea that a modern, efficient fleet will capture premium rates in a strong tanker cycle, and they expect to be paid for that risk.

• Expect investors to push for high payout ratios.
• Fleet quality is the core thesis for these funds.
• High institutional ownership demands clear capital allocation.

Recent Moves: Insider Sales and Capital Structure

In November 2025, we saw a few notable insider sales, which is a move that always raises eyebrows, but it requires context. The CEO, Lois K. Zabrocky, sold 2,000 shares for a total value of $107,633 on November 17, 2025, and the CAO, James Small III, sold 20,000 shares for a total of $1,072,000 on November 14, 2025. Crucially, both sales were executed under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, which were set up months earlier to allow insiders to sell stock systematically without being accused of trading on non-public information. This is a common practice, not a panic signal, especially with the stock trading near its 52-week high of $54.62.

On the corporate finance side, the company's recent capital moves are directly aimed at pleasing this institutional base. International Seaways, Inc. successfully placed $250 million in new senior unsecured bonds in the Nordic bond market, with a 7.125% fixed annual coupon, to repay existing debt and unencumber six Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs). This move enhances financial flexibility and lowers the net loan-to-asset value to a healthy approximately 13% as of September 30, 2025. Furthermore, the board extended the $50 million share repurchase program through the end of 2026, signaling a continued commitment to reducing share count and boosting Earnings Per Share (EPS), which analysts expect to be $7.77 for the current fiscal year. This capital management strategy is the 'why' behind the institutional buying, as it directly supports the goal of maximizing shareholder returns. You can read more about the company's strategic objectives and values here: Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of International Seaways, Inc. (INSW).

Market Impact and Investor Sentiment

You're looking at International Seaways, Inc. (INSW) after a strong run, and the core takeaway is this: institutional investors are defintely positive, but the sentiment is a 'Moderate Buy,' not a 'Strong Buy,' which signals caution about near-term upside after the recent surge. The market is pricing in the company's strong fundamentals and the tailwinds in the tanker sector, but analysts are split on how much runway is left at the current price.

Institutional ownership is robust, accounting for roughly 67% of the stock. This level of institutional holding-where large firms like BlackRock, Inc. and The Vanguard Group, Inc. dominate the shareholder base-shows a high degree of confidence in the long-term tanker market cycle, fleet modernization, and capital return strategy. It tells you the smart money is already heavily invested here.

For a deeper dive into the company's foundation, you can check out International Seaways, Inc. (INSW): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

Investor Sentiment: Who Holds the Bulk of INSW?

The largest shareholders are mostly passive index funds and major asset managers, which is typical for a company with a market capitalization around $2.7 billion. Their buying is driven by index inclusion and long-term sector allocation, so they're not quick to sell. The top five institutional holders alone control a significant portion of the company's equity.

Here's the quick math on the top institutional positions, based on September 2025 filings:

• Greenwich Holdings Ltd.: Held 16.74% of shares.
• BlackRock, Inc.: Held 12.19% of shares (over 6.01 million shares).
• The Vanguard Group, Inc.: Held 8.81% of shares.
• FMR LLC: Held 7.44% of shares.

This heavy institutional presence means the stock is less prone to wild swings from retail traders, but it also means major shifts in institutional allocation could have a big impact. Honestly, the biggest risk here is a sector-wide correction, not a company-specific catastrophe.

Recent Market Reactions and Insider Moves

The stock's recent performance has been exceptional, surging to a new 52-week high of $54.95 in November 2025. This momentum followed the strong Q3 2025 earnings report, which showed a net income of $71 million and revenue of $196.39 million, beating analyst estimates. The stock posted a 1-month return of 23.3% and a year-to-date climb of nearly 48%, a clear sign of investor enthusiasm for the company's shareholder-friendly moves like the extended share repurchase program.

Still, you need to watch the insider activity. In mid-November 2025, there were notable insider sales, which can sometimes temper investor optimism. Specifically, CEO Lois Zabrocky sold 2,000 shares for a total value of $107,640.00, and CAO James Small III sold 20,000 shares for $1,072,000.00. While these sales are small relative to the overall market cap, they represent a decrease in ownership for key executives, which is something to file away.

Analyst Perspectives on Key Investors' Impact

The consensus among Wall Street analysts is a 'Moderate Buy,' but the price targets show a real split in thinking. The average 12-month price target is approximately $52.67, which is actually below the stock's recent trading price around $54.68. This suggests that some analysts believe the market has already fully priced in the near-term upside.

What this estimate hides is the range of opinions. For example, Deutsche Bank recently raised its price target to $57.00, citing strong earnings and favorable market conditions, while Pareto Securities cut its rating to 'Hold.' The institutional support from giants like BlackRock, Inc. acts as a floor for the stock, as their long-term, passive buying smooths out volatility. They are buying the long-term thesis: extended shipping routes and tight vessel supply.

Here is a snapshot of the recent analyst activity and the 2025 fiscal year forecast:

The key investor impact is stability. You have massive institutions anchoring the stock, which allows management to focus on their capital allocation strategy-like returning cash via dividends and buybacks-rather than worrying about short-term activist pressure. This stability is crucial for a cyclical business like shipping.