Does robinhood ever show up on the list of top shareholders of a company or do they own it through someone else? Or would the individual robinhood users show up on there if the list were long enough?
Robinhood is a broker. Why would they show up as owning shares in a company through their users via proxy?
It is more likely they have a date cutoff to determine a "Shareholder on Record" or some sort. Perhaps, quarterly.
Why would a broker show as a shareholder? Are brokers allowed to claim ownership of the shares I purchased through them?
It was just a guess. Apparently, I was wrong. It's in "Street name registration". https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsholdsechtm.html Though, I recall a time when I got direct shareholder mailings. So, they know. Try registering for a shareholder meeting and see if you they have a validation procedure.
Not really. The OP was thinking about small individuals who buy thru RH. We know that shares can change hands every millisecond. So, I am making the assumption that they us longer cutoff times for reporting purposes. We can assume there may be a size cutoff. But, I will attest that I got a shareholder letter addressed to me in the mail for my small holding. Circa-1990s ? Probably, not more than 100 shares thru Brown or Etrade. And, I have never owned shares directly.