Theoretically, ownership of 51% of a company's voting stock is necessary to exercise control. In practice - and this is particularly true in the case of a large corporation - effective control so [..]

Theoretically, more than 50 percent of all voting shares is needed to control a company. However, if a shareholder has a substantial minority interest then it could have effective, or working, control if the rest of the company's stock was all held in small shareholdings.

Control of a corporation by a shareholder or shareholders having less than 51% voting interest because of the wide dispersion of share ownership.