What We're Reading ~ Hedge Fund Links 8/29/14

Hedge funds hunt for clues in Treasury tax inversion limit [Bloomberg]

The best short seller you've never heard of [HFIntelligence]

Why you should avoid the hottest hedge fund hands [CNBC]

Investor satisfaction with hedge funds falls [FINalternatives]

Big funds continue to bring in the big money [Bloomberg]

Dan Loeb's comments on ThirdPointRe's call [Seeking Alpha]

David Einhorn's comments on GreenlightCapitalRe's call [Seeking Alpha]

Morgan Creek's Mark Yusko sees opportunity in Saudi Arabia [FINalternatives]

The hedge fund and the despot [Business Week]

What We're Reading ~ Analytical Links 8/27/14

Profile of Alibaba's Joseph Tsai [Bloomberg]

Carol Loomis' latest on BlackRock: the $4.3 trillion force [Fortune]

Profile of 108 year old investor Irving Kahn [Telegraph]

Lessons learned in 30 years of investing [What Works on Wall Street]

Share sleuth's investment checklist [Interactive Investor]

A look at Post Holdings [View From the Blue Ridge]

A look at WL Ross Holding Corp [Brooklyn Investor]

What makes Warren Buffett a great investor? [Farnam Street]

Amazon: not an e-commerce company [Stratechery]

The inside story of how Netflix came to pay Comcast for traffic [Quartz]

Morningstar: a force to be reckoned with [FT]

Nonprofit hospitals' earnings fall as costs outrun revenue [WSJ]

Interview with Burger King's CEO [Financial Post]

The company speeding a genetic revolution [Forbes]

Google's valuation: much cheaper now than 10 years ago [WSJ]

Family Dollar bidding war suggests 'peak dollar store' is here [Yahoo]

Match.com might not light IAC's fire [WSJ]

Peculiar habits of incredibly successful people [Morgan Housel]

Interview with venture capitalist Bill Gurley [Forbes]

Glenview Capital Boosts VCA (WOOF) Stake

Larry Robbins' hedge fund firm Glenview Capital has filed an amended 13G with the SEC regarding their stake in Vca (WOOF).  Per the filing, Glenview now owns 14.85% of the company with over 12.8 million shares.

This means they've boosted their position size by over 4 million shares since the end of the second quarter.  The filing was made due to activity on August 21st and it notes that their ownership includes 4,114,200 shares that are obtainable upon exercise of options.

To see the rest of Glenview's portfolio, head to the brand new edition of Hedge Fund Wisdom.

Per Google Finance, VCA is "a national animal healthcare company operating in the United States and Canada. The Company provides veterinary services and diagnostic testing to support veterinary cares. The Company operates in two segments: animal hospital and laboratory. Its all other category includes Vetstreet and Medical Technology operating segments. The Company sells diagnostic imaging equipment and other medical technology products and related services to the veterinary markets. The Company's animal hospitals offer a range of general medical and surgical services for companion animals, as well as specialized treatments, including advanced diagnostic services, internal medicine, oncology, ophthalmology, dermatology and cardiology. In August 2014, VCA, Inc acquired Camp Bow Wow."

Bridger Capital Raises Tornier Stake

Roberto Mignone's hedge fund firm Bridger Capital has filed a 13G with the SEC regarding their position in Tornier N.V. (TRNX).  Bridger has disclosed they now own 5.5% of the company with almost 2.7 million shares.

This means they've added to their share count by 707,960 shares since the end of Q2.  The filing was made due to activity on August 6th.

To see what else Bridger has invested in, check out the new issue of our newsletter.

Per Google Finance, Tornier is "a global medical device company focused on surgeons that treat musculoskeletal injuries and disorders of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, ankle and foot. Tornier refers to these surgeons as extremity specialists. The Company sells to this extremity specialist customer base a broad line of joint replacement, trauma, sports medicine and biologic products to treat extremity joints. In certain international markets, it also offers joint replacement products for the hip and knee. The Company sells over approximately 100 product lines in approximately 40 countries. The Company’s principal products are organized in four categories: upper extremity joints and trauma, lower extremity joints and trauma, sports medicine and biologics, and large joints and other. The Company’s geographic regions consist of the United States, France and other areas."

Maverick Capital Discloses Pets at Home Group Position

Lee Ainslie's hedge fund Maverick Capital has disclosed a new holding in London listed Pets at Home Group (LON:PETS).  Due to trading on July 29th, Maverick now own the equivalent of 3.14% of voting rights, all via a total return swap.

Pets at Home was floated in March at 245p per share.  It looks as though Maverick might have bought their shares somewhere around 175p.

To see what else Maverick has been buying, check out our just released Hedge Fund Wisdom newsletter.

Per Google Finance, Pets at Home is "a specialist retailer of pet food, pet-related products and pet accessories. The Company also operates a small animal veterinary business by combined number of surgeries both in its stores and at standalone sites and is a joint venture operator in the market. The Company is an operator by number of salons of pet grooming services offered through Pets at Home’s in store salons. The Company’s product range consists of two product groups: pet food and pet accessories, which are complemented by services, including veterinary services (both in stores and on a standalone basis) and in store Groom Room grooming services. In addition, the Company also offers pet insurance, advanced nutrition food consultation, acquaria water testing, microchipping services and dental checks, which complement the services offered by its veterinary surgeries and Groom Room grooming salons."

JAT Capital Files 13D on Madison Square Garden (MSG)

John Thaler's hedge fund firm JAT Capital has filed a 13D with the SEC regarding shares of Madison Square Garden (MSG).  Per the filing, JAT has disclosed a 6.73% ownership stake in MSG with over 4.2 million shares.

This marks an increase of 2.6 million shares in their position size since the end of the second quarter.  The filing was made due to activity on August 12th.

The 13D filing contains the standard boilerplate that JAT may seek to engage with the board of directors.  It also notes that JAT entered into cash-settled swaps with respect to 2.9 million notional shares and call options referencing 300,000 shares.

JAT was out buying MSG stock throughout mid-August at prices ranging from $60 to $64.84.

Per Google Finance, Madison Square Garden is "a holding company conducting its operations through direct and indirect subsidiaries. The Company is an integrated sports, entertainment and media business company. The Company operates in three segments: MSG Sports, MSG Media and MSG Entertainment. In March 2014, the Company purchased a 50% interest in Tribeca Enterprises."

Third Point Trims Enphase Energy Stake

Dan Loeb's hedge fund firm Third Point has filed an amended 13D and Form 4 with the SEC regarding Enphase Energy (ENPH).  Per the filing, Third Point has disclosed a 15.7% ownership in ENPH with over 6.75 million shares.

This marks a decrease of over 1.28 million shares.  The filing notes they sold shares on August 19th at $10.269 to the underwriters in connection with the public offering of ENPH stock.  This price represents the public offering of $10.50 net of the underwriting discount of $0.4731 per share.

Check out the rest of Third Point's portfolio in the brand new issue of our Hedge Fund Wisdom publication.


Per Google Finance, Enphase Energy "designs, develops and sells microinverter systems for the solar photovoltaic industry. The Company’s microinverter system consists of three components: Enphase microinverter, Envoy communications gateway and Enlighten Web-based software. The Company’s Enphase microinverter delivers power conversion at the individual solar module level by introducing a digital architecture that incorporates custom application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) power electronics devices and an embedded software subsystem. The Company’s Envoy communications gateway is installed in the system owner’s home or business and serves as a networking hub that collects data from the microinverter array and sends the information to its hosted data center. The Company’s Enlighten Web-based software collects and analyzes this information to enable system owners to monitor and realize the performance of their solar photovoltaics."

Carl Icahn Goes Activist on Hertz

Activist investor Carl Icahn has filed a 13D on shares of Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ).  Per the filing, Icahn now owns 8.48% of the company with 38.8 million shares. 

This is a newly disclosed position for Icahn .  The filing was made due to activity on August 12th and it notes that Icahn intends to have discussions with management relating to "shareholder value, accounting issues, operational failures, underperformance relative to its peers and (their) lack of confidence in management."

Icahn was out buying HTZ shares in late June and sporadically throughout July.  He really ramped up his purchases in mid-August though and did a lot of buying on August 20th specifically.  This is the date that shares dropped from $31 to $28 on news of revised guidance.

Icahn primarily purchased call options and sold put options referencing an aggregate of over 35.97 million shares at June 2016 strikes.

HTZ is somewhat of a hedge fund hotel.  As of the end of the second quarter, HTZ's largest shareholders included:  Glenview Capital, SRS Investment Management, Fir Tree, York Capital, Highfields Capital, D.E. Shaw, JANA Partners, Third Point, and many more.  Just recently, Fir Tree urged the board to replace the Hertz CEO.

Per Google Finance, Hertz is "a holding company. The Hertz Corporation (Hertz) is its operating company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of Hertz Investors, Inc., which is wholly owned by Hertz Holdings. Its business operates in two segments: rental and leasing of cars, crossovers and light trucks (car rental), and rental of industrial, construction and material handling equipment (equipment rental). In its equipment rental business segment, it rents equipment through approximately 340 branches in the United States, Canada, France, Spain, Italy, China and Saudi Arabia, as well as through its international licensees."

Lone Pine Capital Adds to Cognizant Technology Solutions Position

Steve Mandel's hedge fund firm Lone Pine Capital has filed a 13G on shares of Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH).  Per the filing, Lone Pine now owns 5.3% of the company with over 32.1 million shares.

This means they've boosted their position size by over 2.6 million shares since the end of the second quarter.  The filing was made due to activity on August 6th.  Shares recently dropped from $50 down to $42 and they took advantage of the decline.  CTSH has been one of Lone Pine's top holdings for quite some time.

You can view the rest of Lone Pine's portfolio in the brand new issue of our Hedge Fund Wisdom newsletter.

Per Google Finance, Cognizant Technology Solutions is "a provider of custom information technology, consulting and business process outsourcing services. The Company is engaged in Business, Process, Operations and Information Technology Consulting, Application Development and Systems Integration, Enterprise Information Management (EIM), Application Testing, Application Maintenance, Information Technology Infrastructure Services, and Business and Knowledge Process Outsourcing, or BPO and KPO. The Company operates in four segments: Financial Services; Healthcare; Manufacturing, Retail and Logistics, and Other, which includes communications, information, media and entertainment, and high technology."

New Q2 Issue of Hedge Fund Wisdom Now Available: Sign Up To Read It

The brand new Q2 2014 issue of our Hedge Fund Wisdom newsletter was just released today!  Subscribers please login at www.hedgefundwisdom.com to download it.


Featured in the New Issue

- Consensus buy/sell lists: Find out which stocks were the most popular among top managers.

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- In-depth equity analysis of 2 stocks:  Hedge funds bet big on these 2 stocks recently. Get up to speed fast with company analysis and the bull/bear cases.

- Expert commentary on each fund's moves:  We've been tracking these funds for over 6 years and explain the quick thesis behind some more of their trades.

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What We're Reading ~ Hedge Fund Links 8/15/14

Update on Miura Global's latest activity [ValueWalk]

Pershing Square's latest letter [Scribd]

Latest post by Carl Icahn [Carl Icahn]

Hedge fund branding continues to drive a majority of asset flows [All About Alpha]

A better tactic for hedge fund analysis [AI CIO]

Soros' secrets: buy bubbles, bet big [Irish Times]

SEC threshold for accredited investor likely to increase [COO Connect]

S&P questions viability of hedge fund reinsurer business model [Artemis]

Searching for yield in all the wrong places [HF Intelligence]

Activism has become a marketing strategy [FT]

ValueAct says Valeant doesn't need to buy Allergan [Reuters]

Investors pay for hedge fund illusions [Bloomberg View]

Viking Global Boosts Salix Pharmaceuticals Stake

Andreas Halvorsen's hedge fund firm Viking Global has filed a 13G with the SEC regarding their stake in Salix Pharmaceuticals (SLXP).  Per the filing, Viking now owns 5% of the company with over 3.19 million shares.

They've increased their holdings by 305,850 shares and the filing was made due to activity on August 8th.

We recently highlighted some other portfolio activity from Viking Global as well.

Per Google Finance, Salix Pharmaceuticals is "a specialty pharmaceutical company dedicated to acquiring, developing and commercializing prescription drugs and medical devices used in the treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal disorders, which are those affecting the digestive tract."

Bridger Capital Adds to ChannelAdvisor Position

Recently, we highlighted Bridger Capital's new stake in ChannelAdvisor (ECOM).  Roberto Mignone's firm has just filed an amended 13G with the SEC regarding their position.

Per the filing, Bridger now owns 8.8% of the company with over 2.17 million shares.  They've increased their position by 970,993 shares and the filing was made due to activity on August 5th.  Shares have fallen from $23 recently down to around $15 and they've utilized the dip to add to their stake.

Per Google Finance, ChannelAdvisor is "a provider of software-as-a-service, or SaaS, solutions that enables retailers and manufacturer customers to integrate, manage and optimize their merchandise sales across hundreds of online channels. Through the Company’s platform, the Company enables its customers to connect with new and existing sources of demand for their products, including e-commerce marketplaces, such as eBay, Amazon and Newegg, search engines and comparison shopping websites, such as Google, Microsoft’s Bing, and Nextag, and emerging channels, such as Facebook and Groupon."

What We're Reading ~ Analytical Links 8/13/14

Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future [Peter Thiel]

The Buffett formula - how to get smarter [Farnam Street]

A look at Alstom as a potential sum of the parts play [Value and Opportunity]

Value stocks in market corrections [Brooklyn Investor]

What does sentiment suggest for future returns? [Fat Pitch]

What will happen when companies stop buying back so much stock [Business Insider]

Zillow shares could fall by half [Barrons]

Taking AIG from 'sucks' to 'rocks' [Business Week]

Why you should keep an eye on Sequoia Fund [Asset Builder]

Investors move into cash, bracing for market sell off [IFRE]

The power of shareholder yield [What Works on Wall Street]

Unfortunate realities of the investment business [Wealth of Common Sense]

Buy stock pickers, avoid sector pickers [Morningstar]

Eminence Capital Starts World Wrestling Entertainment Stake

Ricky Sandler's hedge fund Eminence Capital has filed a 13G with the SEC revealing a brand new position in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).

Per the filing, Eminence now owns 9.6% of the company with over 3.17 million shares.  The filing was made due to activity on July 31st.

WWE shares have been on a rollercoaster thus far this year.  They started the year around $16, skyrocketed up to $31, and have recently settled down just under $14.  A lot of this volatility can be attributed to the hype and results surrounding the launch of the company's new network.

Per Google Finance, World Wrestling Entertainment is "an integrated media and entertainment company. The Company develops content via television, online and at its live events. The Company's operations are centered around four business segments: Live and Televised Entertainment, Consumer Products, Digital Media and WWE Studios. Live and Televised Entertainment segment's revenues consist principally of ticket sales to live events, sales of merchandise at these live events, television rights fees, integrated sponsorships fees, and fees for viewing the Company's pay-per-view and video-on-demand programming."

You can view additional recent portfolio activity from Eminence Capital here.

Glenview Capital Discloses Group 1 Automotive Stake

Larry Robbins' hedge fund firm Glenview Capital has just filed a 13G with the SEC.  They've disclosed that they now own 6.24% of Group 1 Automotive (GPI) with over 1.5 million shares.

This is a newly revealed stake and the filing was made due to activity on July 31st.

For more from this hedge fund, check out Larry Robbins at the Delivering Alpha conference.

Per Google Finance, Group 1 Automotive is "an operator in the automotive retailing industry. Through its operating subsidiaries, it markets and sells a range of automotive products and services, including new and used cars and light trucks; arrange related vehicle financing; service and insurance contracts; provide automotive maintenance and repair services, and sell vehicle part."

Eton Park Capital Starts Armstrong World Industries Position

Eric Mindich's hedge fund firm Eton Park Capital has filed a 13G with the SEC regarding shares of Armstrong World Industries (AWI).  Per the filing, Eton Park now owns 6.69% of the company with over 3.66 million shares.

This is a newly disclosed equity position for the hedge fund and the filing was made due to activity on August 1st.

Eton Park is now the second major hedge fund to recently reveal a stake in the company as Jeff Ubben's ValueAct Capital took an AWI stake as well.

Per Google Finance, Armstrong World Industries is "a global producer of flooring products and ceiling systems for use in the construction and renovation of residential, commercial and institutional buildings. The Company designs, manufactures and sells flooring products (resilient and wood) and ceiling systems (mineral fiber, fiberglass and metal) globally. The Company segments includes: Building Products, Resilient Flooring and Wood Flooring. The Company’s Building Products, Resilient Flooring, Wood Flooring and Cabinets segments sell products for use in the home. Its products are used in new home construction and existing home renovation work. Its products, primarily ceilings and Resilient Flooring, are used in commercial and institutional buildings."

Paulson & Co Boosts NovaCopper & Cobalt International Energy Stakes

John Paulson's hedge fund firm Paulson & Co has filed two 13G's with the SEC.

NovaCopper (NCQ)

First, Paulson's amended 13G on Novacopper (NCQ) indicates that they now own 18.3% of the company with over 11.5 million shares. 

This marks an increase of over 5.59 million shares since the end of the first quarter.  The filing was made due to activity on July 31st.

Per Google Finance, Novacopper is "a base metals exploration company. The Company is engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties, including the Arctic and Bornite Projects located in Northwest Alaska in the United States of America. Its exploration activities are focused on two deposits in the Ambler district: the Arctic VMS deposit and the Bornite carbonate replacement deposit."


Cobalt International Energy (CIE)

Second, Paulson & Co has filed a 13G regarding shares of Cobalt International Energy (CIE).  Per the filing, the hedge fund firm now owns 10.1% of the company with over 41.8 million shares.

This is an increase of over 14.6 million shares since the end of the first quarter.  The filing was made due to portfolio movement on July 31st.

Per Google Finance, Cobalt International Energy is "oil-focused exploration and production company with a salt prospect inventory in the deepwater of the United States Gulf of Mexico and offshore Angola and Gabon in West Africa. The Company operates its business in two geographic segments: the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. The Company’s oil-focused exploration efforts target subsalt Miocene and Inboard Lower Tertiary horizons in the deepwater U.S. Gulf of Mexico."

You can view additional recent portfolio activity from Paulson & Co here.

Larry Robbins Focusing on Companies Deploying Capital

Institutional Investor has released an excerpt of their interview with Glenview Capital's Larry Robbins from the Delivering Alpha Conference.  In it, Robbins talks about how the market will react to the Fed releasing the 'training wheels.'

He says Glenview has been actively focusing on companies actively deploying capital, taking advantage of cheap interest rates, etc.  He likes companies that are "flush with cash, that have significant debt capacity, that are defensive and growing and that are trading at cheap valuations (maybe not as cheap as 2 years ago)."

For more from him, we've posted Robbins' 6 best ideas at the Delivering Alpha conference.

Embedded below is the video of Larry Robbins' interview:



For more from this conference, we've also posted an interview with Maverick Capital's Lee Ainslie.

Lee Ainslie on M&A Boom, Cybersecurity & the VIX

Institutional Investor just released an excerpt from an interview with Maverick Capital's Lee Ainslie from the Delivering Alpha Conference.  In it, Ainslie touches on the M&A boom, cybersecurity, and the low volatility index readings (VIX).

Ainslie says that there could be a bigger level of mergers and acquisitions than in 2007 thanks to large corporate cash balances and the fear that interest rates will increase or the tax inversion loophole will close. 

He also likes to look for secular trends from the top down and then identify specific companies that will benefit from those trends.  One of the biggest trends he's seeing now is network security / cybersecurity, though he doesn't mention any specific names.

Lastly, Ainslie points out that the VIX has seen spikes on a more frequent basis as the years go by.  He argues that the there's a contrast between the threats in the world and the low levels the VIX has been sitting at, which he thinks is not being priced appropriately. 

Embedded below is Institutional Investor's interview with Lee Ainslie:



You can view some of Maverick Capital's portfolio activity here.