Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF) was in 4 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012. APAGF has seen an increase in enthusiasm from smart money in recent months. There were 3 hedge funds in our database with APAGF positions at the end of the previous quarter.
To most market participants, hedge funds are perceived as slow, old financial vehicles of yesteryear. While there are greater than 8000 funds with their doors open today, we look at the upper echelon of this group, around 450 funds. Most estimates calculate that this group has its hands on the lion’s share of all hedge funds’ total asset base, and by keeping an eye on their highest performing investments, we have deciphered a number of investment strategies that have historically outstripped the market. Our small-cap hedge fund strategy outperformed the S&P 500 index by 18 percentage points annually for a decade in our back tests, and since we’ve began to sharing our picks with our subscribers at the end of August 2012, we have outperformed the S&P 500 index by 24 percentage points in 7 months (see the details here).
Equally as beneficial, bullish insider trading sentiment is another way to break down the marketplace. Just as you’d expect, there are lots of stimuli for an insider to drop shares of his or her company, but just one, very obvious reason why they would buy. Many empirical studies have demonstrated the impressive potential of this method if investors know what to do (learn more here).
Keeping this in mind, we’re going to take a glance at the latest action regarding Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF).
What have hedge funds been doing with Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF)?
At the end of the fourth quarter, a total of 4 of the hedge funds we track held long positions in this stock, a change of 33% from the previous quarter. With hedge funds’ capital changing hands, there exists a few noteworthy hedge fund managers who were increasing their stakes meaningfully.
Now, key hedge funds have been driving this bullishness. Columbus Hill Capital Management, managed by Kevin D. Eng, created the biggest position in Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF). Columbus Hill Capital Management had 3.1 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter.
What have insiders been doing with Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF)?
Insider trading activity, especially when it’s bullish, is best served when the company in focus has experienced transactions within the past half-year. Over the last half-year time period, Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF) has experienced zero unique insiders purchasing, and 1 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
Let’s also examine hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF). These stocks are LRR Energy LP (NYSE:LRE), VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY), Quicksilver Resources Inc (NYSE:KWK), Triangle Petroleum Corporation (NYSEAMEX:TPLM), and Sandridge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE:SDT). This group of stocks are in the independent oil & gas industry and their market caps are closest to APAGF’s market cap.
| Company Name | # of Hedge Funds | # of Insiders Buying | # of Insiders Selling |
| LRR Energy LP (NYSE:LRE) | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| VAALCO Energy, Inc. (NYSE:EGY) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Quicksilver Resources Inc (NYSE:KWK) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Triangle Petroleum Corporation (NYSEAMEX:TPLM) | 8 | 1 | 3 |
| Sandridge Mississippian Trust I (NYSE:SDT) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
With the results shown by the aforementioned tactics, retail investors must always watch hedge fund and insider trading sentiment, and Apco Oil and Gas International Inc (NASDAQ:APAGF) is an important part of this process.
