United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) received a $46mm investment from Bridger, making it the biggest of the fund’s new additions. The equipment rental company is up a respectable 17% on the year so far, supported by an impressive earnings beat in January. Higher rental rates and increased demand have been seen across the business rental industry, helping the company post a 41% year over year bump in net earnings, although guidance came in at lower than expected. Bank of America/Merrill Lynch initiated coverage on United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) last month, rating it a Buy. Billionaire Glenn Russell Dubin of Highbridge Capital Management bought nearly 2.5mm shares last quarter (take a look at his fund’s top stocks here).
UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) now occupies a 2.7% spot in Bridger’s portfolio, amounting to $38mm. The health insurer has made recent pushes to expand its global footprint, initiating or increasing operations in countries like Brazil, South Africa, and the Czech Republic. UNH now has a presence in 123 companies. On U.S. soil, the company’s participation in upcoming health insurance exchanges could add millions of new members to its roster, possibly translating to billions in revenue for health insurance players. Billionaire Leon Cooperman of Omega Advisors carries 1.6mm shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) in his fund (read about his portfolio here).
Bridger purchased almost $35mm worth of Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) in the final quarter of 2012. The online travel company has seen increased use by consumers over the past few years, making it a much fiercer competitor against larger Expedia. The company received approval by the FTC to purchase Kayak for $1.8bn in January; however, U.K. antitrust regulators released an extended review on March 13th that will prolong the close of the deal. The company saw a 13% decrease in interest from hedge funds moving from Q3 2012 to Q4. Billionaire Stephen Mandel of Lone Pine Capital has over a billion dollars invested in Priceline.com Inc (NASDAQ:PCLN) (view his other holdings here).
Read on to see Bridger’s other latest additions.
Mexico-based ADR Cemex SAB de CV (ADR) (NYSE:CX) operates in the building materials industry by manufacturing cement and cement products. The stock is up nearly 60% in the past six months, almost five times the market’s gain in the same time period. CX saw a bump in popularity amongst the 400+ funds we track going from Q3 2012 to Q4; 20 hedge funds held the stock versus 28, respectively. The company’s latest earnings announcement at the start of last month delivered a significant miss and negative quarterly revenue growth year over year. Bridger put $30mm to work in CX last quarter. Billionaire Noam Gottesman of GLG Partners maintains a debt investment in CX (check out his portfolio here).
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) was the final big new purchase of Bridger’s that we’ll cover; the ubiquitous coffee slinger was dedicated almost $30mm from the fund according to its Q4. The company’s latest earnings release in January gave growth in net earnings versus the same quarter a year prior, and analysts particularly like the chain’s expansion efforts in China and Asia Pacific. However, economic climates in the US and Europe could possibly lead to decreased consumption if improvement worsens or growth stops/reverses. Billionaire Steven Cohen of SAC Capital Advisors reduced his call option position in the coffee maker last quarter (see his fund’s major positions here).
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