In this article, we discuss billionaire Daniel Sundheim’s top 15 stock picks heading into 2025.
D1 Capital Partners might be one of the youngest hedge funds but it is one with a solid track record in a highly competitive landscape. Founded in 2018, the hedge fund successfully navigated the downturn triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to an aggressive investment strategy that revolves around fundamental research.
Daniel Sundheim is the brainchild, having started the hedge fund with $5 billion seed capital. As the founder and chief investment officer, he propelled the hedge fund to prominence in 2020 with a 54% gain in one of the most unpredictable years in the investment world. The stellar performance that continued into 2021 came as the value hedge fund focused on private equity and emerging startups that accounted for 50% of the portfolio.
READ ALSO: Billionaire David Tepper’s Top 10 Stock Picks Heading into 2025 and 10 Best Stocks to Buy for the Long-Term According to Charles Akre.
Nevertheless, Sundheim had one of the worst years of his career in 2022 as the overall equity markets came under pressure amid heightened inflation. As the S&P 500 fell 19.4%, D1 Capital ended up underperforming, going down by 30.5%. However, the hedge fund bounced back to winning ways in 2023, gaining more than 19% as it marked down some of its private investments.
Sundheim’s knack for investing started while he was an undergraduate at the Wharton School University of Pennsylvania. While in college, he invested and traded tech stocks. He went on to gain valuable investing experience while working as an analyst at Bear Stearns.
“Certain people are born to do certain things, and Dan was born to deploy capital,” said Dris Upitis, a former portfolio manager at Viking with Sundheim.
D1 Capital Partners’ edge stems from an investment strategy that revolves around fundamental research to uncover undervalued investment opportunities. Additionally, the hedge fund engages in diversification as one of the ways of spreading the risk and shrugging the pitfalls of volatility in specific sectors.
While controlling about $5.2 billion in portfolio value, Sundheim invests close to a third of its capital in private market bets. Industrial services and consumer stocks also account for the most significant share of the hedge fund’s portfolio. It also has substantial exposure to tech stocks from which it is benefiting from the artificial intelligence frenzy.
According to Sundheim, public companies are the best way to tap into the AI frenzy. Likewise, the investment officer expects artificial intelligence, unlike other technological advances, to be felt across all sectors. Companies investing billions of dollars into talent and AI projects are doing so without expecting short-term returns and are focused on long-term returns.
As the chief investment officer, Sundheim leverages long/short equity strategies using equity derivatives, convertibles, and fixed-income instruments to generate value in the markets. D1 Capital Partners is already up by more than 30% for the year, affirming the effectiveness of Sundheim’s investment strategy. The stellar performance has primarily been driven by gains in the industrial and consumer stocks which are benefiting from a resilient US economy.
Billionaire Daniel Sundheim’s top 15 stock picks heading into 2025 consist of stocks poised to benefit from a resilient US economy as interest rates come down.
Daniel Sundheim of D1 Capital Partners
Our Methodology
To compile the list of billionaire Daniel Sundheim’s Top 15 Stock Picks for 2025, we reviewed D1 Capital Partners’ investment portfolio. We identified the hedge fund’s fifteen largest holdings and analyzed their potential for long-term investment. Finally, we ranked these stocks in ascending order based on D1 Capital Partners’ stakes in each one.
At Insider Monkey, we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
Billionaire Daniel Sundheim’s Top 15 Stock Picks Heading Into 2025
15. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX)
D1 Capital Partners’ Equity Stake: $116. 21 Million
Number of Hedge Fund Holders as of Q3 2024: 76
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is a company that roasts, markets and sells coffee. It has many stores worldwide. Recently, its main business has struggled, with three quarters in a row of falling revenue. This drop happened because fewer people visited their stores, with a 10% decrease in the fourth quarter. China, a key growth area for Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX), saw a 6% drop in in-store visits in the fourth quarter. Despite this, SBUX still has strong advantages. Its brand is very strong, and it offers a variety of high-priced drinks and food.
Similarly, its gross margins over the last decade have averaged 28.2%, showing the company’s ability to generate profits amid the challenges. Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) remains one of billionaire Daniel Sundheim’s top 15 stock picks heading into 2025 as it has entered into new markets and replicated its US playbook. As of the third quarter, Starbucks had over 40,000 stores spread across the globe, up 29% from five years ago.
While Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) started as a growth stock, it has evolved into a reliable dividend stock. It has raised its dividend for 14 consecutive years, rewarding income-focused investors with a forward 2.6% dividend yield.
14. HDFC Bank Limited (NYSE:HDB)
D1 Capital Partners’ Equity Stake: $120.37 Million
Number of Hedge Fund Holders as of Q3 2024: 41
HDFC Bank Limited (NYSE:HDB) is a financial services company that provides banking and financial services. It is one of billionaire Daniel Sundheim’s top 15 stock picks heading into 2025 to gain exposure in India’s financial services sector. With more than 1,680 locations throughout India, the business has established a vast network to serve its varied clientele. With a gross loan book of $11.67 billion as of Q3, HDB has grown by almost 21% in just two years.
Its remarkable growth trajectory demonstrates the company’s ability to meet India’s enormous and expanding demand for financial services. HDFC Bank Limited’s (NYSE:HDB) clientele is broad and includes businesses needing working capital and individuals looking for consumer loans.
The non-banking lending division HDB Financial Services has submitted an application for an IPO with a maximum value of $1.49 billion. HDB Financial Services intends to use the IPO proceeds to improve its capital needs, such as regulatory compliance and onward lending, to spur growth. By making this change, the business should take advantage of India’s rising demand for financial services, grow loan books, and gain market share.