Billionaire Larry Robbins Has Mixed Sentiment On His Top Picks For Q4

#3 Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)

– Shares held (as of September 30): 8.51 million

– Total Value (as of September 30): $1.04 billion

Glenview cut its position in Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) by 748,506 shares during the quarter. Thermo Fisher Scientific recorded a decrease in third quarter operating income to $563 million, compared to $640 million in the same quarter of last year, while it booked revenue of $4.1 billion, compared to $4.2 billion a year ago. For full-year 2015, the company raised its EPS guidance to a range of $7.33-to-$7.41 from the previously announced range of $7.28-to-$7.41. Recently, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)’s board of directors authorized the repurchase of $1 billion of shares of its common stock in the open market or in negotiated transactions. This share repurchase authorization replaces the existing authorization, in which there was about $410 million remaining, and the company intends to resume share repurchases in 2016. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)’s stock has increased by 10.11% year-to-date. Another investor betting big on Thermo Fisher Scientific is Boykin Curry’s Eagle Capital Management, which held 4.40 million Thermo Fisher shares at the end of the third quarter.

#2 Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON)

– Shares held (as of September 30): 13.50 million

– Total Value (as of September 30): $1.15 billion

Glenview was bullish on Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) during the third quarter, adding 2.43 million shares to its holding. Recently, Monsanto Company inked accelerated share repurchase agreements with Citibank and JPMorgan Chase Bank, to $3 billion of the company’s common stock, with an aggregate initial delivery of about 28.4 million shares, based on current market prices. The share repurchase is expected to be completed in the next six months. For the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015, Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON) booked a loss of $495 million compared to a loss of $156 million in the same period of last year. For the full fiscal year 2015, the company reported net income of about $2.3 billion compared to income of $2.7 billion in fiscal year 2014. Monsanto Company (NYSE:MON)’s stock has been struggling this year, dropping by 20.01%. Another investor that likes Monsanto Company is John H. Scully’s SPO Advisory Corp, which held 3.69 million shares as of the end of September.

#1 Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM)

– Shares held (as of September 30): 6.64 million

– Total Value (as of September 30): $1.19 billion

Robbins upped his stake in Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) by 68,423 shares during the previous quarter. In July, Aetna Inc (NYSE:AET) agreed to acquire all outstanding shares of Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) for $125 in cash and 0.8375 of an Aetna common share. The acquisition, approved by both companies’ stockholders, is subject to customary closing conditions. If approved, the transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2016. For the quarter ended September 30, Humana Inc (NYSE:HUM) reported earnings per common share of $2.09, versus $1.85 for the same quarter last year. For the first nine months of 2015, it pulled in EPS of $7.77, up from $6.39 in the same period of last year. Humana’s shares has been performing well, increasing by 17.25% year-to-date. Another investor betting big on Humana is Matthew Halbower’s Pentwater Capital Management, holding 1.88 million shares as of the end of September.

Disclosure: None