David E. Shaw is a notorious persona1lity in the hedge fund world due to his systematic and computer-driven approach to investing. His hedge fund, D E Shaw & Company had around $85.1 billion in Assets Under Management at the end of the first quarter. In its latest 13F David Shaw’s fund revealed an equity portfolio worth $70.12 billion, below from the previously reported value of $70.34 billion. Interestingly enough, there are some similarities between David Shaw’s holdings and those reported by Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway. In this piece we will discuss some of the largest bullish moves of Mr. Shaw and will take a look at the top holdings in terms of value from D E Shaw’s equity portfolio.
Mr. Shaw’s confidence of Warren Buffet’s investment approach can be observed by a look at the largest holding in his equity portfolio, which is Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.B). D E Shaw disclosed an over $1.09 billion stake, which amasses 8.74 million class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.B), the stake being edged up by 5% on the quarter. The class B stock of Berkshire edged up by around 7% since the beginning of the year, and gained around 12% over the past 52-week. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust are among the largest owners of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.B)’s class B shares, owning 77.04 million shares, with a whopping value of $9.63 billion.
On the second spot stands Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), in which D E Shaw holds a significant position which contains 642,100 shares, worth $715.58 million. During the January-March period, the fund upped its exposure to the company by over 75%. Actually, many hedge funds like Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL), the company being the most popular pick among more than 640 hedge funds tracked by us. As we stated in our earlier article, overall almost 150 hedge funds reported holding shares of Google in the latest round of 13F filings. Boykin Curry‘s Eagle Capital Management owns a big stake in Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) shares, although, it has inched down its stake by 2,600 shares, currently holding close to 797,300 shares, worth $888.56 million.
D E Shaw is also bullish on Liberty Media Corp (NASDAQ:LMCA), of which it owns 4.89 million shares, with a reported value of $612.8 million. Mr. Shaw has increased its position in the company by more than 1.57 million shares during the first three months of the year. Berkshire Hathaway is also a large shareholder of Liberty Media Corp (NASDAQ:LMCA), owning 5.30 million shares according to its latest 13F. For the first quarter of the year, Liberty Media Corp (NASDAQ:LMCA) reported revenue of over $1.01 billion and EBITDA of around $108.0 million.
Another Warren Buffet pick is Liberty Global plc – Class C Ordinary Shares (NASDAQ:LBTYK). While Buffett initiated a position of Liberty Global’s class C stock, reporting ownership of 7.35 million shares, Mr. Shaw upped its bets on the company by adding more than 9.77 million shares, to 14.65 million, with a value of $596.26 million. Shaw also owns over 3.85 million Liberty Global plc – Class A Ordinary Shares (NASDAQ:LBTYA), worth $160.35 million, while Buffett’s stake amasses 2.90 million shares of the same class of stock.
On the fifth place is situated General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), of which Mr. Shaw purchased additional 8.40 million shares, currently holding 22.85 million shares, reportedly worth $591.56 million. Berkshire owns a less significant stake in General Electric Company (NYSE:GE), which contains 10.56 million shares, worth $274.06 million. The stock of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) edged down by 6% year-to-date and trails a Price-to-Earnings ratio of around 22.00, which is slightly above the industry average of 21.00.
Disclosure: none
Recommended Reading:
Free Stock Research Report: Allegion PLC (ALLE)
Pine River Capital Management’s Top Bullish Moves During the First Quarter
