Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) was in 18 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of December. BRKR investors should be aware of an increase in hedge fund sentiment of late. There were 12 hedge funds in our database with BRKR holdings at the end of the previous quarter.
In the financial world, there are tons of indicators investors can use to track Mr. Market. Two of the most useful are hedge fund and insider trading interest. At Insider Monkey, our studies have shown that, historically, those who follow the best picks of the top money managers can outclass the broader indices by a superb amount (see just how much).
Just as important, bullish insider trading activity is another way to parse down the financial markets. Obviously, there are many stimuli for an insider to get rid of shares of his or her company, but just one, very obvious reason why they would buy. Many academic studies have demonstrated the impressive potential of this tactic if you know where to look (learn more here).
With these “truths” under our belt, we’re going to take a peek at the recent action regarding Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR).
How have hedgies been trading Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR)?
Heading into 2013, a total of 18 of the hedge funds we track were long in this stock, a change of 50% from the previous quarter. With hedgies’ sentiment swirling, there exists a few key hedge fund managers who were boosting their holdings substantially.
According to our comprehensive database, Samlyn Capital, managed by Robert Pohly, holds the largest position in Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR). Samlyn Capital has a $26 million position in the stock, comprising 0.9% of its 13F portfolio. The second largest stake is held by Ken Griffin of Citadel Investment Group, with a $18 million position; the fund has 0% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Remaining hedge funds that hold long positions include Jeffrey Vinik’s Vinik Asset Management, Robert Joseph Caruso’s Select Equity Group and Israel Englander’s Millennium Management.
As one would reasonably expect, some big names were breaking ground themselves. Citadel Investment Group, managed by Ken Griffin, established the most outsized position in Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR). Citadel Investment Group had 18 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Jeffrey Vinik’s Vinik Asset Management also initiated a $14 million position during the quarter. The following funds were also among the new BRKR investors: Louis Bacon’s Moore Global Investments, Malcolm Fairbairn’s Ascend Capital, and Glenn Russell Dubin’s Highbridge Capital Management.
Insider trading activity in Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR)
Bullish insider trading is at its handiest when the primary stock in question has seen transactions within the past half-year. Over the last 180-day time period, Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) has seen 2 unique insiders purchasing, and zero insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
With the returns exhibited by our tactics, retail investors should always watch hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) is an important part of this process.
Click here to learn more about Insider Monkey’s Hedge Fund Newsletter
Insider Monkey’s small-cap strategy returned 29.2% between September 2012 and February 2013 versus 8.7% for the S&P 500 index. Try it now by clicking the link above.
