Hedge Fund and Insider Trading News: Steve Cohen, Elliott Management, Aerie Pharmaceuticals Inc (AERI), Marijuana Company Of America Inc (MCOA), Office Depot Inc (ODP), and More

The Woman Suing Point72 and Steve Cohen Speaks Out About Alleged Gender and Pay Discrimination (CNBC)
Lauren Bonner says quitting wasn’t an option. Bonner is head of talent analytics at hedge fund Point72 Asset Management, a job that gives her access to data like compensation and college grade point averages for individuals hired by the firm. But as she tells it, that data unveiled a gross injustice – one that, inspired by the broader #MeToo movement, encouraged her to take action. In February, Bonner filed a gender-bias lawsuit against Connecticut-based Point72, though she continues to go to work at the firm’s Manhattan office every day. “I certainly tried to make change internally,” Bonner told CNBC in her first television interview. “I just couldn’t let it go. I couldn’t walk away from the problem. It’s too important. It was too blatant, and it’s been going on for way too long. I just couldn’t help but fight it.”

Elliott, Bluescape Recommend Six New Directors for Sempra (Reuters)
(Reuters) – Two shareholders of U.S. utility Sempra Energy – Elliott Management and Bluescape Resources Co – on Monday recommended six new directors for the company’s board and urged a strategic review of its business. Sempra’s shares were up 7.9 percent at $109.50 before the bell. The hedge funds said Sempra was highly undervalued and could be worth an additional $11 billion to $16 billion, that could value the company at $139-$158 per share. Elliott Management and Bluescape together own a 4.9 percent stake in Sempra.

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Quant Wizard Cliff Asness Takes Some Profits off the Table from Micron (MU), Charges Up Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) (SmarterAnalyst.com)
At the age of 51, billionaire Cliff Asness commands a hedge fund firm that has absolutely rocketed in assets- one of the quickest-growing in the world. With a net worth of roughly $3 billion to his name, Asness co-founded AQR Capital Management two decades ago on back of Wall Street’s favorite sorcery: quant trading. According to the latest SEC filing, Asness’ hedge fund firm opted to take a step back in Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), but dial up the fire under Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMD).

Citadel Powers High School Program in Investing and Finance (Pensions&Investments.com)
Chicago-based hedge fund manager Citadel LLC and market maker Citadel Securities LLC partnered with education technology specialist EVERFI Inc., Washington, to create MarketWorks, a digital investment learning tool. The program – a self-guided simulation – teaches high school students about finance and investing, said Zia Ahmed, a Citadel spokesman. “Understanding how markets work, how capital is formed, how marketplaces function, how companies and people access this is critical and almost entirely missing from the school day,” said Thomas Davidson, EVERFI’s CEO, in a joint news release with the two Citadel entities.