Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) was in 16 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of the first quarter of 2013. PTEN shareholders have witnessed an increase in support from the world’s most elite money managers of late. There were 11 hedge funds in our database with PTEN positions at the end of the previous quarter.
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With these “truths” under our belt, let’s take a look at the key action surrounding Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN).
How are hedge funds trading Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN)?
At the end of the first quarter, a total of 16 of the hedge funds we track were bullish in this stock, a change of 45% from one quarter earlier. With hedge funds’ sentiment swirling, there exists an “upper tier” of noteworthy hedge fund managers who were increasing their stakes considerably.
As industrywide interest jumped, specific money managers were breaking ground themselves. First Pacific Advisors LLC, managed by Robert Rodriguez and Steven Romick, assembled the biggest position in Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN). First Pacific Advisors LLC had 44.1 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates also initiated a $3.9 million position during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are Matthew Tewksbury’s Stevens Capital Management, David Costen Haley’s HBK Investments, and Paul Tudor Jones’s Tudor Investment Corp.
How have insiders been trading Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN)?
Insider purchases made by high-level executives is particularly usable when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past 180 days. Over the last half-year time period, Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) has seen zero unique insiders purchasing, and 1 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
Let’s also take a look at hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN). These stocks are Pengrowth Energy Corp (USA) (NYSE:PGH), Rowan Companies PLC (NYSE:RDC), Halcon Resources Corp (NYSE:HK), Enerplus Corp (USA) (NYSE:ERF), and Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (NYSE:ATW). This group of stocks belong to the oil & gas drilling & exploration industry and their market caps resemble PTEN’s market cap.
| Company Name | # of Hedge Funds | # of Insiders Buying | # of Insiders Selling |
| Pengrowth Energy Corp (USA) (NYSE:PGH) | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Rowan Companies PLC (NYSE:RDC) | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Halcon Resources Corp (NYSE:HK) | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Enerplus Corp (USA) (NYSE:ERF) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Atwood Oceanics, Inc. (NYSE:ATW) | 14 | 0 | 3 |
With the returns demonstrated by the aforementioned time-tested strategies, everyday investors must always keep an eye on hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Patterson-UTI Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTEN) applies perfectly to this mantra.
