Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) was in 16 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012. NUS has seen a decrease in hedge fund interest of late. There were 18 hedge funds in our database with NUS holdings at the end of the previous quarter.
Just as integral, positive insider trading activity is a second way to break down the financial markets. As the old adage goes: there are plenty of incentives for an upper level exec to downsize shares of his or her company, but only one, very simple reason why they would initiate a purchase. Plenty of empirical studies have demonstrated the useful potential of this tactic if shareholders understand where to look (learn more here).
Now, we’re going to take a glance at the key action regarding Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS).
What does the smart money think about Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS)?
At year’s end, a total of 16 of the hedge funds we track held long positions in this stock, a change of -11% from the previous quarter. With hedgies’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an “upper tier” of key hedge fund managers who were increasing their holdings significantly.
Of the funds we track, Chuck Royce’s Royce & Associates had the most valuable position in Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS), worth close to $275 million, comprising 0.9% of its total 13F portfolio. The second largest stake is held by Jim Simons of Renaissance Technologies, with a $26 million position; 0.3% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Other hedgies that are bullish include Cliff Asness’s AQR Capital Management, Ken Heebner’s Capital Growth Management and Daniel S. Och’s OZ Management.
Judging by the fact that Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) has faced bearish sentiment from the entirety of the hedge funds we track, logic holds that there were a few hedge funds who were dropping their entire stakes heading into 2013. Intriguingly, John Murphy’s Alydar Capital sold off the biggest stake of the 450+ funds we watch, valued at close to $12 million in call options. Gregg J. Powers’s fund, Private Capital Management, also dropped its stock, about $9 million worth. These moves are intriguing to say the least, as total hedge fund interest fell by 2 funds heading into 2013.
How have insiders been trading Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS)?
Insider buying is at its handiest when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past half-year. Over the last 180-day time period, Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) has seen zero unique insiders buying, and 3 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
With the results exhibited by Insider Monkey’s research, everyday investors must always pay attention to hedge fund and insider trading sentiment, and Nu Skin Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:NUS) applies perfectly to this mantra.
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