Investors Are Buzzing About Apple, Rio Tinto, Amsurg, More

The markets are showing slightly bearish sentiment early Thursday, as all three index futures are slightly in the red. Traders appear to be taking a cautionary stance ahead of key technical levels and next week’s FOMC meeting. Among the stocks that have investors buzzing today are Rio Tinto plc (ADR) (NYSE:RIO), Amsurg Corp (NASDAQ:AMSG), Envision Healthcare Holdings Inc (NYSE:EVHC), Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc (NYSE:RH), and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Let’s dive in to the news surrounding these stocks and see how the elite funds in our database are positioned in them.

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Analyst Questions Rio Tinto’s Projections for Mine

Rio Tinto plc (ADR) (NYSE:RIO) is in the spotlight after analysts at Bernstein Research said that the company’s projected return from its $5.3 billion dollar development of the Oyu Tolgoi mine is overstated. Rio Tinto projects an internal rate of return (IRR) of around 20% for the underground copper and gold mine in Mongolia, while analysts at Bernstein point out that the company faces substantial technical and execution risks that could lead to cost over-runs. Whether the IRR for the mine is 20% or not, Rio Tinto plc (ADR) (NYSE:RIO)’s fortunes are more dependent on commodity prices, which have inched higher of late. Of the 766 active funds that we track, 24 of them owned $280.96 million in Rio Tinto plc (ADR) (NYSE:RIO) positions as of the latest 13F reporting period. Rio shares are down by 2% in pre-market trading.

Potential Merger in the Healthcare Sector 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Amsurg Corp (NASDAQ:AMSG) is in talks with Envision Healthcare Holdings Inc (NYSE:EVHC) about a potential merger. The companies are in advanced talks, and a merger deal could be announced as soon as next week. Seeing as both companies provide healthcare services, the combination of the two could yield significant synergies. There is no guarantee of a deal, however. Amsurg Corp (NASDAQ:AMSG) has been an industry consolidator over the past five years and its stock is up by 2.5% year-to-date. 32 funds in our database owned shares of Envision Healthcare Holdings Inc (NYSE:EVHC) on March 31, while 27 were long Amsurg.

On the next page we examine why Restoration Hardware Holdings and Apple Inc have investors’ attention this morning.