To the average investor, there are many methods investors can use to track their holdings. A pair of the most underrated are hedge fund and insider trading sentiment. At Insider Monkey, our research analyses have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the best hedge fund managers can outperform their index-focused peers by a superb amount (see just how much).
Just as necessary, optimistic insider trading sentiment is another way to analyze the stock market universe. Obviously, there are a number of motivations for an upper level exec to get rid of shares of his or her company, but only one, very obvious reason why they would behave bullishly. Various empirical studies have demonstrated the impressive potential of this tactic if shareholders understand where to look (learn more here).
What’s more, it’s important to examine the recent info for StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG).
What does the smart money think about StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG)?
In preparation for the third quarter, a total of 5 of the hedge funds we track were bullish in this stock, a change of 67% from the previous quarter. With hedgies’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an “upper tier” of notable hedge fund managers who were boosting their holdings considerably.
When using filings from the hedgies we track, Citadel Investment Group, managed by Ken Griffin, holds the most valuable position in StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG). Citadel Investment Group has a $33.9 million position in the stock, comprising 0.1% of its 13F portfolio. On Citadel Investment Group’s heels is D E Shaw, managed by D. E. Shaw, which held a $2.8 million position; the fund has less than 0.1%% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Remaining peers with similar optimism include David Harding’s Winton Capital Management, and Chuck Royce’s Royce & Associates.
As aggregate interest spiked, certain bigger names have jumped into StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG) headfirst. Citadel Investment Group, managed by Ken Griffin, initiated the most outsized position in StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG). Citadel Investment Group had 33.9 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. D. E. Shaw’s D E Shaw also made a $2.8 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are David Harding’s Winton Capital Management, Matthew Hulsizer’s PEAK6 Capital Management, and Chuck Royce’s Royce & Associates.
What do corporate executives and insiders think about StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG)?
Insider buying made by high-level executives is best served when the company in focus has experienced transactions within the past half-year. Over the last 180-day time period, StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG) has experienced zero unique insiders purchasing, and zero insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
We’ll check out the relationship between both of these indicators in other stocks similar to StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:SFG). These stocks are Unum Group (NYSE:UNM), Triple-S Management Corp. (NYSE:GTS), PICO Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:PICO), Assurant, Inc. (NYSE:AIZ), and CNO Financial Group Inc (NYSE:CNO). This group of stocks are the members of the accident & health insurance industry and their market caps are similar to SFG’s market cap.
