Jason Karp is bullish on SunOpta, Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ:STKL) having more than doubled his investment in the company, as reported in a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Karp’s fund Tourbillon Capital Partners has disclosed ownership of 5.22 million shares, up from the 2.0 million shares reported in its latest 13F filing for the period of June 30. The current position gives Karp and Tourbillon control over 7.6% of SunOpta’s common stock. In another filing, Berkshire Partners’ subsidiary, Stockbridge Partners, managed by Robert J. Small, has reported the addition of approximately 800,000 shares of Advanced Drainage Systems Inc (NYSE:WMS) to its previous stake, taking it to 3.66 million shares or 6.9% of the company’s total number of shares outstanding.
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A former understudy of Steven Cohen, Jason Karp started his own fund, Tourbillon Capital Partners in 2013, with an initial injection of $250 million in capital. Since then, the fund has grown to manage an equity portfolio valued at $4.6 billion according to its latest 13F filing. Karp is betting big on consumer discretionary stocks, having invested nearly 40% of his funds in companies from this sector. He is also a fan of tech stocks, which represent several of his biggest bets. Karp’s top stock pick is Expedia Inc (NASDAQ:EXPE) with Tourbillon Capital holding 3.13 million shares valued at $342 million. Amazon.com, Inc.(NASDAQ:AMZN) is also among his favorite tech stocks and his faith has been handsomely rewarded, as the online retail giant has surprised the market with great financial results this year. Tourbillon owns 375,000 shares, up by 3% during the second quarter, worth roughly $162 million.
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SunOpta, Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ:STKL) engages in the processing and marketing of natural, organic, and specialty food products and has spread its business operations across North America, Europe, and China. So far this year, the stock has fallen by approximately 25% up to yesterday’s closing price of $8.95 per share. SunOpta’s 2015 second quarter financial results fell short of Wall Street’s expectation, with the company posting revenues of $307 million and earnings per share of $0.05. In order to meet growing consumer demand, SunOpta, Inc. (USA) (NASDAQ:STKL) has continued investing in stand-up pouch packaging technology across several of its US-based facilities. According to Rik Jacobs, the company’s Chief Operating Office, “the enhanced technology and added capacity has led to new customers and expanding order volumes from existing customers.” Chuck Royce, the manager of Royce & Associates, is also a fan of SunOpta, having increased his exposure by 15% during the second quarter to some 3.15 million shares worth $33.8 million. Hedge fund guru Jim Simons, on the other hand, has dumped a third of his stake in the company, leaving his fund, Renaissance Technologies, with 157,700 shares valued at $1.69 million.
