London-Based Cryder Capital Loads Up On Top Picks; Sells Off BlackRock

#3. Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE:ADS)

 – Shares Owned by Cryder Capital (as of June 30): 87,222

 – Value of Cryder Capital’s Holding (as of June 30): $17.09 Million

Cryder Capital Partners LLP upped its stake in Alliance Data Systems Corporation (NYSE:ADS) by 11% during the three months that ended June 30, to 87,222 shares. The reshuffled stake was worth $17.09 million at the end of June and made up 13.7% of the investment firm’s U.S equity portfolio. According to a fresh 13D filing, Jeffrey Ubben’s ValueAct Capital Management LP owns 4.00 million shares of the customer loyalty program operator, which equates to a 6.8% stake. More importantly, the filing says the activist investor plans to have conversations with the company’s management and Board, regarding ways to enhance shareholder value. The provider of data-driven marketing and loyalty solutions has seen the value of its stock plunge by 24% since the beginning of the year, mainly due to a series of financial results that disappointed investors. The shares of the Texas-based company that operates card loyalty programs such as the well-known AIR MILES reward program are changing hands at around 11.1-times expected earnings, below the forward P/E multiple of 16.6 for the S&P 500 Index.

#2. HCA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HCA)

 – Shares Owned by Cryder Capital (as of June 30): 237,901

 – Value of Cryder Capital’s Holding (as of June 30): $18.32 Million

The investment firm run by Ferdinand Groos increased its position in HCA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HCA) by 10% during the April-to-June quarter, to 237,901 shares. The increased position in HCA was valued at $18.32 million on June 30, constituting 14.7% of the firm’s equity portfolio. The private hospital operator has greatly benefited from the expansion of health insurance under the so-called Obamacare in recent years, thanks to increased patient admissions and reductions in unpaid bills. The largest hospital chain operator in the U.S has seen its shares gain an impressive 17% since the beginning of the year. Analysts believe the shares of HCA Holdings have more room to run should the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, be elected as the next U.S president in November, as she has promised to further expand the Affordable Care Act. Ray Carroll’s Breton Hill Capital reported owning 12,106 shares of HCA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HCA) through the current round of 13F filings.

#1. Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)

 – Shares Owned by Cryder Capital (as of June 30): 124,924

 – Value of Cryder Capital’s Holding (as of June 30): $18.46 Million

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) was the largest equity holding in Cryder Capital’s U.S portfolio at the end of the June quarter, accounting for 14.8% of the portfolio’s value. The London-based asset manager lifted its position in the company by 10% during the second quarter, to 124,924 shares valued at $18.46 million on June 30. In early June, analysts at boutique investment bank KeyBanc Capital Markets raised their price target on the lab and medical equipment company to $167 from $154, citing sustained near-term momentum in the company’s end markets. Thermo Fisher Scientific also has high exposure to the academic and government sector, which is anticipated to get a boost from increased funding from the National Institute of Health. KeyBanc analysts were also optimistic about the company’s recently-announced $4.2 billion-acquisition of FEI Company (NASDAQ:FEIC), which produces electron microscopes used to analyze proteins. Larry Robbins’ Glenview Capital owned 3.61 million shares of Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO) on March 31.

Disclosure: None