This Metric Says You Are Smart to Buy Dynavax Technologies Corporation (DVAX): Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (OREX), Lannett Company, Inc. (LCI)

Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) was in 11 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012. DVAX shareholders have witnessed an increase in activity from the world’s largest hedge funds of late. There were 10 hedge funds in our database with DVAX holdings at the end of the previous quarter.

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With all of this in mind, it’s important to take a peek at the latest action encompassing Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX).

What does the smart money think about Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX)?

At year’s end, a total of 11 of the hedge funds we track held long positions in this stock, a change of 10% from one quarter earlier. With hedge funds’ capital changing hands, there exists a few notable hedge fund managers who were increasing their holdings meaningfully.

According to our comprehensive database, Healthcor Management LP, managed by Arthur B Cohen and Joseph Healey, holds the most valuable position in Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX). Healthcor Management LP has a $50 million position in the stock, comprising 2.7% of its 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is SAC Capital Advisors, managed by Steven Cohen, which held a $27 million position; the fund has 0.1% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other peers that hold long positions include Israel Englander’s Millennium Management, James E. Flynn’s Deerfield Management and Mark Kingdon’s Kingdon Capital.

Now, key money managers were breaking ground themselves. Deerfield Management, managed by James E. Flynn, assembled the most outsized position in Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX). Deerfield Management had 7 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Mark Kingdon’s Kingdon Capital also made a $4 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are Thomas Steyer’s Farallon Capital, Charles Davidson’s Wexford Capital, and Jacob Gottlieb’s Visium Asset Management.

What do corporate executives and insiders think about Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX)?

Insider purchases made by high-level executives is most useful when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past 180 days. Over the latest six-month time frame, Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) has experienced zero unique insiders buying, and 2 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

Let’s go over hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX). These stocks are Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:OREX), Lannett Company, Inc. (NYSEAMEX:LCI), Simcere Pharmaceutical Group (ADR) (NYSE:SCR), Depomed Inc (NASDAQ:DEPO), and Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ:SGYP). This group of stocks are the members of the drug manufacturers – other industry and their market caps match DVAX’s market cap.

With the returns exhibited by the aforementioned time-tested strategies, everyday investors should always keep an eye on hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) shareholders fit into this picture quite nicely.

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