Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX) was in 7 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012. MFLX has experienced a decrease in hedge fund sentiment recently. There were 7 hedge funds in our database with MFLX positions at the end of the previous quarter.
To the average investor, there are dozens of metrics market participants can use to track Mr. Market. A duo of the most innovative are hedge fund and insider trading activity. At Insider Monkey, our research analyses have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the elite hedge fund managers can trounce the broader indices by a very impressive amount (see just how much).
Equally as key, bullish insider trading activity is a second way to break down the stock market universe. As the old adage goes: there are lots of motivations for a corporate insider to sell shares of his or her company, but only one, very clear reason why they would initiate a purchase. Various empirical studies have demonstrated the market-beating potential of this strategy if you understand what to do (learn more here).
Consequently, we’re going to take a look at the latest action encompassing Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX).
What does the smart money think about Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX)?
In preparation for this year, a total of 7 of the hedge funds we track were long in this stock, a change of 0% from the previous quarter. With hedgies’ sentiment swirling, there exists a few noteworthy hedge fund managers who were increasing their holdings significantly.
According to our comprehensive database, Royce & Associates, managed by Chuck Royce, holds the largest position in Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX). Royce & Associates has a $5 million position in the stock, comprising less than 0.1%% of its 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is Renaissance Technologies, managed by Jim Simons, which held a $3.2 million position; less than 0.1%% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Some other hedge funds that are bullish include John W. Rogers’s Ariel Investments, Ken Gray and Steve Walsh’s Bryn Mawr Capital and Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group.
Due to the fact that Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX) has faced a declination in interest from the smart money, logic holds that there is a sect of money managers that elected to cut their full holdings at the end of the year. At the top of the heap, David Costen Haley’s HBK Investments said goodbye to the largest position of the “upper crust” of funds we track, worth an estimated $0.2 million in stock.. Joel Greenblatt’s fund, Gotham Asset Management, also dumped its stock, about $0.2 million worth. These bearish behaviors are important to note, as aggregate hedge fund interest stayed the same (this is a bearish signal in our experience).
What do corporate executives and insiders think about Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX)?
Bullish insider trading is best served when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past six months. Over the last six-month time period, Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX) has experienced zero unique insiders purchasing, and zero insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
Let’s also review hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX). These stocks are Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS), TTM Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTMI), Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE:PKE), Viasystems Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAS), and Kimball International (NASDAQ:KBALB). This group of stocks belong to the printed circuit boards industry and their market caps are similar to MFLX’s market cap.
| Company Name | # of Hedge Funds | # of Insiders Buying | # of Insiders Selling |
| Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS) | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| TTM Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTMI) | 8 | 0 | 5 |
| Park Electrochemical Corp. (NYSE:PKE) | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Viasystems Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAS) | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Kimball International (NASDAQ:KBALB) | 10 | 0 | 0 |
With the returns shown by Insider Monkey’s studies, retail investors must always monitor hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Multi-Fineline Electronix, Inc. (NASDAQ:MFLX) is an important part of this process.
