4 New Picks by Billionaire Andreas Halverson’s Hedge Fund: Comcast Corporation (CMCSA), Las Vegas Sands Corp. (LVS)

Huntsman Corporation (NYSE:HUN), a maker of inorganic and organic chemicals, was also a new pick by Halvorsen’s Viking Global last quarter. During the quarter, the hedge fund acquired almost 1.4 million HUN shares, valued at $21.5 million at the quarter’s end. HUN has been long viewed as a value play and a possible takeover target. Reportedly, last year, Bank of America Merrill Lynch was looking for a prospective buyer for Huntsman among private equity firms such as Bain Capital and KKR & Co. Huntsman still remains a speculated takeover candidate, boasting an attractive forward P/E of 11.1x (versus 14.7x for its industry) and a price-to-book of 2.6 (versus 3.2 for its industry). Last year, the company reported adjusted EPS which were up 33% from the year earlier on mostly flat revenues. Its sales of polyurethane, used in foam insulation, have been strong; however, the paint pigment segment, producing titanium dioxide, continues to be weak, although the company’s CEO projects better earnings performance in this segment as of the second half of 2013. Still, analysts forecast a relatively modest EPS expansion for HUN for the next five years, averaging 7.3% annually. The company recently boosted its quarterly dividend by 25%. Last quarter, the stock was also popular with Passport Capital’s John Burbank.

Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE:NWL), the maker of plastic items, including plastic bins and cookware, was also among last quarter’s new dividend-paying picks by Viking Global. The hedge fund acquired little more than 148,000 shares, worth $3.3 million at the quarter’s end. NWL has a dividend yield of 2.4% and a payout ratio of 33%. Its dividend was slashed in 2009 but has recovered since by 200%. At a recent Raymond James Institutional Investors Conference, the company reaffirmed its 2013 guidance, projecting an EPS growth of 6.5% to a midpoint of its guidance at $1.81 per share, based on core sales growth of between 2% and 4% year-over-year and a margin expansion of up to 20 basis points. For the next five years, analysts forecast the company’s EPS CAGR at 9.3%. The stock is priced at 14.0x forward earnings, about on par with its industry’s forward multiple. However, on a price-to-book basis, NWL’s ratio of 3.7 is still lower than its industry’s 4.3, despite the stock’s 38% gain over the past 12 months. Last quarter, NWL was also popular with Citadel Investment’s Ken Griffin.