Despite that, not every hedge fund manager sees Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as an obvious, rosy investment. Value investor Richard Pzena recently shared his concerns with the company, noting in particular its sky-high margins, which he doesn’t see as being sustainable despite its growing track record of boasting such margins. To that end, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) did disappoint investors during its most recent earnings report when it announced that margins for the Apple Watch would be less than anticipated. That news has contributed to shares of Apple dipping since that latest earnings report near the end of April, despite the otherwise impressive results. Billionaire Carl Icahn on the other hand remains extremely bullish on Apple and owns the largest position in our database at over 52.76 million shares as of the end of 2014.
Fisher has held a stake in Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) since the first quarter of 2011 and shares have gained more than 100% since then. While 2013 was a very strong one for the e-commerce giant’s stock, with it gaining a little over 50% over the course of that year, 2015 may end up topping it. Shares have already gained 40% year-to-date after two monster earnings reports that stunned some of the company’s bears, who called out Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) for its overreaching growth and subsequent lack of profit. As Jim Cramer recently noted on CNBC, it now becomes more apparent that Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) will be able to crank up its profits whenever it wants by simply spending less, thanks to a very profitable and growing web services business. Fisher has the second largest stake in Amazon within our database at 2.40 million shares valued at $640.20 million, with Lansdowne Partners holding the largest position as of the end of 2014.
The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) is a stock Fisher has held since the first quarter of 2012, and also ranks as one of the stocks that both insiders and himself are bullish on. Fisher’s position stands at 8.08 million shares with a value of $564.00 million, while Home Depot insider Wayne Hewett, a director and member of the Finance Committee of the home improvement retailer, recently bought 350 shares at an average price of $113.68 per share. Shares have been on a steady rise since Fisher’s purchase, gaining 125%. The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) appears poised to benefit from its hard stance on toxic flooring materials, a controversy over which has engulfed its rivals Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (NYSE:LOW) and Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc (NYSE:LL). Home Depot is already the leading flooring supplier in the United States. Fisher held the largest position among the funds we track, though Ryan Pedlow’s Two Creeks Capital Management holds an extremely bullish position as of the end of 2014 which gave it exposure of 28% to The Home Depot, Inc. (NYSE:HD) in its equity portfolio.
Disclosure: None
