Is MELA Sciences Inc (MELA) A Good Stock To Buy?

Page 2 of 2

We view hedge fund activity in the stock unfavorable, but in this case there was only a single hedge fund selling its entire position: Renaissance Technologies. One hedge fund selling its entire position doesn’t always imply a bearish intent. Theoretically a hedge fund may decide to sell a promising position in order to invest the proceeds in a more promising idea. However, we don’t think this is the case in this case because none of the 700+ hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey identified MELA as a viable investment and initiated a position in the stock.

Let’s also examine hedge fund activity in other stocks similar to MELA Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:MELA). We will take a look at Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ:WAVX), Essex Rental Corp. (NASDAQ:ESSX), Hooper Holmes, Inc. (NYSEMKT:HH), and RLJ Entertainment Inc (NASDAQ:RLJE). This group of stocks’ market values are similar to MELA’s market value.

Ticker No of HFs with positions Total Value of HF Positions (x1000) Change in HF Position
WAVX 4 131 2
ESSX 5 453 -1
HH 5 1378 1
RLJE 4 697 0

As you can see these stocks had an average of 4.5 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $1 million. That figure was $2 million in MELA’s case. Essex Rental Corp. (NASDAQ:ESSX) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Wave Systems Corp. (NASDAQ:WAVX) is the least popular one with only 4 bullish hedge fund positions. Compared to these stocks MELA Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:MELA) is as less popular as WAVX. Considering that hedge funds aren’t fond of this stock in relation to other companies analyzed in this article, it may be a good idea to analyze it in detail and understand why the smart money isn’t behind this stock. This isn’t necessarily bad news. Although it is possible that hedge funds may think the stock is overpriced and view the stock as a short candidate, they may not be very familiar with the bullish thesis. In either case more research is warranted.

Page 2 of 2