Is Williams Partners L.P. (WPZ) Going to Burn These Hedge Funds?

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Is Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE:WPZ) a good equity to bet on right now? We like to check what the smart money thinks first before doing extensive research. Although there have been several high profile failed hedge fund picks, the consensus picks among hedge fund investors have historically outperformed the market after adjusting for known risk attributes. It’s not surprising given that hedge funds have access to better information and more resources to find the latest market-moving information.

Williams Partners L.P. shares haven’t seen a lot of action during the third quarter. Overall, hedge fund sentiment was unchanged. The stock was in 19 hedge funds’ portfolios at the end of the third quarter of 2015. At the end of this article, we will also compare WPZ to other stocks including Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc (NYSE:ZBH), Hartford Financial Services Group Inc (NYSE:HIG), and TELUS Corporation (USA) (NYSE:TU) to get a better sense of its popularity.

Follow Williams Partners L.p. (NYSE:WPZ)

In today’s marketplace, there are tons of indicators investors have at their disposal to analyze their holdings. Two of the most innovative indicators are hedge fund and insider trading signals. Our researchers have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the elite money managers can outpace the S&P 500 by a healthy amount (see the details here).

Keeping this in mind, let’s take a peek at the key action regarding Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE:WPZ).

How are hedge funds trading Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE:WPZ)?

Heading into Q4, a total of 19 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were long this stock, a change of 0% from one quarter earlier. With hedgies’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an “upper tier” of key hedge fund managers who were upping their holdings considerably (or already accumulated large positions).

When looking at the institutional investors followed by Insider Monkey, Magnetar Capital, managed by Alec Litowitz and Ross Laser, holds the biggest position in Williams Partners L.P. (NYSE:WPZ). Magnetar Capital has a $92.4 million position in the stock, comprising 2.4% of its 13F portfolio. The second largest stake is held by Water Island Capital, led by John Orrico, holding a $25.2 million position; 1.3% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Remaining hedge funds and institutional investors that are bullish include Jim Simons’s Renaissance Technologies, Charles Davidson’s Wexford Capital and Israel Englander’s Millennium Management.

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