3. Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO)
Investors with Long Positions (as of June 30): 33
Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of June 30): $715.52 Million
Although the popularity of Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) dropped during the June quarter from 37 funds which had $806.25 million in holdings of the stock at the end of March, the stock still offers a sizable dividend yield of 5.26%. The stock price of the $11.33 billion energy company has cratered by more than 41% year-to-date and Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) was also downgraded by both Bank of America and Oppenheimer this month. The current low price oil environment has proved particularly harsh for the company. Dimitry Balyasny‘s Balyasny Asset Management is the largest stockholder of Marathon Oil Corporation (NYSE:MRO) within our database, holding about 4.94 million shares valued at $131.02 million.
2. Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX)
Investors with Long Positions (as of June 30): 35
Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of June 30): $614.84 Million
At the end of March a total of 39 funds had invested a total of $654.46 million in Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX). The stock price of the provider of electronic storage products has slid by more than 23% year-to-date. The company increased its quarterly dividend by $0.11 to $0.54 in the fourth quarter last year and this currently offers a dividend yield of 4.32%. Susquehanna Financial Group recently revised down its price target for Seagate Technology PLC (NASDAQ:STX) to $60 from $62 while maintaining its ‘Neutral’ rating, as the firm believes that quarterly smartphone and tablet unit shipments for the second half will either be flat or dip. David Harding‘s Winton Capital Management is bullish on the company, raising its stake by 42% during the second trimester to 1.92 million shares.
1. The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU)
Investors with Long Positions (as of June 30): 35
Aggregate Value of Investors’ Holdings (as of June 30): $988.69 Million
The payment services company saw a surge in hedge fund interest during the second trimester, though not in share ownership, as only 26 investment firms had $1.06 billion in holdings of The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) at the end of the first three months of 2015. The stock price has appreciated by about 3.63% so far this year. Barclays analyst Darrin Peller recently upgraded the stock to ‘Equal Weight’ from ‘Underweight’, sighting improving revenue growth prospects for the company’s customer-to-customer business, among other factors. However, there are also risks in the long run such as the growing popularity of PayPal and Xoom. Currently The Western Union Company (NYSE:WU) offers a dividend yield of 3.34%. Abrams Capital Management, which is led by David Abrams is a prominent shareholder of the company, holding about 21.61 million shares valued at $439.31 million.
Disclosure: None
