UNS Energy Corp (UNS): Insiders Aren’t Crazy About It

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UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS)UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS) was in 7 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of December. UNS has seen an increase in hedge fund interest of late. There were 5 hedge funds in our database with UNS holdings at the end of the previous quarter.

At the moment, there are a multitude of indicators investors can use to track their holdings. A duo of the most under-the-radar are hedge fund and insider trading movement. At Insider Monkey, our studies have shown that, historically, those who follow the best picks of the top fund managers can trounce the market by a healthy margin (see just how much).

Equally as important, positive insider trading sentiment is another way to break down the stock market universe. Obviously, there are a variety of motivations for a bullish insider to downsize shares of his or her company, but just one, very simple reason why they would buy. Plenty of academic studies have demonstrated the useful potential of this method if investors understand what to do (learn more here).

With these “truths” under our belt, it’s important to take a look at the recent action encompassing UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS).

How are hedge funds trading UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS)?

At the end of the fourth quarter, a total of 7 of the hedge funds we track were bullish in this stock, a change of 40% from the third quarter. With hedgies’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists a few notable hedge fund managers who were boosting their stakes significantly.

Of the funds we track, Jim Simons’s Renaissance Technologies had the most valuable position in UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS), worth close to $10.8 million, accounting for less than 0.1%% of its total 13F portfolio. Coming in second is GAMCO Investors, managed by Mario Gabelli, which held a $6.8 million position; less than 0.1%% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Some other hedgies that hold long positions include Cliff Asness’s AQR Capital Management, John A. Levin’s Levin Capital Strategies and Israel Englander’s Millennium Management.

With a general bullishness amongst the heavyweights, specific money managers were breaking ground themselves. Citadel Investment Group, managed by Ken Griffin, created the biggest position in UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS). Citadel Investment Group had 0.6 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. David Costen Haley’s HBK Investments also made a $0.2 million investment in the stock during the quarter.

How have insiders been trading UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS)?

Bullish insider trading is best served when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past 180 days. Over the last half-year time frame, UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS) has seen zero unique insiders purchasing, and 4 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

Let’s also review hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to UNS Energy Corp (NYSE:UNS). These stocks are Atlantic Power Corp (NYSE:AT), IDACORP Inc (NYSE:IDA), Portland General Electric Company (NYSE:POR), Black Hills Corp (NYSE:BKH), and UIL Holdings Corporation (NYSE:UIL). This group of stocks are the members of the electric utilities industry and their market caps resemble UNS’s market cap.

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