Which Oil And Insurance Giants Is Russel Hawkins Betting Heavily On?

Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) has lost some of its appeal among elite funds during the third quarter, as the number of long positions decreased to 45 from 48 a quarter earlier. Russell Hawkins was selling Intel shares as well, having dumped a third of his holding by the end of the quarter. Hawkins Capital reported ownership of 722,488 shares worth $21.7 million. The stock spent most of the year going downhill, dropping by as much as 32% by the end of August before staging a remarkable comeback, currently only 5% down for the year. Perhaps dumping the stock at the point in time was not the most inspired decision. Top holders of Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) stock were unfazed by the temporary slump and have used the opportunity to buy on a low.

Hedge funds may not particularly like Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.B), but there are a few who see some great upside potential in this stock and Russell Hawkins is one of them. He boosted his stake by a whooping 309% during the quarter, making this his second biggest equity position. His fund reportedly holds 612,029 Class B shares of Royal Dutch Shell, which carried a value of $29 million at the end of the quarter. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies reported a new position in Royal Dutch Shell plc (ADR) (NYSE:RDS.B) at the end of the quarter, having acquired some 261,327 Class B shares, while Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke and John Campbell’s Arrowstreet Capital reported a massive boost to its holding of Class B stock, which stood at 488,100 shares at the end of September.

Finally, we come to Hawkins’ top dog – Oaktree Capital Group LLC (NYSE:OAK), a global investment manager. Don’t be fooled by the appearances, though; Hawkins has been dumping the stock since the beginning of the year. Whereas at the end of 2014 the fund held 2.33 million shares of Oaktree Capital Group, at the end of September the position amounted to just 666,039 shares valued at $32.9 million. The stock has been a lousy performer so far this year, drifting aimlessly most of the time before plunging into red at the end of August. Shares are currently trading at $49 apiece, having lost roughly 5% of their value since the beginning of 2015. Hedge fund sentiment was unchanged during the third quarter, with 13 fund reporting long positions in this stock. As Oaktree Capital Group LLC (NYSE:OAK) shares were changing hands, Tom Gayner was among those buying, with his fund, Markel Gayner Asset Management, reporting a 41% increase in its holding at the end of the third quarter to 454,500 shares.

Disclosure: none.