5 Best Value Stocks to Buy in 2023 According to Billionaire Mario Gabelli

4. Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR)

Stake Value of GAMCO Investors: $920,413

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42

Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) is a global distributor of both commodity and specialty chemical products for different industries. Securities filings for Q1 2023 reveal that Mario Gabelli’s GAMCO Investors bought 26,275 shares of Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) worth $920,413. It is one of the top value stock picks of the billionaire in 2023. 

On May 8, Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) reported a Q1 non-GAAP EPS of $0.63 and a revenue of $2.68 billion, outperforming Wall Street estimates by $0.05 and $250 million, respectively. 

According to Insider Monkey’s first quarter database, 42 hedge funds were bullish on Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR), compared to 40 funds in the prior quarter. Matthew Halbower’s Pentwater Capital Management is the biggest stakeholder of the company, with 5.75 million shares worth $201.4 million. 

Meridian Contrarian Fund made the following comment about Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“Univar Solutions Inc. (NYSE:UNVR) is the second largest distributor of industrial and specialty chemicals in the world, serving as a key logistics and sourcing partner across the coatings and lubricants industries and, increasingly, in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Following several years of volatile results, management took a variety of steps to sharpen Univar’s strategy, including divesting several commodity businesses, revamping sales practices to a consultative approach, and integrating a singular enterprise resource planning platform. During the quarter, the stock rallied as the company delivered a strong set of operational results and was the subject of an acquisition rumor. As we anticipate more operational success, we maintained our exposure.”