Billionaire Michael Hintze Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks

Published January 22, 2022 at 4:18 pm EST Updated September 7, 2026 at 1:52 pm EDT

In this article, we discuss the top 10 stock picks of billionaire Michael Hintze.

Sir Michael Hintze is a British-Australian philanthropist and businessman who lives in the United Kingdom. He worked at CSFB as Managing Director and European Head of Convertibles and at Goldman Sachs as Head of UK Equity Trading and European Emerging Markets Trading before founding CQS Cayman LP.

IHS Markit Ltd. (NYSE:INFO), ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAC), and Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE:DRI) are among the most notable stocks in Michael Hintze’s CQS Cayman LP’s broad portfolio, as of the third quarter of 2021.

Billionaire Michael Hintze Portfolio: Top 10 Stock Picks

Michael Hintze of CQS Cayman LP

Billionaire Michael Hintze Portfolio: Top Stock Picks

10. Liberty Broadband Corporation (NASDAQ:LBRDA)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $20,976,000

Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.19%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 24

Liberty Broadband Corporation (NASDAQ:LBRDA) is a holding company involved in the cable, broadband, and mobile location technology industries. In November, Credit Suisse analyst Grant Joslin initiated coverage of Liberty Broadband Corporation, rating the stock as “Outperform,” and gave a price target of $211.

In the third quarter of 2021, 24 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $885.75 million in Liberty Broadband Corporation, down from 28 the preceding quarter worth $904.87 million.

9. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $21,878,000

Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.25%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 73

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) is a network security company that provides services to businesses, service providers, and government agencies. In November, Argus analyst Joseph Bonner raised his price target on Palo Alto Networks, Inc. to $620 from $530 and kept a “Buy” rating on the shares.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. is also getting the attention of the smart money, as 73 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey reported owning stakes in the company in the third quarter of 2021, up from 69 funds a quarter earlier.

8. Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMBC)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $27,065,000

Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.54%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 15

Ambac Financial Group, Inc. (NYSE:AMBC) is a holding corporation based in the United States. Its subsidiaries supply clients in public and private sectors worldwide with financial assurance solutions such as bond insurance.

Billionaire Michael Hintze’s CQS Cayman LP is Ambac Financial Group, Inc.’s (NYSE:AMBC) largest stakeholder. The hedge fund owns 1.89 million shares of Ambac Financial Group, Inc. as of the end of September.

In the third quarter of 2021, 15 hedge funds were bullish on Ambac Financial Group, Inc., up from 13 funds in the preceding quarter.

In its fourth-quarter 2020 Investor Letter, Anabatic Fund mentioned a few stocks and Ambac Financial Group, Inc. is one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“We sold our shares in Ambac (AMBC) during 2020. The decision was based on concerns about the creditworthiness of many of the state and local entities whose bonds Ambac has insured. The Covid-19 pandemic brought severe pain to many debt issuers, and the ramifications are going to be felt for years to come. There is little room for widespread credit deterioration given the inherent leverage in Ambac’s insured portfolio. And Ambac’s problems don’t end there.

A major reason for owning shares in AMBC for all these years was the pending litigation against Countrywide and Bank of America. The details can be found in prior letters, but the short version is that Ambac is pursuing litigation that was substantively identical to litigation that was filed and settled by a peer insurer in 2013. (2013 also happens to be the year we made our initial investment in Ambac shares, shortly after the company emerged from bankruptcy.…” (Click here to see the full text)

7. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WLTW)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $27,185,000

Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.55%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 75

Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company (NASDAQ:WLTW) is a risk management, insurance brokerage, and advising firm based in the United Kingdom and the United States. Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company issued a quarterly dividend of $0.80 per share on December 8, the same as the previous quarter.

In November, Jefferies analyst Yaron Kinar initiated coverage of Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company, rating the stock as “Hold” and gave a price target of $258. In the third quarter of 2021, CQS Cayman LP increased its stake in Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company by 58%. The hedge fund first invested in Willis Towers Watson Public in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Vltava Fund, an investment management firm, in its third-quarter 2021 investor letter, mentioned Willis Towers Watson Public Limited Company. Here is what the fund said:

“The second position is much larger and was thrown into our hands by an unexpected turn of events. It is the stock of Willis Towers Watson. This is a British company with roots dating back to 1828. WLTW is the third-largest insurance broker in the world. This is a sector with which we are very familiar, as some time ago we held in our portfolio shares of its slightly larger competitor AON.

It was AON in fact that announced last spring it had agreed to merge with WLTW. In the merger, WLTW shareholders would have received AON shares. As is usually the case with such announcements, investors stepped in to conduct what is known as merger arbitrage. In this particular case, they bought WLTW shares and sold short AON shares in order to profit from the fact that the prices of the two stocks did not yet fully reflect the exchange ratio in the merger. Moreover, merger arbitrage commonly makes extensive use of leverage in order to increase profits…” (Click here to see the full text)

6. Starz Acquisition LLC (NASDAQ:STRZA)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $27,295,000

Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.55%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 15

Starz Acquisition LLC (NASDAQ:STRZA) is an American entertainment company. Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. (NYSE:LGF-A) purchased Starz Acquisition LLC for $4.4 billion to improve its market domination in premium scripted television and expand its worldwide distribution reach.

CQS Cayman LP sold 25,518 shares of Starz Acquisition LLC in the third quarter, reducing its remaining stake by about 5%. The hedge fund still holds 575,007 shares of Starz, worth about $27.30 million.

Out of the 867 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey in the third quarter of 2021, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is the biggest significant stakeholder in Starz Acquisition LLC. The Oracle of Omaha owns 43.21 million shares of Starz Acquisition LLC, worth $2.05 billion.

Just like IHS Markit Ltd., ViacomCBS Inc., and Darden Restaurants, Inc., Starz Acquisition LLC is gaining the attention of billionaire Michael Hintze.

5. Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE:UA)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $28,080,000
Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.6%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 48

Under Armour, Inc. (NYSE:UA) manufactures, markets, and sells branded performance clothes, footwear, and accessories for men, women, and youth in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, through its subsidiaries. In November, Telsey Advisory analyst Cristina Fernandez upgraded Under Armour, Inc. to “Outperform” from “Market Perform” with a price target of $32, up from $25.

Michael Hintze, via CQS Cayman LP, holds a $28.08 million stake in Under Armour, Inc., which accounts for 1.6% of his Q3 investment portfolio.

A total of 48 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on Under Armour, Inc. in the third quarter, with stakes amounting to $1.64 billion.

4. BHP Group (NYSE:BHP)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $29,645,000
Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 1.69%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 18

BHP Group (NYSE:BHP) is a mining company that specializes in iron ore, metallurgical coal, and copper exploration, development, production, and processing. In the third quarter of 2012, CQS Cayman LP began building its stake in BHP Group, and it currently holds 549,703 shares worth $29.65 million. In addition, the hedge fund has increased its stake in the firm by 386% in the third quarter of 2021.

In November, BHP Group announced that it had inked a share sale and purchase agreement to sell its 80% stake in BHP Mitsui Coal, a Queensland-based operated metallurgical coal joint venture.

Overall, 18 hedge funds in the Q3 database of Insider Monkey reported owning stakes in BHP Group. The stakes of these funds are valued at $899.84 million.

Harding Loevner, an investment management firm, in its first-quarter 2021 investor letter, mentioned BHP Group. Here is what the fund said:

“Our purchase of Australian mining company BHP is an example of a quality company at a moderate valuation that should deliver attractive long-term returns. We believe the market has undervalued its enduring competitive advantage due to its low cost iron and copper mining operations which has allowed the company to deliver consistent profits and cash flows across the inevitable ups and downs of the global metals cycle. While the variability of commodity prices prevents BHP from scoring in the top ranks of measured quality, we are willing to bear some of that uncertainty in return for a more attractive valuation given the company’s strong business fundamentals.”

3. Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $36,440,000
Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 2.08%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 79

Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) is a holding corporation that provides consumer banking services, such as checking and savings accounts, credit cards, mortgage loans, and small business services, through its primary subsidiary Citibank. Citigroup Inc. applied for a securities license in China on December 3, following the footsteps of JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE:JPM) and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (NYSE:GS) in establishing their own securities firm in the world’s second-largest economy.

On December 10, UBS analyst Erika Najarian initiated coverage of Citigroup Inc., with a “Neutral” rating and gave a price target of $67.

Citigroup Inc. was in 79 hedge funds’ portfolios in the third quarter of 2021. At the end of the previous quarter, there were 87 hedge funds in our database with Citigroup holdings.

In its first-quarter 2021 investor letter, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks, and Citigroup Inc. (NYSE:C) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:

“We fully exited position in Citigroup. Global financial services company Citigroup made a $900 million clerical error and received a public reprimand from federal regulators. This, after a decade focused on process control, information technology and risk systems, makes the error substantially more costly than just the $900 million mistake. Regulators believe the company’s risk management improvements have fallen short of expectations. To rectify the situation, a process and technology spending surge could negatively affect 2021-2022 profits by 10% to 20%. Trust and confidence are important in large financial institutions, and this incident combined with the CEO’s sudden retirement shook ours.”

2. Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $41,173,000
Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 2.35%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 34

Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA) is a global television and internet company specializing in high-speed Internet access. Seth Klarman’s Baupost Group is the leading stakeholder of Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA), with a $1.59 billion stake.

CQS Cayman LP owns 1.38 million shares of Liberty Global plc (NASDAQ:LBTYA), worth $41.17 million, accounting for 2.35% of its Q3 investment portfolio.

1. Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX)

CQS Cayman LP Stake Value: $74,020,000
Percentage of CQS Cayman LP’s 13F Portfolio: 4.22%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 25

Michael Hintze’s CQS Cayman LP holds a $74.02 million position in Fox Corporation (NASDAQ:FOX) as of Q3 2021, accounting for 4.22% of the fund’s total investments. The hedge fund increased its stake in Fox Corporation by 61% in the third quarter.

Fox Corporation saw a decrease in hedge fund sentiment recently. The number of long hedge fund positions declined to 32 at the end of the third quarter compared to 35 positions in the previous quarter.

In its fourth-quarter 2020 investor letter, Silver Ring Value Partners mentioned Fox Corp (NASDAQ:FOX). Here is what the fund said:

“I sold our investment in FOX during the quarter at a small loss and redeployed the proceeds into shares of Discovery Communications and Mednax. The main reason for my sale was a new competitive threat, which widened the range of likely company outcomes. Furthermore, it added a competitive threat to the existing threat of secular decline that the industry is already battling to overcome. The probability of being right on having two independent things work out for the company is much lower than of it overcoming just one problem.

Fox Corp gets a substantial majority of its profits from Fox News. This is a network with very inelastic demand which has appeal to the ~45% of the country with conservative political views. With President Trump having lost the election, he began to agitate his supporters to switch viewership to more right-wing news outlets that were being more supportive of him and his claims about the election. Furthermore, there has been talk of him launching or backing a competing network, fracturing the conservative audience.…”(Click here to see the full text)

You can also take a peek at Top 10 Stock Picks of David Halpert’s Prince Street Capital Management and Top 10 Stock Picks of Shashin Shah’s Think Investments

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