Billionaire Michael Platt’s Top 10 Stock Picks

Published May 27, 2023 at 10:16 am EDT Updated September 7, 2026 at 2:39 pm EDT

In this article, we are going to look into Billionaire Michael Platt’s Top 10 Stock Picks.

British billionaire Michael Platt is a notable figure in the hedge fund world. He co-founded BlueCrest Capital Management with American William Reeves in 2000 after working for almost a decade at JP Morgan. In 23 years, BlueCrest has grown to more than $60 billion in assets under management. Platt himself has become one of the richest men in the world and is currently considered the wealthiest hedge fund manager in the UK, according to Sunday Times, with an estimated net worth of 11.5 billion pounds ($14.29 billion).

In 2011, Platt made headlines, when reportedly he was approached by another renowned billionaire investor George Soros. According to reports, Soros asked Platt to take an investment of around $1 billion, but for a 0.5% management fee and a 10% performance fee, which was significantly lower than the industry standard fee of 2% and 20%, respectively. Platt declined the offer.

Billionaire Michael Platt's Top 10 Stock Picks

Michael Platt of BlueCrest Capital Mgmt.

According to Bloomberg, Platt expanded into stocks in 2013 in order to compete with Israel Englander’s Millennium Management and Steven Cohen’s now-defunct SAC Capital Advisors. In order to achieve this, Platt obtained a loan worth $750 million from 16 banks in order to hire equity money managers and for capital purposes to start trading.

In 2015, BlueCrest announced that it would return all capital to outside investors (around $7 billion) and focus on managing the money of its partners and employees. In the statement, Platt explained that the decision would allow BlueCrest to be “stronger and more flexible”. Following this move, BlueCrest scored returns of more than 25% per year and managed an astonishing return of 153% in 2022, according to Forbes.

In its latest 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, BlueCrest disclosed an equity portfolio worth $3.06 billion as of the end of the first quarter of 2023, which represents a decrease from $3.74 billion a quarter earlier. More than half of the portfolio is allocated to the Financial sector, followed by Telecom and Industrials.

At the same time, out of 335 holdings, 42 positions are in CALL and PUT options.

Additionally, it’s worth mentioning that the fund’s nine largest holdings are in options, the top spot being represented by SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:GLD), in which BlueCrest holds $322.83 million in CALLs, followed by $211.78 million in Invesco QQQ Trust Series 1 (NASDAQ:QQQ) CALLs and $202.46 million in SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:GLD) PUTs.

In this article, we’re going to focus on billionaire Michael Platt’s top 10 stock picks. We scanned through BlueCrest’s 13F filing and focused only on positions in which the fund holds shares rather than options or warrants.

Without any further ado, let’s look into companies that made the list of billionaire Michael Platt’s top 10 stock picks.

10. CNH Industrial NV (NYSE:CNHI)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 917,697

Value of Position: $14.01 million

We will start off with CNH Industrial NV (NYSE:CNHI), which represents a new addition to BlueCrest’ equity portfolio as the fund picked up a $14 million position in the company in the first three months of 2023. Shares of CNH Industrial NV declined by more than 16% since the beginning of the year.

CNH Industrial NV is a multinational corporation focused on agricultural and construction equipment, which it builds under Case IH and New Holland, and Steyr brands. The company can benefit in the long-run from the growing demand for food. Last year, it made the decision to exit the construction market in China from the beginning of 2023 as part of its plan to turn around its global construction business. Moreover, recently CNH Industrial NV has sold its business in Russia for around $60 million.

There were 35 funds followed by Insider Monkey that held shares of CNH Industrial NV at the end of March, up by three over the quarter.

9. ICON PLC (NASDAQ:ICLR)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 68,700

Value of Position: $14.67 million

The $16.7 billion multinational clinical research company ICON PLC (NASDAQ:ICLR) was also added to BlueCrest’s portfolio during the first quarter of 2023 as the fund acquired 68,700 shares. Overall, there were 40 funds tracked by Insider Monkey bullish on the company at the end of March, down from 43 funds a quarter earlier.

In its latest quarterly results, ICON PLC reported EPS of $2.90, slightly higher than expected, while its revenue of $1.98 billion increased by 4.2% on the year and missed the estimates by a narrow margin of $3.0 million. The company also reaffirmed its full-year revenue guidance of $7.94 billion to $8.34 billion and EPS forecast between $12.40 and $13.05. During the earnings call, ICON PLC’s CEO Dr. Steve Cutler highlighted that the company is facing macroeconomic headwinds that are impacting the whole industry.

“While we expect these challenges to cause uncertainty in the short to medium term, now more than ever, our customers are turning to ICON is a strong, stable and strategic partner that has the broad service — resources and capabilities to optimally manage their clinical development programs and functions. Notwithstanding this, we have seen a generally stable underlying market demand across customer segments, supported by the fundamental drivers of increasing R&D spend and further outsourcing penetration,” Dr. Cutler added.

8. JD.Com Inc (NASDAQ:JD)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 335,000

Value of Position: $14.70 million

BlueCrest also added JD.Com Inc (NASDAQ:JD) to its equity portfolio during the first quarter, with the company also making the list of billionaire Michael Platt’s top 10 stock picks. JD.Com Inc’s shares lost 23% between March and January and are down by 43% since the beginning of the year. The decline in the share price of one of the leading Chinese eCommerce companies might have been impacted by growing concerns about the outlook of Chinese economy and lack of the expected boom following the post-Covid reopening.

Nevertheless, JD.Com Inc delivered a stellar first quarter with both revenue of $34.98 billion and EPS of $0.69 topping the consensus estimates by $138.17 million and $0.18, respectively.

With 59 hedge funds in our database holding an aggregate $2.45 billion worth of shares, JD.Com Inc ranks as one of the 5 best Chinese stocks to buy now

7. Rithm Capital Corp (NYSE:RITM)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 1.86 million

Value of Position: $14.91 million

In Rithm Capital Corp, a $3.9 billion real estate investment trust, Michael Platt’s fund inched up its stake by 15% to 1.86 million shares. The company’s stock fell about 7% over the past six months. The stock has a dividend yield of 12.6%. In March, Rithm announced a dividend of $0.25 per share.

While the growing concerns about the US economy and raising interest rates might have an impact on the whole Financial Services sector, Rithm Capital expects that this could also create some opportunities. During the first-quarter earnings call, Rithm Capital Corp’s CEO Michael Nierenberg mentioned that they see “a huge pipeline of opportunities on both the asset side, as well as in some potential M&A.” He added that the company has around $1.5 billion in cash and liquidity, which would allow Rithm to take advantage of the “market dislocations.”

In April, Rithm Capital Corp said that it is expanding into Europe and has opened a new office in London, UK in order to invest in real estate an consumer finance sectors in the region.

Rithm Capital Corp, which is one of the most undervalued REIT stocks to buy according to hedge funds, saw 19 funds holding an aggregate $91.24 million worth of shares. Among these investors, the largest stake is held by Dmitry Balyasny’s Balyasny Asset Management, which reported ownership of 4.11 million shares as of the end of March, followed by David E. Shaw’s D E Shaw position of 2.90 million shares.

6. Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 249,570

Value of Position: $15.58 million

Then there’s Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), which was also added to BlueCrest’s 13F portfolio during the first quarter, although the fund had previously acquired a stake in the third quarter of 2022, but closed it in the following three months. Occidental Petroleum Corporation is one of the most popular oil and gas stocks among hedge funds in our database, with 81 funds holding shares of the company as of the end of March, an increase from 71 funds a quarter earlier. Warren Buffett‘s Berkshire Hathaway is one of Occidental’s top shareholders and has inched up its position by 9% to 211.71 million shares between January and March. Buffett also holds preferred shares worth around $10 billion, which the company has started to buy back earlier this year.

Amid a slump in oil prices, Occidental Petroleum Corporation missed both top and bottom-line estimates in the first quarter. The company posted EPS of $1.09, which was lower than the expected $1.27, while its revenue dropped by 15% on the year to $7.26 billion, despite higher-than-forecasted production figures

Occidental Petroleum Corporation currently pays a dividend of $0.18 per share, which gives its stock a yield of 0.97%. It is committed to continue rewarding its investors with CEO Vicky Hollub mentioning during the earnings call that Occidental would distribute any excess cash to shareholders.

5. Ferguson PLC (NYSE:FERG)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 125,239

Value of Position: $16.75 million

Ferguson PLC (NYSE:FERG) represents a new addition in Michael Platt’s BlueCrest Capital 13F portfolio, with the fund acquiring around 125,000 shares between January and March. Overall, there were 62 funds in our database bullish on Ferguson PLC at the end of March, up by nine over the quarter. Aside from BlueCrest, other notable shareholders of Ferguson PLC include Nelson Peltz‘s Trian Partners, John Smith Clark‘s Southpoint Capital Advisors, and Brian Ashford-Russell and Tim Woolley‘s Polar Capital.

Since the beginning of the year, shares of Ferguson PLC, a British-American distributor of plumbing and heating products, grew by 14% and it currently has a dividend yield of 2.95%. In April, Ferguson declared a dividend of $0.75 per share. For the second quarter of fiscal 2023, the company reported EPS of $1.91, which missed the estimates by $0.04, but its revenue of $6.82 billion inched up by 4.8% on the year and topped the expectations by $150 million.

4. Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 187,545

Value of Position: $19.45 million

BlueCrest also more than doubled its position in Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL) to some 187,500 shares during the first quarter. Alphabet is one of the most popular stocks among hedge funds tracked by us, with 204 funds and 155 holding class A and class C stock, respectively.

Alphabet Inc has had a pretty solid year so far, as its stock has surged by nearly 40%. In its first-quarter letter to investors, Diamond Hill Capital highlighted Alphabet among the top contributors to its returns.

“Shares of media and technology giant Alphabet outperformed as the company announced expense discipline while continuing to invest in its core products of Google Search, YouTube and Google Cloud.”

On the other hand, Baron Funds has reduced its position in Alphabet Inc, mentioning in its “Baron Opportunity Fund” investor letter for the first quarter that they believe that “ChatGPT and/or similar AI-based services present a hard-to-measure risk to Google’s virtual search monopoly.”

3. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd – ADR (NYSE:BABA)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 273,500

Value of Position: $27.95 million

Michael Platt’s fund acquired 273,500 shares of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd – ADR (NYSE:BABA) but also added 514,200 shares worth of CALL options during the first quarter. With 128 funds holding $5.88 billion worth of stock, Alibaba currently tops the list of 5 best Chinese stocks to buy now.

Similarly to another Chinese eCommerce company that made the list of billionaire Michael Platt’s top 10 stock picks, JD.com Inc, Alibaba Group Holding Ltd – ADR saw its shares decline amid fears regarding the state of the Chinese economy. Recently, the tech behemoth reported its results for the first quarter, with both earnings per ADS of $1.56 and revenue of $30.32 billion topping the consensus estimates. In addition, the company announced plans to spin off its Cloud intelligence Group and distribute the stock of the new company to shareholders.

2. Mr Cooper Group Inc (NASDAQ:COOP)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 817,222

Value of Position: $33.48 million

Mr Cooper Group Inc (NASDAQ:COOP) is a provider of home loan services in the US and its stock has appreciated by 14% so far this year. Amid this growth, BlueCrest added nearly 295,000 shares to its position during the first quarter.

Earlier this month, Mr Cooper Group Inc announced reaching an agreement to acquire Home Point Capital Inc (NASDAQ:HMPT) for $324 million in cash. In addition, Mr Cooper will assume $500 million worth of Home Point’s outstanding debt due in February 2026. Following the acquisition, which is expected to be completed in the third quarter, Home Point will shut down its operations and Mr Cooper Group Inc will get an $84 billion servicing portfolio.

There were just 29 funds tracked by Insider Monkey bullish on Mr Cooper Group Inc at the end of March. Among these funds, Parag Vora’s HG Vora Capital Management, Ric Dillon’s Diamond Hill Capital, and David Rosen’s Rubric Capital Management rank as the top shareholders with stakes worth $133.15 million, $113.80 million, and $109.66 million, respectively.

1. Criteo SA (NASDAQ:CRTO)

Shares held by BlueCrest Capital Management: 2.26 million

Value of Position: $71.20 million

Last but not least, Criteo SA (NASDAQ:CRTO) tops the list of billionaire Michael Platt’s top 5 stock picks. BlueCrest Capital left its position unchanged over the quarter, at 2.26 million shares. The position makes BlueCrest the top shareholder of Criteo among the funds in our database, followed by Richard Mashaal’s Rima Senvest Management and Malcolm Levine’s Dendur Capital, which own 1.99 million hares, and 1.53 million shares, respectively. Overall, only 15 funds disclosed stakes in the company in the latest round of 13F filings.

French-based Criteo SA is an online advertising company and is currently one of the best advertising agency stocks to buy, according to our analysis of the hedge fund sentiment. Its stock has advanced by 24% since the beginning of the year amid the company reporting a solid first quarter with EPS of $0.46 topping the estimates by $0.22 and revenue of $221 million beating the consensus by $7.05 million. During the earnings call, Criteo SA CEO Megan Clarken said that the company is working hard to execute its transformation strategy and take advantage of growth opportunities.

“Notwithstanding the near-term challenging macro-economic environment, our trajectory is intact. In Q1, we delivered continued strong growth in Retail Media and Commerce Audiences, which, combined with Iponweb, more than offset some of the pressures we’ve seen in Retargeting. While Retargeting remains an area of continued focus and opportunity, our New Solutions have now become close to half of our top line and will become the larger part of our mix going forward,” Clarken added.

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