Do Hedge Funds Love Barclays PLC (ADR) (BCS)?

The Insider Monkey team has completed processing the quarterly 13F filings for the September quarter submitted by the hedge funds and other money managers included in our extensive database. Most hedge fund investors endured a torrid quarter, which certainly propelled them to adjust their equity holdings so as to maintain the desired risk profile. As a result, the relevancy of these public filings and their content is indisputable, as they may reveal numerous high-potential stocks. The following article will discuss the smart money sentiment towards Barclays PLC (ADR) (NYSE:BCS).

Barclays PLC (ADR) (NYSE:BCS) was in 15 hedge funds’ portfolios at the end of September. BCS has experienced an increase in enthusiasm from smart money of late. There were 13 hedge funds in our database with BCS holdings at the end of the previous quarter. At the end of this article we will also compare BCS to other stocks, including Rio Tinto plc (ADR) (NYSE:RIO), Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS), and Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX) to get a better sense of its popularity.

To the average investor, there are a multitude of metrics stock traders use to value their holdings. A couple of the best metrics are hedge fund and insider trading sentiment. Our researchers have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the elite money managers can outpace their index-focused peers by a solid margin (see the details here).

Keeping this in mind, let’s take a gander at the fresh action regarding Barclays PLC (ADR) (NYSE:BCS).

What does the smart money think about Barclays PLC (ADR) (NYSE:BCS)?

Heading into Q4, a total of 15 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a change of 15% from the previous quarter. With hedge funds’ capital changing hands, there exists a select group of key hedge fund managers who were increasing their stakes substantially (or already accumulated large positions).

According to Insider Monkey’s hedge fund database, Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management has the number one position in Barclays PLC (ADR) (NYSE:BCS), worth close to $289.5 million, corresponding to 0.6% of its total 13F portfolio. On Fisher Asset Management’s heels is Carlson Capital, managed by Clint Carlson, which holds a $11.5 million position; the fund has 0.1% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Other members of the smart money that hold long positions contain Matthew Hulsizer’s PEAK6 Capital Management and John Thiessen’s Vertex One Asset Management.