George Soros Isn’t Just A Controversial Political Figure; He Also Owns A Lot of Stocks, And These Are His Long-Term Favorites

#3 Caesars Entertainment Corp (NASDAQ:CZR)

– Shares Owned by Soros Fund Management (as of June 30): 3.30 million

– Value of Holding (as of June 30): $25.39 million

Moving on, Caesars Entertainment Corp (NASDAQ:CZR) has been held by Soros Fund Management since the first quarter of 2012, when it again became a public company after being private for a few years. The financial instability the company has experienced due to its operations in Macau have taken a heavy toll on its stock since early-2014. Shares of the company are down by 10% this year, and by over 72% since March 2014. Shares surged by nearly 50% between September 21 and 22 after it was announced that the company had struck a deal with its bondholders, which it had been battling for two years, as it tries to reorganize its operations and bring its main unit out of Chapter 11. However, shares have since given back most of those gains since then. Jose Fernandez‘s Stepstone Group kept its stake in Caesars Entertainment Corp (NASDAQ:CZR) unchanged during the second quarter; it continued to own 1.67 million shares of the company at the end of June.

#2 Churchill Downs, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHDN)

– Shares Owned by Soros Fund Management (as of June 30): 387,381

– Value of Holding (as of June 30): $48.95 million

Churchill Downs, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHDN)’s stock took a severe beating after the company came out with its first quarter results in late-April, a downturn which lasted several months. However, despite shares being down by 4.25% this year, they still boast a stellar return of over 150% since the fourth quarter of 2011, when Soros Fund Management initiated a stake in the stock. Imperial Capital recently raised its price target on Churchill Downs, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHDN) to $165 from $145 and has an ‘Outperform’ rating on the stock. The firm is bullish on some of Churchill’s assets like the Kentucky Derby and Big Fish Games, the latter of which is acquired in 2014. Soros Fund Management didn’t make any change to its stake in Churchill Downs during the first or second quarters, with the holding standing as its eighth-most valuable long position at the end of June.

#1 Adecoagro SA (NYSE:AGRO)

– Shares Owned by Soros Fund Management (as of June 30): 11.92 million

– Value of Holding (as of June 30): $130.73 million

After Soros Fund Management reduced its stake in Adecoagro SA (NYSE:AGRO) by 47% during the first quarter, it cut its size by another 14% in the second quarter. Adecoagro SA (NYSE:AGRO)’s stock has also given up some ground this year, trading down by over 10%. Shares are also down by 10% from the company’s IPO price in the first quarter of 2011, when Soros Fund Management initiated its stake in the company. Adecoagro hasn’t benefited from a recent rally by some of its emerging market sugar/ethanol peers like Cosan Ltd (USA) (NYSE:CZZ), whose shares have soared by over 141% this year, which led us to wonder whether the party was over for it. Hedge funds were more bullish on Adecoagro than the larger Cosan on June 30, with 24 funds long Adecoagro compared to 16 long Cosan, while those investors owned 30% of Adecoagro’s shares and less than 9% of Cosan’s.

Disclosure: None