Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW) was in 12 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of December. FLOW has experienced an increase in enthusiasm from smart money of late. There were 11 hedge funds in our database with FLOW holdings at the end of the previous quarter.
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Equally as beneficial, bullish insider trading sentiment is another way to parse down the world of equities. Just as you’d expect, there are a variety of incentives for an upper level exec to drop shares of his or her company, but only one, very obvious reason why they would behave bullishly. Many academic studies have demonstrated the impressive potential of this tactic if you understand what to do (learn more here).
With all of this in mind, it’s important to take a look at the recent action surrounding Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW).
How have hedgies been trading Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW)?
At year’s end, a total of 12 of the hedge funds we track were long in this stock, a change of 9% from one quarter earlier. With the smart money’s sentiment swirling, there exists a select group of noteworthy hedge fund managers who were increasing their holdings substantially.
According to our comprehensive database, Royce & Associates, managed by Chuck Royce, holds the most valuable position in Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW). Royce & Associates has a $9.7 million position in the stock, comprising less than 0.1%% of its 13F portfolio. On Royce & Associates’s heels is Otter Creek Management, managed by Roger Keith Long, which held a $9.5 million position; the fund has 1.5% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Remaining hedge funds that hold long positions include “Richard S. Meisenberg’s ACK Asset Management, Peter Algert and Kevin Coldiron’s Algert Coldiron Investors and Glenn J. Krevlin’s Glenhill Advisors.
As one would reasonably expect, some big names have jumped into Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW) headfirst. Citadel Investment Group, managed by Ken Griffin, created the most valuable position in Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW).
How have insiders been trading Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW)?
Bullish insider trading is best served when the primary stock in question has seen transactions within the past 180 days. Over the last half-year time frame, Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW) has experienced zero unique insiders buying, and zero insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).
Let’s also review hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW). These stocks are China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd (NYSE:MY), Met-Pro Corporation (NYSE:MPR), Tecumseh Products Company (NASDAQ:TECUA), and Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. (NYSE:AP). All of these stocks are in the diversified machinery industry and their market caps are similar to FLOW’s market cap.
| Company Name | # of Hedge Funds | # of Insiders Buying | # of Insiders Selling |
| China Ming Yang Wind Power Group Ltd (NYSE:MY) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Met-Pro Corporation (NYSE:MPR) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Tecumseh Products Company (NASDAQ:TECUA) | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Ampco-Pittsburgh Corp. (NYSE:AP) | 5 | 0 | 0 |
With the returns exhibited by the aforementioned strategies, retail investors should always keep an eye on hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Flow International Corporation (NASDAQ:FLOW) shareholders fit into this picture quite nicely.
