Hedge Funds Are Buying Liberty Property Trust (LRY): CommonWealth REIT (CWH), Highwoods Properties Inc (HIW)

Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) was in 13 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of December. LRY shareholders have witnessed an increase in support from the world’s most elite money managers of late. There were 11 hedge funds in our database with LRY holdings at the end of the previous quarter.

Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY)

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With all of this in mind, let’s take a peek at the latest action encompassing Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY).

How are hedge funds trading Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY)?

At the end of the fourth quarter, a total of 13 of the hedge funds we track held long positions in this stock, a change of 18% from the previous quarter. With hedge funds’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists a few noteworthy hedge fund managers who were increasing their holdings meaningfully.

Of the funds we track, AEW Capital Management, managed by Jeffrey Furber, holds the largest position in Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY). AEW Capital Management has a $87 million position in the stock, comprising 2.3% of its 13F portfolio. Coming in second is Jim Simons of Renaissance Technologies, with a $6 million position; 0% of its 13F portfolio is allocated to the company. Remaining peers that hold long positions include Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management, Israel Englander’s Millennium Management and D. E. Shaw’s D E Shaw.

As industrywide interest jumped, key money managers have jumped into Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) headfirst. Renaissance Technologies, managed by Jim Simons, initiated the most outsized position in Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY). Renaissance Technologies had 6 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management also made a $6 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The following funds were also among the new LRY investors: Ken Gray and Steve Walsh’s Bryn Mawr Capital, David Costen Haley’s HBK Investments, and John Overdeck and David Siegel’s Two Sigma Advisors.

How are insiders trading Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY)?

Insider trading activity, especially when it’s bullish, is particularly usable when the company we’re looking at has experienced transactions within the past 180 days. Over the latest six-month time period, Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) has experienced zero unique insiders purchasing, and 6 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

Let’s also examine hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY). These stocks are CommonWealth REIT (NYSE:CWH), Highwoods Properties Inc (NYSE:HIW), Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM), Kilroy Realty Corp (NYSE:KRC), and Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc (NYSE:ARE). This group of stocks are the members of the reit – office industry and their market caps match LRY’s market cap.

Company Name # of Hedge Funds # of Insiders Buying # of Insiders Selling
CommonWealth REIT (NYSE:CWH) 12 0 0
Highwoods Properties Inc (NYSE:HIW) 5 1 7
Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:PDM) 6 1 0
Kilroy Realty Corp (NYSE:KRC) 9 0 2
Alexandria Real Estate Equities Inc (NYSE:ARE) 10 0 5

With the returns exhibited by our tactics, everyday investors must always pay attention to hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Liberty Property Trust (NYSE:LRY) is no exception.

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