Here is What Hedge Funds Think About Uroplasty, Inc. (UPI)

Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI) has experienced a decrease in support from the world’s most elite money managers recently.

In today’s marketplace, there are plenty of indicators market participants can use to track publicly traded companies. Two of the most useful are hedge fund and insider trading activity. At Insider Monkey, our studies have shown that, historically, those who follow the top picks of the top money managers can trounce the S&P 500 by a solid margin (see just how much).

Just as beneficial, positive insider trading activity is a second way to break down the world of equities. As the old adage goes: there are a variety of stimuli for an upper level exec to get rid of shares of his or her company, but just one, very clear reason why they would initiate a purchase. Various empirical studies have demonstrated the valuable potential of this strategy if investors understand where to look (learn more here).

Now, it’s important to take a peek at the latest action encompassing Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI).

What does the smart money think about Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI)?

At Q1’s end, a total of 6 of the hedge funds we track were long in this stock, a change of -25% from one quarter earlier. With hedgies’ positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists an “upper tier” of notable hedge fund managers who were increasing their stakes meaningfully.

When looking at the hedgies we track, OrbiMed Advisors, managed by Samuel Isaly, holds the largest position in Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI). OrbiMed Advisors has a $4.4 million position in the stock, comprising 0.1% of its 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is Manatuck Hill Partners, managed by Mark Broach, which held a $3.7 million position; the fund has 0.5% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Some other hedge funds with similar optimism include Jacob Gottlieb’s Visium Asset Management, Nathan Fischel’s DAFNA Capital Management and Joseph Edelman’s Perceptive Advisors.

Judging by the fact that Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI) has faced a declination in interest from the aggregate hedge fund industry, it’s safe to say that there exists a select few hedgies who sold off their entire stakes last quarter. Intriguingly, Richard Driehaus’s Driehaus Capital cut the biggest position of the “upper crust” of funds we key on, comprising close to $0.7 million in stock., and Cliff Asness of AQR Capital Management was right behind this move, as the fund cut about $0.1 million worth. These moves are important to note, as aggregate hedge fund interest dropped by 2 funds last quarter.

What do corporate executives and insiders think about Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI)?

Insider trading activity, especially when it’s bullish, is most useful when the company in question has experienced transactions within the past half-year. Over the latest 180-day time frame, Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI) has seen zero unique insiders purchasing, and zero insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

Let’s check out hedge fund and insider activity in other stocks similar to Uroplasty, Inc. (NASDAQ:UPI). These stocks are Span-America Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPAN), Digirad Corporation (NASDAQ:DRAD), EnteroMedics Inc (NASDAQ:ETRM), Vision-Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:VSCI), and Theragenics Corporation (NYSE:TGX). This group of stocks are the members of the medical appliances & equipment industry and their market caps are similar to UPI’s market cap.