Is FBL Financial Group (FFG) A Good Stock to Buy?

As one would reasonably expect, some big names have been driving this bullishness. Citadel Investment Group established the biggest position in FBL Financial Group (NYSE:FFG). Citadel Investment Group had $0.6 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Highbridge Capital Management also made a $0.4 million investment in the stock during the quarter.

Let’s now review hedge fund activity in other stocks – not necessarily in the same industry as FBL Financial Group (NYSE:FFG) but similarly valued. We will take a look at MRC Global Inc (NYSE:MRC), Proto Labs Inc (NYSE:PRLB), Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:OLLI), and Potlatch Corporation (NASDAQ:PCH). This group of stocks’ market values match FFG’s market value.

As you can see these stocks had an average of 16 hedge funds with bullish positions and the average amount invested in these stocks was $148 million. That figure was $6 million in FFG’s case. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Holdings Inc (NASDAQ:OLLI) is the most popular stock in this table. On the other hand Proto Labs Inc (NYSE:PRLB) is the least popular one with only 9 bullish hedge fund positions. Compared to these stocks FBL Financial Group (NYSE:FFG) is even less popular than PRLB. Considering that hedge funds aren’t fond of this stock in relation to other companies analyzed in this article, it may be a good idea to analyze it in detail and understand why the smart money isn’t behind this stock.

Disclosure: None