In this article, we discuss Ken Griffin Stock Portfolio: Top 12 Stock Picks.
Always play offense and invest opportunistically during the market selloff. That’s the ethos that drives Ken Griffin, the billionaire investor behind one of the most successful hedge funds on Wall Street, Citadel Investment Group. That was evident as his hedge fund successfully navigated the April market chaos, generating a 1.3% return as the overall market tanked close to bearish territory.
Amid the market turmoil triggered by the US trade and tariff war, Citadel allocated more capital to its portfolio managers to capitalize on market pullbacks.
“As I’ve always said, an opinion without a position is still just an opinion,” Griffin said. “This is a job that each and every day you have to act with conviction. You need to lay it on the line and translate your opinion into a position.”
Citadel’s founder and chief executive officer has consistently maintained that playing defense is a losing strategy in turbulent markets. According to the legendary investor, it is better to hold on to cash during uncertainties rather than join the crowd in piling into assets often deemed as low-risk.
The investment strategy is clearly articulated in Citadel’s portfolio, given the significant investment in assets that withstand chaos rather than hiding in so-called safe havens. Consequently, the hedge fund has a solid inclination towards technology stocks that are benefiting from the artificial intelligence boom. Additionally, it is heavily invested in the healthcare and financial services sectors.
Griffin’s active, risk-neutral strategy has historically delivered strong performance. That was evident as the hedge fund’s flagship fund, Wellington, gained 15.1% in 2024, while the Tactical Trading fund returned 22.3%.
With the overall equity market at all-time highs amid uncertainties triggered by the trade war and anticipation of interest rate cuts, let’s look at Ken Griffin’s stock portfolio: top stock picks.
Ken Griffin of Citadel Investment Group
Our Methodology
To come up with our list of Ken Griffin’s stock portfolio: top stock picks, we scanned the Citadel Investment Group’s Q2 2025 13F portfolio filings. We focused on the hedge fund’s biggest holdings by equity stake and provided insights into their popularity among elite hedge funds in Q2 2025. We also provided insights on why they stand out as a buy. Finally, we ranked the stocks in ascending order based on the value of Citadel Investment Group equity stakes in them.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is straightforward: our research has demonstrated that we can outperform the market by replicating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
Ken Griffin Stock Portfolio: Top Stock Picks
12. AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T)
Citadel Investment Group Equity Stake: $635.59 Million
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 83
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is one of the top stock picks in Ken Griffin’s stock portfolio. On August 27, ratings firm Moody’s reiterated that the stock is an investment-grade, issuing a Baa2 rating. The positive rating comes on the wireless company inking an agreement to acquire spectrum from EchoStar Corporation for approximately $23 billion.
The telecommunication giant is to acquire 30 MHz of nationwide 3.45 GHz mid-band spectrum and 20 MHz of nationwide 600 MHz low-band spectrum. The ratings company expects AT&T to reduce its debt ratio to 3.5 times or less within two years, once the $23 billion deal closes.
AT&T expects the spectrum acquisition to enable it to advance its convergence strategy while maintaining its $20 billion capital return objective. The robust revenue growth is expected to allow the company to achieve significant operational efficiencies.
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a global telecommunications company that provides a range of connectivity services to consumers and businesses, including wireless and mobile phone services, fiber internet, and 5G networks.
11. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)
Citadel Investment Group Equity Stake: $665.14 Million
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 119
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is one of the top stock picks in Ken Griffin’s portfolio. On August 27, BMO Capital reiterated its ‘Outperform’ rating with a $840 price target for the stock. The positive stance comes on the pharmaceutical giant delivering positive ATTAIN-2 clinical trial results for the weight loss drug orforglipron.
The ATTAIN-2 study showed peak placebo-adjusted weight loss of 8.3% in obese patients with type 2 diabetes. The positive results have set up orforglipron for a potential US Food and Drug Administration filing by the end of the year.
BMO Capital remains confident that orforglipron has the potential to strengthen Eli Lilly’s prospects in the weight loss market. It thus expects the company’s shares to trade higher as investors’ expectations have been reset following the previous ATTAIN-1 results.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is a global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets prescription medicines to improve human health, with a focus on therapeutic areas such as diabetes, oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.
10. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD)
Citadel Investment Group Equity Stake: $777.57 Million
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 78
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is one of the top stock picks in Ken Griffin’s portfolio. On August 27, the company strengthened its financial position by issuing $1.3 billion in medium-term notes.
The leading global fast-food chain issued $550 million of 4.400% medium-term notes due 2031 and $750 million of 5% medium-term notes due 2036. The strategic move is part of an ongoing medium-term notes program outlined last year. Additionally, the issuance allows the company to secure long-term financing at fixed interest rates.
The 4.4% and 5% medium-term notes underscore McDonald’s commitment to maintaining a robust financial strategy, thereby ensuring financial liquidity and flexibility. The issuance of the notes will enable the company to raise much-needed capital to support its strategic initiatives.
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is a global restaurant company that operates and franchises quick-service restaurants worldwide. It serves millions of customers daily with a menu featuring popular items such as burgers, fries, and other fast food options.
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