We recently compiled a list of the Billionaire Mason Hawkins’ Top 15 Long-Term Stock Picks. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (NYSE:MSGS) stands against the other stocks.
Mason Hawkins is a prominent figure in the world of value investing, best known as the founder and chairman of Southeastern Asset Management, an investment firm established in 1975. The firm began with a modest pool of assets but grew to manage approximately $20 billion within a few years. With decades of experience and a reputation for disciplined investment strategies, Hawkins has earned widespread respect among investors and financial professionals for his long-term approach to wealth creation. His firm specializes in managing concentrated portfolios based on in-depth research, fundamental analysis, and a value-oriented philosophy. Hawkins believes that patience and a contrarian mindset are critical to success, often holding onto investments for years to allow their true value to emerge.
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This strategy has been central to the success of the flagship Longleaf Partners Funds run by Southeastern Asset Management. For example, during the 20 years leading up to the mid-2000s, the fund achieved an annualized return of approximately 12%, compared to around 10% for the S&P 500. A native of Tennessee, Hawkins graduated from the University of Florida with a degree in Finance and later earned his MBA from the University of Georgia. His early career included roles at Atlantic National Bank and First Tennessee Investment Management before he decided to establish Southeastern Asset Management. Under his leadership, the firm grew from managing a small pool of assets to overseeing billions of dollars across various funds.
One hallmark of the investment style made popular by Hawkins is his emphasis on what he calls a “margin of safety.” This concept, pioneered by Benjamin Graham, involves purchasing stocks at a significant discount to their estimated intrinsic value. By doing so, Hawkins aims to minimize downside risk while maximizing potential returns. This disciplined approach has helped Southeastern Asset Management weather multiple market cycles, including challenging periods like the dot-com bubble and the 2008 financial crisis. Hawkins focuses on quality rather than quantity, reflected in the 13F portfolio of his fund that typically holds positions in twenty to thirty stocks, highlighting a preference for concentration rather than diversification. This approach allows the firm to take significant positions in companies it believes in, leading to outsized returns when these investments succeed.
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For this article, we selected stocks by combing through the 13F portfolio of Southeastern Asset Management at the end of the third quarter of 2024. Only the companies that have been in the 13F portfolio of the fund consistently for the past three years were selected. These stocks are also popular among other hedge funds. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating 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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A view from behind the scenes showing the Madison Square Garden Training Center.
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (NYSE:MSGS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 40
Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (NYSE:MSGS) is a professional sports firm. As of the conclusion of the third quarter of 2024, Southeastern Asset Management’s holdings in the company amounted to 4,028 shares, valued at over $838,000 and constituting 0.03% of its 13F portfolio. The following factors make Madison Square Garden Sports Corp an appealing investment prospect. The company reported revenue of a total of more than $1 billion in fiscal year 2024, marking a 16% increase from the last year. The company’s success is driven by suite revenues, playoff-related revenues, and league distributions. Moreover, it has signed a new multi-year sponsorship deal with Lenovo and its subsidiary Motorola Mobility, and signed multi-year sponsorship renewals with Verizon and Benjamin Moore.
Overall MSGS ranks 15th on our list of Billionaire Mason Hawkins’ top long-term stock picks. While we acknowledge the potential of MSGS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a stock that is more promising than MSGS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
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