Okumus Fund Management Boosts Its Position in AVG Technologies

Ahmet Okumus‘ hedge fund Okumus Fund Management has recently boosted its position in software company AVG Technologies NV (NYSE:AVG). In a new filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Okumus revealed holding around 4.1 million shares of the company, up from some 989,200 shares mentioned in the fund’s latest 13F. The stake is activist by nature and amasses 7.58% of the company’s ordinary shares. At the current share price of AVG Technologies, Okumus’ holding is worth some $72.3 million.

The stock of AVG Technologies is up by over 10% since the beginning of the year, trailing a P/E of 13.7x. The move made by Okumus is particularly interesting, since the fund has significantly cut the stake over the past quarter, by almost 4.5 million shares.

AVG is a software development company, best known for its Internet Security software and antivirus suite. In the third quarter of the year, the company reported a revenue worth over $100 million, up from $95.3 million in the same period of last year. Non-GAAP net income amounted to $28.8 million, equal to $0.52 per diluted share,  above the $23.4 million in the third quarter of last year.

Several hedge funds are currently bullish on AVG Technologies. D E Shaw, led by D. E. Shaw, in its latest 13F, reported holding 117,000 shares, increasing its position by over 77,800 shares over the quarter. Mike Vranos‘ Ellington disclosed holding 49,300 shares, up by 8,500 shares from the second quarter. At the same time, Ardsley Partners, managed by Philip Hempleman, sold out its entire position in the company, after disclosing holding 10,000 shares as at the end of the second quarter.

Okumus Fund Management is focused mainly on mid-cap and large companies on the stock market. In its latest 13F, the fund revealed holdings in two other companies, in addition to AVG. In Vocus, Inc. (NASDAQ:VOCS), the fund revealed a $45.9 million stake, which contains over 4.9 million shares; and in Blyth, Inc. (NYSE:BTH), Okumus holds around 1.1 million shares, worth $14.8 million.

Disclosure: none

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