D E Shaw, the large hedge fund founded by David Shaw, is an interesting study in that its positions are constantly changing. Rarely does it stand pat on any stock during a quarter. In the last quarter for example, out of the 4,058 positions in its portfolio at the end of the third quarter, there were additions, subtractions, or closures to 3,484 of those positions. There’s always something to be gained by looking through its portfolio as a result, at its unique and effective blend of both quantitative and qualitative analysis which contributes to the constant turnover. 
Let’s start with Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX), which D E Shaw has held since the company’s IPO back in the spring of 2012. It’s been a successful investment thus far for Shaw, as Phillips 66 has appreciated more than 110% since that launch. Shaw is clearly not through with the success just yet, as it increased its position to 13.81 million shares by the end of the fourth quarter, a 33% increase from the close of the previous quarter. That, coupled with a large sell off of Apple shares, propeled Phillips 66 to the top of his portfolio.
Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) is one of the few energy companies whose shares didn’t fizzle out during 2014, down just 4%, though they did fall more than 15% from an all-time high in early September through the end of the year. While the refining and midstream company’s revenue did tumble to $35.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2014, from $43.8 billion, due to shrinking margins, earnings actually improved greatly, to $1.15 billion, or $2.05 per share, compared to $826 million, or $1.37 per share one year prior. The electrified marketing and specialties division accounted for a good chunk of those gains, posting earnings of $367 million last quarter, compared to $105 million during the same year-ago period.
Outstanding governance has other investors like Warren Buffett and Dan Loeb also taking notice. Buffett, who sold the entirety of his massive Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) stake in the fourth quarter, added 6% to his Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX) position during the same period, increasing it to 6.57 million shares. Loeb meanwhile opened a new 5.0 million share position during the fourth quarter, his largest new investment. Phillips 66 is up 10.63% year-to-date.
Second in D E Shaw’s portfolio in terms of value is Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC). This is another energy stock that weathered 2014 well, actually posting a gain of just over 1% on the year, though it was a rocky, volatile ride. And like Phillips 66, it’s also enjoying a strong run so far in 2015, up 16.42%. This is more good news for the fund, which increased its Marathon Petroleum position by 38% last quarter, to 10.03 million shares.
Like Phillips, Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC) is also a refining company, for whom a drop in crude is not nearly as disastrous as other energy companies, as crude is their main input cost. While spreads between crude and gasoline have narrowed slightly, that didn’t stop Marathon from posting earnings of $798 million, or $2.86 per share, for the fourth quarter, a 27.5% increase from a year ago.
Alan Fournier’s Pennant Capital Management and Israel Englander’s Millennium Management both added to their positions in Marathon last quarter, building them by 11% and 19% respectively, to 3.06 million shares and 2.57 million shares.
In third spot comes LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB), which D E Shaw increased by 43% last quarter to 9.70 million shares. The chemicals company has proven popular among billionaire hedge fund managers we track, ranking as one of their most popular stocks in the basic industries sector (it also has ties to the energy sector). George Soros is one of those billionaires, opening a new 2.83 million share stake in the company last quarter.
LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) was flat in 2014, but another stock on the move upwards in 2015, up 9.59% year-to-date, despite reporting a 7.6% dip in revenue for the fourth quarter earlier this month, which was partially due to an inventory-adjustment charge. LyondellBasell is up 228.3% since emerging from bankruptcy nearly five years ago.
Next is Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE:BRK.A), in which the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Trust has been heavily invested for years, through large donations of shares from Buffett. D E Shaw trimmed its position in Berkshire by 29% last quarter, to 4.65 million shares. Buffett’s holding company, which owns a number of subsidiaries including Fruit of the Loom, GEICO, and Dairy Queen, returned 27.25% in 2014, but is down slightly in 2015.
Lastly is Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO), which D E Shaw also trimmed its exposure to last quarter, to 13.57 million shares, down 31%. D E Shaw’s top five moves were all perfectly executed it seems, as Yahoo! is also down year-to-date, quite heavily in fact, at 12.12% on weakness in Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA), of which they own a lucrative (but now less so) stake. Alibaba is down 17.34% year-to-date.
Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO) announced in late January that it would spinoff its Alibaba stake into a separate company, and give its shares to investors, providing them with a tax-free means of accessing the value of that investment. However, with the tumble of Alibaba’s shares, the gains from that move have largely been wiped out, compared to if Yahoo! had simply sold its stake earlier at a maximized value.
Disclosure: None
