Should You Buy Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN)?

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) was in 24 hedge funds’ portfolio at the end of the fourth quarter of 2012. ALXN has experienced an increase in support from the world’s most elite money managers in recent months. There were 22 hedge funds in our database with ALXN positions at the end of the previous quarter.

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN)

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Keeping this in mind, it’s important to take a glance at the recent action surrounding Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN).

Hedge fund activity in Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN)

In preparation for this year, a total of 24 of the hedge funds we track were bullish in this stock, a change of 9% from one quarter earlier. With the smart money’s capital changing hands, there exists an “upper tier” of key hedge fund managers who were boosting their holdings considerably.

Of the funds we track, Andreas Halvorsen’s Viking Global had the largest position in Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN), worth close to $376 million, comprising 2.6% of its total 13F portfolio. Sitting at the No. 2 spot is Columbus Circle Investors, managed by Donald Chiboucis, which held a $108 million position; the fund has 0.9% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Other hedgies that are bullish include Jérôme Pfund and Michael Sjöström’s Sectoral Asset Management, Jim Simons’s Renaissance Technologies and Ken Griffin’s Citadel Investment Group.

Consequently, specific money managers were breaking ground themselves. Viking Global, managed by Andreas Halvorsen, created the biggest position in Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN). Viking Global had 376 million invested in the company at the end of the quarter. Glenn Russell Dubin’s Highbridge Capital Management also made a $9 million investment in the stock during the quarter. The other funds with new positions in the stock are Mark Broach’s Manatuck Hill Partners, Joe DiMenna’s ZWEIG DIMENNA PARTNERS, and Israel Englander’s Millennium Management.

What have insiders been doing with Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN)?

Insider buying is most useful when the company in focus has experienced transactions within the past six months. Over the last 180-day time period, Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) has experienced zero unique insiders buying, and 8 insider sales (see the details of insider trades here).

With the returns shown by the aforementioned studies, retail investors must always watch hedge fund and insider trading activity, and Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) is no exception.

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