Surviving in the modern day corporate world is not for the faint of heart. Business is a ruthless endeavor, and shareholder and investor interest reign supreme for each company. The companies that have survived, and have turned into modern day giants and/or disrupted industries are ones that have beaten the competition by introducing unique products and services and capturing consumer attention through marketing campaigns. America, which has the largest and most developed corporate sector in the world (even the universe maybe, unless NASA finds aliens), is full of companies that disrupted industries and become corporate giants — even closing in on the African continent’s GDP when it comes to market capitalization. Africa’s nominal GDP is slated to be $3.14 trillion by 2023 according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while the two most valuable American firms — Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) — have a combined market capitalization of $4.16 trillion.
Both have led the charge and transformed entire industries. For Apple, its biggest strength is the manufacturing supply chain that enables it to pump out millions of iPhones each year. For Microsoft, it has been the ability to target the highest growing industries and become a dominant player in them. The best example of this is the Azure cloud computing and data center platform, which grew 40% on a YoY basis in the second quarter of 2022.
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Our Methodology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has taken a wager at trying to identify the smartest companies in the world. Its list identifies the top fifty companies that are the ‘smartest’ in MIT’s opinion. These companies are identified through the assumption that not only are they the leading players in their industry right now, but ones that the university believes will also dominate in the future.
We sifted through the MIT list and picked the top 25 companies that have the highest number of hedge fund investors. The hedge fund data comes courtesy of Insider Monkey’s Q3 2022 survey of 920 hedge funds. The list is ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds having stakes in these companies.
Top 25 Smartest Companies To Buy According To Hedge Funds
25. Desktop Metal, Inc. (NYSE:DM)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 11
Desktop Metal, Inc. (NYSE:DM) is an American company that was set up in 2015 and is headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. The firm is one of the leading players in the 3D printing industry, and has operations all over the world, including Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
By the end of last year’s third quarter, 11 out of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had held a stake in Desktop Metal, Inc..
Desktop Metal, Inc. joins Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation, and Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in our list of the smartest companies to invest in.
24. 23andMe Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ME)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 11
23andMe Holding Co. (NASDAQ:ME) is a gene testing and drug development firm. It allows customers to test themselves for rare genetic diseases and determine their ancestry and response to medications. Additionally, the company also develops treatments for cancer and heart problems.
11 out of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey during Q3 2022 had held a stake in 23andMe Holding Co.. The firm made headlines in January 2022 when it let a woman reunite with her family after being abducted 50 years ago.
23andMe Holding Co.’s largest hedge fund investor is Jim Simons’ family office Euclidean Capital which owns 10 million shares that are worth $29 million.
23. Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 16
Rigetti Computing, Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) is an American computer hardware firm headquartered in Berkeley, California. The firm is one of the few companies in the world that builds super-computing quantum processors and quantum computers. Naturally, this makes it one of the smartest companies in the world.
Insider Monkey studied 920 hedge funds for their September quarter of 2022 investments to discover that 16 had held a stake in Rigetti Computing, Inc..
Rigetti Computing, Inc.’s biggest investor is Ben Levine, Andrew Manuel, and Stefan Renold’s LMR Partners which owns 1.3 million shares that are worth $2.6 million.
22. bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 22
bluebird bio, Inc. (NASDAQ:BLUE) is a biotechnology company that focuses on developing genetic treatments for serious and severe diseases such as thalassemia, sickle cell disease, and brain diseases. The firm is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts – MIT’s hometown.
By the end of 2022’s September quarter, 22 out of the 920 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey had invested in bluebird bio, Inc..
Kevin C. Tang’s Tang Capital Management is bluebird bio, Inc.’s largest investor. It owns 6.3 million shares that are worth $40 million.
21. Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 32
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) is a biotechnology company that develops treatments for several diseases such as sclerosis, eye diseases, kidney problems, and cancer.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is hoping to operate this year on a strong note, in the form of regulatory approvals for its ALS and neuropathy treatments. 32 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey during Q3 2022 had invested in the company.
Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s largest investor in our database is Catherine D. Wood’s ARK Investment Management which owns 3.7 million shares that are worth $164 million.
20. International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 40
International Business Machines Corporation (NYSE:IBM) is one of the oldest computing companies in the world. Despite this, it’s on the MIT’s smartest companies list because it is currently one of the handful of companies that is capable of designing its own chips, developing quantum computing systems, and operating in the highly lucrative cloud computing market.
As part of their third quarter of 2022 investments, 40 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had held a stake in International Business Machines Corporation.
International Business Machines Corporation’s largest shareholder is Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke, and John Campbell’s Arrowstreet Capital which owns 4.3 million shares worth $515 million.
19. Snap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 42
Snap Inc. (NYSE:SNAP) is a social media company that is known for its Snapchat platform. This application lets users share short videos and images with their followers.
Insider Monkey studied 920 hedge fund holdings for last year’s third quarter to determine that 42 had owned a stake in Snap Inc..
Out of these, John Overdeck and David Siegel’s Two Sigma Advisors is Snap Inc.’s largest investor with a $215 million stake that comes via 21 million shares.
18. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 43
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) is a biotechnology firm that develops treatments for a wide variety of diseases such as macular degeneration, neuropathy, edema, cancer, and liver problems. The firm is based in Tarrytown, New York.
By the end of Q3 2022, 43 out of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had invested in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc..
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s largest shareholder is Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management which owns 430,301 shares that are worth $296 million.
17. First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 45
First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR) is a solar panel company that sells its products to power companies, utilities, commercial entities, and others. The firm was set up in 1999 and is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.
First Solar, Inc. is one of the few companies that has withstood the stock market bloodbath of 2022, as its shares are up by a whopping 144% over the past 12 months. Looks like the market also thinks it’s one of the smartest companies around, and so do 45 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey in Q3 2022.
First Solar, Inc.’s biggest hedge fund investor is D.E. Shaw’s D E Shaw which owns 899,979 shares that are worth $119 million.
16. Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 49
Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) is a healthcare company based in San Diego, California. It has a host of different products and services, such as those that cover genetic testing, cancer testing, genomic research, and drug development.
Of the 920 hedge funds part of Insider Monkey’s September quarter of 2022 survey, 49 had bought Illumina, Inc.s shares.
Illumina, Inc.’s largest investor is Robert Joseph Caruso’s Select Equity Group which owns 1.5 million shares that are worth $297 million.
15. SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:SSNC)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 50
SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. is a software company. Its products allow customers to manage their financial markets operations such as securities accounting, reconciliation, clearing, and tax reporting. The firm also serves the needs of the healthcare industry.
By the end of Q3 2022, 50 of the 920 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey had bought SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.’s shares.
SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.’s largest hedge fund shareholder is Richard S. Pzena’s Pzena Investment Management which owns 10.6 million shares that are worth $510 million.
14. General Electric Company (NYSE:GE)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 53
General Electric Company (NYSE:GE) is an iconic American firm that traces its roots back to 1892 and was set up by Thomas Edison. Despite this, the firm is still operating today and provides some of the most important products in the world such as gas and steam turbines.
53 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey during Q3 2022 had bought General Electric Company’s shares.
General Electric Company’s largest investor is Richard S. Pzena’s Pzena Investment Management which owns 13.7 million shares that are worth $851 million.
13. Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 56
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) is a drug manufacturer headquartered in Foster City, California. The firm makes and sells treatments for HIV, angina, liver diseases, and the coronavirus.
By the end of last year’s third quarter, 56 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had bought Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s shares.
Gilead Sciences, Inc.’s largest investor is Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke, and John Campbell’s Arrowstreet Capital which owns 12 million shares that are worth $732 million.
12. Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 69
Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) is the largest chip manufacturing firm in the world. It makes and sells products for personal computing, data center, and other markets. The firm is based in Santa Clara, California.
Intel Corporation is facing a tough macroeconomic environment these days, which is further complicated by the firm’s cost cutting measures and its need to invest in growth to regain chipmaking leadership. 69 of the 920 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey during Q3 2022 had bought its shares.
John Overdeck and David Siegel’s Two Sigma Advisors is Intel Corporation’s largest investor. It owns 15 million shares that are worth $390 million.
11. MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 81
MercadoLibre, Inc. (NASDAQ:MELI) is an internet retail company with a presence in Latin America. The firm’s online marketplace lets users transfer money and make online purchases.
By the end of 2022’s September quarter, 81 of the 920 hedge funds surveyed by Insider Monkey had held a stake in MercadoLibre, Inc..
MercadoLibre, Inc.’s largest hedge fund shareholder in our database is David Blood and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management which owns 683,206 shares that are worth $565 million.
10. Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 82
Merck & Co., Inc. is a pharmaceutical giant. Its also one of the smartest companies in the world, as evidenced by the fact that it makes and sells treatments for some of the most complex diseases in the world such as cancer and neurological disorders.
Insider Monkey analyzed 920 hedge fund portfolios for their third quarter of 2022 shareholdings and discovered that 82 had bought Merck & Co., Inc.’s shares.
Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management is the largest hedge fund that has invested in Merck & Co., Inc.. It owns 12 million shares worth $1 billion.
9. Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 88
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is the world’s leading electric vehicle manufacturer. It has manufacturing facilities all over the world, including lucrative regions such as China and Germany. The company also sells powerpack and other products.
Tesla, Inc. has been in the news lately as its chief Mr. Elon Musk is being accused by investors of paying too little time to the firm. 88 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had invested in Tesla, Inc. as part of their Q3 2022 investments.
Tesla, Inc.’s largest hedge fund shareholder is Catherine D. Wood’s ARK Investment Management which owns four million shares that are worth $1 billion.
8. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 89
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is the world’s leading graphics processing unit (GPU) designer. These products are used across a wide variety of applications, such as gaming, data center computing, and rendering.
As part of their third quarter of 2022 investments, 89 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had bought NVIDIA Corporation’s shares.
NVIDIA Corporation’s largest investor is Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management which owns 12 million shares that are worth $1.4 billion.
7. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 105
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is one of the largest retailers in the world, which also has a presence in other lucrative industries such as cloud computing and content delivery.
Insider Monkey studied 920 hedge fund holdings for Q3 2022 to discover that 105 had invested in Alibaba Group Holding Limited.
Out of these, David Blood and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management is Alibaba Group Holding Limited’s largest investor. It owns 4.5 million shares that are worth $360 million.
6. Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 117
Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is a software company headquartered in San Francisco, California. The firm lets its customers manage customer relationships and run big data analytics on their workflow and sales data.
By the end of 2022’s third quarter, 117 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had bought Salesforce, Inc.’s shares.
Salesforce, Inc.’s largest investor is Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management which owns 12 million shares that are worth $1.8 billion.
Salesforce, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Alphabet Inc., and Amazon.com, Inc. are some of the smartest companies out there.
5. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 150
Apple Inc. is the largest consumer technology company in the world. It earns more revenue than some of the largest oil companies in the world, and sells different gadgets such as smartphones, tablets, and notebooks. Additionally, it also has a services portfolio of streaming platforms and financial payments.
Insider Monkey studied 920 hedge fund holdings for the third quarter of last year, to discover that 150 had held a stake in the company.
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway is Apple Inc.’s largest shareholder with a massive $123 billion stake that comes via 894 million shares.
4. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 177
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the largest social media conglomerates in the world. It owns social media networks Facebook and Instagram as well as WhatsApp, a voice over internet protocol (VOIP) messaging platform. The firm is based in Menlo Park, California.
Meta Platforms, Inc. has bled market value recently, as its shares are down by nearly 50% over the past 12 months. Despite this, 177 of the 920 hedge funds polled by Insider Monkey had held a stake in the company in Q3 2022.
Meta Platforms, Inc.’s largest investor is Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management which owns 11 million shares that are worth $1.6 billion.
3. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 196
Alphabet Inc. is one of the largest technology companies on the planet. Known mostly for its search engine Google, the firm also has a strong footing in several high technology industries such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Alphabet Inc. has been making the news lately due to its decision of laying off 12,000 employees. 196 of the 920 hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey had bought the firm’s shares in 2022’s third quarter.
Out of these, Chris Hohn’s TCI Fund Management is Alphabet Inc.’s largest shareholder with a $5 billion stake courtesy of 52 million shares.
2. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 269
Microsoft Corporation is another large technology firm, that is also at the heart of Silicon Valley. The firm sells its operating system Windows, alongside other productivity and cloud computing products.
Insider Monkey analyzed 920 hedge fund portfolios to discover that 269 had invested in Microsoft Corporation during Q3 2022.
Microsoft Corporation’s largest investor is Michael Larson’s Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust which owns 39 million shares that are worth $9 billion.
1. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Hedge Fund Investors as of Q3 2022: 269
Amazon.com, Inc. is the world’s largest electronic commerce retailer, and a firm that has evolved with the ages by developing a strong presence in rising industries such as cloud computing and satellite internet.
Amazon.com, Inc. will soon start setting up its own satellite internet constellation Kuiper by using rockets developed by Jeff Bezos’ rocket company Blue Origin. 269 hedge funds out of the 920 polled by Insider Monkey owned a stake in the firm during 2022’s September quarter.
Ken Fisher’s Fisher Asset Management is Amazon.com, Inc.’s largest investor. It owns 49 million shares that are worth $5.6 billion.
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This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
