United Rentals Inc. (URI), CST Brands Inc (CST), Halliburton Company (HAL): South Ferry Capital’s Top Picks

South Ferry Capital was bullish on CST Brands Inc (NYSE:CST), in which it increased its stake by over 150% to 140,000 shares, with the value of the stake amounting to $6.14 million at the time of reporting. CST Brands Inc (NYSE:CST) is a $3.09-billion market cap retailer of motor fuels and convenience merchandise in North America, whose stock gained 21% during the past calendar year. A significant increase in motor fuel gross profit helped the company to boosts its first quarter 2015 net income to $14 million versus $11 million in the same period last year. Another investor in CST Brands is Iridian Asset Management, led by David Cohen and Harold Levy, which disclosed holding 3.98 million shares worth $174.5 million as of the end of the first quarter.

Over the quarter, South Ferry Capital’s stake remained unchanged in Winthrop Realty Trust (NYSE:FUR), with the investor maintaining ownership of 270,000 shares of the company, with a reported value of $4.41 million. Winthrop Realty Trust (NYSE:FUR) is a real estate investment trust, with a market cap of $597.7 million. Winthrop Realty Trust (NYSE:FUR)’s stock has risen by 12.75% since May 2014. Other investors with big positions in the company include Amy Minella’s Cardinal Capital and Derek C. Schrier’s Indaba Capital Management.

Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) is another new holding of South Ferry Capital, containing 25,000 shares valued at $1.09 million. Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) is a $40.3-billion market cap provider of oilfield services. Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) reported first quarter 2015 income from continuing operations of $418 million, which is significantly down from $623 million in the same period of 2014. Shares of Halliburton Company (NYSE:HAL) are down by 26% during the past calendar year, but have gained 21% thus far in 2015. Other large shareholders of the company among the funds we track are Jeffrey Ubben’s ValueAct Capital and Glenn Greenberg’s Brave Warrior Capital.

Disclosure: None