Will Apple Inc. (AAPL) Ever Be Dethroned In Robert Raiff’s Portfolio?

Although AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) was one of Robert Raiff’s new purchases during the first quarter, it stood at number two in his portfolio, representing 8.42% of its total holdings. Raiff Partners held a total of 275,000 shares of the stock with a value of $8.98 million. The multinational telecommunications company has been receiving an array of positive analyst ratings of late, with a number of them touching on its merger with DirecTV (NASDAQ:DTV). The company also appears to have a bright future in Mexico, although this is expected to take some time to yield fruit. After studying the stock, Credit Suisse believes that the company’s synergy guidance of $2.5 billion still has potential upside. The opportunities that are available for AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) are seen as openings for driving down costs, some of which will include lower content and expansion costs. Phill Gross and Robert Atchinson‘s Adage Capital Management, Arrowstreet Capital, and billionaire D. E Shaw’s D E Shaw were among some of the funds invested in the stock at the end of the first quarter.

Robert Raiff upped his stake by 8% in Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc (NYSE:VRX) during the first quarter of 2015 to bring it to number three in his top holdings. Raiff Partners held 43,000 shares of the stock with a market value of $8.54 million at the end of the quarter. The pharmaceutical company announced that it has submitted a New Drug Application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for RELISTOR®, a methylnaltrexone bromide, which is a tablet for the treatment of opioid-induced constipation (OIC) in adult patients experiencing chronic non-cancer pain. The company is focused on expanding its services to emerging markets and is currently in advanced negotiations for the acquisition of Egyptian drugmaker Amoun Pharmaceutical Co. Its expansion strategy is mainly characterized by acquisitions, having also acquired Salix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. for $11.1 billion earlier this year. The company’s Xifaxan drug was recently approved by the FDA for treating adults with irritable bowel syndrome, adding momentum to its prospects. The stock became Bill Ackman‘s top new purchase in the first quarter and he was the biggest shareholder of it, owning 19.47 million shares at the end of the first quarter. This represented 25.83% of his total holdings. The second biggest shareholder was Jeffrey Ubben’s ValueAct Capital with 19.38 million shares.

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