Renaissance Technologies Portfolio holdings
Renaissance Technologies LLC, founded in 1982 by mathematician James Simons as Monemetrics and headquartered in East Setauket, New York, is a legendary quantitative hedge fund managing around $65 billion in assets as of late 2024, renowned for its pioneering use of mathematical models and algorithms in trading. Starting with currency trading and evolving into a secretive powerhouse under its flagship Medallion Fund—launched in 1988—the firm employs PhDs, physicists, and computer scientists to analyze vast datasets, executing high-frequency trades across equities, futures, and derivatives with returns averaging over 66% annually before fees from 1988 to 2018. Simons, who stepped down as chairman in 2021, built a culture of intellectual rigor, limiting Medallion to employees and insiders since 1993 while offering institutional funds like the Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund (RIEF) to outsiders. Now led by Peter Brown and Robert Mercer’s successors, Renaissance remains a benchmark for quant investing, blending academic precision with a low-profile, extraordinarily profitable legacy despite occasional regulatory scrutiny.
Top Buys
| Rank | Stock | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Merck
MRK
|
+$468M |
| 2 |
Johnson & Johnson
JNJ
|
+$440M |
| 3 |
IBM
IBM
|
+$355M |
| 4 |
Booking.com
BKNG
|
+$332M |
| 5 |
RAI
Reynolds American Inc
RAI
|
+$331M |
Top Sells
| Rank | Stock | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
LLTC
Linear Technology Corp
LLTC
|
+$482M |
| 2 |
Walt Disney
DIS
|
+$247M |
| 3 |
Visa
V
|
+$219M |
| 4 |
Deere & Co
DE
|
+$200M |
| 5 |
Johnson Controls International
JCI
|
+$179M |
Sector Composition
| Rank | Sector | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Healthcare | 15.02% |
| 2 | Technology | 13.31% |
| 3 | Financials | 12.25% |
| 4 | Industrials | 9.65% |
| 5 | Consumer Staples | 9.54% |
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Renaissance Technologies's Q1 2017 Portfolio in Review
As of Q1 2017, Renaissance Technologies held 3,652 positions worth $71.6B, up 13% from $63.2B the previous quarter. Its ten largest holdings account for 7.9% of the portfolio.
Renaissance Technologies deployed $5.19B of net new capital in Q1 2017, opening 433 new positions and adding to 1,585 existing holdings. Its largest new stake was Merck: 7,716,460 shares worth $468M.
By sector, the portfolio is most concentrated in Healthcare at 15% of assets, up from 12% a quarter earlier, followed by Technology and Financials.
On the sell side, the largest reduction was Walt Disney, an estimated $247M trimmed.
- Renaissance Technologies's largest Q1 2017 buy was Merck: 7,716,460 shares worth $468M.
- Renaissance Technologies added most to Johnson & Johnson in Q1 2017, an estimated $440M increase.
- Renaissance Technologies's biggest Q1 2017 reduction was Walt Disney, cutting an estimated $247M.
- Renaissance Technologies fully exited Linear Technology Corp in Q1 2017, selling an estimated $482M.
- Renaissance Technologies's ten largest holdings make up 7.9% of its $71.6B portfolio in Q1 2017.
- Renaissance Technologies opened 433 new positions and closed 462 in Q1 2017.
- Renaissance Technologies's portfolio value rose 13% quarter-over-quarter to $71.6B.
Based on Renaissance Technologies's 13F filing for Q1 2017, filed 12 May 2017.