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 |
Alphabet (Google) Class A
GOOGL
|
+$373M |
| 2 |
Costco
COST
|
+$283M |
| 3 |
Bristol-Myers Squibb
BMY
|
+$270M |
| 4 |
Pfizer
PFE
|
+$240M |
| 5 |
Microsoft
MSFT
|
+$225M |
Top Sells
| Rank | Stock | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
CVS Health
CVS
|
+$274M |
| 2 |
EMC
EMC CORPORATION
EMC
|
+$228M |
| 3 |
GAS
AGL Resources Inc
GAS
|
+$216M |
| 4 |
TE
TECO ENERGY INC
TE
|
+$136M |
| 5 |
Charter Communications
CHTR
|
+$133M |
Sector Composition
| Rank | Sector | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | 15.61% |
| 2 | Healthcare | 12.42% |
| 3 | Financials | 11.99% |
| 4 | Consumer Staples | 9.6% |
| 5 | Industrials | 9.36% |
| Name | Market Value | Portfolio Weight | Shares or Principal |
Change in Stake | Capital Flow | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
B
26
Barrick Mining
B
$62.2B
| $201M | 0.36% |
11,343,002
-6,132,500
| -35% | -$122M |
|
27
Novartis
NVS
$295B
| $199M | 0.35% |
2,806,849
+284,022
| +11% | +$20.7M |
|
28
Sysco
SYY
$39.7B
| $189M | 0.33% |
3,861,400
+2,768,700
| +253% | +$142M |
|
29
F5
FFIV
$22.1B
| $189M | 0.33% |
1,518,074
+154,900
| +11% | +$18.8M |
|
30
FirstEnergy
FE
$28.9B
| $189M | 0.33% |
5,708,500
+1,682,692
| +42% | +$57.2M |
|
31
AstraZeneca
AZN
$263B
| $187M | 0.33% |
2,851,350
-131,700
| -4% | -$8.61M |
|
32
Nike
NKE
$61.9B
| $187M | 0.33% |
3,556,300
-1,510,200
| -30% | -$85.3M |
|
33
Sempra
SRE
$60.8B
| $183M | 0.32% |
3,416,200
-490,800
| -13% | -$26.7M |
|
34
Altria Group
MO
$122B
| $182M | 0.32% |
2,882,800
+2,121,982
| +279% | +$141M |
|
35
eBay
EBAY
$48.6B
| $180M | 0.32% |
5,474,640
+2,472,900
| +82% | +$74.7M |
|
|
BCR
36
DELISTED
CR Bard Inc.
BCR
| $179M | 0.32% |
797,200
-266,000
| -25% | -$59.9M |
|
37
Herbalife
HLF
$1.23B
| $178M | 0.32% |
5,757,800
-554,200
| -9% | -$17.5M |
|
38
Edwards Lifesciences
EW
$47.6B
| $178M | 0.31% |
4,429,218
-2,212,182
| -33% | -$83.3M |
|
39
Kroger
KR
$34.8B
| $177M | 0.31% |
5,963,600
+3,884,500
| +187% | +$129M |
|
40
Johnson & Johnson
JNJ
$635B
| $174M | 0.31% |
1,475,100
+849,000
| +136% | +$103M |
|
41
National Grid
NGG
$82.7B
| $174M | 0.31% |
2,533,806
+119,719
| +5% | +$8.28M |
|
42
Crown Castle
CCI
$32.7B
| $172M | 0.3% |
1,826,200
+992,800
| +119% | +$95.5M |
|
43
Ryanair
RYAAY
$29.5B
| $171M | 0.3% |
5,710,270
-665,250
| -10% | -$19.3M |
|
44
Devon Energy
DVN
$51.9B
| $170M | 0.3% |
3,844,200
+319,800
| +9% | +$13M |
|
45
Humana
HUM
$46.7B
| $162M | 0.29% |
913,704
+206,904
| +29% | +$35.9M |
|
46
Alaska Air
ALK
$5.15B
| $160M | 0.28% |
2,435,500
-721,400
| -23% | -$47.4M |
|
47
Allegiant Air
ALGT
$2.64B
| $157M | 0.28% |
1,186,800
+27,800
| +2% | +$3.78M |
|
48
Welltower
WELL
$178B
| $154M | 0.27% |
2,061,500
+1,400
| +0.1% | +$107K |
|
49
Gilead Sciences
GILD
$161B
| $154M | 0.27% |
1,947,048
+867,700
| +80% | +$70.5M |
|
50
Oracle
ORCL
$331B
| $153M | 0.27% |
3,883,732
+2,074,600
| +115% | +$84.5M |
|
Similar funds
Renaissance Technologies's Q3 2016 Portfolio in Review
As of Q3 2016, Renaissance Technologies held 3,713 positions worth $56.6B, up 7.7% from $52.5B the previous quarter. Its ten largest holdings account for 7.9% of the portfolio.
Renaissance Technologies deployed $1.92B of net new capital in Q3 2016, opening 414 new positions and adding to 1,834 existing holdings. Its largest new stake was FedEx: 811,400 shares worth $142M.
By sector, the portfolio is most concentrated in Technology at 16% of assets, up from 14% a quarter earlier, followed by Healthcare and Financials.
On the sell side, the largest reduction was CVS Health, an estimated $274M trimmed.
- Renaissance Technologies's largest Q3 2016 buy was FedEx: 811,400 shares worth $142M.
- Renaissance Technologies added most to Alphabet (Google) Class A in Q3 2016, an estimated $373M increase.
- Renaissance Technologies's biggest Q3 2016 reduction was CVS Health, cutting an estimated $274M.
- Renaissance Technologies fully exited EMC CORPORATION in Q3 2016, selling an estimated $228M.
- Renaissance Technologies's ten largest holdings make up 7.9% of its $56.6B portfolio in Q3 2016.
- Renaissance Technologies opened 414 new positions and closed 416 in Q3 2016.
- Renaissance Technologies's portfolio value rose 7.7% quarter-over-quarter to $56.6B.
Based on Renaissance Technologies's 13F filing for Q3 2016, filed 14 Nov 2016.