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 |
Gilead Sciences
GILD
|
+$247M |
| 2 |
Johnson & Johnson
JNJ
|
+$225M |
| 3 |
MON
Monsanto Co
MON
|
+$213M |
| 4 |
AET
Aetna Inc
AET
|
+$208M |
| 5 |
Broadcom
AVGO
|
+$176M |
Top Sells
| Rank | Stock | Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bristol-Myers Squibb
BMY
|
+$227M |
| 2 |
Microsoft
MSFT
|
+$224M |
| 3 |
Alphabet (Google) Class C
GOOG
|
+$205M |
| 4 |
Nike
NKE
|
+$187M |
| 5 |
Pfizer
PFE
|
+$184M |
Sector Composition
| Rank | Sector | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Financials | 14.12% |
| 2 | Technology | 12.96% |
| 3 | Healthcare | 12.08% |
| 4 | Industrials | 11.23% |
| 5 | Consumer Staples | 8.62% |
Similar funds
Renaissance Technologies's Q4 2016 Portfolio in Review
As of Q4 2016, Renaissance Technologies held 3,715 positions worth $63.2B, up 12% from $56.6B the previous quarter. Its ten largest holdings account for 7.2% of the portfolio.
Renaissance Technologies deployed $5.07B of net new capital in Q4 2016, opening 418 new positions and adding to 1,792 existing holdings. Its largest new stake was Broadcom: 10,144,960 shares worth $179M.
By sector, the portfolio is most concentrated in Financials at 14% of assets, up from 12% a quarter earlier, followed by Technology and Healthcare.
On the sell side, the largest reduction was Bristol-Myers Squibb, an estimated $227M trimmed.
- Renaissance Technologies's largest Q4 2016 buy was Broadcom: 10,144,960 shares worth $179M.
- Renaissance Technologies added most to Gilead Sciences in Q4 2016, an estimated $247M increase.
- Renaissance Technologies's biggest Q4 2016 reduction was Bristol-Myers Squibb, cutting an estimated $227M.
- Renaissance Technologies fully exited Alphabet (Google) Class C in Q4 2016, selling an estimated $205M.
- Renaissance Technologies's ten largest holdings make up 7.2% of its $63.2B portfolio in Q4 2016.
- Renaissance Technologies opened 418 new positions and closed 494 in Q4 2016.
- Renaissance Technologies's portfolio value rose 12% quarter-over-quarter to $63.2B.
Based on Renaissance Technologies's 13F filing for Q4 2016, filed 13 Feb 2017.