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 | 16.75% |
| 2 | Healthcare | 13.12% |
| 3 | Financials | 12.46% |
| 4 | Consumer Staples | 9.7% |
| 5 | Industrials | 9.54% |
| Name | Market Value | Portfolio Weight | Shares or Principal |
Change in Stake | Capital Flow | Held Since | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
51
Vodafone
VOD
$38.2B
| $152M | 0.27% |
5,219,156
+2,012,800
| +63% | +$61.3M |
2015 Q3
4 quarters
|
|
|
BRFS
52
DELISTED
BRF SA
BRFS
| $151M | 0.27% |
8,854,500
-1,065,960
| -11% | -$17.4M |
2013 Q4
11 quarters
|
|
53
BlackBerry
BB
$5.05B
| $150M | 0.26% |
18,778,543
+2,816,443
| +18% | +$21.2M |
2014 Q2
9 quarters
|
|
54
American Express
AXP
$205B
| $148M | 0.26% |
2,311,900
+942,400
| +69% | +$60.5M |
2016 Q1
2 quarters
|
|
55
Elevance Health
ELV
$87.6B
| $147M | 0.26% |
1,176,800
-20,173
| -2% | -$2.6M |
2015 Q2
5 quarters
|
|
56
Kinross Gold
KGC
$27.7B
| $143M | 0.25% |
34,003,699
-7,765,873
| -19% | -$37.4M |
2013 Q2
13 quarters
|
|
|
VMW
57
DELISTED
VMware, Inc
VMW
| $143M | 0.25% |
1,947,900
-300,200
| -13% | -$21.1M |
2014 Q3
8 quarters
|
|
58
FedEx
FDX
$68.4B
| $142M | 0.25% |
+811,400
| New | +$133M |
2016 Q3
0 quarters
|
|
|
CHL
59
DELISTED
China Mobile Limited
CHL
| $140M | 0.25% |
2,277,300
+439,700
| +24% | +$27M |
2014 Q3
8 quarters
|
|
|
VGR
60
DELISTED
Vector Group Ltd.
VGR
| $139M | 0.25% |
10,558,385
+394,948
| +4% | +$5.16M |
2013 Q2
13 quarters
|
|
61
NextEra Energy
NEE
$161B
| $135M | 0.24% |
4,413,600
+1,585,200
| +56% | +$49.9M |
2014 Q3
8 quarters
|
|
62
Applied Materials
AMAT
$404B
| $133M | 0.23% |
4,396,548
-882,800
| -17% | -$24.6M |
2015 Q3
4 quarters
|
|
63
Clorox
CLX
$10B
| $130M | 0.23% |
1,039,600
+730,200
| +236% | +$95.6M |
2013 Q2
13 quarters
|
|
|
CELG
64
DELISTED
Celgene Corp
CELG
| $128M | 0.23% |
1,225,638
+662,600
| +118% | +$71.7M |
2016 Q2
1 quarter
|
|
|
AVB
65
DELISTED
AvalonBay Communities
AVB
| $128M | 0.23% |
720,200
-191,714
| -21% | -$34.5M |
2014 Q3
8 quarters
|
|
|
AET
66
DELISTED
Aetna Inc
AET
| $128M | 0.23% |
1,105,682
+789,892
| +250% | +$92.6M |
2015 Q3
4 quarters
|
|
67
McKesson
MCK
$108B
| $126M | 0.22% |
758,300
+660,900
| +679% | +$123M |
2016 Q2
1 quarter
|
|
68
LivaNova
LIVN
$4.16B
| $126M | 0.22% |
2,094,794
-380,200
| -15% | -$21.9M |
2015 Q4
3 quarters
|
|
|
JCP
69
DELISTED
J.C. Penney Company, Inc.
JCP
| $125M | 0.22% |
13,539,100
-1,310,400
| -9% | -$12.5M |
2014 Q3
8 quarters
|
|
|
FLG
70
Flagstar Bank National Association
FLG
$4.69B
| $125M | 0.22% |
2,917,573
+257,798
| +10% | +$11.3M |
2014 Q4
7 quarters
|
|
71
Estee Lauder
EL
$34.3B
| $124M | 0.22% |
1,400,600
+775,400
| +124% | +$70.7M |
2014 Q2
9 quarters
|
|
72
Teradata
TDC
$2.79B
| $122M | 0.22% |
3,941,200
+291,100
| +8% | +$8.67M |
2014 Q4
7 quarters
|
|
73
AbbVie
ABBV
$475B
| $121M | 0.21% |
1,918,456
+700,856
| +58% | +$45.4M |
2013 Q2
13 quarters
|
|
74
Molson Coors Class B
TAP
$7B
| $120M | 0.21% |
1,095,400
+594,900
| +119% | +$60.5M |
2014 Q3
8 quarters
|
|
75
Bank of America
BAC
$370B
| $120M | 0.21% |
+7,677,366
| New | +$114M |
2016 Q3
0 quarters
|
|
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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 413 new positions and adding to 1,833 existing holdings. Its largest new stake was FedEx: 811,400 shares worth $142M.
By sector, the portfolio is most concentrated in Technology at 17% of assets, up from 15% 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 413 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.