The Smart Money: Seth Klarman
Source: Roy Luck via Flickr (Modified)
Plays to Focus On: Cheniere Energy, EMC, Allergan
Other than Warren Buffett — who has achieved something close to demigod status — perhaps no other investor has quite the cult following of Baupost Group’s Seth Klarman. Value investors are willing to do back-alley deals with men in trenchcoats to get a copy of his out-of-print book, Margin of Safety. He’s just that good.
That said, Klarman has made a few moves recently that have raised a few eyebrows. Klarman bet big on energy, at one point having nearly 20% of his portfolio in liquefied natural gas exporter Cheniere Energy (LNG). Well, Klarman bought even more Cheniere last quarter, and he now owns nearly 13% of the entire company.
Yet Cheniere is no longer Klarman’s biggest holding. After a buying spree in the first quarter, that distinction now belongs to big data player EMC Corp (EMC). EMC now makes up slightly more than 20% of Klarman’s portfolio.
Klarman also made an interesting new buy in beaten-up biotech Allergan PLC (AGN), a favorite holding of fellow money masters Daniel Loen, John Paulson, Leon Cooperman and David Einhorn, among others. Allergan makes up about 7% of the portfolio.
Source: Investor Place