Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund by assets under management, made key changes to its portfolio in the fourth quarter that included exiting a major wireless carrier and readjusting its healthcare holdings.
www.barrons.com/articles/stock-movers-ef5284fd
A securities filing last week shows the fund exited Affirm Holdings through the sale of the 8,860 shares it snapped up before the end of the third quarter. Shares of the financial technology company have gotten hammered over the past few months due to trepidation over artificial-intelligence disruption and the broader macroeconomic environment.
Bridgewater’s stake, which was worth $647,489 last November, would be worth $459,125 based on Thursday’s closing price of $51.82.
Bridgewater also sold its stake of 37,777 shares in AT&T during the fourth quarter. The stock had a volatile 2025, but Bridgewater missed a significant bounce on Jan. 28, when the carrier’s fourth-quarter earnings report kicked off a rally that has sent shares 21% higher since the end of last month.
The firm took a stake in Dell Technologies through the purchase of 156,332 shares, a stake in Caterpillar through the purchase of 62,157 shares, and a stake in Spotify Technology through the purchase of 23,540 shares.
Bridgewater also made several moves in the healthcare and pharmaceutical universe. The fund exited beleaguered insurer Elevance Health through the sale of 55,203 shares. Bridgewater simultaneously took a small stake in UnitedHealth Group through the purchase of 6,170 shares, worth around $1.8 million on Thursday.
The firm appeared to be buying a prolonged dip in shares of the world’s largest healthcare provider, which have cratered more than 43% over the past 12 months amid surging costs in UnitedHealth’s Medicare Advantage plans and a string of underwhelming earnings reports.