Cathie Wood’s ARK Investment Management made some big changes in its overall investment portfolio in the first quarter.
ARK Investment nearly doubled its stake inTeladoc Health(ticker: TDOC), and drastically increased its stake inPalantir Technologies(PLTR) stock. The investment firm also initiated a large stake inRoblox(RBLX), and slashed its holdings inApple(AAPL) stock. ARK Investment disclosed the stock trades, among others, ina form it filedwith the Securities and Exchange Commission.
ARK Investment, which had$58.2 billion in assets under managementas of Dec. 31, didn’t respond to a request for comment on the stock trades.Barron’snamed Wood asone of the100 Most Influential Women in U.S. Finance this year. After a hot run, one of ARK Investment’s high-profile exchange-traded funds has beenslumping as of late; but ARK Innovation ETF’s longer-term record remains stupendous.
The firm bought 6.6 million more Teladoc shares in the first quarter to lift its investment to 14.4 million shares of the virtual health firm.
Teladoc stock has been underperforming the market. Shares slid 9.1% in the first quarter, and so far in the second it has slid 22.7%, while theS&P 500 indexrose 5.8% in the first quarter, and is up 4.6% so far in the second.
Teladoc stocksoared last yearas the Covid-19 pandemic made in-person doctor visits nearly impossible. But shares have slipped in recent months as investors look for reopening opportunities. Teladoc reporteda disappointing first quarterin late April.Shares were also pressuredafterAmazon.com(AMZN) announced initiatives that could step on Teladoc’s toes.
ARK Investment bought 17.3 million more Palantir shares to end March with 18.6 million shares of the cloud company.
Palantir stock slipped 1% in the first quarter, and over April and May so far, it has lost 11.0%.
Palantir’sfirst-quarter reportearlier this month topped expectations, but shares tumbled because there were concerns about the company’sgrowth rate and stock valuation. The latest digital transformationhasn’t been kind latelyto Palantir stock and its peers.
We noted that Wood’sARK Next Generation internetETF (ARKW)snapped up Roblox stockin early March after the shares of the videogame platform went public througha direct listing. As of March 31, ARK Investment’s overall position stood at 516,877 shares.
Roblox stock has gained 27.3% so far in the second quarter. First-quarter earnings, reported earlier this month,were strong, and Roblox CEO David Baszucki sees “massive” opportunity for the company.
ARK Investment sold 320,861 Apple shares to end the first quarter with overall ownership of 594,039 shares of the iPhone maker.
Apple stock fell 8% in the first quarter, and since then it has gained 2.7%.
Apple reportedstrong March quarter earnings, but shares slid on concerns over continued growth. Earlier this year, much of Wall Street was coming to terms with a rumor Apple wasworking on a car. Now, at least one observer sees Apple launchinga foldable phone. Last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook defended the company’s app-review processin court.
Corrections & amplifications: ARK Investment now owns 18.6 million shares of Palantir. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said ARK now owns 13.1 million shares. Also, Teladoc stock’s ticker is TDOC. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said it was TLDC.
Inside Scoop is a regular Barron’s feature covering stock transactions by corporate executives and board members—so-called insiders—as well as large shareholders, politicians, and other prominent figures. Due to their insider status, these investors are required to disclose stock trades with the Securities and Exchange Commission or other regulatory groups.
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