Every quarter, many money managers have to disclose what they've bought and sold. Their latest moves can shine a bright light on smart stock picks.
Today, let's look at Joel Greenblatt's Gotham Asset Management. It's of great interest to many investors because Greenblatt is the author of the well-regarded and best-selling The Little Book That Beats the Market; and because of the success of his system of seeking out companies with high returns on capital and hefty earnings yields. His "Magic Formula" has many fans. As my colleague Morgan Housel has noted, "The simple formula absolutely destroys market averages over time. Greenblatt backs this up with considerable statistical evidence."
Gotham Asset Management's stock portfolio totaled $829 million in value as of Dec. 31, 2011.
Interesting developments
So what does Gotham Asset Management's latest quarterly 13F filing tell us? Here are a few interesting details:
New holdings include Southern Copper
Among holdings in which Gotham Asset Management increased its stake were OmniVision Technologies
Gotham Asset Management reduced its stake in lots of companies, including GT Advanced Technologies
Finally, Gotham Asset Management unloaded several companies, such as Sirius XM Radio
We should never blindly copy any investor's moves, no matter how talented the investor. But, it can be useful to keep an eye on what smart folks are doing, and 13-F forms can be great places to find intriguing candidates for our portfolios.