What happened
Shares of DraftKings (DKNG +4.68%) have soared today, up by 11% as of noon EST, after ARK Investment Management started accumulating the stock. This was the first time that ARK has invested in the sports betting specialist.
So what
While most exchange-traded funds are passively managed, ARK operates numerous actively managed funds that regularly buy and sell holdings. ARK has also taken a unique approach of disclosing its daily trading activity, and yesterday's disclosure showed that ARK Next Generation Internet (ARKW +0.33%) scooped up 620,300 shares of DraftKings, which represented approximately 0.5% weighting at the time. The reports do not specify what price the fund manager purchased the stock at, but DraftKings had a daily range of $53.14 to $55.75 yesterday.
Image source: DraftKings.
ARK's funds have become increasingly popular in recent years as the ETFs have delivered strong performance. ARK Next Generation Internet currently has about $5.3 billion in net assets
Now what
Online sports betting is starting to gain mainstream acceptance as an increasing number of states have been legalizing it. DraftKings had reported a 64% increase in monthly unique players (MUPs) in the third quarter, which helped drive a 98% surge in revenue.
The company is scheduled to report fourth-quarter results on Feb. 26, and analysts are expecting DraftKings to report $232 million in revenue and a net loss per share of $0.47. Benchmark recently reiterated a buy rating on the stock while increasing its price target from $60 to $66.
