When billionaires jump on the same trend, it’s important for investors to take notice. The pieces often don’t come together immediately, but these investors have millions of dollars in resources dedicated to getting the most up-to-date information as quickly as possible. They might see trends months in advance that others might not notice until it’s too late.
Hedge fund manager George Soros is a polarizing figure, but you’d be foolish not to take notice of some of his investing trends. The Soros Fund Management Holdings 13F was recently released, and a new company tops the list as its biggest holding. Soros recently purchased $325 million worth of Horizon Therapeutics PLC (NASDAQ: HZNP), which now makes up 5.54% of his portfolio, despite previously owning none of it.
Horizon is a biotechnology company developing cures for rare and rheumatic diseases. In a vacuum, this may or may not be significant. But a number of other notable billionaires also are making similar headway into the healthcare industry.
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Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world, is making similar bets. Two of its largest holdings are in Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG) and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ). Collectively, they make up 7.57% of the entire hedge fund’s portfolio. In a recent interview, Dalio noted that biotech is one of the current investment areas he finds interesting.
Jeff Bezos’s Amazon.com Inc. also is quickly becoming a healthcare powerhouse. Amazon officially closed its $3.9 billion acquisition of One Medical earlier this week. Earlier this year, Amazon rolled out a low-cost subscription service for generic medications to Prime members. This comes after the full rollout of Amazon Pharmacy, other ventures around telehealth and significant investments in the space.
In competition with Amazon, entrepreneur and TV personality Mark Cuban rolled out his Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs Co. in 2021. This has been one of his biggest focal points of the past two years and likely what the billionaire wants to be his legacy. Cuban’s startup being an example of the potential upside in startup investing and private markets.
This means at least four prominent billionaires are using some of the biggest companies in the world to invest in healthcare.
For Investors: There are a number of options for investors. Following in the footsteps of these magnates in these holdings are a pretty easy and straightforward option. Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs Co. is a private startup, so investors are out of luck. But investors do have options if they’re looking to invest in healthcare startups.
This move into healthcare is a bit of contrast to the normal tech plays billionaires tend to flock towards. But shows the potential upside with diversifying into different investment sectors.