Billionaire Bill Ackman, the CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, is one of the most respected investors working today.
Once dubbed “Baby Buffett,” Ackman is known for taking a handful of large positions in his portfolio, often on high-profile consumer stocks. He also likes contrarian buys as he successfully bet on Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) when the burrito chain was reeling from the E. coli crisis, and more recently invested in Nike, whose stock has plunged due to mismanagement and market share losses.
Let’s take a look at Ackman’s top five holdings at the end of the third quarter, the latest update from his filings.
Ackman bought more than $1 billion of Brookfield Corporation (NYSE: BN) in the third quarter, upping his stake significantly in the real estate titan. Brookfield is known for its diversification across sectors including energy, retail, and infrastructure as well as its massive real estate holdings.
Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT), the leading hotel chain and franchisor, has long been a top holding of Ackman’s as he first started buying the stock in 2018, seemingly because he believed it was undervalued and he liked the asset-light business model that goes with being a franchisor.
Hilton has more than tripled since he bought it, outperforming the S&P 500 index, though he sold a chunk of his stake in the third quarter.
Chipotle is one of Ackman’s best-known investments, up over 500% from his first purchase in 2016. Ackman still holds 28.8 million shares in Chipotle, indicating confidence even after former CEO Brian Niccol decamped for Starbucks.
Restaurant Brands International (NYSE: QSR) is another restaurant stock in Ackman’s top five. The billionaire investor helped engineer the merger between Tim Horton’s and Burger King, which now owns Popeyes and Firehouse Subs.
Real estate developer Howard Hughes Holdings (NYSE: HHH) rounds out Ackman’s top five. Ackman is chairman of the company and is aiming to take over the company as Pershing currently owns a 38% stake.
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