Viking Global shifts Big Tech holdings in first quarter

Ole Andreas Halvorsen’s Viking Global appeared to relocate money within megacap technology in the first quarter. Viking Global zeroed out a position of nearly 3.3 million shares in Alphabet during the first three months of 2024, regulatory fillings show. That amounted to more than $450 million. Halvorsen also hacked about 75% off its Meta Platforms position. With that, the stake shrunk from over 2 million shares, valued at over $1 billion, to under 750,000 shares that equate to just around $355 million in total. The Facebook parent was Viking Global’s fifth largest position at the end of 2023. But the Julian Robertson disciple put dollars to work elsewhere within the Big Tech space. He created a position of more than 3.8 million shares, or $660 million, in Apple . The stock has been closely followed recently given its poor performance during the first quarter. Halvorsen, who founded Viking in 1999, also opened a stake in Microsoft . It’s nearly 1.6 million shares at a total value of more than $670 million. The Tiger Management alum also increased his Amazon holding by 40%. With that increase, Viking Global holds more than 1.9 million shares, or more than $1.2 billion. The e-commerce giant jumped up to be the third largest holding of the firm’s. His moves came during a quarter of intense focus on major tech names. After a strong 2023 performance with traders crediting the “Magnificent Seven” for driving gains, some wondered if the market had run up too far, too fast. Outside of tech, Viking Global began holding Clorox , Dollar Tree , Skechers and Las Vegas Sands during the period. Halvorsen also more than doubled his stake in U.S. Bancorp , making it his sixth biggest position, per InsiderScore. That position was originally built in the prior quarter. On the other hand, Halvorsen wiped out positions in Stryker , MetLife and Deere , among others.