Vickers Stock Research, a subsidiary of Argus Research Group, tracks and analyzes insider trading and institutional ownership trends. Form 13-Fs are due 45 days after the end of calendar quarters, and are now coming in from 4Q20. We review the 13Fs of the major activist investors, including Carl Icahn, Trian Fund Management, Jana Partners, and ValueAct Holdings, among others. Activist investing has evolved and is now less about generating a short-term return on an underpriced stock and more about achieving long-term returns through an active management/investor partnership. Here are some recent new purchases and key holdings of activist investors, according to Vickers.

Earnings Help Support a Stretched Market

Stocks were largely flat on Tuesday morning after a week of strong gains as investors awaited next steps in the passage of the Biden administration's stimulus plan. On the employment front, the Labor Department, in its monthly JOLTS report, said that U.S. job openings rose slightly in December, to 6.65 million, while hiring fell to 5.54 million from 5.94 million in November. The Dow and the S&P were flat, while the Nasdaq rose 0.3%. Crude oil traded near $58 per barrel, while gold rose $3 to $1837 per ounce.

Stocks rose again on Monday morning, continuing their recent rally, amid optimism about federal stimulus spending, the ongoing vaccine rollout, and the decline in new U.S. coronavirus cases. Prior to the open, 59% of S&P 500 companies had reported 4Q earnings, according to FactSet, and 81% of these companies had topped expectations. The Dow rose 0.4%, the S&P 0.3%, and the Nasdaq 0.4%. Crude oil traded near $58 per barrel, while gold rose $26 to $1839 per ounce.