Analyzing Changes to Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC's Holdings in Q1 2022: A 13F Holdings Comparison

Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC is a global asset management firm headquartered in Seattle, Washington. They manage over $400 billion of assets for both institutional and individual investors and are renowned for their quantitative investment strategies.

In this blog post, we will be analyzing the changes in holdings of Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022, as shown in their 13F Holdings Comparison CSV. Let's dive in.

The main takeaway from the CSV is that Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC made significant changes to their portfolio between the two quarters. The total value of their holdings decreased from $92.6 billion in Q4 2021 to $83.7 billion in Q1 2022, a decrease of 9.6%. The number of shares held also decreased from 324.3 million to 309.8 million, a decrease of 4.5%. These changes suggest that the investment firm may have taken a more cautious approach to their holdings in Q1 2022, potentially in response to market volatility or uncertain economic conditions.

Let's take a deeper dive into the CSV to analyze some of the specific changes in holdings made by Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC.

Starting with the top holdings, we can see that the investment firm increased their holdings in Apple Inc (AAPL) by 0.6% between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022. This was a relatively small increase, but noteworthy given that many other holdings were decreased over the same period. Apple has shown consistent growth and strength in the tech industry, likely motivating the firm to increase their holdings.

On the other hand, we see that several of Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC's top holdings were decreased over Q1 2022. Microsoft Corp (MSFT), Vangaurd S&P 500 ETF (VOO), and Alphabet Inc - Cl A (GOOGL) experienced the largest value decreases in the firm's portfolio, at -5.4%, -10.3%, and -0.8%, respectively.

It's interesting to note that Amazon.com Inc (AMZN) was also decreased slightly at -1.1%, despite the company's strong performance in recent years. However, given the uncertainty surrounding the future of Amazon under new leadership following Jeff Bezos' departure, some investors may be hesitant to continue holding significant amounts of the company's stock.

Next, we can observe some notable increases and decreases among the mid-tier holdings of Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC. One of the most significant increases was seen in Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRK-B), at 27.8%. This is likely due to the strong performance of Berkshire Hathaway's subsidiary companies as well as the continued success of Warren Buffet's investment strategies.

In contrast, Home Depot Inc/The (HD) and Applied Materials Inc (AMAT) experienced some of the largest decreases in value over Q1 2022, at -28.1% and -19.1% respectively. These decreases could be related to lower-than-expected earnings or perceived weakness in the respective markets.

Lastly, we can see that some holdings saw significant changes in the number of shares held by Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC between Q4 2021 and Q1 2022. One example is Netflix Inc (NFLX), which saw a decrease of 41.7% in the number of shares held by the firm. This could be due to concerns over increased competition in the streaming industry and potential slowdowns in the company's growth.

In conclusion, the 13F Holdings Comparison CSV from Parametric Portfolio Associates LLC shows a notable shift in their portfolio over Q1 2022. While some holdings were increased slightly, many others were decreased, suggesting a more cautious approach to investing. It will be interesting to continue tracking the firm's holdings and performance in the coming months to see how their investment strategies evolve.