Highland Associates Inc Q1 2019 vs. Q2 2019 13F Holdings: A Detailed Comparison

Highland Associates Inc. recently released its Q2 2019 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), listing its holdings as of June 30, 2019. The report indicates that the fund held a total of $2,009,658,000 in assets under management (AUM) at the end of the second quarter of 2019.

A comparison of the Q1 2019 and Q2 2019 13F filings of Highland Associates Inc. reveals that there were some interesting changes in the fund's holdings. In this article, we will take a closer look at the top holdings of Highland Associates Inc. as of Q2 2019 and the changes that occurred during the first half of the year.

Top Holdings of Highland Associates Inc. as of Q2 2019

According to the Q2 2019 13F filing, Highland Associates Inc.'s top holdings were iShares TR (IVV), Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD), iShares TR (IGF), and Mastercard Inc. (MA). These five companies accounted for 37.43% of the fund's portfolio.

iShares TR (IVV)

iShares TR (IVV) remained the top holding of Highland Associates Inc. in Q2 2019, although the fund decreased its position by 3.90% from Q1 2019. The fund held 1,786,175 shares of IVV at the end of the second quarter, with a total value of $526,475,000.

Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)

The fund's second largest holding in Q2 2019 was Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL), with 2.55% of the portfolio. Highland Associates did not hold any shares of GOOGL in Q1 2019, but purchased 47,300 shares in the second quarter of the year. The total value of the shares held was $51,216,000.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD)

Highland Associates Inc. did not hold any shares of Gilead Sciences Inc. (GILD) in Q1 2019, but purchased 617,000 shares in the second quarter, making the company the third largest holding of Highland Associates in Q2 2019. The total value of the shares held was $41,684,000.

iShares TR (IGF)

The fourth largest holding of Highland Associates Inc. in Q2 2019 was iShares TR (IGF), with 3.05% of the portfolio. The fund decreased its position by 4.14% from Q1 2019, holding 662,900 shares of IGF at the end of Q2 2019. The total value of the shares held was $30,625,000.

Mastercard Inc. (MA)

Mastercard Inc. (MA) was the fifth largest holding of Highland Associates Inc. in Q2 2019, with 1.14% of the portfolio. Although the fund did not hold any shares of MA in Q1 2019, it purchased 86,800 shares in Q2 2019. The total value of the shares held was $22,961,000.

Other Significant Changes in Holdings

Apart from the top holdings, Highland Associates made several other significant changes to its holdings during the first half of 2019. Some of the notable changes include:

- Highland Associates increased its position in Celgene Corp. (CELG) by 2.00%, holding 228,702 shares worth $21,141,000 at the end of Q2 2019.

- The fund decreased its position in iShares TR (IVF) by 4.14%, holding 662,900 shares worth $30,625,000 at the end of Q2 2019.

- Highland Associates completely sold its position in Halliburton Co. (HAL), Booking Hldgs Inc. (BKNG), Cigna Corp New (CI), Ulta Beauty Inc. (ULTA), ConocoPhillips (COP), Arista Networks Inc. (ANET), and Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (CTRA) during Q2 2019.

Conclusion

The Q2 2019 13F filing of Highland Associates Inc. reveals that the fund made several interesting changes in its holdings during the first half of the year. Despite decreasing its position in iShares TR (IVV) and iShares TR (IGF), the fund's top holdings remained the same. Also, the fund made some significant changes by completely selling its position in several companies. It will be interesting to see if the fund continues to make such changes in its holdings in the coming quarters.