A Look at Fairfield, Bush & Co.'s Q3 vs. Q4 13F Holdings: Winners, Losers, and What It All Means

When Fairfield, Bush & Co. recently released its Q3 and Q4 13F holdings, investors took notice. After all, the list of the biggest movers and shakers among the firm's holdings has implications not just for the company itself, but for the stock market as a whole.

So what did the figures show? And what can be gleaned from the performance of various holdings over the two quarters? Here's a closer look.

Top Gainers

First, the good news: several of Fairfield, Bush & Co.'s holdings showed impressive gains from Q3 to Q4.

For example, the firm's holdings in Novartis AG, the Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company, showed an increase of 18.3 percent in value over the two quarters. Similarly, the value of the firm's holdings in Chevron Corp. rose by 18 percent over the same period. And shares of The Hershey Company, in which Fairfield, Bush & Co. holds a stake, saw an increase of 10.2 percent in value from Q3 to Q4.

Other holdings that showed gains in value over the two quarters include JPMorgan Chase & Co., up 23.8 percent; Oracle Corp., up 29.3 percent; Johnson & Johnson, up 3.8 percent; and Intuit Inc., up 1.1 percent.

Top Losers

Of course, not all of Fairfield, Bush & Co.'s holdings fared so well over the two quarters. Some saw significant drops in value.

For example, Amazon.com Inc. saw a decrease in value of 28.4 percent from Q3 to Q4. Qualcomm Inc. fell by 13.9 percent over the same period. And shares of CrowdStrike Holdings, Inc. lost a whopping 42.2 percent of their value.

Other holdings that saw losses in value over the two quarters include Alphabet Inc., down 11.2 percent; Smucker J.M. Co., down 4.7 percent; and Albemarle Corp., down 14.2 percent.

What It All Means

So what can we glean from Fairfield, Bush & Co.'s Q3 vs. Q4 13F holdings? Here are a few takeaways:

- The pharmaceutical industry continues to be a strong performer: Novartis AG was among the biggest gainers over the two quarters, while Merck & Co. Inc. saw a 29.2 percent increase in value, and Lilly Eli & Co. saw an 85.4 percent increase.

- The technology sector remains volatile: While Fairfield, Bush & Co.'s holdings in Microsoft Corp. and Oracle Corp. saw gains, other technology companies such as Amazon.com Inc. and Qualcomm Inc. saw significant losses.

- Energy companies are rebounding: After a rough year, energy companies such as Chevron Corp. and Phillips 66 saw significant gains in value from Q3 to Q4.

- COVID-19 continues to impact certain industries: Shares of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., a company working on COVID-19 treatments, rose by 14.7 percent in value over the two quarters. Meanwhile, shares of ServiceNow Inc., which provides cloud computing services, fell by 3.4 percent.

Overall, the numbers show a mixed bag of winners and losers among Fairfield, Bush & Co.'s holdings. And while the firm's holdings are just a small slice of the stock market pie, they do provide a glimpse into how certain industries and companies are faring. Investors can use this information to make informed decisions about their own portfolios moving forward.