George Soros is ranked the 35th richest person in the world, according to Forbes, with an estimated worth of $14.2 billion. He's also got a reputation for being one of the most successful stock pickers on the planet.
That's why we put together this list of "George Soros investments" ahead of 2015. Eighty-year-old Soros definitely gets investors' attention when he makes a move on the market.
George Soros Investments to Consider Before 2015
AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) - Soros' investment portfolio includes over 1.5 million shares of AbbVie Inc., a research-based biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Chicago. AbbVie features Humira, a drug that boasts over $10 billion in international sales.
AbbVie looks like a promising buy, with the stock already rising 32% this year. ABBV started the year off at a share price of $51.98, and closed at $67.92 Dec.18. The stock's stellar year is partly due to growing interest from institutional investors.
Money Morning covered AbbVie last month most recently - go here to learn more about the benefits of this George Soros investment.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA) - George Soros bought 4.4 million shares of Alibaba when it went public Sept. 19. The Chinese e-commerce company shattered records in September when its $25 billion IPO hit the NYSE, marking the largest IPO ever. The IPO price was $68 and trading began at $92.70. Since then, the company has done incredibly well in the market, gaining 61% from its IPO price to close at $109.25 as of Dec.18.
Money Morning remains a fan of Alibaba stock, which you can learn more about here.
Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO) - Shares of the California-based multinational Internet corporation have experienced year-to-date gains of 28.59%, going from $39.59 by early January to $50.91 as of closing on Dec.18. Soros recently purchased 5,052,412 shares of Yahoo, which makes up 1.5% of his portfolio holdings.
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Yahoo stock's success is largely tied to that of Alibaba, in which Yahoo holds a 15% stake. Go here to read about the value of owning Yahoo stock.
Actavis Plc. (NYSE: ACT) - Actavis is a New Jersey-based global specialty pharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes pharmaceutical and biosimilar products. After buying Dublin-based Warner Chilcott in 2013, Actavis has become known for acquiring branded drugmakers, peaking in the $66 billion buyout of Botox maker Allergan in mid-November. Soros bought 149,885 shares of Actavis before this huge merger. ACT's share price has made year-to-date gains of 56.95%, going from $168.05 at the beginning of the year to $263.75 as of closing on Dec. 18.
Kite Pharma Inc. (Nasdaq: KITE) - Shares of KITE are up 82% so far this year, going from its $29 IPO price on June 20 to $52.78 by the close of Dec. 18. The biopharmaceutical company that develops cancer immunotherapy products attracted the attention of Soros, who purchased 660,148 shares.
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