Soros Fund Management, the team investing billionaire George Soros' fortune, is betting big on consumer finance by taking a large position in Synchrony Financial, according to a U.S. securities filing on Tuesday.
Soros now owns more than 7.1 million shares, its second-largest public stock position after Luxembourg-based agricultural company Adecoagro SA. The estimated value of the stake in Synchrony is $216.7 million, according to the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which details public stock holdings on Dec. 31, 2015.
Synchrony, based in Stamford, Connecticut, was previously known as GE Capital Retail Finance before it was spun-off by General Electric Co <GE.N> and renamed. It offers credit cards, loans and savings products, according to its website.
A spokesman for Soros declined to comment.
Another large new investment by Soros was in Houston-based energy company Columbia Pipeline Group Inc <CPGX.N>, according to the filing. The fund also added to its stakes in stocks including Delta Air Lines Inc <DAL.N>, energy company EQT Corp <EQT.N>, internet retailer Amazon.com Inc <AMZN.O> and fast-food chain McDonald’s Corp <MCD.N>.
Soros also exited positions in Chinese retailer Vipshop Holdings Ltd <VIPS.N>, energy technology company Schlumberger NV <SLB.N> and semiconductor and software business PMC-Sierra, according to the filing. The fund managers also reduced their positions is pharmaceutical company Allergan Plc <AGN.N>, Facebook Inc <FB.O> and Time Warner Cable Inc <TWC.N>.
Soros Fund Management was once one of the largest hedge funds in the world but is now closed to external investors. Its market moves are still closely watched; Forbes estimates that its 85-year-old namesake is worth $24.9 billion.
