Renaissance Large Cap Growth Strategy Sold WEX (WEX) Amid Deteriorating Fundamental Factors
Renaissance Investment Management, an investment management company, released its Q4 2024 'Large Cap Growth Strategy' investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. US stocks delivered robust results in the fourth quarter with the S&P 500 reporting positive results for the fifth consecutive quarter. The stocks rose after Trump's election due to optimism for corporate earnings growth, but December's hawkish Fed comments dampened enthusiasm by lowering rate cut expectations for 2025. In the fourth quarter, the Russell 1000 Growth gained +7.1%, compared to a 2.4% return for the S&P 500. Large-cap stocks outperformed both mid and small-cap stocks, and Growth significantly outperformed Value. The returns were largely driven by a small group of mega-cap technology companies, as interest in AI-related stocks remains strong. Against this backdrop, the strategy outperformed the S&P 500 and underperformed the Russell 1000 Growth in the fourth quarter. For more information on the fund's best picks in 2024, please check its top five holdings.
In its fourth quarter 2024 investor letter, Renaissance Large Cap Growth Strategy emphasized stocks such as WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX). WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) is a commerce platform operator that offers payment processing and information management solutions. The one-month return of WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) was -1.13%, and its shares lost 34.61% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On March 27, 2025, WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) stock closed at $155.32 per share with a market capitalization of $6.029 billion.
Renaissance Large Cap Growth Strategy stated the following regarding WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
"Conversely, we sold our position in WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) following a deterioration in fundamental factors. The stock has been under pressure following several quarters of disappointing operating results, with the company citing macroeconomic volatility and higher fuel prices affecting consumer spending behavior, leading to a deceleration in transactional volume growth. Meanwhile operating expenses remain elevated, pressuring core margins, while the loss of a large customer earlier in the year continues to create growth headwinds for the company. We believe that the prudent decision was to step aside until we see evidence of stabilization or improvement in operating metrics."
An executive standing in front of a large monitor that shows payment processing information.
WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 36 hedge fund portfolios held WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) at the end of the fourth quarter compared to 29 in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) generated $637 million in revenue, representing a 4% decrease year-over-year. While we acknowledge the potential of WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
We covered WEX Inc. (NYSE:WEX) in another article, where we shared Janus Henderson Enterprise Fund's views on the company in the previous quarter. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q4 2024 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
READ NEXT: Michael Burry Is Selling These Stocks and A New Dawn Is Coming to US Stocks.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sending money to family in foreign countries may be taxed more
Jun. 9—Families hoping to send money to loved ones in other countries may be hit with additional fees from a tax and spending bill proposed by the Trump administration that would slap a 3.5% tax on remittances sent by anyone who is not a U.S. citizen. The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" passed through the House in May and is now being debated by the Senate. The budget bill has several proposed tax changes, which include taxing money sent from an estimated 40 million non-US citizens — including green card holders, temporary workers and undocumented immigrants — to family and friends in other countries. The bill had a 5% tax but was reduced to 3.5%. The bill is another way the Trump administration is hoping to dissuade immigrants, both documented and undocumented, from coming into the country and moving money out of the U.S. economy. Republicans believe the bill would increase the average take-home pay of U.S. citizens, while Democrats believe the bill and increased taxes are "a transfer of wealth from the working class to the rich," said Daniel Garcia, spokesperson for the Democratic Party of New Mexico. What is a remittance? Remittances refer to sending money from one person to another and is typically done between family members from one country to another. A person living and working in the U.S. would send money to family members typically living in a developing country, where this money is a source of income that contributes to the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Payments are typically sent using an electronic payment service or a money transfer app. Banks, credit unions and money transfer services charge a fee for processing remittances, and fees average 10%, according to the International Monetary Fund. Cryptocurrency exchanges are not as heavily regulated and can be a way to avoid additional taxes and surcharges. "Taxing remittances would amount to a form of double taxation, since migrants already pay taxes in the country where they work," Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexican Ambassador, wrote in a statement. "Imposing a tax on these transfers would disproportionately affect those with the least, without accounting for their ability to pay," Barragán added. However, some believe the 3.5% tax fee would give financial support to public services and is the most "pro-worker, pro-family and pro-American legislation we've seen in decades," said Amy Barela, chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico. "Let's be clear, this measure is not about targeting individuals," she wrote in a statement to the Journal. "It's about ensuring the 3.5% fee, although modest, would also have a very meaningful impact in helping offset costs associated with public services, border security, and community infrastructure — relieving some of the financial pressure on hardworking New Mexicans who continue to bear the burden of an imbalanced system." Crucial source of revenue Mexico is the second-largest receiver of personally wired money behind India, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. In 2024, Latin America received $160.9 billion, with the U.S. accounting for 96.6% of all remittances to Mexico. They also make up 20-30% of GDP in countries like El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti and Honduras. "Remittance is a very important source of revenue in our government," said Patricia Pinzón, consul of Mexico. "This would affect Mexican families and the economy in general, but I would say the basic needs of Mexican families is the most worrying thing." However, "whatever happens in one economy will affect the other," said Pinzón. "Our economies are so interrelated that everything that happens here has a consequence in Mexico," she said. "Mexicans will not stop sending money; they'll just look for alternative ways to send it." Mexican migrant workers sent 16.7% of their labor income back to their families, and more than 80% of the income remains in the U.S. economy. The average amount of remittance sent to Mexico is roughly $350 every one to two months, which "could seem like nothing for the U.S., but it's money that a whole family lives on and covers their basics in Mexico," Pinzón said.
San Francisco Chronicle
25 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Asian shares gain as investors keep an eye on China-US trade talks
Asian shares were mostly higher on Tuesday as investors kept an eye on China-U.S. trade talks that might help stave off a recession. A second day of talks was planned after U.S. and Chinese officials met in London for negotiations over various issues. The hope is that they can eventually reach a deal to reduce painfully high tariffs against each other. Most of the tariff hikes imposed since U.S. President Donald Trump escalated his trade war are paused to allow trade in everything from tiny tech gadgets to enormous machinery to continue. In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 1% to 38,473.97, while the Kospi in South Korea jumped 0.9% to 2,881.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged 0.2% higher, to 24,242.03 and the Shanghai Composite index was up 0.1% at 3,403.51. In Taiwan, the Taiex surged 2%. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.7% to 8,578.50. On Monday, the S&P 500 edged up just 0.1% and at 6,005.88 is within 2.3% of its record set in February. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped by 1 point, which is well below 0.1%, to 42,761.76. The Nasdaq composite added 0.3% to 19,591.24. Hopes that President Donald Trump will lower his tariffs after reaching trade deals with countries around the world have helped the S&P 500 has rally back after it dropped roughly 20% from its record two months ago. It's back above where it was when Trump shocked financial markets in April with his wide-ranging tariff announcement on what he called 'Liberation Day.' Some of the market's biggest moves came from the announcement of big buyout deals. Qualcomm rallied 4.1% after saying it agreed to buy Alphawave Semi in a deal valued at $2.4 billion. IonQ, meanwhile, rose 2.7% after the quantum computing and networking company said it agreed to purchase Oxford Ionics for nearly $1.08 billion. On the losing side of Wall Street was Warner Bros. Discovery, which flipped from a big early gain to a loss of 3% after saying it would split into two companies. One will get Warner Bros. Television, HBO Max and other studio brands, while the other will hold onto CNN, TNT Sports and other entertainment, sports and news television brands around the world, along with some digital products. Tesla recovered some of its sharp, recent drop. The electric vehicle company tumbled last week as Elon Musk's relationship with Trump broke apart, and it rose 4.6% Monday after flipping between gains and losses earlier in the day. The frayed relationship could end up damaging Musk's other companies that get contracts from the U.S. government, such as SpaceX. Rocket Lab, a space company that could pick up business at SpaceX's expense, rose 2.5%. In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury eased to 4.48% from 4.51% late Friday. It fell after a survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York found that consumers' expectations for coming inflation eased a bit in May. Economists expect a report coming on Wednesday to show inflation across the country accelerated last month to 2.5% from 2.3%. The Fed has been keeping its main interest rate steady as it waits to see how much Trump's tariffs will raise inflation and how much they will hurt the economy. A persistent increase in expectations for inflation among U.S. households could drive behavior that creates a vicious cycle that only worsens inflation. In other dealings early Tuesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil picked up 31 cents to $65.60 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, also gained 31 cents, to $67.35. The dollar rose to 144.93 Japanese yen from 144.61 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1399 from $1.1421. ___
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Insurance tech firm Slide targets over $2 billion valuation in Nasdaq IPO
-- Insurance technology company Slide is pursuing a valuation of up to $2.12 billion in its upcoming initial public offering (IPO) on the Nasdaq exchange. The company disclosed the target in a filing on Monday. In collaboration with some of its existing stakeholders, Slide is aiming to raise up to $340 million from the IPO. This move is in line with a recent trend of successful stock market debuts by insurance firms. Barclays and Morgan Stanley have been named as the lead underwriters for the listing. The shares of the company are anticipated to begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol "SLDE". Related articles Insurance tech firm Slide targets over $2 billion valuation in Nasdaq IPO Morgan Stanley downgrades Lululemon on weak US growth outlook Tesla shares slip after double downgrade amid Trump feud fallout Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
