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2 days ago
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Billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller and Stephen Mandel Both Exited Their Stakes in Nvidia and Have Piled Into This Leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Instead
Quarterly-filed Form 13Fs offer investors a way to track which stocks Wall Street's preeminent money managers are buying and selling. Over a 12-to-15-month span following June 2023, Duquesne Family Office's Stanley Druckenmiller and Lone Pine Capital's Stephen Mandel sent their respective Nvidia positions packing. However, these two billionaire asset managers can't stop buying a world-leading chip company that plays an indispensable role for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. 10 stocks we like better than Nvidia › Data is Wall Street's currency, and there's an abundance of it to go around. Between earnings season -- the six-week stretch each quarter where most S&P 500 companies report their operating results -- and economic data releases, there's an almost overwhelming amount of information for investors to absorb. Occasionally, something important can fall through the cracks. For example, May 15 marked the deadline for institutional investors overseeing at least $100 million in assets under management to file Form 13F with the Securities and Exchange Commission -- and you might have missed it. This filing, which is due no later than 45 calendar days following the end to a quarter, details which stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and (select) stock options Wall Street's brightest money managers purchased and sold in the latest quarter. It can offer big-time clues as to which influential stocks are garnering interest or falling out of favor. While Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett is the stock market's most-followed money manager, he's far from the only billionaire investor known to move markets. For instance, Duquesne Family Office's Stanley Druckenmiller and Lone Pine Capital's Stephen Mandel have exemplary investment track records of their own, along with billions of dollars in assets under management. What's particularly noteworthy about the first-quarter 13Fs from Druckenmiller's and Mandel's respective funds has been their approach to the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. Both billionaires have dumped the preeminent AI stock on Wall Street in favor of a company that's critical to enterprise AI data centers. With the analysts at PwC pegging the addressable market for artificial intelligence at $15.7 trillion by 2030, there's room for hundreds of businesses to get their piece of the pie. However, no company has been a more direct beneficiary of the evolution of AI than Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). It's also the stock billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller and Stephen Mandel sent packing. Accounting for Nvidia's 10-for-1 forward split in June 2024, Duquesne Family Office held 9,500,750 shares in the June-ended quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, Lone Pine Capital possessed 6,416,490 shares of Nvidia, also at the end of June 2023. But over the following 15 months for Druckenmiller and 12 months for Mandel, both billionaires would oversee the complete purge of their respective fund's Nvidia holdings. While there's no denying that Nvidia's Hopper (H100) graphics processing unit (GPU) and Blackwell GPU architecture are the preferred options in AI-accelerated data centers, and it's pretty clear that no other external competitors are particularly close to challenging Nvidia's hardware in terms of compute abilities, there are still viable reasons for Druckenmiller and Mandel to have cashed in their chips. One obvious reason to sell is simple profit-taking. Nvidia stock skyrocketed from early 2023 into late 2024, which increased its valuation by more than $3 trillion. We've never witnessed a megacap business add $3 trillion in market cap so quickly before, which may have encouraged these two billionaires to lock in their gains. But there might be more than just profit-taking behind this selling activity. For instance, it's only logical to expect competitive pressures to mount in the hardware arena. Even though Hopper and Blackwell hold most of the AI-GPU market share in high-compute data centers, external competitors are ramping up production of existing chips and bringing more energy-efficient hardware to market. What's more, many of Nvidia's top customers by net sales are developing AI-GPUs and AI solutions of their own. Even though these chips aren't going to be as fast as the Hopper or Blackwell, they're expected to be considerably cheaper and they won't be backlogged like Nvidia's hardware. This is a direct threat to the AI-GPU scarcity that's afforded Nvidia superior pricing power for its GPUs. History isn't exactly in Nvidia's corner, either. Despite AI supporting a lofty addressable market, every next-big-thing technology and innovation for more than three decades has endured an early stage bubble-bursting event. In short, investors have a historically strong tendency to overestimate how quickly a new innovation will gain utility and be adopted on a mainstream basis. With artificial intelligence likely needing time to mature as a technology, it's the most-direct beneficiary, Nvidia, which could feel the pain if a bubble forms and bursts. While Duquesne's and Lone Pine's billionaire chiefs pared down the number of stocks they're holding amid a volatile first quarter, there's one artificial intelligence stock both have been buying -- and it plays a vital role in the expansion of AI-accelerated data centers. The new AI apple of Druckenmiller's and Mandel's eye is none other than leading chip fabrication company Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM), which is more commonly known as "TSMC." Duquesne more than quintupled its existing stake by adding 491,265 shares of TSMC during the March-ended quarter, while Lone Pine's 13F shows that 104,937 shares of TSMC were purchased in the first quarter of 2025. Most AI-GPU companies rely on Taiwan Semi's fabrication services, including industry leader Nvidia and key rival Advanced Micro Devices. TSMC is in the process of rapidly expanding its monthly chip-on-wafer-on-substrate (CoWoS) capacity from approximately 35,000 units in 2024 to an estimated 135,000 units monthly by 2026. CoWoS is a technology used to package high-bandwidth memory, which is necessary for high-compute data centers where software and systems are making split-second decisions. With demand for AI-GPUs overwhelming their supply over the last two years, TSMC has enjoyed a significant backlog for its chip fabrication services and has seen more its net sales skew toward high-performance computing, which can yield higher margins for the company. On a year-over-year basis, TSMC's net sales from high-performance computing surged from 46% to 59%, as of the March-ended quarter. Although the possible bursting of an AI bubble would be a concern for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the company's order backlog and revenue diversification offers some semblance of protection. For instance, 28% of net sales in the first quarter derived from advanced chips used in smartphones. Apple prominently leans on TSMC for the chips used in the iPhone. The great thing about smartphones and wireless service access is they've both evolved into basic necessities for most Americans. Even though demand for smartphone chips isn't growing as quickly as it once did, the cash flow from this segment tends to be highly predictable for TSMC. Taiwan Semi has a long runway of opportunity in Internet of Things and automotive, as well. As homes and vehicles become more technology-dependent, companies like TSMC will be relied on to manufacture these advanced chips. Lastly, Druckenmiller and Mandel may have been encouraged by the dip in Taiwan Semiconductor's stock in the first quarter. Though TSMC stock isn't (currently) historically inexpensive, its shares did drop to a forward price-to-earnings ratio of nearly 15 during tail-end of the March quarter. This makes for an attractive multiple, when compared to Nvidia. Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Sean Williams has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller and Stephen Mandel Both Exited Their Stakes in Nvidia and Have Piled Into This Leading Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock Instead was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
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2 days ago
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Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Owns $175 Million of This Brilliant Dividend Growth Stock
Philip Morris International is one of the largest positions in Stan Druckenmiller's portfolio. The stock has soared because of its leading position in disruptive nicotine categories. The stock can produce plenty of dividend growth for the rest of this decade. 10 stocks we like better than Philip Morris International › It can pay to follow billionaire fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller, who has put up phenomenal market-beating returns for decades. One of the largest positions in his Duquesne Family Office is Philip Morris International (NYSE: PM). He owns $175 million worth of the stock, first purchased in the second quarter of 2024. Since then, shares have posted a total return of more than 100% as investors have gotten excited about the company's growth with new nicotine brands that are replacing cigarettes. Here's the brilliance behind Philip Morris' strategy, and why this is the perfect dividend growth stock over the next 10 years. Spun out as an independent company almost two decades ago, Philip Morris International is one of the leading tobacco companies that sells outside of the United States, while Altria Group sells its brands domestically. One benefit of owning Philip Morris International is the international diversification it can provide for your portfolio. Even though the company reports in U.S. dollars, the revenue it collects is generally outside the United States, which can help investors when the dollar is getting devalued versus foreign currencies, as is happening today. The stock has soared mainly because of the major investments the company made beyond cigarettes that are now bearing fruit. It has the leading nicotine pouch brand called Zyn, which is growing like wildfire in the United States, and with incredible profit margins. The brand has gone from virtually nothing 10 years ago to selling more than 200 million cans a quarter in the country. More globally, the Iqos heat-not-burn device brand is the leader in the category that is popular in Europe and Japan, driving tons of new revenue and earnings for Philip Morris International. Overall, 42% of the company's revenue now comes from its smoke-free business, driving overall revenue to $38.4 billion over the last 12 months. Dividends are the way that Philip Morris returns capital to shareholders. Its dividend yield is much lower than a year ago at 3%, but it still offers a solid yield for shareholders. One big factor in this dividend consistency is the steady cash flow produced by the legacy cigarette business. Usage for cigarettes is slowly declining in the markets in which it operates, but the company is in a much better position outside of the United States because of its exposure to countries with growing populations. It also has the leading brands that consumers of nicotine are switching to buy. Today, Philip Morris pays a dividend per share of $5.35. This will be funded by its free cash flow per share, currently at $6.55. No cash flow, no dividends. It's that simple at the end of the day. Free cash flow is actually depressed right now because of the large manufacturing build-out for nicotine pouches and heat-not-burn growth. Over the next five years, investors should see an inflection in free cash flow per share up to $10 or higher. In turn, this gives the company plenty of room to grow its dividend-per-share payout, which will boost the dividend yield as long as the stock price doesn't go up. Around 10% dividend growth for the next five years will put the stock's dividend-per-share payout at $8.61, which is well below what the company can generate in free cash flow. This gives the company an easy path to keep growing its dividend payout for shareholders. Even though the stock is up 100% in the last 12 months or so, Philip Morris International stock may still be a solid buy for investors today. Don't expect 100% returns every year, but the math works out that this stock is still cheaper than most you can buy today. It has a forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 24, which is not overly expensive for a consistent earnings grower. The dividend yield is well above the stock market average, with plenty of room to grow this yield in the years to come. Philip Morris has the dominant position in the growing trend of nicotine use without tobacco, which will make it a market share taker versus competitors. Put it together, and Philip Morris International is a great stock to buy and hold for the long haul. No wonder Druckenmiller has it as one of the largest positions in his portfolio. Before you buy stock in Philip Morris International, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Philip Morris International wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Brett Schafer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Philip Morris International. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Owns $175 Million of This Brilliant Dividend Growth Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool 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
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2 days ago
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Palantir Stock vs. Taiwan Semiconductor Stock: Wall Street Says Buy One and Sell the Other
Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller of the Duquesne Family Office and Cathie Wood of Ark Invest have both been selling Palantir Technologies stock and buying shares in Taiwan Semi lately. Palantir stock has experienced outsized momentum throughout 2025, potentially making now a smart time to take gains. Conversely, TSMC has experienced notable valuation compression despite robust long-term tailwinds supported by ongoing AI infrastructure spend. 10 stocks we like better than Palantir Technologies › Following the end of each calendar quarter, institutional investors are required by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to file a Form 13F. A 13F serves as a public ledger, breaking down which stocks the "smart money" on Wall Street bought and sold during the most recent quarter. For the last few years, institutional investors haven't been able to stop buying artificial intelligence (AI) stocks. Chief among popular buys for most of the last two years are "Magnificent Seven" darling Nvidia and data mining specialist Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR). However, while combing through some recent filings and trading data, it would appear that some of Wall Street's most closely followed personalities are dumping Palantir stock and redeploying their gains into another AI semiconductor stock -- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM). I'll detail some moves made by billionaire money manager Stanley Druckenmiller of the Duquesne Family Office and Ark Invest founder Cathie Wood as it relates to swapping Palantir for TSMC. Let's dig into why selling Palantir stock and buying shares of TSMC might make sense for growth investors right now. It's no secret that 2025 has been a choppy year in the stock market. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite have each exhibited pronounced volatility, thanks in large part to an overwhelming cloud of uncertainty -- from tariff negotiations, mixed economic data, and guessing what policies the Federal Reserve might institute next. Nevertheless, it seems as if nothing can stand in the way of Palantir stock's parabolic run. Let's start with Cathie Wood's recent trading activity. While Palantir remains the fifth-largest holding across Ark Invest's exchange-traded funds (ETFs), the firm has been trimming its exposure to Palantir over the last month. Of note, some of these trades were required by specific regulations per the Internal Revenue Code. Essentially, the gains in Ark's Palantir position were so high that the stock had become an abnormally large position, and the rise in share price triggered a sale. What is unique, however, is that Ark continued reducing its exposure to Palantir -- even after the company delivered a monster earnings report earlier this month. Druckenmiller's activity in Palantir stock differs slightly from Wood's. Per Duquesne Family Office's Q1 13F, the firm no longer has any exposure to Palantir -- having sold its remaining 41,710 shares during the quarter. I went back and took a look at Duquesne's exposure to Palantir since the company went public back in 2020. It would appear that this is not the first time since Druckenmiller and his team owned the red-hot AI stock, only to dump it later on. Need I remind you, Wood has done this before, too. At a price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of nearly 100, Palantir has become a historically pricey stock among a cohort of software businesses that generally fetch premium valuations as it is. The trading patterns from Wood and Druckenmiller lead me to think that each investor may be exercising a similar strategy: taking profits off the table during periods of pronounced momentum and being cognizant of an overstretched valuation. During the first quarter, the Duquesne Family Office purchased 491,265 shares of Taiwan Semi stock -- increasing its stake by 457%. In addition, Wood appears to be quietly carving out more exposure to semiconductor stocks across Ark's portfolio, too. Over the last few months, Ark has gone back to buying shares of Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, and more recently, just scooped up TSMC stock. From a macro standpoint, buying chip stocks looks like a savvy bet right now. Hyperscalers such as Amazon, Alphabet, and Microsoft, in combination with Meta Platforms and Apple, have collectively committed hundreds of billions of dollars for AI-related capital expenditures (capex) over the next several years. In addition, Oracle, OpenAI, and SoftBank are leading the charge for Project Stargate -- a $500 billion AI infrastructure initiative. Secular tailwinds fueling AI infrastructure, particularly a rising need for GPUs and integrated network equipment, bode well for Taiwan Semi's long-term prospects. Even so, shares of Taiwan Semi have faced enormous pressure as of late -- likely due to ongoing tensions between the U.S. and China as it relates to trade. At a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of just 21.3, TSMC appears to have exhibited some pronounced valuation compression during the first quarter. In all fairness, I personally remain bullish on both Palantir and Taiwan Semi -- as each have compelling long-run tailwinds underscored by the AI movement. But right now, I think Palantir's valuation is quite lofty and it's increasingly becoming difficult to justify. On the other hand, I think TSMC stock is reasonably valued and looks like a great buy right now. My thinking is Druckenmiller and Wood redeployed their gains from high-flying growth stocks such as Palantir and bought the dip in Taiwan Semi stock. With that in mind, I think investors might want to consider doing the same and reduce some exposure to Palantir and reinvest their gains elsewhere -- and Taiwan Semi looks like a great position for that. Before you buy stock in Palantir Technologies, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Palantir Technologies wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,049!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $828,224!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 979% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adam Spatacco has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Cloudflare, CrowdStrike, Datadog, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, MongoDB, Nvidia, Oracle, Palantir Technologies, ServiceNow, Snowflake, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2026 $395 calls on Microsoft and short January 2026 $405 calls on Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Palantir Stock vs. Taiwan Semiconductor Stock: Wall Street Says Buy One and Sell the Other was originally published by The Motley Fool 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
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5 days ago
- Business
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Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Just Loaded Up on My Favorite Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock
The Duquesne Family Office purchased Taiwan Semiconductor shares in Q1. TSMC is expected to deliver strong growth over the next five years. The stock still trades at an attractive valuation. 10 stocks we like better than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing › Individual investors should monitor the activities of some of the most successful investors. Billionaire hedge fund managers have access to more resources and information than individual investors, and following them is a great way to confirm decisions you've already made or generate ideas. One billionaire I follow is Stanley Druckenmiller, who runs the Duquesne Family Office. Every quarter, funds with more than $100 million in holdings must report their holdings at the end of the quarter. Then that information is made available to the public 45 days later in a 13-F form. The latest round of those was released on May 15 and included some valuable information. The Duquesne Family Office loaded up on my favorite way to invest in the artificial intelligence (AI) arms race: Taiwan Semiconductor (NYSE: TSM), also referred to as TSMC. I think this is a genius move by Druckenmiller. The Duquesne Family Office didn't just buy some shares of TSMC; it loaded up. Prior to Q1, it owned just over 100,000 shares of the company. It has massively increased its position this quarter and now owns just shy of 600,000 shares. Its TSMC stake now makes up about 3.33% of its total holdings and is one of its 10 largest positions. So what makes it so bullish on Taiwan Semiconductor? TSMC is the world's largest contract chip manufacturer, able to produce chips based on the unique designs of its customers. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, as this way clients don't need to maintain factories or spend resources on developing chip manufacturing technology, and TSMC doesn't need to design or market its chips. Based on how TSMC is positioned, the company doesn't need a winning AI technology to win the AI arms race; it just needs its clients to spend heavily on the computing power that fuels it. An investment in TSMC is a bet that the world will use more computing power and more advanced chips over time. That's a no-brainer, which is why the company is at the top of my list for best AI stocks in which to invest. Because of Taiwan Semiconductor's unique position of being a chip supplier to nearly every company involved in the AI arms race, it has unparalleled access to information about demand. Chip orders are placed years in advance, as evidenced by TSMC's Arizona factory already selling out production through 2027. So when management gives a projection, investors would be wise to listen. TSMC's management believes that AI demand will be so strong that its AI-related revenue will grow at a 45% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years. Overall revenue should increase at nearly a 20% CAGR, providing outstanding growth for investors. All of this information contributes to the Duquesne Family Office loading up on shares during Q1, but the last date at which it could have made this purchase was March 31, when the markets hadn't recovered from tariff-induced fears. So is it still a good buy now? Despite Taiwan Semiconductor's stock recovering in the past few weeks, it's still trading at a fairly attractive valuation. At less than 21 times forward earnings, TSMC trades at a discount to the broader market, as measured by the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), which trades for around 22.1 times forward earnings. Although you can't buy TSMC stock for as little as you could just a few weeks ago, it's still cheaper than the broader market and is expected to grow its revenue much faster than the market rises (around 10% per year). That's a recipe for a market-beating stock, which makes Taiwan Semiconductor a smart buy here. Before you buy stock in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $653,389!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $830,492!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 982% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 171% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 Keithen Drury has positions in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Just Loaded Up on My Favorite Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool 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
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6 days ago
- Business
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After Saying Selling Nvidia Stock Was a "Big Mistake," Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Just Increased His Fund's Stake by 457% in This Other Artificial Intelligence (AI) Semiconductor Stock
Druckenmiller previously admitted that he thinks his fund sold Nvidia stock too early. Per recent filings, the billionaire has just doubled down on another chip opportunity. 10 stocks we like better than Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing › It's easy to think that institutional money managers somehow possess knowledge that's superior to the rest of the investment community. After all, these billionaires are called "smart money" for a reason. What I find helpful, though, is when portfolio managers admit that they may have made a mistake. To me, this sheds light into how these investors think, and what strategies they may hone in order to mitigate making the same oversight. Stanley Druckenmiller of the Duquesne Family Office admitted that he sold Nvidia stock far too early -- going as far as to say that he made a "big mistake" in doing so. Since making these comments, Druckenmiller has definitely had multiple chances to get back on the Nvidia train. After all, Cathie Wood of Ark Invest did just that after she too sold the semiconductor darling prior to its epic rally a couple of years ago. Nevertheless, recent filings indicate that Druckenmiller may have accepted his decision with Nvidia and is seeking opportunity elsewhere. Let's dig into the new artificial intelligence (AI) chip stock that the Duquesne Family Office just increased its stake in by a whopping 457%. Now may be a lucrative time to follow Druckenmiller's lead. Per its most recent 13F filing, the Duquesne Family Office recently plowed into Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM) stock. In the table, I've summarized the fund's position in TSMC over the last year: Category Q1 2024 Q2 2024 Q3 2024 Q4 2024 Q1 2025 Shares owned 0 0 57,355 107,515 598,780 Data source: Hedge Follow. Table by author. Sometimes when a hedge fund increases its position in a particular stock, you can begin identifying a pattern by looking at prior filings. In this case, however, I don't think these dynamics really hold up. A year ago, Druckenmiller's portfolio had zero exposure to Taiwan Semi. And while the firm did buy the stock during the previous two quarters, the position itself was relatively nominal. Looked at a different way, the most recent purchase of TSMC stock during Q1 is a clear outlier compared to the previous two quarters. While Taiwan Semi might not receive nearly as much coverage as Nvidia, Advanced Micro Devices, or Broadcom, don't be fooled by its quiet reputation. Companies such as Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, Amazon, Qualcomm, Apple, and many more all design or buy chips and integrated network equipment for AI data centers. Where TSMC comes into play is that they actually manufacture the equipment that is designed by these companies. So while Nvidia and its cohorts get to sell the best shovels that money can buy during the AI gold rush, Taiwan Semi is in the background actually making the shovels. In other words, a good chunk of the AI chip opportunity hinges on TSMC's ability to manufacture these products. What's even more encouraging is that Taiwan Semi is investing heavily into infrastructure in an effort to maintain its lead over the competition. The company has already built factories here in the U.S., and has plans to double down on this initiative over the next few years. These investments are strategic, as they should allow for more efficiencies and improved supply chain logistics with domestic chip partners -- a strategy that I think will further cement TSMC's market share lead. Wall Street seems to be bullish on Taiwan Semi, too. Per these estimates, analysts are forecasting impressive growth across both revenue and profits for TSMC over the next few years. I see these projections as a proxy for continued robust demand for AI chips, and Taiwan Semi's ability to win business over the competition such as Intel or Samsung. Right now, Taiwan Semiconductor's shares trade at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) multiple of 20.8 -- essentially identical to its five-year average. Given how influential TSMC's foundry services are to the broader chip narrative, it's a little perplexing to see the company's forward valuation ratios trading in line with levels prior to the AI revolution. I think the recent valuation compression in TSMC can be attributed to two primary factors: uncertainty around tariff policies and geopolitical tensions with China. While I'll acknowledge both as potential risk factors, I think the bearish narrative surrounding each of them is overblown. Despite ongoing trade negotiations, demand for AI infrastructure remains incredibly high. These dynamics bode well for TSMC. Moreover, if management were questioning the long-term growth trajectory of the company, I'd be suspicious that it would be looking to expand its footprint beyond Asia. To me, Taiwan Semiconductor is humming along just fine -- and I don't see its tailwinds slowing down anytime soon. For these reasons, investors may want to follow Druckenmiller's lead and take advantage of Taiwan Semi's attractive price levels right now. More importantly, unlike what Druckenmiller did with Nvidia, TSMC looks primed for years to come, and growth investors may want to hold on tight for the long haul. Before you buy stock in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the for investors to buy now… and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $651,761!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $826,263!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor's total average return is 978% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 170% for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join . See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of May 19, 2025 John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adam Spatacco has positions in Amazon, Apple, and Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon, Apple, Intel, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool recommends Broadcom and recommends the following options: short August 2025 $24 calls on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. After Saying Selling Nvidia Stock Was a "Big Mistake," Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller Just Increased His Fund's Stake by 457% in This Other Artificial Intelligence (AI) Semiconductor Stock was originally published by The Motley Fool
