Jim Simons-founded hedge fund boosted stake in GameStop before 400% surge in meme-stock rally: filing
NY Post
One of the top hedge funds in the world bought a sizable stake in GameStop just a few weeks before shares surged as much as 400% in the latest “meme stock” rally, a regulatory filing showed Wednesday.
Renaissance Technologies, the quant firm founded by legendary investor Jim Simons, who died last week, bought just over 1 million shares of GameStop during the quarter ending in March, according to the securities filing.
Assuming no changes in the position, the GameStop stake would be worth nearly $33.5 million through Wednesday — up from a value of about $13 million as of the end of last quarter.
The struggling video game retailer’s stock spiked 400% at its Tuesday high — boosted mainly by the return of “Roaring Kitty.”
The retail day trader, whose real name is Keith Gill, played a leading role in the 2021 meme-stock frenzy — when mom-and-pop investors poured into firms like GameStop and AMC to squeeze short-sellers.
RenTech also had increased its stake in the floundering movie theater chain by 78% to about 8.7 million shares during the first quarter, according to the filing.
