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Wall Street titan Bill Ackman unveils massive portfolio overhaul with SIX new mega-bets - including the streaming giant that burned him
Daily Mail ^ | August 14, 2026 | Sadie Whitelocks

Posted on 08/15/2026 11:20:07 AM PDT by Angelino97

Billionaire investor Bill Ackman has made his biggest portfolio shake-up in years, unveiling six new stock picks as he looks beyond the handful of companies that have traditionally dominated his concentrated investment strategy.

The Pershing Square boss has revealed new positions in Netflix, Visa, Mastercard, Alcon, Intercontinental Exchange and S&P Global, saying he believes the companies are positioned for strong earnings growth.

The purchases were made from the second quarter onwards and will be held across Ackman's investment funds, including his newly launched Pershing Square USA, which began trading on the New York Stock Exchange in April.

The move is particularly notable because Ackman has historically kept his portfolio tightly focused, generally holding no more than about a dozen companies at a time.

And there is a particularly interesting twist to one of the new bets: Netflix is a company Ackman has been here before with – and the first attempt ended badly.

Ackman briefly owned Netflix in 2022 before Pershing Square sold the position at a loss of around $400 million.

He has now returned to the streaming giant, signaling that he believes the company's prospects have changed significantly since his previous investment.

The six new holdings span several industries. Visa and Mastercard dominate global payments, Alcon specializes in eye care, Intercontinental Exchange operates financial exchanges and other markets, while S&P Global provides financial information, ratings and analytics.

Ackman has said his investment philosophy centers on finding businesses that are relatively simple and predictable, generate strong free cash flow and have durable competitive advantages.

He believes earnings growth is ultimately the most important driver of investment value over the long term. For anyone who has followed Wall Street over the past two decades, Ackman needs little introduction.

(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.com ...


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The Pershing Square boss has revealed new positions in Netflix, Visa, Mastercard, Alcon, Intercontinental Exchange and S&P Global

I find his confidence in VISA and MasterCard interesting. He's betting that ...

1. Americans will increasingly rely on credit cards.

2. If there is a big credit default, VISA and MasterCard are "too big to fail" and will receive a government bailout.

1 posted on 08/15/2026 11:20:07 AM PDT by Angelino97
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To: Angelino97

I find his confidence in VISA and MasterCard interesting. He’s betting that ...

1. Americans will increasingly rely on credit cards.

2. If there is a big credit default, VISA and MasterCard are “too big to fail” and will receive a government bailout.


might be a good bet. I was thinking about moving to cash and spending less.


2 posted on 08/15/2026 11:23:46 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple ((Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere))
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To: Angelino97

the companies are positioned for strong earnings growth.


yet in my area, I am seeing a trend of discounts for cash at gas stations and others. a growing trend?

an easy way to launder money and avoid taxes. There is always action and reaction.


3 posted on 08/15/2026 11:26:57 AM PDT by PeterPrinciple ((Thinking Caps are no longer being issued, but there must be a warehouse full of them somewhere))
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To: Angelino97

“If there is a big credit default, VISA and MasterCard are “too big to fail” and will receive a government bailout.”

VISA and Mastercard are just the middlemen, it is the banks who will be on the hook for any default. If you don’t pay off your Chase VISA card or Citi Mastercard it is Chase or Citi who are in trouble.


4 posted on 08/15/2026 11:40:07 AM PDT by JSM_Liberty
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To: Angelino97

otherwise known as legal front running


5 posted on 08/15/2026 12:19:02 PM PDT by Raycpa
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To: Angelino97

Netflix? Really?

Buy low and pump your way to profits Bill. I won’t bite on that one.


6 posted on 08/15/2026 12:19:10 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Opinions and belly buttons, everybody has one and they get to show them if they want to.)
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To: Sequoyah101

Netflix does have SOME great movies after raising monthly fees slightly. Last night movie “Arthur The King”. Arthur is a dog.


7 posted on 08/15/2026 1:50:10 PM PDT by Mark (DONATE ONCE every 3 months-is that a big deal?)
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To: Sequoyah101
Indeed. Netflix is down 37% for the past 12 months. It doesn't appear their gamble on in-house production is paying off.

Remember this fool thought JCPenney was making a comeback. He was so convinced, he invested in store makeovers/rebranding when they were going bankrupt.

8 posted on 08/15/2026 1:53:04 PM PDT by HonkyTonkMan ( )
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To: HonkyTonkMan

Oh, he is that guy. Did he also do the same thing to K-mart and Sears?


9 posted on 08/15/2026 3:59:09 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Opinions and belly buttons, everybody has one and they get to show them if they want to.)
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To: HonkyTonkMan

With a track record like that though how did he make so much money?

Makes one wonder.

I worked with a guy that always had some new deal going. Some would hit but so long as I knew him nothing hit big. I asked him one day how he could keep so many balls in the air. “You’re never going to get hit by the lucky truck if you aren’t standing in the middle of traffic.” I never had much luck trusting to luck so I gave up trying that approach. Base hits, slogging away, never quit.


10 posted on 08/15/2026 4:01:40 PM PDT by Sequoyah101 (Opinions and belly buttons, everybody has one and they get to show them if they want to.)
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To: Angelino97

If you’re young enough just put the money in Nasdaq 100. All the big tech companies, the exchange balances everything out for you and its long term chart is so good. A few other might be better but how do you pick? I am adding consistently to Space X though other than that.


11 posted on 08/15/2026 4:09:32 PM PDT by pangaea6
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To: Sequoyah101
He does seem to recover doesn't he? Not sure about KMart/Sears merger. Kathy Wood is another one....consistent losses. Maybe they just make up for it in management fees.

Funny story about the lucky truck. I'm with you on base hits, steady as she goes.

12 posted on 08/15/2026 5:15:58 PM PDT by HonkyTonkMan ( )
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