Top 10 Reasons Why Portfolio Managers Sell Your Stock
Our clients often ask, “Why did account X sell my stock? Our last meeting with them went so well.” Generally speaking, there is one reason investors buy a stock: the assumption that its price is going up. There are, however, countless reasons why stocks are sold. Sometimes when a company’s fundamentals seem to be improving it’s not always clear why a portfolio manager might sell a particular stock. We want to shed some light on the factors that can lead to the “sell” decision via this month’s Top 10 list.
- Locking in gains. No one has ever been fired for locking in gains. Even an investor who’s held your stock for years can’t be faulted for taking some money off the table.
- Macro concerns or sector rotation. Even for a company that derives zero revenue from Europe and does not sell directly to the federal government, events like foreign debt defaults and sequestration cause fund managers to lighten up on stocks. In uncertain times, cash is king! Similarly, depending on the outlook of the firms’ economist, portfolio managers shift money between sectors, increasing and decreasing their exposure based on the economists’ suggestions. If healthcare is deemed an underperforming sector at a particular time, your stock might be caught in the sector rotation. Continue Reading
