Viking Global Investors is a hedge fund with its headquarters located in Greenwich, Connecticut, a short distance northeast of New York City. The firm may be on the smaller side compared to some other hedge funds, but it still has over $42 billion in assets under management (AUM) spread across 12 pooled investment vehicles, also known as funds. The firm employs a team of 49 financial advisors to help manage its funds, while other employees are responsible for the rest of the firm's day-to-day operations. The firm invests in both public and private markets around the world.
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Viking Global Investors Background
Viking Global Investors was founded in 1999 and is currently principally owned by O. Andreas Halvorsen and David C. Ott, both directly and indirectly through Viking Global Investors LP and Viking Global Partners, LLC. The firm has fund families that have been started since the company went into business. These funds were established in 1999, 2009 and 2015.
Viking works with an incredibly diverse client base. Clients that invest in the firm's funds include charities, endowments, pensions, sovereign entities, funds of funds, other investment companies, trusts and individuals.
Viking Global Investors Investment Philosophy
Viking Global Investors has three main strategies, each defined by its own family of funds. The Viking Global Equities Funds are long/short hedge funds that launched in 1999. The Viking Long Funds are a family of long funds that launched in 2009. Finally, the Viking Global Opportunities Funds are a set of liquid/illiquid funds that launched recently in 2015. These families of funds all use a variety of public and private investments to drive growth, though more specific strategies vary by fund.
The Viking Global Equities Funds are the oldest funds at the firm. The firm uses gross exposure to measure the leverage of these funds, and aims to keep gross exposure under 250%. Net exposure, on the other hand, tends to be less than 60% in this family of funds.The Viking Long Funds mirror the same strategies, but focus on long-term results instead of having a broader base. The Viking Global Opportunities Funds tend to be more aggressive, searching to maximize returns by making liquid and illiquid investments across the globe.
As the name might suggest, Viking Global Investors and other hedge funds look to drive growth by implementing a hedged approach. At Viking, this involves taking both long and short positions and working to maintain low net exposure to limit downside while capturing gains. Over the long term, the firm looks to outperform the market as a whole.
Largest Hedge Funds Managed by Viking Global Investors
Viking Global Equities Master, Ltd.
- AUM: $27,000,932,672
- Minimum: $5,000,000
- Beneficial Owners: 560
Viking Global Opportunities Master, LP
- AUM: $7,850,162,196
- Minimum: $5,000,000
- Beneficial Owners: 152
Viking Long Fund Master, Ltd.
- AUM: $6,713,424,137
- Minimum: $5,000,000
- Beneficial Owners: 152
Viking Global Equities II, LP
- AUM: $558,591,985
- Minimum: $5,000
- Beneficial Owners: 91
Fees at Viking Global Investors
Fees at Viking Global Investors are charged based on a percentage of the total value of a fund. These fees are charged on a monthly basis.
The Viking Global Equities Funds incur a fee of 0.125% of the fund's market value each month. The Viking Long Funds are charged at the same rate, as are the Opportunities Funds.
A performance fee, known as an incentive allocation, is also charged to each fund. The rate for these performance fees is 20% of net gains. For more information about the specifics of the firm's fee schedules, get in touch with the firm directly.
What to Watch Out For
Accredited investors are the only ones who can invest in hedge funds. To be considered an accredited investor, you need to have at least $200,000 of earned income ($300,000 for couples) over the past two years in conjunction with a reasonable assumption that the same will happen during the current year. You can also be considered an accredited investor if you have at least a $1 million net worth (minus the value of your primary residence) on your own or together with a spouse.
Viking Global Investors has no disclosures on its SEC-filed Form ADV.
Becoming a Client of Viking Global Investors
Remember, you can only be a client of Viking Global Investors if you're an accredited investor or an institution. If you meet these requirements, you can get in touch with the firm about investing or opening an account. To do so, you should either email the firm or call over the phone.
Investing Tips
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