What if you had copied Sachem Head Capital?
Scott Ferguson
The verdict
Copying Sachem Head Capital's 13F filings from Feb 2020 would have turned $10,000 into $25,600, more than the S&P 500 did.
The S&P 500 turned the same $10,000 into $24,639 over the same days. The copy returned +15.0% a year against +14.4% for the S&P 500, 0.7 points a year ahead. Its worst fall was 48.5%, from Feb 20, 2020 to Mar 18, 2020. The S&P 500's worst fall over the test was 33.7%.
Copied Feb 18, 2020 to Nov 9, 2026 · SEC 13F filings and daily closes
What $10,000 became
- Copying Sachem Head Capital$25,600
- S&P 500$24,639
- Bought their first portfolio and never traded$25,185
If you had bought their first portfolio and never traded, you would have ended at $25,185, so following every move earned $415 more.
- $10,000 copied
- $25,600
- +156.0%, +15.0% a year
- In the S&P 500
- $24,639
- +146.4%, +14.4% a year
- No trading
- $25,185
- Bought their first portfolio and never traded
- Worst fall
- −48.5%
- Feb 20, 2020 to Mar 18, 2020
- Trades
- 199
- 109 buys, 90 sales over 27 filings; about 104% of the copy traded a year
The moves that made the most
- OLNOlin+$3,663
Held from May 2020 to Nov 2023, the stock up 325%
- COHRCoherent+$3,326
Held from Aug 2024 to Aug 2026, the stock up 393%
- USFDUS Foods+$3,269
Held from Feb 2020 to Nov 2025, the stock up 78%
- TWLOTwilio+$3,093
Held since May 2024, the stock up 236%
- TLNTalen Energy+$1,969
Held since Nov 2024, the stock up 81%
- CVSCVS Health+$1,202
Held from Aug 2024 to May 2026, the stock up 79%
The moves that cost the most
- ELANElanco Animal Health−$2,129
Held from Nov 2020 to May 2023, the stock down 72%
- GTMZoominfo Technologies−$1,205
Held from Nov 2023 to May 2026, the stock down 71%
Held from May 2021 to Aug 2024, the stock down 24%
- MKSIMks−$758
Held since Aug 2026, the stock down 34%
Held since Aug 2025, the stock down 32%
- ADMAAdma Biologics−$620
Held from Nov 2025 to May 2026, the stock down 46%
Year by year
| Year | Copy | S&P 500 | Gap, pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020from Feb 2020 | +25.4% | +13.1% | +12.3 |
| 2021 | +34.3% | +28.7% | +5.5 |
| 2022 | −28.6% | −18.2% | −10.4 |
| 2023 | +17.7% | +26.2% | −8.4 |
| 2024 | +23.7% | +24.9% | −1.2 |
| 2025 | +52.6% | +17.7% | +34.9 |
| 2026to Nov 2026 | −4.2% | +11.5% | −15.7 |
A historical test on paper, before costs and taxes. It trades at the close of the first trading day after each filing comes out, up to 45 days after the quarter, and skips delisted companies, which flatters it.