Finance: CREDIT SUISSE: 18 stocks that hedge funds think are 'fading stars'

If you are looking to lighten your portfolio, you might look at these stocks first.

Hedge funds like to make money and can be quick to leave companies that aren't performing well.

Credit Suisse compiled a list of stocks that hedge funds are giving up on, which it calls "fading stars." The following list, released in a note to investors, points out the stocks with the biggest declines in the number of large cap hedge funds holding their shares in Q4 2016.

Only four of the companies has posted a declining share price so far this year. But if a large number of hedge funds are announcing skepticism by selling their shares, their futures may not be as bright. For these companies, this could be an indication of poor future returns.

Hedge funds are certainly not perfect at seeing the future, and their movements should be taken with a grain of salt. For those looking to lighten their portfolio, however, these stocks might represent a good place to start.

Each of the following shares is listed with its sector, year-to-date stock price change, the number of large-cap funds still holding shares, and the number of funds that dropped their ownership in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Exxon Mobil Corp

Industry: Energy

Year to date performance: -11.12%

Number of Funds Invested: 201

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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Tyson Foods

Industry: Food and Beverage

Year to date performance: -3.27%

Number of Funds Invested: 67

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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Monsanto Co

Industry: Materials

Year to date performance: 11.8%

Number of Funds Invested: 63

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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Ford Motor Company

Industry: Auto

Year to date performance: -12.2%

Number of Funds Invested: 48

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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Emerson Electric Company

Industry: Capital Goods

Year to date performance: 4.71%

Number of Funds Invested: 50

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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CenturyLink

Industry: Telecom Services

Year to date performance: 2.37%

Number of Funds Invested: 34

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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Chipotle Mexican Grill

Industry: Equipment and Services

Year to date performance: 23%

Number of Funds Invested: 32

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 10

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Lowe's Companies

Industry: Retail

Year to date performance: 10%

Number of Funds Invested: 132

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 11

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Mylan

Industry: Pharma, Biotech

Year to date performance: 1.44%

Number of Funds Invested: 25

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 12

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Abbvie

Industry: Pharma, Biotech

Year to date performance: 10.08%

Number of Funds Invested: 106

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 12

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Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Industry: Pharma, Biotech

Year to date performance: 67.45%

Number of Funds Invested: 55

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 13

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Reynolds American

Industry: Food and Beverage

Year to date performance: 18.43%

Number of Funds Invested: 36

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 13

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Newell Brands

Industry: Consumer Goods

Year to date performance: 17.68%

Number of Funds Invested: 61

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 15

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Mead Johnson Nutrition

Industry: Food and Beverage

Year to date performance: 25.98%

Number of Funds Invested: 38

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 15

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Honeywell International

Industry: Capital Goods

Year to date performance: 14.67%

Number of Funds Invested: 174

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 16

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CVS Health

Industry: Retail

Year to date performance: -2.58%

Number of Funds Invested: 190

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 23

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McKesson

Industry: Pharma

Year to date performance: 9.6%

Number of Funds Invested: 77

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 24

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PPG Industries

Industry: Materials

Year to date performance: 13%

Number of Funds Invested: 57

Number of Funds that dropped since 3Q: 28

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