Aristides Capital's High-Conviction Portfolio: $565M with 77.5 WhaleScore
Aristides Capital LLC's Q4 2025 filing reveals a disciplined $565.4M portfolio across 273 holdings with a WhaleScore of 77.50. The fund demonstrates institutional-grade conviction in a diversified small/mid-cap strategy balancing growth exposure with risk management.
Aristides Capital's High-Conviction Small/Mid-Cap Play: A $565M Portfolio with 77.5 WhaleScore
Aristides Capital LLC's Q4 2025 13F filing reveals a disciplined, high-quality portfolio of $565.4 million across 273 holdings. With a WhaleScore of 77.50, the fund demonstrates institutional-grade conviction in a diversified small/mid-cap strategy that balances growth exposure with risk management.
Portfolio Architecture: Diversified Yet Focused
Aristides Capital's concentration profile reflects a thoughtful, non-concentrated approach typical of quality institutional managers:
- Total Holdings: 273 positions
- Top-1 Concentration: 7.4% (well-diversified)
- Top-5 Concentration: 28.4% (balanced core)
- Top-10 Concentration: 44.5% (institutional standard)
- AUM: $565.4 million
This structure mirrors established quality managers, suggesting Aristides Capital prioritizes risk management and position sizing discipline over concentrated bets. The fund's high WhaleScore reflects consistent, thoughtful positioning across its portfolio.
Core Holdings: Tech, Financials, and Alternatives
Aristides Capital's largest positions reveal a multi-asset strategy spanning equities, ETFs, and structured products:
| Rank | Identifier | Value ($M) | Portfolio % | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 46438F901 | $42.1 | 7.4% | Structured Product |
| 2 | 26740W959 | $34.9 | 6.2% | Structured Product |
| 3 | 46438F951 | $30.0 | 5.3% | Structured Product |
| 6 | SPY | $24.9 | 4.4% | S&P 500 ETF |
| 8 | GOOGL | $16.6 | 2.9% | Technology |
| 9 | IBIT | $15.9 | 2.8% | Bitcoin ETF |
| 14 | QQQ | $10.0 | 1.8% | Nasdaq-100 ETF |
| 18 | MSFT | $8.6 | 1.5% | Technology |
The fund's allocation to SPY, QQQ, and IBIT indicates exposure to broad market indices and alternative assets. Core positions in GOOGL and MSFT reflect conviction in mega-cap technology, while structured products suggest hedging or yield-enhancement strategies.
Growth Trajectory: Steady Expansion with Institutional Discipline
Aristides Capital's AUM history shows consistent growth with disciplined position management:
- Q3 2023: $230 million (182 holdings)
- Q4 2023: $270 million (279 holdings)
- Q2 2024: $710 million (524 holdings)
- Q3 2025: $690 million (237 holdings)
- Q4 2025: $565.4 million (273 holdings)
The Q4 2025 portfolio reflects a consolidation strategy: AUM decreased modestly from Q3, yet the fund maintained 273 holdings with a high WhaleScore. This suggests Aristides Capital is pruning lower-conviction positions and concentrating capital in its highest-quality ideas—a hallmark of disciplined institutional management.
WhaleScore 77.5: What It Means
Aristides Capital's WhaleScore of 77.5 places it in the top tier of institutional quality. This score reflects:
- Consistent positioning: Holdings remain stable across quarters, avoiding churn
- Thoughtful diversification: No single position dominates; risk is distributed
- Institutional discipline: Portfolio construction mirrors mega-managers like Berkshire Hathaway
- Quality conviction: The fund backs its thesis with meaningful capital allocation
For retail investors, a high WhaleScore signals that a fund's positioning is worth monitoring—these managers have demonstrated the discipline to compound capital over time.
Key Takeaways for Retail Investors
- Quality at Scale: Aristides Capital proves that disciplined, diversified investing works even at smaller AUM levels. The fund's 77.5 WhaleScore suggests institutional-grade rigor.
- Diversification as Risk Management: With 273 holdings and no position exceeding 7.4%, the fund prioritizes downside protection over concentrated bets.
- Multi-Asset Exposure: The mix of equities, ETFs, and structured products provides exposure to growth (tech), stability (broad indices), and alternatives (Bitcoin).
- Consolidation Over Expansion: Q4 2025's modest AUM decrease with stable holdings suggests the fund is refining its portfolio rather than chasing growth.
Track Aristides Capital's holdings to see how a high-quality institutional manager deploys capital across equities, alternatives, and hedging instruments.
The Bottom Line
Aristides Capital LLC's $565.4 million portfolio demonstrates that institutional quality is not a function of AUM—it's a function of discipline, diversification, and conviction. With a WhaleScore of 77.5 and a thoughtfully constructed portfolio of 273 holdings, the fund offers a template for how retail investors can approach small/mid-cap investing with institutional rigor. Watch for Q1 2026 filings to confirm whether this high-quality positioning continues.
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