After starting an advertiser boycott of Fox News Channel host Laura Ingraham, gun-control activist David Hogg has set his sights on two new targets — iconic gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson and its capital backers.
In a series of tweets Tuesday afternoon, Mr. Hogg sicced his 764,000 Twitter followers on five investment companies, singling out two most of all — Blackrock and Vanguard Group.
.@blackrock and @Vanguard_Group are two of the biggest investors in gun manufacturers; if you use them, feel free to let them know. Thanks 😉
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 17, 2018
#BoycottVanguard #BoycottBlackrock
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 17, 2018
SEE ALSO: David Hogg’s boycott of Fox News star backfires: Laura Ingraham’s viewership jumps 20%
More info, feel free to tag these companies pic.twitter.com/KODc2by5yO
— David Hogg (@davidhogg111) April 17, 2018
“.@blackrock and @Vanguard_Group are two of the biggest investors in gun manufacturers; if you use them, feel free to let them know,” he tweeted with a winking emoji.
In one follow-up tweet he used the hashtags #BoycottBlackrock and #BoycottVanguard.
And in another, he took a picture of a chart apparently taken from the Nasdaq page for American Outdoor Brands Corporation, which was formerly known as Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation.
The chart Mr. Hogg took listed five investment companies that own major shares of American Outdoor Brands. It also includes the value of those shares and the amount by which the investment firm had increased or decreased its involvement in the previous year, though Mr. Hogg’s tweets specify none of this.
The other three named firms are Invesco, Voya Investment Management and Credit Suisse.
As of Dec, 31, 2017, Blackrock held $63 million worth of American Outdoor Brands shares, Invesco almost $51 million, and Vanguard about $47 million. According to the chart, Voya and Credit Suisse each hold about $17 million.
These are the five biggest holders of American Outdoor Brands stock that had increased their investment over the past year, though two other firms hold more stock than some of the Scarlet Five, albeit less than they did on Dec. 31, 2016 — LSV Asset Management (more than $23 million) and Dimensional Fund Advisors (almost $19 million).
All seven companies manage or hold assets in the hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars.
Mr. Hogg has become the face of the gun-control movement after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which he attended.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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