Hedge Fund Boosts Mills Stake

Farallon Capital Management

, one of the world's largest hedge funds, has boosted its stake in troubled mall owner

Mills Corp.

(MLS)

.

The San Francisco-based hedge fund disclosed in a

Securities and Exchange Commission

filing Thursday that it now owns 4.39 million Mills shares, or 7.7% of the real estate investment trust's outstanding stock.

In late April, Farallon first reported owning 3.18 million shares of Mills, which is currently restating its financials and exploring a sale of the company.

Last week, Mills said it had received indicators of interest from several parties in response to its "exploration of strategic alternatives."

Farallon pursues a number of strategies, including credit investments, restructurings, value investing, and direct debt and equity investments.

The firm also is known for its real estate acumen, with a number of its managing members having previously worked at JMB Institutional Realty, a commercial real estate investor that was a particularly active property buyer in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mills shares closed Thursday at $28.17, down 1.3%. The stock has plummeted since reaching a 52-week high of $66.44 last summer, though it has recovered somewhat from a 52-week low of $26.30 on April 7.