A federal insider trading investigation is broadening to include several Wall Street hedge funds in light of new evidence, the Wall Street Journal reported.
As investigators looked into whether D.C,-based research firm Height Securities violated any laws by disseminating illegally obtained information about a government health care policy announcement, they discovered communications between the company and at least four hedge funds, according to the Journal.
These funds, the report said, are SAC Capital Advisors (which is now called Point72 Asset Management), Viking Global Investors, Visium Asset Management, and Citadel.
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While the Journal notes that there "is nothing inherently illegal about investors talking with individuals at Height Securities about its research note," these firms would be liable if they knew the information was ill-gotten.
Representatives from Height, Point72, Viking, and Visium declined to comment to the Journal. A Citadel spokeswoman, meanwhile, told the publication that the "communication was for the sole purpose of verifying information contained in what we understood to be a broadly disseminated email, and was part of our compliance process specifically undertaken at the behest of our compliance team."
Read more about the trading investigation from the Wall Street Journal.
—By CNBC staff