ewsba.se
Artisan Partners, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for the “Artisan Mid Cap Fund”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. In Q1 2026, the Artisan Mid Cap Fund reported negative absolute returns but slightly outperformed the Russell Midcap® Growth Index. The market favored lower volatility and income-oriented equities, with value outpacing growth significantly. Despite challenges for growth strategies, selective stock choices in sectors like industrials and healthcare provided strength, while consumer discretionary faced weaknesses. Mid- and small-cap indices showed resilience amid lagging large-cap growth stocks. The escalating conflict in Iran influenced market behavior, and AI-related investments continued to support capital spending and earnings. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Artisan Mid Cap Fund highlighted stocks such as Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES). Founded in 1997, Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) is a leading alternative asset manager. On May 8, 2026, Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) closed at $126.25 per share. One-month return of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) was 18.34%, and its shares lost 26.84% over the past 52 weeks. Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) has a market capitalization of $41.74 billion.
Artisan Mid Cap Fund stated the following regarding Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
"We ended our investment campaigns in Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES), CCC Intelligent Solutions and Parsons during the quarter. Ares Management is an alternative asset manager with a leading position in private credit and strong capabilities across infrastructure and private equity. We exited the position as macro uncertainty, potential bank deregulation, increasing competition in lending and ongoing concerns around software exposure create a less favorable near-term risk-reward profile."
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 51 hedge fund portfolios held Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) at the end of the fourth quarter, up from 50 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock.
In another article, we covered Ares Management Corporation (NYSE:ARES) and shared the list of best growth stocks to invest in for the next 2 years. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2026 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
READ NEXT: 33 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 15 Stocks That Will Make You Rich in 10 Years.
Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.