Carillon Tower Advisers, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for the “Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. The first quarter of 2026 was volatile due to market shifts, including increased geopolitical risk and inflation fears from rising energy prices. The S&P declined 4.33%. Early in the quarter, value outperformed growth. Inflation worries impacted financial and tech sectors in the quarter. Despite concerns, economic data and corporate earnings stayed strong. Forward S&P 500 earnings are projected to increase 15% in 2026, with the market trading at a PE ratio below 20x for the first time since 2023. Forecasting the macroeconomy is challenging, but the Fund focuses on financially strong companies with solid earnings growth that succeed in the long term despite macro issues. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund highlighted Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT). Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is a global healthcare company that develops and manufacturers medical devices, diagnostics and nutritional products. On May 21, 2026, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) closed at $87.77 per share. One-month return of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) was -3.69%, and its shares lost 33.15% over the past 52 weeks. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) has a market capitalization of $152.88 billion.
Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund stated the following regarding Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) shares underperformed due to disappointing fourth quarter 2025 financial results and softer than expected 2026 sales guidance. Abbott’s nutrition business, is sensitive to consumer spending trends and was the primary source of weakness. Abbott’s company-specific issues were compounded by deteriorating investor sentiment across the medical device industry, which underperformed within the healthcare sector in the first quarter.”
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 71 hedge fund portfolios held Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) at the end of the fourth quarter, up from 68 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) and shared the list of stocks Jim Cramer discussed. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2026 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
