Brown Advisory, an investment management company, released its “Brown Advisory Global Leaders Strategy” for the first quarter of 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The strategy focused on delivering strong long-term performance by investing in a focused portfolio of companies that solve customer problems and provide good returns for shareholders. The first quarter of 2026 saw intensified challenges in capital markets, marked by a general weakness in risk assets and negative perceptions around the “AI loser” narrative, significantly impacting the portfolio’s concentrated holdings. Additionally, not being invested in the Energy sector contributed to the underperformance, accounting for about 20% of the Strategy’s relative decline year-to-date. Overall, the Strategy experienced an absolute correction of about 8.3% in the quarter, underperforming relative to the MSCI ACWI Net Return Index’s -3.2% return. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Brown Advisory Global Leaders Strategy highlighted ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) as a notable contributor. ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) is a Dutch-based semiconductor company that provides lithography solutions. On June 2, 2026, ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) stock closed at $1,705.37 per share. One-month return of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) was 10.40%, and its shares gained 129.59% over the past 52 weeks. ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) has a market capitalization of $657.28 billion.
Brown Advisory Global Leaders Strategy stated the following regarding ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML), develops, manufactures and markets EUV & DUV lithography systems, metrology and inspection systems & related software solutions, continued to benefit from the build-out of AI infrastructure, maintaining a strong order backlog and positive indications regarding the adoption of High-NA tools required for the production of leading-edge nodes (2 nm and below), where ASML holds a monopoly position in Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines.”
ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 133 hedge fund portfolios held ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) at the end of the first quarter, up from 101 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) 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 ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML) and shared the list of best strong buy tech stocks to invest in. In its Q1 2026 investor letter, TCW Concentrated Large Cap Growth Fund shared its optimistic views on ASML Holding N.V. (NASDAQ:ASML). 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.
