Artisan Partners, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for “Artisan Value Fund”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. The Funds’ Investor Class: ARTLX, Advisor Class: APDLX, and Institutional Class: APHLX returned -3.54%, -3.50%. and 3.50%, respectively, in Q1 vs, 2.10% return for the Russell 1000® Value Index. Performance was impacted by a market favoring momentum-driven stocks over quality factors, alongside company-specific setbacks. In Q1 2026, the US equity market showed mixed results: large-cap indices declined, while mid- and small-cap stocks gained modestly, reflecting a gradual broadening in market participation. Volatility increased, driven by concerns over artificial intelligence and private credit, and further escalated due to the outbreak of conflict in Iran. Despite uncertainty, the Fund focuses on identifying companies that can create value through cycles, particularly where market dislocations provide attractive entry points. 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 Value Fund highlighted EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) as a leading contributor. EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) is a US-based oil and natural gas exploration and production company that offers crude oil and condensate, gathering, processing, and marketing. On May 22, 2026, EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) closed at $141.22 per share. One-month return of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) was 6.01%, and its shares gained 23.42% over the past 52 weeks. EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) has a market capitalization of $75.22 billion.
Artisan Value Fund stated the following regarding EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“Due to the Iran war-driven supply shock to energy markets, our top Q1 contributors were energy holdings EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG), Diamondback Energy and SLB. They performed about in line with the sector, but we were overweight the sector, which helped portfolio performance. EOG and Diamondback are US shale-focused exploration and production companies. We have stringent criteria for business quality, which is particularly important in commodity sectors, where companies do not control underlying prices and volatility can be significant. EOG is one of the highest quality operators in the E&P space. It has a low-cost production position and a strong reserve base, giving it an advantage over peers. In addition, EOG’s management has long focused on return on invested capital and cash flow generation, distinguishing it from many competitors that prioritize growth over profitability.”
EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 59 hedge fund portfolios held EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) at the end of the fourth quarter, compared to 61 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) 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 EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered EOG Resources, Inc. (NYSE:EOG) and shared Yacktman Focused Fund’s views on the company. 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.
