Carillon Tower Advisers, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for the “Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. The second quarter of 2026 was driven by a sharp rally in AI-related stocks, although gains were concentrated in highly cyclical semiconductor, memory and optical companies. The S&P 500 gained 15.2%, while the semiconductor index surged 87.8%. Unlike earlier AI rallies led by megacaps and strong earnings growth, some smaller technology stocks rose 200% to 300%, making the advance more fragile. Software and services stocks declined as investors questioned the impact of AI disruption. Oil prices also rose during the Iran conflict before retreating, briefly increasing inflation and interest-rate concerns. Despite the volatility, economic data and corporate earnings remained strong. S&P 500 earnings are projected to rise 25% in 2026 and 15% in 2027, with the market trading near 20x earnings. The Fund continues to focus on financially strong companies with durable earnings growth that can perform across different economic conditions. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund highlighted McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD). McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) owns, operates, and franchises restaurants under the McDonald’s brand in the United States and internationally. On July 27, 2026, McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) closed at $270.67 per share. One-month return of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) was 0.13% and its shares lost 10.57% over the past 52 weeks. McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) has a market capitalization of $192.31 billion with a 52-week trading range between $260.96 – $341.75.
Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund stated the following regarding McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
“McDonald’s Corporation’s (NYSE:MCD) traded lower as rising beef prices, driven in part by concerns surrounding the spread of the New World screwworm parasite, weighed on investor sentiment. While the company faces more challenging year-over-year comparisons in the upcoming quarter, its value initiatives have helped recapture some traffic from value-oriented consumers, although that customer segment remains under pressure.”
McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 83 hedge fund portfolios held McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) at the end of the first quarter which was 91 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) 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 McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered McDonald’s Corporation (NYSE:MCD) and shared a list of worst blue chip stocks to buy. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 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.
