Fred Alger Management, an investment management company, released its “Alger Capital Appreciation Fund” first-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the first quarter of 2026, the Class A shares of the Alger Capital Appreciation Fund underperformed the Russell 1000 Growth Index. The Information Technology and Financials sectors contributed, while Consumer Discretionary and Utilities detracted from the performance. US equities experienced a volatile period in the first quarter of 2026, with the S&P 500 Index declining 4.33%, driven by two distinct forces that transformed the investment landscape. The software industry experienced significant disruption due to the rise of agentic artificial intelligence tools. The second is the U.S.-Iran conflict that began in late February, causing a significant supply shock. This results in a surge in crude oil prices, injecting potential inflationary pressure into the economy. The Fund identifies opportunities for companies that are adopting and facilitating the technology as it evolves into an agentic phase, despite the market’s focus on industries affected by AI advancements. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Alger Capital Appreciation Fund highlighted stocks like Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT). Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a multinational software company that develops and supports software, services, devices, and solutions. On April 17, 2026, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) stock closed at $422.79 per share. One-month return of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was 10.39%, and its shares gained 17.73% over the past 52 weeks. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has a market capitalization of $3.14 trillion.
Alger Capital Appreciation Fund stated the following regarding Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology leader and a primary beneficiary of the ongoing digital transformation of enterprise computing, holding dominant positions in desktop software, cloud infrastructure, and generative artificial intelligence. We believe the company is well positioned as businesses continue to shift workloads to the cloud and integrate AI into their operations. During the quarter, shares detracted from performance despite the company delivering better-than-expected total revenue and earnings, with operating profitability improving substantially year over year. The primary source of investor disappointment was the company’s Azure cloud business, where revenue growth came in slightly below elevated expectations. Management attributed the shortfall in part to supply constraints and the allocation of computing resources, suggesting that the company is currently unable to fully meet customer demand rather than facing any softening in underlying appetite. Despite the near-term shortfall, the total value of newly signed customer contracts grew significantly, providing multiple years of committed future revenue, while management noted that its entire GPU capacity is fully contracted for its useful life.”
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) ranks second on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 312 hedge fund portfolios held Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) at the end of the fourth quarter, the same as in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) 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 Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and shared the list of best major stocks to buy according to Wall Street analysts. 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.
