American Century Investments, an investment management company, released its first-quarter 2026 investor letter for the “American Century Investments Small Cap Value Fund.” A copy is available to download here. Equity markets encountered challenges during the quarter, initially due to fears of AI disruption and later due to the conflict in Iran. The Fund’s Investor Class returned 3.85% for the quarter, outperforming a 4.96% return for the Russell 2000 Value Index. While the Industrial and Materials sectors underperformed, the exposure to Energy positively impacted relative performance. The portfolio focuses on investing in small-cap companies with undervalued quality and earnings potential. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, American Century Investments Small Cap Value Fund highlighted Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) as a notable contributor. Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) is an energy company engaged in the exploration and production of crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids. On June 8, 2026, Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) closed at $11.77 per share. One-month return of Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) was -7.47%, and its shares gained 28.35% over the past 52 weeks. Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) has a market capitalization of $3.89 billion.
American Century Investments Small Cap Value Fund stated the following regarding Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY). The Houston-based independent oil and gas companies saw their shares move higher during the quarter primarily due to the spike in oil prices. Implications of the Strait of Hormuz remaining partially closed also supported the higher share price.”
Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 40 hedge fund portfolios held Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) at the end of the first quarter, up from 38 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) 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 Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) and shared the list of best energy stocks to buy under $20 according to billionaires. 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.
