Brandes Investment Partners, an asset management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for its “Brandes Small Cap Value Fund”. A copy of the letter is available to download here. In Q2 2026, the Fund underperformed the Russell 2000 Index’s 21.49% gain and the Russell 2000 Value Index’s 17.19% rise. However, year-to-date, the fund (Class I Shares) increased by 23.17%, surpassing the 22.57% and 22.99% returns of the indexes, respectively. The second quarter’s performance was mainly driven by holdings in the industrial sector, particularly aerospace and defense, as well as energy. Its underperformance was due to holdings and an underweight position in the information technology sector. The Firm remains optimistic about value stocks, citing their attractive valuations and strong free cash flow generation. In addition, please check the Strategy’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Brandes Small Cap Value Fund highlighted its new purchase, The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB). The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) is a leading US-based packaged food company. On July 24, 2026, The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) closed at $21.84 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $6.51 billion. The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) posted a one-month return of -5.08%, while its shares lost 32.26% over the past 52 weeks.
Brandes Small Cap Value Fund stated the following regarding The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
“The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) is a North America-focused, branded packaged food company operating primarily in two segments: Meals & Beverages and Snacks. Meals & Beverages includes Campbell’s condensed and ready-to-serve soups, Chunky, Swanson broths, Pacific Foods, Prego, Rao’s and V8. The Snacks segment includes Goldfish, Pepperidge Farm, Snyder’s of Hanover, Lance, Late July, Kettle Brand and Cape Cod. The company holds number one or number two market positions in most of its categories, and its portfolio has evolved well beyond its legacy soup identity through such acquisitions as Snyder’s-Lance and Sovos Brands.
While its core categories are mature, they remain relatively defensive, with below-average and broadly stable private-label penetration, strong brand recognition and exposure to at home eating occasions where convenience, value and perceived health remain relevant…” (Click here to read the full text)
The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 26 hedge fund portfolios held The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) at the end of the first quarter, down from 40 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) 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 The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) and shared the list of top NASDAQ stocks to buy for retirement. 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.
