Polen Capital Management Llc released its “Polen Focus Growth Strategy” Q2 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Polen Focus Growth returned 6.33% (net of fees) in the second quarter of 2026, significantly underperforming the Russell 1000 Growth Index’s 16.74% gain, as the market rally remained narrowly focused on AI infrastructure and semiconductor stocks. During the quarter, Polen Capital repositioned the portfolio toward companies benefiting from structural growth in AI infrastructure, power demand, and aerospace. Looking ahead, the managers remain confident in the long-term earnings potential of the portfolio but acknowledge that changing market dynamics and the rising opportunity cost of patience require a more nimble approach. They remain focused on competitively advantaged businesses with durable growth prospects, while selectively participating in AI infrastructure, commercial aerospace, and power infrastructure opportunities where supply constraints and long-term demand could support sustained earnings growth. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Polen Focus Growth Strategy highlighted stocks like Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN). Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a global professional services company providing consulting, technology, and outsourcing solutions to businesses and governments. The one-month return of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) was 24.32% while its shares traded between $118.15 and $291.09 over the last 52 weeks. On August 13, 2026, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) stock closed at approximately $180.14 per share, with a market capitalization of about $109.23 billion.
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
Turning to sales, we exited our long-held position in Accenture (NYSE:ACN). We think Accenture remains an excellent business with strong competitive advantages, but revenue growth has been modest and below our expectations for roughly the past year as discretionary IT budgets remain under pressure. We believe the company can reaccelerate over time, particularly as enterprise customers move from AI experimentation to broader implementation. However, that transition is taking longer than we expected. In the current market environment, where timing and business momentum matter more than they have historically, we believe the opportunity cost of continuing to wait has increased. We used the proceeds to fund our new position in EMCOR, where we see stronger current business momentum and a more compelling near-term growth setup.
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Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. As per our database, 64 hedge fund portfolios held Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) at the end of the first quarter, which was 71 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the risk and potential of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) 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 Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we covered Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) and shared Aoris Investment Management’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.
