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 Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN). Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) provides strategy and consulting, industry X, song, and technology and operation services. On July 27, 2026, Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) closed at $154.06 per share. One-month return of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) was 23.80% and its shares lost 44.76% over the past 52 weeks. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) has a market capitalization of $94.28 billion with a 52-week trading range between $118.15 - $291.09.
Carillon Eagle Growth & Income Fund stated the following regarding Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) delivered weaker performance during the quarter. Investor concerns rose with decelerating revenue growth due to government contract cancellations and softening demand for discretionary information technology spending. The uncertain net effect of artificial intelligence fueled these fears. While fiscal fourth-quarter financials demonstrated that these fears were inflated, we believe the company needs to execute on its 2026 guidance before sentiment fully recovers."
Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. 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 potential of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term A