Parnassus Investments, an investment management company, released the "Parnassus Growth Equity Fund" second-quarter 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. During the quarter, the Fund (Investor Shares) returned 17.49% (net of fees), outperforming the Russell 1000 Growth Index's 16.74%. Holdings in Information Technology and Consumer Discretionary sectors boosted relative returns, while Communication Services and Financials holdings detracted. For the year-to-date period, the Fund returned 6.17% (net of fees), outperforming the Russell 1000 Growth's 5.33%. The firm remains constructively bullish on U.S. equities and continues to be selective, valuation-sensitive, and focused on disruptive growth opportunities through active stock selection. Growth stocks advanced during the second quarter, as the Russell 1000 Growth Index generated strong double-digit returns driven by increased confidence in the durability of the ongoing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure build-out. Additionally, reviewing the Fund's top five holdings could help identify its best picks for 2026.
In its second-quarter 2026 investor letter, Parnassus Growth Equity Fund highlighted Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE). Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) is a leading technology company that manufactures and sells optical and photonic products. On September 15, 2026, Lumentum Holdings Inc. closed at $838.96 per share. Over the past month, Lumentum Holdings Inc. gained 6.57%, and its shares are up 439.98% over the past year. Lumentum Holdings Inc. has a market capitalization of $75.25 billion, and its stock has traded within a 52-week range of $144.52 to $1,085.68.
Parnassus Growth Equity Fund stated the following regarding Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
"Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) offers exposure to a key bottleneck in AI infrastructure, optical networking, as rising data demand drives a shift away from copper-based systems. Its components enable faster, more efficient data transfer and benefit from strong competitive advantages, including deep technical expertise and high switching costs once embedded in customer platforms."
Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. According to our database, 111 hedge fund portfolios held Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) at the end of the second quarter, down from 123 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) 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 AI stock.

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