Here’s Why This Fund Sold Brown & Brown (BRO)

Here’s Why This Fund Sold Brown & Brown (BRO)

Wed, September 16, 2026 at 5:58 PM GMT+3 2 min read

• BRO -1.37%

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 Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO). Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) is a leading insurance brokerage firm operating through Retail and Specialty Distribution segments. On September 15, 2026, Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) closed at $67.23 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $22.5 billion. Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) posted a one‑month return of -6.29%, while its shares lost 27.35% over the past 52 weeks.

Parnassus Growth Equity Fund stated the following regarding Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:

"We sold Brown & Brown Inc. during the quarter. Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) remains a high-quality business, but we see rising near term risks as the company navigates an industry downturn, integrates a large acquisition and works to close an AI capability gap versus larger peers."

Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 44 hedge fund portfolios held Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) at the end of the second quarter, compared to 41 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) 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.

In another article, we discussed Brown & Brown, Inc. (NYSE:BRO) and shared Orbis Global Equity Strategy's insights on the company. 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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This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.