Investment advisory firm Ithaka Group released the “Ithaka US Growth Strategy” second-quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The second quarter of 2024 saw a surge in optimism among global markets, driven by the anticipation of a looser monetary policy from the Federal Reserve and the ongoing development prospects presented by artificial intelligence (AI). This positive outlook increased the S&P 500 by 4.3% for the quarter and 15.3% for the year, the Russell 1000 Growth (“R1000G”) by 8.3% for the quarter and 21.7% for the year, and the Dow decreasing by 1.7% for the quarter and increasing by 3.7% for the year. In the second quarter, the portfolio underperformed and returned 4.2% (gross of fees) compared to the Russell 1000 Growth’s (R1G) 8.3% return. Stock Selection led the portfolio to underperform in the quarter. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2024.
Ithaka US Growth Strategy highlighted stocks like Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), in the second quarter 2024 investor letter. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is an American multinational company that designs, manufactures, and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables, and accessories. The one-month return of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was 2.84%, and its shares gained 24.81% of their value over the last three months. On September 5, 2024, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) stock closed at $222.38 per share with a market capitalization of $3.381 trillion.
Ithaka US Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is a global consumer electronics and software company that designs and markets mobile communications devices (iPhones), personal computers (Macs), multi-purpose tablets (iPads), and wearables (Apple Watch, AirPods, and Accessories). The company also sells several high-margin consumer services including Advertising, AppleCare, Cloud Services, Digital Content and Payment Services. The stock’s outperformance during the quarter was due to hopes the September release of the iPhone 16, which will for the first time incorporate artificial intelligence into a widely used consumer device, could drive a golden upgrade cycle for Apple.”
A wide view of an Apple store, showing the range of products the company offers.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is in 9th position on our list of 31 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 184 hedge fund portfolios held Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) at the end of the second quarter which was 150 in the previous quarter. In the June quarter Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) delivered $85.8 billion in revenues, up 5% from a year ago. While we acknowledge the potential of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
In another article, we discussed Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and shared the list of trending AI stocks on latest analyst ratings and news. Mar Vista’s Focus strategy benefited from Apple Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) performance during Q2 2024. In the second quarter of 2024, New York-based investment advisor Third Point Management initiated a position in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and expressed confidence in the stock’s considerable upside potential. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q2 2024 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.
