Artisan Partners, an investment management company, released its “Artisan Small Cap Fund” fourth quarter 2024 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. US stocks concluded a strong year with strong gains in Q4. In Q4, the portfolio’s performance was flat and narrowly trailed the Russell 2000® Growth Index. In 2024, the portfolio produced a robust absolute return that was in line with the Russell 2000® Growth Index but outperformed the Russell 2000 Index. In the quarter, its Investor Class fund ARTSX returned 0.61%, Advisor Class fund APDSX posted a return of 0.66%, and Institutional Class fund APHSX returned 0.67%, compared to a return of 1.70% for the Russell 2000 Growth Index. In addition, you can check the fund’s top 5 holdings to find out its best picks for 2024.
In its fourth quarter 2024 investor letter, Artisan Small Cap Fund emphasized stocks such as Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR). Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) is a medical device outsource manufacturer. The one-month return of Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) was -13.72%, and its shares gained 6.35% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On March 10, 2025, Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) stock closed at $120.27 per share with a market capitalization of $4.043 billion.
Artisan Small Cap Fund stated the following regarding Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“During the quarter, we initiated new GardenSM positions in VSE, Flowserve and Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR). Integer is the leading manufacturer and developer of medical devices and components. The company’s core competencies are implantable devices, transcatheter therapies and delivery systems. These categories are complex, have a high risk of failure and carry premium margins compared to lower value parts and assembly. We believe the company is well positioned to deliver strong earnings growth as it benefits from steady end-market growth, rising popularity or outsourcing manufacturing, strategically aligning its portfolio toward the most attractive end markets, and expanding operating margins through a focus on operational efficiency.”
A doctor using a Neuromodulation device to examine a patient’s brain activity.
Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 17 hedge fund portfolios held Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) at the end of the fourth quarter compared to 16 in the third quarter. Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) reported fourth quarter sales of $449 million, an increase of 11% year-over-year. While we acknowledge the potential of Integer Holdings Corporation (NYSE:ITGR) 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 addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q4 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.