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Aristotle Capital Management, LLC, an investment management company, released its “Value Equity Fund” first-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. During the first quarter, the U.S. equity market declined, with the S&P 500 Index falling by 4.33%. The fixed-income sector also saw a downturn; the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index fell by 0.05%. In terms of investment styles, the value outperformed growth. Macroeconomic conditions indicated a slowdown in growth while inflationary pressures persisted. Additionally, geopolitical events contributed to heightened volatility during this period. For the first quarter of 2026, the Aristotle Value Equity Fund (Class I-2) recorded a total return of -2.23%, underperforming the Russell 1000 Value Index’s return of 2.10% but outperforming the S&P 500 Index’s return of -4.33%. In this challenging environment, the firm remains focused on what it considers to be more assessable and sustainable: the long-term fundamentals of individual businesses. In addition, please check the Fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.

In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Aristotle Value Equity Strategy highlighted Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ). Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is a leading telecommunication company that engages in the provision of communications, technology, information, and streaming products and services. On May 6, 2026, Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) closed at $47.44 per share. One-month return of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) was -0.71%, and its shares gained 8.78% over the past 52 weeks. Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) has a market capitalization of $198.11 billion.

Aristotle Value Equity Strategy stated the following regarding Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:

"Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), one of the largest telecommunications companies in the U.S., was a primary contributor during the period. After delivering its strongest customer growth in several years, Verizon now serves 96 million postpaid customers and 20 million prepaid connections, further cementing its leadership as the largest wireless carrier in the country. We believe this performance also reflects improving execution following the appointment of new CEO Dan Schulman in October 2025, as well as early signs of a broader strategic shift under his leadership. Furthermore, after completing its $20 billion acquisition of Frontier Communications, the company’s fiber footprint has expanded to over 30 million homes and businesses. Management has emphasized that the company is at a “critical inflection point” and is repositioning the business toward more sustainable, value-driven growth, prioritizing disciplined investment in network excellence and improved customer experience to reduce churn rather than relying on price-led growth. We believe Verizon’s continued investment in its network supports its ability to sustain its brand reputation and premium positioning over the long term. Verizon has raised its 2026 guidance, authorized a $25 billion share buyback program over the next three years, and recommitted to furthering its 20 consecutive years of annual dividend increases. While the company remains in the early stages of its transformation, we believe these actions, consistent with our catalysts of improving capital discipline and a more rational competitive environment, should support stronger long-term returns."

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) is not on our list of 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds Heading Into 2026. According to our database, 73 hedge fund portfolios held Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) at the end of the fourth quarter, up from 60 in the previous quarter. In Q1 2026, Verizon Communications Inc.'s (NYSE:VZ) revenue grew 2.9% year-over-year to $34.4 billion. While we acknowledge the potential of Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) 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 covered Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) and shared the list of best low-risk investments in May 2026. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2026 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.