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Baron Capital, an investment management company, released its Q2 2026 investor letter for the "Baron Focused Growth Fund". A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the second quarter, the Baron Focused Growth Fund achieved a 13.26% gain, still trailing the Russell 2500 Growth Index's 24.02% return. The underperformance was driven by ongoing concerns about AI's impact on portfolio businesses and underexposure to AI infrastructure. The IPO of SpaceX provided a boost, but overall, the Fund's companies are generating robust revenue growth and strengthening margins through enhanced client engagement and product offerings. Many stocks remain historically undervalued, and companies are beginning accelerated share repurchases, bolstering investor confidence. The Fund is perceived as compelling, benefiting from favorable market conditions and strong balance sheets, while inflation and interest rates are expected to remain stable. The Fund has outperformed its Benchmark over the past 3, 5, and 10 years, showing significant excess returns with lower market risk, attributed to a research-driven investment approach. The Fund maintains a commitment to long-term investing in growth-oriented businesses, utilizing a balanced portfolio to mitigate risk and potentially enhance returns. Please review the Fund's top five holdings to gain insights into their key selections for 2026.

In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Baron Focused Growth Fund highlighted IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX). IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) develops, manufactures, and distributes products for the companion animal veterinary, livestock and poultry, dairy, and water testing industries. On August 19, 2026, IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) closed at $562.20 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $44.29 billion. IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) posted a one‑month return of 4.23%, while its shares lost 11.19% over the past 52 weeks.

Baron Focused Growth Fund stated the following regarding IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:

"In Health Care, we invest in competitively advantaged companies that are leaders in their industries such as IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX), the leading provider of diagnostics to the veterinary industry and who is benefiting from the increase in pets that people acquired during the COVID pandemic, especially as these pets age. The Fund is further diversified by investments in businesses at different stages of growth and development."

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) is not on our list of the 40 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 62 hedge fund portfolios held IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) at the end of the first quarter which was 58 in the previous quarter. While we acknowledge the potential of IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) 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 IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX) and shared Jensen Quality Growth Equity Strategy's views 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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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.