Giverny Capital Asset Management, LLC, an investment management company, recently published its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The model portfolio returned 13.70% this quarter, compared to the S&P 500's 15.20% return. YTD, the portfolio gained 5.89%, while the index increased by 10.21%. The long-term link between stock appreciation and earnings growth is strong; Benjamin Graham described the market as a "voting machine" in the short term and a "weighing machine" in the long term. Despite the S&P 500's 10.2% rise in the first half of the year, 210 stocks lost value, indicating market anomalies. High-quality earnings compounders that benefit from AI capabilities are likely to maintain their competitive edge. Recently, the market has increasingly chased momentum. Tech giants are taking advantage of the optimism of investors amid fears of an AI bubble. Despite strong profit margins, reliance on "moonshot" investments raises sustainability concerns. The author recommends investing in both emerging tech leaders and established firms. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Giverny Capital Asset Management highlighted Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA). Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is a leading global payment technology company provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services. On July 20, 2026, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) closed at $547.44 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $483.71 billion. Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) posted a one-month return of 11.06%, while its shares lost 2.99% over the past 52 weeks.
Giverny Capital Asset Management stated the following regarding Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"Roughly 40% of the Index outperforming the average and 60% underperforming is not so unusual, but two-thirds of that lagging group underperforming by more than 10 percentage points seems like a lot. Even this level of dispersion might make sense if most of the earnings growth in the Index was concentrated in the 200 stocks that were up double digits. This is not the case. We own Index constituents such as Charles Schwab, JP Morgan, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) and Progressive Corp. that continue to grow their earnings per share at healthy rates and in some cases at higher rates than usual, but whose stock prices are lagging.
Similarly, Wall Street analysts expect Mastercard to compound EPS by 15% over the next few years, roughly the same rate as the past 20 years. The stock was down 10% in the first half of 2026 and has lagged the Index over the past five years."
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