Palm Valley Capital Management, an investment management firm, released the “Palm Valley Capital Fund” first quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the first quarter, Palm Valley Capital Fund appreciated 0.57% compared to an 8.93% decline in the S&P SmallCap 600 and a 6.08% drop in the Morningstar Small Cap Total Return Index. Cash was 77.6% of Fund assets at the start of the quarter and 76.5% at the conclusion. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its first quarter 2025 investor letter, Palm Valley Capital Fund emphasized stocks such as TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI). TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) is a specialized workforce solutions provider. The one-month return of TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) was -8.23%, and its shares lost 57.60% of their value over the last 52 weeks.  On April 4, 2025, TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) stock closed at $5.02 per share with a market capitalization of $149.134 million.

Palm Valley Capital Fund stated the following regarding TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:

"The three positions most negatively impacting the Fund in the first quarter were Carter’s, TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI), and Heartland Express. TrueBlue’s Q4 earnings exceeded guidance, but its first quarter outlook was softer than anticipated. Temporary labor’s percentage of the total U.S. workforce is near prior recessionary troughs, and TrueBlue’s short-term, day labor focus continues to face disproportionate pressure. Due to its shrinking profile, reductions in working capital have helped cash flow exceed earnings results. We’re watching this stock carefully because the balance sheet has deteriorated during the downturn, and this may be exacerbated by a recent acquisition. However, the shares trade at a deep discount to tangible book value, and if industry demand can stabilize, we believe TrueBlue can meaningfully improve profitability."

A busy industrial worker in their uniform operating machinery in a factory setting.

TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 18 hedge fund portfolios held TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) at the end of the fourth quarter which was 15 in the previous quarter. TrueBlue, Inc.'s (NYSE:TBI) fourth quarter revenue declined 22% year-over-year to $386 million. While we acknowledge the potential of TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) 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.

We covered TrueBlue, Inc. (NYSE:TBI) in another article, where we shared latest AI news and ratings on investors’ radar. In its Q4 2024 investor letter, Palm Valley Capital Fund discussed TrueBlue, Inc.'s (NYSE:TBI) performance, highlighting its decline in 2024 despite a Q4 rebound, and expressing optimism about its demand potential despite ongoing cyclical pressures. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2025 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.