Many companies have seen their valuations decline as investors assume they will be disrupted, or even displaced, by AI. Fidelity Portfolio Manager Marc Grow believes investors may be overlooking businesses that could ultimately emerge as winners from what he calls the “AI rubble.”
“I’ve focused on companies with unique attributes that may make them more resilient to AI competition or potential beneficiaries of AI-enhanced productivity, even though the market is not yet pricing in these possibilities,” says Grow, who manages Fidelity® Small Cap Stock Fund (FSLCX).
In leading the diversified domestic small-cap equity strategy, Grow emphasizes firms with honest and capable management teams, superior returns on investment, and strong free cash flow. His investment framework is characterized by a valuation and quality bias.
Amid the rapid rise of AI, Grow believes public accounting firm CBIZ (CBZ) is among those that fit this description, noting that the company’s shares fell sharply through March as market participants grew increasingly concerned about AI-driven competitive threats to traditional audit and tax-preparation services.
“Shares of CBIZ declined earlier in 2026 to a valuation below levels seen during the Great Financial Crisis (2007–2009) and the COVID-19 pandemic,” says Grow. “In part, that’s because the market assumed the company’s core accounting business could come under pressure from AI.”
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As he explains, however, he has a more nuanced view of the firm’s recent financial challenges, which he attributes primarily to integration issues related to its November 2024 merger with a similarly sized competitor, creating a natural headwind to organic growth.
Meanwhile, Grow does not believe AI will destroy CBIZ. “AI can indeed replicate some accounting processes,” he admits. “But will lenders and investors accept AI-approved financial statements without an independent third-party review? Or will regulators and governing bodies accept AI signing off on financial disclosures or preparing tax filings without any human oversight? At this point, I’m not convinced AI will displace the need for accounting services among middle-market clients.”
Grow also cites insurance broker Baldwin Insurance Group (BWIN), which he considers another stock the market priced as if the company would face significant competitive challenges from AI. He believes, however, that the firm’s recent growth deceleration stems more from soft pricing across the insurance industry, while AI may ultimately enhance the company’s productivity and growth.
“These are just two examples in the portfolio as of midyear where I recently took a more optimistic view than the market as I sift through the AI rubble, relying on our comprehensive research to identify stocks that I believe have been unfairly left behind,” Grow concludes.
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Marc Grow is a research analyst in the Equity division at Fidelity Investments.
In this role, Mr. Grow is responsible for the coverage of U.S. small-cap industrials stocks. He also manages Fidelity Small Cap Stock Fund and Fidelity Small Cap Stock K6 Fund. Previously, Mr. Grow was on the equity research team covering small-cap consumer stocks and auto dealerships.
Prior to joining Fidelity, Mr. Grow was the chief financial officer of Lakeside Capital Group and was also an equity analyst at the value- focused hedge fund V. I. Capital Management. He has been in the financial industry since 2010.
Mr. Grow earned his bachelor of arts in accounting from Whitworth University and his master of business administration degree with a focus on value investing from Columbia University. He is also a CFA® charterholder.