
S
Small-Cap GrowthBaron Discovery Fund
Symbol BDFFXCUSIP: 068278860
Symbol BDFFXCUSIP: 068278860
Nav
$35.94
Daily Change $0.51 (1.44%)
As of 10/09/2026
As of 10/09/2026
Net Assets
$1.68 B
As of 09/30/2026
Morningstar Rating™*
As of 09/30/2026
Morningstar Medalist Rating™†
BRONZE
Inception date
09/30/2013
Prices & Performance
PricesAs of 10/09/2026
| NAV | Daily Change ($) | Daily Change (%) | MTD | QTD | YTD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35.94 | $0.51 | 1.44% | 0.87% | 0.87% | 2.66% |
| NAV | $35.94 |
|---|---|
| Daily Change ($) | $0.51 |
| Daily Change (%) | 1.44% |
| MTD | 0.87% |
| QTD | 0.87% |
| YTD | 2.66% |
PerformanceAs of 09/30/2026
| Portfolio or Index | QTD1 | YTD1 | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | Since Inception 09/30/2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BDFFX - Baron Discovery Fund | -4.19% | 1.77% | 1.89% | 13.64% | 0.01% | 11.91% | 11.73% |
| Russell 2000 Growth Index | -9.39% | 10.71% | 12.05% | 17.55% | 4.72% | 9.90% | 9.12% |
| Russell 3000 Index | 1.40% | 12.42% | 15.13% | 22.26% | 12.64% | 14.73% | 13.72% |
Performance InformationAs of 06/30/2026
| Performance statistics | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Deviation (%) | 21.22 | 22.79 | 22.83 |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.39 | -0.17 | 0.51 |
| Alpha (%) | -2.43 | -4.95 | 2.27 |
| Beta | 0.89 | 0.96 | 0.99 |
| R-Squared (%) | 79.37 | 85.13 | 86.02 |
| Tracking Error (%) | 9.93 | 8.83 | 8.54 |
| Information Ratio | -0.53 | -0.65 | 0.24 |
| Upside Capture (%) | 80.04 | 83.92 | 102.56 |
| Downside Capture (%) | 86.38 | 101.53 | 95.97 |
Except for Standard Deviation and Sharpe Ratio, the performance based-characteristics above were calculated relative to the Baron Discovery Fund's(BDFFX) benchmark Russell 2000 Growth Index. Performance statistics for additional periods will be provided on request. Source FactSet: SPAR.
Risk & Return12/31/2015 - 12/31/2025
1 Source: FactSet SPAR.
Portfolio Holdings & Characteristics
HoldingsAs of 09/30/2026
| Holding | Sector | % of Net Assets | |
|---|---|---|---|
CareDx, Inc. CareDx, Inc. (CDNA) develops and provides diagnostic tests for the organ transplant community to monitor for rejection and optimize post-transplant immunosuppression drug regimens. CareDx is the leader in transplant diagnostics, with presence in nearly all U.S. and EU centers. Its current growth is driven by AlloSure Kidney, which tests for signs of transplant rejection, and an increasing number of centers that are adopting surveillance protocols. Overall, CareDx addresses a $7 billion market and has the potential to reach $12 billion with new products. | Health Care | 4.0% | |
Dynatrace, Inc. Dynatrace, Inc. (DT) is a leading provider of IT system observability, offering a full-stack solution spanning user monitoring, infrastructure, and log management. To meet the demands of the modern software stack, the company re-architected its platform and expanded into security monitoring. With its new platform, Dynatrace is better equipped to address complex use cases across multi-cloud, containerized, and hybrid environments. Estimates suggest only about 20% of enterprise applications are currently monitored, a figure expected to rise to 50% in the coming years. The growing application economy should drive greater monitoring demand as existing apps expand and new ones are developed. Dynatrace is well positioned to capture this opportunity through its differentiated platform, enterprise-grade solutions, expanding salesforce, and ongoing product innovation. | Information Technology | 3.8% | |
Repligen Corporation Repligen Corporation (RGEN) is a tools supplier to the bioprocessing industry, offering a broad portfolio including upstream cell culture and downstream chromatography and filtration. Repligen operates in attractive end markets, historically targeting monoclonal antibodies and now expanding into cell and gene therapies. It should benefit as more companies begin manufacturing biosimilar versions of biologic drugs once key patents expire, increasing demand for Repligen’s bioprocessing products. The company has also innovated within specialized niches, including by introducing novel filtration technologies and building out in-line process analytics capabilities, positioning it for sustained long-term growth. | Health Care | 3.1% | |
Tempus AI, Inc. Tempus AI, Inc. is an intelligent diagnostics company that provides next-gen sequencing cancer treatment selection tests. It combines this genomic data with multimodal clinical patient data, which it license to biopharma companies, who use it to design smarter clinical trials and identify new drug targets. Within diagnostics, Tempus is a leader in the cancer treatment selection market, which is poised for rapid growth. Of the roughly 700,000 U.S. patients diagnosed with metastatic cancer each year, only a third receive next-gen sequencing tests. We see a potential $10 billion TAM in the U.S. alone. Tempus is the pioneer in its field, with a unique dataset with high barriers to entry, and has nine-figure deals with at least three firms. Tempus is expanding its platform beyond oncology to other areas such as cardiovascular disease, which should expand its market over time. | Health Care | 2.9% | |
Loar Holdings Inc. Loar Holdings Inc. (LOAR) is a niche aerospace components manufacturer. Founded in 2012, the company has an 85% proprietary product portfolio, with more than half of its revenue coming from the high-margin aftermarket channel. Loar’s proprietary, aftermarket-focused products represent one of the strongest business models in the aerospace and defense industry, exemplified by the success of peers such as TransDigm. Loar benefits from favorable industry growth trends and strong pricing power given the critical nature of its components. The company has executed a disciplined acquisition strategy, successfully integrating more than 17 acquisitions over the past 13 years. We believe Loar is well positioned to deliver strong double-digit growth for the foreseeable future. | Industrials | 2.9% | |
Samsara Inc. Samsara Inc. (IOT) provides a cloud-based software platform for vehicle telematics, video-based driver safety, workflow automation, equipment monitoring, and manufacturing site visibility. The platform analyzes data from millions of sensors and cameras to help companies reduce costs and improve safety. Samsara has been rapidly gaining market share in the $51 billion connected fleet software market, driven by its superior cloud-native architecture, ability to address both safety and telematics use cases, and its proprietary data moat (over 20 trillion data points collected annually across more than 1 million assets). The company has leveraged its strong position in commercial fleets to expand into adjacent areas such as construction equipment monitoring and driver workflow automation, increasing its value to customers. | Information Technology | 2.8% | |
Liberty Live Holdings, Inc. Liberty Media Corporation - Liberty Live (LLYVK) consists of Liberty Media Corporation's 30% interest in Live Nation Entertainment, Inc., the world's largest live entertainment company, producing, selling, and promoting concerts, and connecting brands to music. Live Nation is the dominant player in an industry with solid long-term demand trends. The company has significant opportunities for capital reinvestment. Its investment in new owned and operated venues drives higher concert segment margins relative to shows held at third-party venues, largely due to Live Nation's control of the profitable food and beverage business. As Live Nation's mix shift to owned venues increases, we believe the resulting margin improvement will produce low double-digit growth in adjusted operating income over the long term. | Communication Services | 2.6% | |
Heartflow, Inc. Heartflow, Inc. | Health Care | 2.5% | |
Rubrik, Inc. Rubrik (RBRK) is a cyber resilience platform providing data protection, security, and recovery across enterprise, cloud, and SaaS environments, built security-first for ransomware recovery. Rubrik is a category leader rapidly taking share in a ~$20Bn market via a superior security-first architecture, with win rates rising from 80% at IPO to over 90% in FY2026. Secular tailwinds from ransomware, data growth, and agentic AI expand the SAM, while new S-curves in identity resilience and Agent Rewind stack additional growth. Rubrik has tripled its market share in three years to ~7% in a ~$20Bn market, displacing legacy vendors like Dell, IBM, and Veritas. | Information Technology | 2.2% | |
Guidewire Software, Inc. Guidewire Software, Inc. (GWRE) is a leading provider of core systems software to the global property and casualty (P&C) insurance industry. Guidewire is a best-in-class core system of record for P&C insurers, managing policies, claims, premiums, and payments across highly regulated workflows. We see a long runway as carriers modernize legacy systems, with the core opportunity approaching $20B of annual recurring revenue (ARR). AI should expand this opportunity through automation and intelligence layered on top of InsuranceSuite, while also improving internal productivity. With the cloud migration largely complete, we expect accelerating revenue, margin expansion, and improving free cash flow. | Information Technology | 2.1% | |
Total | 29.0% |
Top Ten Fund Holdings based on net assets. Portfolio holdings may change over time.
Portfolio holdings are subject to change. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.
Portfolio holdings are subject to change. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.
Contributors / DetractorsQuarterly as of 09/30/2026
| Top Contributors | Average Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| CareDx, Inc. | 3.05% | 2.54% |
| Tempus AI, Inc. | 2.38% | 1.08% |
| Dynatrace, Inc. | 3.11% | 0.84% |
| Repligen Corporation | 2.51% | 0.82% |
| Heartflow, Inc. | 1.96% | 0.81% |
Source: FactSet PA.
GICS Sector BreakdownAs of 09/30/2026
Sector
Health Care
27.2%
Industrials
26.5%
Information Technology
24.5%
Consumer Discretionary
9.2%
Financials
4.5%
Communication Services
4.2%
Real Estate
1.3%
Consumer Staples
1.1%
Materials
1.1%
Cash and Cash Equivalents
0.4%
Sub-Industry
Life Sciences Tools & Services15.2%
Aerospace & Defense10.9%
Systems Software9.8%
Application Software6.4%
Restaurants4.7%
Health Care Technology4.4%
Electronic Equipment & Instruments4.3%
Movies & Entertainment4.2%
Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components 4.0%
Pharmaceuticals3.5%
Environmental & Facilities Services3.1%
Electrical Components & Equipment2.8%
Semiconductors2.8%
Health Care Equipment2.6%
Building Products2.4%
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Life Sciences Tools & Services15.2%
Aerospace & Defense10.9%
Systems Software9.8%
Application Software6.4%
Restaurants4.7%
Health Care Technology4.4%
Electronic Equipment & Instruments4.3%
Movies & Entertainment4.2%
Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components 4.0%
Pharmaceuticals3.5%
Environmental & Facilities Services3.1%
Electrical Components & Equipment2.8%
Semiconductors2.8%
Health Care Equipment2.6%
Building Products2.4%
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Portfolio CharacteristicsAs of 09/30/2026
| Description | Baron Discovery Fund | Russell 2000 Growth Index |
|---|---|---|
| Inception Date | September 30, 2013 | |
| Net Assets | $1.68 billion | |
| # of Issuers / % of Net Assets | 62/99.6% | |
| Turnover (3 Year Average) | 38.94% | |
| Active Share | 96.2% | |
| Median Market Cap | $5.75 billion | $1.38 billion |
| Weighted Average Market Cap | $8.32 billion | $4.41 billion |
| Expense Ratio | 1.33% | |
| As of FYE Current Expense Ratio Date | 01/28/2026 | |
| EPS Growth (3-5 year forecast) | 20.5% | 15.3% |
| Price/Earnings Ratio (trailing 12-month) | 43.3x | 21.0x |
| Price/Book Ratio | 4.0x | 3.7x |
| Price/Sales Ratio | 4.0x | 1.6x |
The Net Assets include all share classes combined.
Price/Book Ratio and Price/Sales Ratio are calculated using the Weighted Harmonic Average. Source: FactSet PA. Internal valuation metrics may differ.
Price/Book Ratio and Price/Sales Ratio are calculated using the Weighted Harmonic Average. Source: FactSet PA. Internal valuation metrics may differ.
Distributions
| Record Date | Ex Date | Payable Date | Income | Return of Capital | Short-Term Capital Gain | Long-Term Capital Gain | Total | Re-Invest NAV | Calendar-Year Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11/22/2021 | 11/23/2021 | 11/24/2021 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.7794 | $0.5154 | $1.2948 | $35.10 | 4.63% |
| 11/23/2020 | 11/24/2020 | 11/25/2020 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $1.0614 | $1.0614 | $30.83 | 65.71% |
| 11/25/2019 | 11/26/2019 | 11/27/2019 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.0286 | $0.0286 | $21.11 | |
| 11/28/2018 | 11/29/2018 | 11/30/2018 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $1.5004 | $1.5004 | $19.10 | 0.42% |
| 11/27/2017 | 11/28/2017 | 11/29/2017 | $0.0066 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.0000 | $0.0066 | $18.14 | 35.52% |
For estimated distributions, visit the Tax Center