Laird Bieger

In a November 2, 2022 article in Professional Wealth Management, Laird Bieger, portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, explains why he believes U.S. small cap growth equities are particularly attractive at this time.  Read the full article.

In a June 17, 2022, article on CNBC, Ron Baron said he thinks the current opportunity in growth stocks is as big as when he started Baron Capital 40 years ago. Read the full article. [subscription required to access].

Baron Capital’s “think different” approach can be a big plus in investing, says Michael Brush, a columnist for MarketWatch. Read the November 18, 2021 MarketWatch piece, which draws on examples across a number of our funds.

Laird Bieger, portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, discusses his approach to research and investing in small-cap companies in a September 1, 2021 podcast hosted by ICR Co-Founder & CEO Tom Ryan.

Baron Opportunity, Baron Partners, Baron Focused Growth, Baron Discovery, Baron WealthBuilder, Baron Global Advantage, and Baron Emerging Markets Funds were listed among Kiplinger’s top funds for 2020. 

We are pleased to announce that Morningstar has given the small cap growth Baron Discovery Fund (Institutional shares) its “Silver” Analyst Rating. To view the profile, visit www.morningstar.com. (Subscription required to access).

The Morningstar Analyst Rating™ is not a credit or risk rating. It is a subjective evaluation performed by Morningstar’s manager research group, which consists of various Morningstar, Inc. subsidiaries (“Manager Research Group”). In the United States, that subsidiary is Morningstar Research Services LLC, which is registered with and governed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The Manager Research Group evaluates funds based on five key pillars, which are process, performance, people, parent, and price. The Manager Research Group uses this five-pillar evaluation to determine how they believe funds are likely to perform relative to a benchmark over the long term on a risk adjusted basis. They consider quantitative and qualitative factors in their research. For actively managed strategies, people and process each receive a 45% weighting in their analysis, while parent receives a 10% weighting. For passive strategies, process receives an 80% weighting, while people and parent each receive a 10% weighting. For both active and passive strategies, performance has no explicit weight as it is incorporated into the analysis of people and process; price at the share-class level (where applicable) is directly subtracted from an expected gross alpha estimate derived from the analysis of the other pillars. The impact of the weighted pillar scores for people, process and parent on the final Analyst Rating is further modified by a measure of the dispersion of historical alphas among relevant peers. For certain peer groups where standard benchmarking is not applicable, primarily peer groups of funds using alternative investment strategies, the modification by alpha dispersion is not used. The Analyst Rating scale is Gold, Silver, Bronze, Neutral, and Negative. For active funds, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Group’s expectation that an active fund will be able to deliver positive alpha net of fees relative to the standard benchmark index assigned to the Morningstar category. The level of the rating relates to the level of expected positive net alpha relative to Morningstar category peers for active funds. For passive funds, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Group’s expectation that a fund will be able to deliver a higher alpha net of fees than the lesser of the relevant Morningstar category median or 0. The level of the rating relates to the level of expected net alpha relative to Morningstar category peers for passive funds. For certain peer groups where standard benchmarking is not applicable, primarily peer groups of funds using alternative investment strategies, a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold, Silver, or Bronze reflects the Manager Research Group’s expectation that a fund will deliver a weighted pillar score above a predetermined threshold within its peer group. Analyst Ratings ultimately reflect the Manager Research Group’s overall assessment, are overseen by an Analyst Rating Committee, and are continuously monitored and reevaluated at least every 14 months.

Randy Gwirtzman, co-Portfolio Manager of Baron Discovery Fund, discusses investment opportunities in the health care sector generated by the COVID-19 pandemic in a May 29, 2020, interview with Oliver Renick.

Randy Gwirtzman, portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, discusses small-cap stocks that are poised to benefit from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, in his April 14, 2020, interview with Oliver Renick.

Learn more about Baron's response. 

Randy Gwirtzman, portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, explain his top stock picks after the coronavirus-driven sell-off in his March 10 appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Baron Discovery Fund Portfolio Manager Randy Gwirtzman discusses his approach to finding growth stocks in a volatile market. To access the article, visit www.investors.com.

Baron Capital CEO and Chief Investment Officer Ron Baron appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on August 20, 2019 to discuss the economy, Baron's long-term investment philosophy, and market volatility. Watch the full interview at www.cnbc.com.

Baron Discovery Fund, co-managed by Randy Gwirtzman and Laird Bieger, was highlighted in Morningstar’s FundInvestor as an “intriguing, open small-cap option” among the most recent list of Morningstar Prospects. Download a free copy of FundInvestor by visiting the website.

In the March 11, 2019 issue of Investor’s Business Daily, Randy Gwirtzman, portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, talks about the types of stocks he favors in the current market environment. Read the full article.

Baron is pleased to announce that Morningstar has added Baron Discovery Fund and Baron Global Advantage Fund to its “Prospects” list of up-and-coming or under-the-radar strategies that Morningstar Manager Research thinks might be worthy of full coverage someday. Currently, Baron Growth Fund, Baron Asset Fund, Baron Small Cap Fund, Baron Partners Fund, and Baron Emerging Markets Fund all have full coverage by Morningstar.

At the 2018 Baron Investment Conference, Ron Baron joined Ken Moelis, chairman and CEO of Moelis & Company, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” to discuss Moelis’ investment strategy and the outlook for M&A activity. Watch the full interview on www.cnbc.com.

Portfolio holdings as a percentage of net assets as of September 30, 2018 for Moelis & Company are as follows: Baron Growth Fund (0.6%), Baron Small Cap Fund (0.9%).

On October 12, Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, appeared on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” program to discuss his thoughts on the current investment landscape. Watch the full segment on  www.cnbc.com.

Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" program on September 21 to discuss markets and stocks amid U.S-China trade tensions. Watch a segment of the interview at www.cnbc.com.

In the September 10 edition of "Best Mutual Funds Special Report 2018," Investor's Business Daily highlighted Baron Discovery Fund, quoting Randy Gwirtzman and Laird Bieger and discussing some of their stock picks. Read the full articlevat www.investors.com.

On August 20, 2018, Baron Discovery Fund Portfolio Manager Randy Gwirtzman appeared on CNBC’s “Worldwide Exchange” program featuring "America's top-performing fund managers." Gwirtzman discussed his investment strategy, several of Baron Discovery Fund’s holdings, and his outlook on capital markets. Watch the full interview, "Small-cap Fund Manager Posting Big Returns,” at www.cnbc.com.

In the May 17th, 2018 issue of The Wall Street Journal, Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, offered his thoughts on the current investment environment as it relates to the rally in small cap stocks. You can read the full article, "Small Stocks Speed Past Large Caps," at www.wsj.com. (Subscription required to access).

Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, appeared on the November 2, 2017 segment of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” program to discuss some of his top stock picks, including a high-end robotics company.  Watch a clip from the segment at www.cnbc.com.

Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, appeared on the November 2, 2017 segment of CNBC’s “Squawk Box” program to discuss some of his top stock picks, including a high-end robotics company.  Watch a clip from the segment at www.cnbc.com.

Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, appeared on the August 28, 2017 segment of CNBC's "Squawk Box" program in a discussion on the likely impact of Hurricane Harvey on gasoline and oil prices. View a clip from the segment at www.cnbc.com.

A Reuters article on August 7, 2017 quoted Baron Discovery Fund Portfolio Manager Laird Bieger on how the dwindling numbers of sell-side researchers open the door to research-driven, actively managed firms to discover overlooked and potentially undervalued stocks. Bieger gave Impinj Inc (PI), a maker of radio frequency identification devices with a $1 billion market cap, as an example. He met with company management when there were no sell-side analysts covering the firm, and invested in it. Five analysts now cover the company, whose shares are up significantly year-to-date. Read the article ("Funds target 'unknown' stocks as Wall Street cuts analyst jobs," by David Randall) at www.reuters.com.

Portfolio holdings may change over time. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.
Portfolio holdings as a percentage of net assets as of June 30, 2017 for securities mentioned are as follows: Impinj Inc. (PI) – Baron Discovery Fund (1.2%)

Barron's homepage today features a Q&A interview with co-portfolio managers Randy Gwirtzman and Laird Bieger, who discussed Baron Discovery Fund and some of their favorite companies. "You haven't heard of them yet, but you will," Gwirtzman said about the portfolio stocks. Read the article at www.barrons.com. (Subscription required to access).

Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, appeared on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Friday, July 28 in a discussion with anchors Becky Quick, Joe Kernen, Andrew Ross Sorkin, and Lindsey Group chief market analyst Peter Boockvar. Watch the replay at www.cnbc.com to learn more about where they are seeing value plays in the markets and how the Fed's unwinding of its balance sheet could impact investors.

The ‘Best Mutual Funds 2017’ special section in this week’s print edition of Investor’s Business Daily highlights Baron Discovery Fund, managed by portfolio managers Randy Gwirtzman and Laird Bieger, as “the best-performing small-cap growth mutual fund in Q2, year-to-date, and the trailing 12 months, according to Morningstar.” In the article, Gwirtzman discusses his bullish sentiments on health care and technology. See the first seven sections of the story at www.investors.com.

The ‘Best Mutual Funds 2017’ special section in this week’s print edition of Investor’s Business Daily highlights Baron Discovery Fund, managed by portfolio managers Randy Gwirtzman and Laird Bieger, as “the best-performing small-cap growth mutual fund in Q2, year-to-date, and the trailing 12 months, according to Morningstar.” In the article, Gwirtzman discusses his bullish sentiments on health care and technology. See the first seven sections of the story at www.investors.com.

The ‘Best Mutual Funds 2017’ special section in this week’s print edition of Investor’s Business Daily highlights Baron Discovery Fund, managed by portfolio managers Randy Gwirtzman and Laird Bieger, as “the best-performing small-cap growth mutual fund in Q2, year-to-date, and the trailing 12 months, according to Morningstar.” In the article, Gwirtzman discusses his bullish sentiments on health care and technology. See the first seven sections of the story at www.investors.com.

The July 3 issue of this bi-weekly magazine featured Randy Gwirtzman, co-portfolio manager of Baron Discovery Fund, in its ‘Manager Profile.’ It talks about how Randy collaborates with co-manager Laird Bieger on researching and buying stocks in the small-cap space. “We find our companies because we have been doing this 15 to 20 years…and when something happens we are paying attention,” Gwirtzman says. Read the article at www.citywireusa.com.

Baron Discovery Fund was featured in The Wall Street Journal's April 2017 Mutual Fund Quarterly as the runner-up in the “Winner's Circle,” which identifies the U.S. stock fund that turned in the best performance over the preceding 12 months.

Ron Baron discusses the market environment and why he’s optimistic about Tesla. Watch the clip on www.CNBC.com