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Baron Emerging Markets Strategy

Symbol EMERGINGGROW
IN
International

Total Strategy Assets

$5.31 B

As of 03/31/2024

Inception date

01/31/2011

Performance

PerformanceAs of 03/31/2024

YTD11 Year3 Years5 Years10 yearsSince Inception
01/31/2011
Baron Emerging Markets Strategy (Net)2.82%8.96%-7.85%1.48%2.78%3.84%
Baron Emerging Markets Strategy (Gross)3.06%9.96%-6.98%2.43%3.76%4.65%
MSCI EM Index2.37%8.15%-5.05%2.22%2.95%1.92%
MSCI EM IMI Growth Index2.98%6.75%-7.54%3.02%3.69%2.82%

Performance InformationAs of 03/31/2024

3 Years5 Years10 Years
Standard Deviation (%)17.4820.1616.83
Sharpe Ratio-0.60-0.030.08
Alpha (%)-3.15-0.580.10
Beta0.951.020.93
R-Squared (%)93.8793.3589.71
Tracking Error (%)4.415.225.54
Information Ratio-0.63-0.14-0.03
Upside Capture (%)89.7799.1191.31
Downside Capture (%)103.11101.9691.24
Except for Standard Deviation and Sharpe Ratio, the performance based-characteristics above were calculated relative to the Baron Emerging Markets Strategy's benchmark MSCI EM Index. Performance statistics for additional periods will be provided on request. Source FactSet: SPAR.

Portfolio Holdings & Characteristics

HoldingsAs of 05/31/2024

HoldingSector% of Net Assets
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM) is the world's largest independent semiconductor foundry, manufacturing chips on behalf of other companies.
Taiwan Semiconductor remains the dominant force in leading edge semiconductor foundry manufacturing, as it benefits from economies of scale and a superior cost structure. Its successful track record of deploying new technology faster than competitors enables it to maintain its market share and pricing power. We believe Taiwan Semiconductor's investments in advanced nodes will solidify its superior market positioning and profitability in the long run.
Information Technology8.7%
Tencent Holdings Limited
Tencent Holdings Limited (700.HK) is a leading internet service company and the top game developer in China. Its primary platforms include QQ for instant messaging, WeChat for mobile messaging, and Qzone for social networking.
We are bullish on Tencent's ability to grow EPS at low double-digit rates in the long term and meaningfully enter new markets like e-commerce with its massive distribution. Tencent benefits from virtuous network effects, and we think it has a long runway to monetize its large user base by pushing value-added services and advertising through its platforms. We believe online advertising and advances in generative AI, fintech, and international gaming will continue to drive growth as management executes to capture share in these large and growing markets.
Communication Services4.9%
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930.KS) is a Korean technology conglomerate known for its leadership in consumer electronics and semiconductor manufacturing.
Samsung is the bellwether for global technology innovation and continues to deliver robust earnings across memory, logic, display, and smartphones. We are confident Samsung can maintain its technology leadership for decades to come, given its strong research and development track record and ability to meet ever-changing global consumer demand.
Information Technology4.2%
Bharti Airtel Limited
Bharti Airtel Limited (BHARTI.IN) is a leading telecommunications company, with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. The company's offerings include wireless, mobile commerce, and fixed line. 
Bharti is a top three player in the Indian telecommunications industry. With more than 30% market share, it is well positioned to benefit from rising smartphone penetration and 4G services in India. The company should continue to gain market share from Vodafone India, which is on the brink of bankruptcy and will likely need to raise mobile tariffs by more than 50% to remain a viable entity. We expect earnings to generate mid-teens growth over the next three to five years, with further upside from its broadband and enterprise businesses.
Communication Services2.7%
PDD Holdings Inc.
PDD Holdings Inc.
Consumer Discretionary2.4%
Bundl Technologies Private Limited
Bundl Technologies Private Limited (SWGY.K), doing business as Swiggy, is the leading food delivery platform in India and has a roughly 45% market share in the food delivery industry. Swiggy also has an on-demand quick commerce business.
Swiggy is well positioned to benefit from structural growth in online food delivery in India, in our view. We believe India’s food delivery industry is still in its infancy and will continue to scale over the next several years thanks to a growing middle class, rising disposable income, higher smartphone penetration, and structural shifts in consumer preferences driven by a tech-savvy, younger population. The industry has also become a duopoly between Swiggy and Zomato, which bodes well for the future profitability and scale of the company.
Consumer Discretionary2.4%
Indus Towers Limited
Indus Towers Limited (INDUSTOW.IN) is a leading telecommunications tower operator in India. The tower industry is structured as a duopoly, with Indus and a key competitor accounting for about 60% of the market share.
Indus has been a prime beneficiary of ongoing industry consolidation and the rollout of 5G services by telecommunications providers. Given recent improvements in financial viability, Vodafone Idea (VI), a key customer of Indus, has resumed monthly payments and should be a re-rating catalyst for Indus’ stock. Additionally, Indus should benefit from VI’s planned 4G expansion and 5G rollout, which will drive tower additions, tenancy ratio improvement, operating leverage, and free cash generation. We expect Indus to deliver high-single-digit revenue growth and approximately 10% earnings growth over the next three to five years.
Communication Services2.4%
InPost S.A.
InPost S.A. (INPST. NA) is a logistics company operating a dominant network of automated parcel lockers in Poland. It has a nascent position in the U.K. and a leading position in France through a 2021 acquisition. InPost also delivers 65% to 70% of online marketplace Allegro's units in Poland.
InPost benefits from shared infrastructure, accelerating returns to scale and density, secular e-commerce growth, and channel shift to lockers versus to-door delivery. The company has over 90% market share of automated parcel lockers in Poland, which has over 50% share of e-commerce volumes and is growing structurally at high incremental returns through densification of its network.
Industrials2.2%
Alibaba Group Holding Limited
Alibaba Group Holding Limited (BABA) is the largest e-commerce company in the world. Alibaba owns and operates the two largest online shopping platforms in China, Taobao and Tmall, as well as a 33% stake in Ant Financial, which is the country's dominant payment platform.
With over 900 million active buyers and over 10 million merchants, we believe Alibaba benefits from the increased penetration of internet, mobile, and e-commerce in China. It enjoys roughly 60% market share of all e-commerce transactions in China, and we expect it to continue to be a dominant force in the country for years to come. We also see positive optionality in Alibaba's cloud computing, international commerce, data management, and electronic payment platforms, though we await the execution of the company's planned restructuring.
Consumer Discretionary2.1%
Reliance Industries Limited
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL.IN) is India's leading conglomerate, with business interests that include oil refining, petrochemicals, media, telecommunications, and retail.
We believe Reliance is positioned to leverage its telecommunications network to transform into a digital services company, offering products such as video streaming, broadband, and e-commerce services. The company is also laying the groundwork to create an online marketplace that will connect over 12 million mom & pop retailers to over 400 million mobile and internet subscribers. We believe earnings will sustain high double-digit growth over the next three to five years.
Energy2.1%
Total
Total
34.0%
Top Ten Holdings, Portfolio Holdings, and Sector Breakdown based on net assets. Positions smaller than 0.05% round to 0.0%. Portfolio holdings may change over time.
Portfolio holdings are subject to change. Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to risk.

Contributors / DetractorsQuarterly as of 03/31/2024

Top ContributorsAverage WeightContribution
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited8.56%2.36%
Bundl Technologies Private Limited2.26%0.52%
Nu Holdings Ltd.1.34%0.49%
Bharti Airtel Limited2.24%0.43%
Jio Financial Services Limited0.93%0.40%
Source:  FactSet PA.  Based on the gross performance results of the representative account. 

GICS Sector BreakdownAs of 05/31/2024

Portfolio Characteristics

Information Technology

19.9%

Consumer Discretionary

17.8%

Financials

15.6%

Communication Services

14.4%

Industrials

13.1%

Consumer Staples

7.0%

Materials

4.3%

Energy

2.1%

Health Care

1.9%

Real Estate

1.7%

Cash & Cash Equivalents

1.5%

Utilities

0.8%

05/31/2024
Semiconductors11.00%
Broadline Retail 7.10%
Diversified Banks6.80%
Interactive Media & Services6.60%
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals4.20%
Integrated Telecommunication Services3.70%
Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment 3.20%
Restaurants3.20%
Wireless Telecommunication Services2.70%
Air Freight & Logistics2.20%
Investment Banking & Brokerage2.20%
Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing2.10%
Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods2.10%
Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components 1.90%
Cargo Ground Transportation 1.80%
024681012
Semiconductors11.00%
Broadline Retail 7.10%
Diversified Banks6.80%
Interactive Media & Services6.60%
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals4.20%
Integrated Telecommunication Services3.70%
Construction Machinery & Heavy Transportation Equipment 3.20%
Restaurants3.20%
Wireless Telecommunication Services2.70%
Air Freight & Logistics2.20%
Investment Banking & Brokerage2.20%
Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing2.10%
Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods2.10%
Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components 1.90%
Cargo Ground Transportation 1.80%
024681012
India30.40%
China24.40%
Korea12.60%
Taiwan11.10%
Brazil6.20%
Poland3.00%
Mexico2.70%
Philippines1.60%
Hong Kong1.60%
South Africa1.50%
Indonesia1.20%
Peru1.20%
Japan0.70%
Spain0.40%
05101520253035
India30.40%
China24.40%
Korea12.60%
Taiwan11.10%
Brazil6.20%
Poland3.00%
Mexico2.70%
Philippines1.60%
Hong Kong1.60%
South Africa1.50%
Indonesia1.20%
Peru1.20%
Japan0.70%
Spain0.40%
05101520253035

Portfolio CharacteristicsAs of 03/31/2024

Baron Emerging Markets StrategyMSCI EM Index
Inception DateJanuary 31, 2011
# of Issuers / % of Net Assets88 / 96.5%
Turnover (3 Year Average)35.53%
Active Share69.8%
Median Market Cap$14.72 billion$7.11 billion
Weighted Average Market Cap$119.54 billion$124.87 billion
EPS Growth (3-5 year forecast)20.2%18.0%
Price/Earnings Ratio (trailing 12-month)22.114.1
Price/Book Ratio2.51.9
Price/Sales Ratio2.31.3
Total Strategy Assets$5.31 billion
Price/Book Ratio and Price/Sales Ratio are calculated using the Weighted Harmonic Average. Source: FactSet PA. Internal valuation metrics may differ.