Baron Financials ETF Q4 2025 Quarterly Letter (BCFN)

Core Insights - The Baron Financials ETF experienced a decline of 2.22% in the fourth quarter of 2025, underperforming the FactSet Global FinTech Index, which fell by 7.19%, but slightly trailing the MSCI USA Financials Index, which gained 2.07% [2][3][7] - Since its inception on December 31, 2019, the Fund has achieved an annualized return of 10.21%, outperforming the FinTech Index's 2.55% but lagging behind the Financials Index's 11.97% [2][3] Performance Overview - In the fourth quarter, the Fund's performance was driven by favorable stock selection within Information Services and an overweighting in Tech-Enabled Financials, while underexposure to banks negatively impacted relative performance [7][8] - The Fund's average weighting in banks was only 6%, which cost nearly 2 percentage points of relative performance against the Financials Index, where banks had a 38% weighting and were the top-performing industry [7][8] Sector Analysis - The Fund's holdings are segmented into various industries, with Capital Markets representing 31.7%, Information Services at 20.7%, and Payments at 17.4% as of December 31, 2025 [20][23] - The Fund has a significant overweight in Information Services and Capital Markets compared to the Financials Index, while being underweight in Banks and Insurance [20][21] Key Contributors and Detractors - Top contributors to the Fund's performance included Fair Isaac Corporation, S&P Global Inc., and Jack Henry & Associates, with Fair Isaac contributing 0.37% to returns due to strong quarterly results and positive fiscal guidance [12][13][14] - Major detractors included Robinhood Markets, which fell 0.93% due to a decline in customer engagement and cryptocurrency trading volumes, and MercadoLibre, which faced competitive pressures and margin concerns [16][17] Recent Activity - The Fund made significant net purchases in Morgan Stanley, Capital One Financial Corporation, and The Charles Schwab Corporation, focusing on firms with strong growth prospects and diversified revenue streams [25][31] - The Fund trimmed positions in Guidewire Software and Interactive Brokers to manage exposure to the volatile software sector and to fund purchases with better expected returns [32][33] Market Outlook - The macroeconomic environment is viewed as generally healthy, with stable credit trends and a low unemployment rate of 4.4% as of December 2025, supporting growth in the financial sector [34][35] - The Fund anticipates continued growth driven by favorable fiscal policies and easing monetary conditions, with expectations for two rate cuts in the upcoming year [35][36]