Baron Capital, an investment management company, released its Q4 2025 letter for its "Baron Real Estate Fund". A copy of the letter is available to download here. Baron Real Estate Fund was recognized as the Best Real Estate Fund Over Three Years at the 2026 LSEG Lipper Funds Awards, reflecting the three-year performance ending December 31, 2025. The Fund declined 5.39% (Institutional Shares) in Q1, underperforming the MSCI USA IMI Extended Real Estate Index (−0.96%) and the MSCI US REIT Index (+4.52%). Despite the Q1 decline, the long-term performance remains strong. The letter covers current thoughts, portfolio composition, key themes, top contributors and detractors, recent activity, and outlook for real estate and the Fund. The Fund has a positive outlook on the broader equity market and public real estate, and maintains a constructive outlook with compelling reasons to stay the course. Please review the Fund's top five holdings to gain insights into their key selections for 2026.
In its first-quarter 2026 investor letter, Baron Real Estate Fund highlighted Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR). Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) is a leading gaming and hospitality company that owns, leases, brands, and manages properties in 18 states. On June 12, 2026, Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) closed at $29.49 per share. One-month return of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) was 6.77%, and its shares gained 12.34% over the past 52 weeks. Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) has a market capitalization of $6.01 billion.
Baron Real Estate Fund stated the following regarding Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
"Since peaking at just under $120 per share in 2021, shares of Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:CZR) – the largest casino-entertainment company in the U.S. – declined to a multi-year low of approximately $18 per share in early 2026. The Fund recently acquired shares at a cost basis of $21 per share, which we view as highly attractive, implying an approximate 25% free cash flow yield.
Caesars operates a broad portfolio of ***** ets under Caesars, Harrah's, Horseshoe, and Eldorado brands, with roughly half of its cash flow generated from Las Vegas and the remainder from regional destination markets. SECTOR In our view, the current valuation largely reflects what has been a period of challenging operating conditions. Looking ahead, we are increasingly constructive on the company's outlook, as we expect improving performance across its Las Vegas, regional, and digital segments in 2026.