ACRNX vs. BARIX

Last updated Apr 1, 2026

Compare and contrast key facts about Columbia Acorn Fund (ACRNX) and Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class (BARIX).

ACRNX is managed by Columbia. It was launched on Jun 10, 1970. BARIX is managed by Baron Capital Group. It was launched on May 29, 2009.

Performance

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in Columbia Acorn Fund (ACRNX) and Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class (BARIX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Yearly Performance Comparison

	2026 (YTD)	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017
ACRNX Columbia Acorn Fund	-9.00%	4.80%	14.46%	21.85%	-33.80%	8.62%	29.65%	26.65%	-8.82%	25.22%
BARIX Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class	-9.30%	8.17%	10.64%	17.36%	-25.87%	14.17%	33.32%	37.98%	0.13%	26.55%

Returns By Period

The year-to-date returns for both stocks are quite close, with ACRNX having a -9.00% return and BARIX slightly lower at -9.30%. Over the past 10 years, ACRNX has underperformed BARIX with an annualized return of 7.33%, while BARIX has yielded a comparatively higher 10.43% annualized return.

ACRNX

• 1D: -1.97%
• 1M: -12.92%
• YTD: -9.00%
• 6M: -7.88%
• 1Y: 10.67%
• 3Y*: 6.52%
• 5Y*: -1.27%
• 10Y*: 7.33%

BARIX

• 1D: 0.01%
• 1M: -7.56%
• YTD: -9.30%
• 6M: -2.18%
• 1Y: 1.03%
• 3Y*: 6.54%
• 5Y*: 1.73%
• 10Y*: 10.43%

*Multi-year figures are annualized to reflect compound growth (CAGR)

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Expense Ratio Comparison

ACRNX has a 0.83% expense ratio, which is lower than BARIX's 1.03% expense ratio.

BARIX

Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class

ACRNX

Columbia Acorn Fund

Return for Risk

ACRNX vs. BARIX — Risk / Return Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.

ACRNX

ACRNX Risk / Return Rank: 16
ACRNX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 15
ACRNX Sortino Ratio Rank: 17
ACRNX Omega Ratio Rank: 15
ACRNX Calmar Ratio Rank: 15
ACRNX Martin Ratio Rank: 16

BARIX

BARIX Risk / Return Rank: 8
BARIX Sharpe Ratio Rank: 8
BARIX Sortino Ratio Rank: 9
BARIX Omega Ratio Rank: 8
BARIX Calmar Ratio Rank: 8
BARIX Martin Ratio Rank: 7

The rank (0–100) shows how this investment's returns compare to the risk taken. Higher = better. Based on the past 12 months of data, combining Sharpe, Sortino, and other metrics used by quantitative funds and institutional investors.

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Risk-Adjusted Trends Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for Columbia Acorn Fund (ACRNX) and Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class (BARIX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

	ACRNX	BARIX	Difference
Sharpe ratio Return per unit of total volatility	0.40	0.14	+0.26
Sortino ratio Return per unit of downside risk	0.72	0.36	+0.36
Omega ratio Gain probability vs. loss probability	1.09	1.05	+0.05
Calmar ratio Return relative to maximum drawdown	0.43	0.09	+0.34
Martin ratio Return relative to average drawdown	1.61	0.23	+1.38
Data is calculated on a 1-year rolling basis and updated daily. The trend shows the change in the indicator over the past month.

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Sharpe Ratio Comparison

The current ACRNX Sharpe Ratio is 0.40, which is higher than the BARIX Sharpe Ratio of 0.14. The chart below compares the historical Sharpe Ratios of ACRNX and BARIX, offering insights into how both investments have performed under varying market conditions. These values are calculated using daily returns over the previous 12 months.

Sharpe Ratios by Period

	ACRNX	BARIX	Difference
Sharpe Ratio (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	0.40	0.14	+0.26
Sharpe Ratio (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period	-0.05	0.09	-0.14
Sharpe Ratio (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period	0.32	0.53	-0.21
Sharpe Ratio (All Time) Calculated using the full available price history	0.63	0.64	0.00

Correlation

The correlation between ACRNX and BARIX is 0.91, which is considered to be high. That indicates a strong positive relationship between their price movements. Having highly-correlated positions in a portfolio may signal a lack of diversification, potentially leading to increased risk during market downturns.

Dividends

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Dividend Comparison

ACRNX has not paid dividends to shareholders, while BARIX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 11.67%.

	TTM	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015
ACRNX Columbia Acorn Fund	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	0.00%	5.30%	26.17%	13.28%	11.43%	8.55%	23.63%	39.09%	63.48%
BARIX Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class	11.67%	10.59%	17.88%	3.28%	0.01%	7.26%	2.92%	1.70%	7.14%	7.01%	4.74%	11.23%

Drawdowns

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum ACRNX drawdown since its inception was -56.70%, which is greater than BARIX's maximum drawdown of -37.44%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for ACRNX and BARIX.

Drawdown Indicators

	ACRNX	BARIX	Difference
Max Drawdown Largest peak-to-trough decline	-56.70%	-37.44%	-19.26%
Max Drawdown (1Y) Largest decline over 1 year	-16.63%	-11.12%	-5.51%
Max Drawdown (5Y) Largest decline over 5 years	-45.58%	-37.44%	-8.14%
Max Drawdown (10Y) Largest decline over 10 years	-45.58%	-37.44%	-8.14%
Current Drawdown Current decline from peak	-20.25%	-10.67%	-9.58%
Average Drawdown Average peak-to-trough decline	-8.78%	-6.74%	-2.04%
Ulcer Index Depth and duration of drawdowns from previous peaks	4.47%	4.37%	+0.10%

Volatility

ACRNX vs. BARIX - Volatility Comparison

Columbia Acorn Fund (ACRNX) has a higher volatility of 7.83% compared to Baron Asset Fund Institutional Class (BARIX) at 3.35%. This indicates that ACRNX's price experiences larger fluctuations and is considered to be riskier than BARIX based on this measure. The chart below showcases a comparison of their rolling one-month volatility.

Volatility by Period

	ACRNX	BARIX	Difference
Volatility (1M) Calculated over the trailing 1-month period	7.83%	3.35%	+4.48%
Volatility (6M) Calculated over the trailing 6-month period	15.31%	11.71%	+3.60%
Volatility (1Y) Calculated over the trailing 1-year period	24.40%	18.99%	+5.41%
Volatility (5Y) Calculated over the trailing 5-year period, annualized	24.85%	19.65%	+5.20%
Volatility (10Y) Calculated over the trailing 10-year period, annualized	22.88%	19.83%	+3.05%