NPORT-EX 2 LMA3500LM033124.htm HTML

CLEARBRIDGE VARIABLE SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO

 

Schedule of investments (unaudited)    March 31, 2024
(Percentages shown based on Portfolio net assets)   

 

SECURITY

   SHARES      VALUE  
COMMON STOCKS - 98.0%      
COMMUNICATION SERVICES - 1.7%      

Diversified Telecommunication Services - 1.1%

     

Iridium Communications Inc.

     179,804      $ 4,703,673  
     

 

 

 

Media - 0.6%

     

Integral Ad Science Holding Corp.

     252,100        2,513,437
     

 

 

 

Total Communication Services

        7,217,110  
     

 

 

 
CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY - 7.4%      

Automobile Components - 1.0%

     

Fox Factory Holding Corp.

     80,539        4,193,666
     

 

 

 

Diversified Consumer Services - 0.6%

     

Duolingo Inc.

     10,400        2,294,032
     

 

 

 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure - 3.8%

     

Dutch Bros Inc., Class A Shares

     69,105        2,280,465

Wingstop Inc.

     38,341        14,048,142  
     

 

 

 

Total Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure

        16,328,607  
     

 

 

 

Household Durables - 0.6%

     

Installed Building Products Inc.

     9,700        2,509,681  
     

 

 

 

Specialty Retail - 1.4%

     

National Vision Holdings Inc.

     275,642        6,108,227
     

 

 

 

Total Consumer Discretionary

        31,434,213  
     

 

 

 
CONSUMER STAPLES - 9.7%      

Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail - 8.5%

     

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc.

     145,483        11,005,789

Casey’s General Stores Inc.

     40,573        12,920,472  

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.

     228,786        6,584,461

Performance Food Group Co.

     78,766        5,879,094
     

 

 

 

Total Consumer Staples Distribution & Retail

        36,389,816  
     

 

 

 

Food Products - 0.3%

     

Calavo Growers Inc.

     47,400        1,318,194  
     

 

 

 

Personal Care Products - 0.9%

     

e.l.f. Beauty Inc.

     16,600        3,254,098

Oddity Tech Ltd., Class A Shares

     15,115        656,747
     

 

 

 

Total Personal Care Products

        3,910,845  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL CONSUMER STAPLES

        41,618,855  
     

 

 

 
ENERGY - 4.9%      

Energy Equipment & Services - 3.7%

     

Cactus Inc., Class A Shares

     161,280        8,078,515  

ChampionX Corp.

     216,848        7,782,675  
     

 

 

 

Total Energy Equipment & Services

        15,861,190  
     

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 

ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report 

 

 

 

1


CLEARBRIDGE VARIABLE SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO

 

Schedule of investments (unaudited) (cont’d)    March 31, 2024
(Percentages shown based on Portfolio net assets)   

 

SECURITY

   SHARES      VALUE  

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels - 1.2%

     

Matador Resources Co.

     75,400      $ 5,034,458  
     

 

 

 

Total Energy

        20,895,648  
     

 

 

 
FINANCIALS - 6.7%      

Capital Markets - 4.0%

     

Hamilton Lane Inc., Class A Shares

     92,203        10,396,810  

PJT Partners Inc., Class A Shares

     71,001        6,692,554  
     

 

 

 

Total Capital Markets

        17,089,364  
     

 

 

 

Financial Services - 2.3%

     

NMI Holdings Inc., Class A Shares

     65,300        2,111,802

Shift4 Payments Inc., Class A Shares

     120,525        7,963,087
     

 

 

 

Total Financial Services

        10,074,889  
     

 

 

 

Insurance - 0.4%

     

Trupanion Inc.

     58,239        1,607,979
     

 

 

 

Total Financials

        28,772,232  
     

 

 

 
HEALTH CARE - 18.8%      

Biotechnology - 2.0%

     

Biohaven Ltd.

     32,349        1,769,167

Insmed Inc.

     45,000        1,220,850

Mirum Pharmaceuticals Inc.

     18,900        474,768

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.

     52,821        2,466,212

Viking Therapeutics Inc.

     32,800        2,689,600
     

 

 

 

Total Biotechnology

        8,620,597  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies - 3.6%

     

CONMED Corp.

     19,400        1,553,552  

Inari Medical Inc.

     23,000        1,103,540

Insulet Corp.

     12,176        2,086,966

Lantheus Holdings Inc.

     26,300        1,636,912

Penumbra Inc.

     39,726        8,866,049
     

 

 

 

Total Health Care Equipment & Supplies

        15,247,019  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Providers & Services - 5.9%

     

HealthEquity Inc.

     87,432        7,137,074

Progyny Inc.

     208,847        7,967,513

RadNet Inc.

     43,900        2,136,174

Surgery Partners Inc.

     272,498        8,128,616
     

 

 

 

Total Health Care Providers & Services

        25,369,377  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Technology - 1.4%

     

Certara Inc.

     329,300        5,887,884

Definitive Healthcare Corp.

     21,421        172,867
     

 

 

 

Total Health Care Technology

        6,060,751  
     

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 

 

2

 

 ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report

 


CLEARBRIDGE VARIABLE SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO

 

Schedule of investments (unaudited) (cont’d)    March 31, 2024
(Percentages shown based on Portfolio net assets)   

 

SECURITY

   SHARES      VALUE  

Life Sciences Tools & Services - 3.9%

     

Azenta Inc.

     67,183      $ 4,049,791

CryoPort Inc.

     91,025        1,611,143

ICON PLC

     20,955        7,039,832

Medpace Holdings Inc.

     9,400        3,799,010
     

 

 

 

Total Life Sciences Tools & Services

        16,499,776  
     

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals - 2.0%

     

Intra-Cellular Therapies Inc.

     84,048        5,816,122

Pacira BioSciences Inc.

     92,952        2,716,057
     

 

 

 

Total Pharmaceuticals

        8,532,179  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL HEALTH CARE

        80,329,699  
     

 

 

 
INDUSTRIALS - 21.2%      

Aerospace & Defense - 1.8%

     

BWX Technologies Inc.

     31,900        3,273,578  

Moog Inc., Class A Shares

     28,300        4,518,095  
     

 

 

 

Total Aerospace & Defense

        7,791,673  
     

 

 

 

Air Freight & Logistics - 1.6%

     

GXO Logistics Inc.

     123,585        6,643,930
     

 

 

 

Building Products - 4.1%

     

Hayward Holdings Inc.

     180,820        2,768,354

Trex Co. Inc.

     148,527        14,815,569
     

 

 

 

Total Building Products

        17,583,923  
     

 

 

 

Electrical Equipment - 1.4%

     

Bloom Energy Corp., Class A Shares

     256,769        2,886,083

Shoals Technologies Group Inc., Class A Shares

     275,315        3,078,022
     

 

 

 

Total Electrical Equipment

        5,964,105  
     

 

 

 

Ground Transportation - 2.3%

     

XPO Inc.

     80,680        9,845,380
     

 

 

 

Machinery - 5.3%

     

Albany International Corp., Class A Shares

     46,280        4,327,643  

RBC Bearings Inc.

     40,236        10,877,803

Tennant Co.

     61,897        7,527,294  
     

 

 

 

Total Machinery

        22,732,740  
     

 

 

 

Professional Services - 1.3%

     

Paycor HCM Inc.

     293,326        5,702,257
     

 

 

 

Trading Companies & Distributors - 3.4%

     

H&E Equipment Services Inc.

     151,322        9,711,846  

McGrath RentCorp.

     25,200        3,108,924  

Xometry Inc., Class A Shares

     101,387        1,712,426
     

 

 

 

Total Trading Companies & Distributors

        14,533,196  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INDUSTRIALS

        90,797,204  
     

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 

ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report 

 

 

 

3


CLEARBRIDGE VARIABLE SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO

 

Schedule of investments (unaudited) (cont’d)    March 31, 2024
(Percentages shown based on Portfolio net assets)   

 

SECURITY

   SHARES      VALUE  
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - 25.0%      

Communications Equipment - 0.4%

     

Viavi Solutions Inc.

     200,078      $ 1,818,709
     

 

 

 

Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components - 2.0%

     

Brain Corp.

     52,367        276,262 *(a)(b)(c) 

nLight Inc.

     85,280        1,108,640

Novanta Inc.

     15,300        2,673,981

OSI Systems Inc.

     30,443        4,347,869
     

 

 

 

Total Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components

        8,406,752  
     

 

 

 

IT Services - 2.1%

     

Wix.com Ltd.

     63,247        8,695,198
     

 

 

 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment - 5.4%

     

Allegro MicroSystems Inc.

     228,615        6,163,460

Lattice Semiconductor Corp.

     119,350        9,336,751

Monolithic Power Systems Inc.

     11,391        7,716,491  
     

 

 

 

Total Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment

        23,216,702  
     

 

 

 

Software - 15.1%

     

Aspen Technology Inc.

     27,388        5,841,313

Blackbaud Inc.

     30,000        2,224,200

Envestnet Inc.

     88,974        5,152,484

Intapp Inc.

     37,700        1,293,110

Jamf Holding Corp.

     158,895        2,915,723

Klaviyo Inc., Class A Shares

     129,449        3,298,361

Model N Inc.

     202,307        5,759,680

nCino Inc.

     97,600        3,648,288

PagerDuty Inc.

     315,554        7,156,765

Qualys Inc.

     26,365        4,399,528

Sprout Social Inc., Class A Shares

     154,250        9,210,267

Varonis Systems Inc.

     232,567        10,970,185

Zeta Global Holdings Corp., Class A Shares

     242,070        2,645,825
     

 

 

 

Total Software

        64,515,729  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

        106,653,090  
     

 

 

 
MATERIALS - 2.6%      

Chemicals - 2.6%

     

Arcadium Lithium PLC

     281,076        1,211,438

Balchem Corp.

     38,456        5,958,757  

Element Solutions Inc.

     163,400        4,081,732  
     

 

 

 

Total Materials

        11,251,927  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCKS
(Cost - $277,409,370)

        418,969,978  
     

 

 

 

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 

 

4

 

 ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report

 


CLEARBRIDGE VARIABLE SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO

 

Schedule of investments (unaudited) (cont’d)    March 31, 2024
(Percentages shown based on Portfolio net assets)   

 

SECURITY

   RATE     SHARES      VALUE  
PREFERRED STOCKS - 0.4%        
HEALTH CARE - 0.2%        

Pharmaceuticals - 0.2%

       

Caris Life Sciences Inc., Series C

     —        183,481      $ 389,959 *(a)(b)(c) 

Caris Life Sciences Inc., Series D

     —        31,383        188,256 *(a)(b)(c) 
       

 

 

 

Total Health Care

          578,215  
       

 

 

 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY - 0.2%        

Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components - 0.2%

       

Brain Corp.

     —        170,237        898,084 *(a)(b)(c) 
       

 

 

 

TOTAL PREFERRED STOCKS
(Cost - $1,658,695)

          1,476,299  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
(Cost - $279,068,065)

 

     420,446,277  
       

 

 

 
SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS - 1.7%        

JPMorgan 100% U.S. Treasury Securities Money Market Fund, Institutional Class

     5.155     3,744,473        3,744,473 (d)  

Western Asset Premier Institutional U.S. Treasury Reserves, Premium Shares

     5.242     3,744,473        3,744,473 (d)(e) 
       

 

 

 

TOTAL SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS
(Cost - $7,488,946)

          7,488,946  
       

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 100.1%
(Cost - $286,557,011)

          427,935,223  

Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets - (0.1)%

          (547,855
       

 

 

 

TOTAL NET ASSETS - 100.0%

        $ 427,387,368  
       

 

 

 

 

*

Non-income producing security.

 

(a)

Security is fair valued in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees (Note 1).

 

(b)

Security is valued using significant unobservable inputs (Note 1).

 

(c)

Restricted security (Note 3).

 

(d)

Rate shown is one-day yield as of the end of the reporting period.

 

(e)

In this instance, as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, an “Affiliated Company” represents Portfolio ownership of at least 5% of the outstanding voting securities of an issuer, or a company which is under common ownership or control with the Portfolio. At March 31, 2024, the total market value of investments in Affiliated Companies was $3,744,473 and the cost was $3,744,473 (Note 2).

This Schedule of Investments is unaudited and is intended to provide information about the Portfolio’s investments as of the date of the schedule. Other information regarding the Portfolio is available in the Portfolio’s most recent annual or semi-annual shareholder report.

 

See Notes to Schedule of Investments.

 

 

ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report 

 

 

 

5


Notes to Schedule of Investments (unaudited)

 

1. Organization and significant accounting policies

ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is a separate diversified investment series of Legg Mason Partners Variable Equity Trust (the “Trust”). The Trust, a Maryland statutory trust, is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company.

Shares of the Portfolio may only be purchased or redeemed through variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies offered by the separate accounts of participating insurance companies or through eligible pension or other qualified plans.

The Portfolio follows the accounting and reporting guidance in Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946, Financial Services – Investment Companies (“ASC 946”). The following are significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Portfolio and are in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), including, but not limited to, ASC 946.

(a) Investment valuation. Equity securities for which market quotations are available are valued at the last reported sales price or official closing price on the primary market or exchange on which they trade. The valuations for fixed income securities (which may include, but are not limited to, corporate, government, municipal, mortgage-backed, collateralized mortgage obligations and asset-backed securities) and certain derivative instruments are typically the prices supplied by independent third party pricing services, which may use market prices or broker/dealer quotations or a variety of valuation techniques and methodologies. The independent third party pricing services typically use inputs that are observable such as issuer details, interest rates, yield curves, prepayment speeds, credit risks/spreads, default rates and quoted prices for similar securities. Investments in open-end funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share of each fund on the day of valuation. When the Portfolio holds securities or other assets that are denominated in a foreign currency, the Portfolio will normally use the currency exchange rates as of 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Time). If independent third party pricing services are unable to supply prices for a portfolio investment, or if the prices supplied are deemed by the manager to be unreliable, the market price may be determined by the manager using quotations from one or more broker/dealers or at the transaction price if the security has recently been purchased and no value has yet been obtained from a pricing service or pricing broker. When reliable prices are not readily available, such as when the value of a security has been significantly affected by events after the close of the exchange or market on which the security is principally traded, but before the Portfolio calculates its net asset value, the Portfolio values these securities as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Portfolio’s Board of Trustees.

Pursuant to policies adopted by the Board of Trustees, the Portfolio’s manager has been designated as the valuation designee and is responsible for the oversight of the daily valuation process. The Portfolio’s manager is assisted by the Global Fund Valuation Committee (the “Valuation Committee”). The Valuation Committee is responsible for making fair value determinations, evaluating the effectiveness of the Portfolio’s pricing policies, and reporting to the Portfolio’s manager and the Board of Trustees. When determining the reliability of third party pricing information for investments owned by the Portfolio, the Valuation Committee, among other things, conducts due diligence reviews of pricing vendors, monitors the daily change in prices and reviews transactions among market participants.

 

 

 

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 ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report

 


Notes to Schedule of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

The Valuation Committee will consider pricing methodologies it deems relevant and appropriate when making fair value determinations. Examples of possible methodologies include, but are not limited to, multiple of earnings; discount from market of a similar freely traded security; discounted cash-flow analysis; book value or a multiple thereof; risk premium/yield analysis; yield to maturity; and/or fundamental investment analysis. The Valuation Committee will also consider factors it deems relevant and appropriate in light of the facts and circumstances. Examples of possible factors include, but are not limited to, the type of security; the issuer’s financial statements; the purchase price of the security; the discount from market value of unrestricted securities of the same class at the time of purchase; analysts’ research and observations from financial institutions; information regarding any transactions or offers with respect to the security; the existence of merger proposals or tender offers affecting the security; the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or comparable companies; and the existence of a shelf registration for restricted securities.

For each portfolio security that has been fair valued pursuant to the policies adopted by the Board of Trustees, the fair value price is compared against the last available and next available market quotations. The Valuation Committee reviews the results of such back testing monthly and fair valuation occurrences are reported to the Board of Trustees quarterly.

The Portfolio uses valuation techniques to measure fair value that are consistent with the market approach and/or income approach, depending on the type of security and the particular circumstance. The market approach uses prices and other relevant information generated by market transactions involving identical or comparable securities. The income approach uses valuation techniques to discount estimated future cash flows to present value.

GAAP establishes a disclosure hierarchy that categorizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to value assets and liabilities at measurement date. These inputs are summarized in the three broad levels listed below:

 

   

Level 1 – unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

 

   

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

 

   

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used to value securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

 

  ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report   

 

 

7


Notes to Schedule of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

The following is a summary of the inputs used in valuing the Portfolio’s assets carried at fair value:

 

ASSETS

 

DESCRIPTION

   QUOTED PRICES
(LEVEL 1)
     OTHER SIGNIFICANT
OBSERVABLE INPUTS
(LEVEL 2)
     SIGNIFICANT
UNOBSERVABLE
INPUTS
(LEVEL 3)
     TOTAL  

Long-Term Investments†:

           

Common Stocks:

           

Information Technology

   $ 106,376,828        —       $ 276,262      $ 106,653,090  

Other Common Stocks

     312,316,888        —         —         312,316,888  

Preferred Stocks:

           

Health Care

     —         —         578,215        578,215  

Information Technology

     —         —         898,084        898,084  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Long-Term Investments

     418,693,716        —         1,752,561        420,446,277  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Short-Term Investments†

     7,488,946        —         —         7,488,946  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $ 426,182,662        —       $ 1,752,561      $ 427,935,223  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

See Schedule of Investments for additional detailed categorizations.

2. Transactions with affiliated company

As defined by the 1940 Act, an affiliated company is one in which the Portfolio owns 5% or more of the outstanding voting securities, or a company which is under common ownership or control with the Portfolio. The following company was considered an affiliated company for all or some portion of the period ended March 31, 2024. The following transactions were effected in such company for the period ended March 31, 2024.

 

     Affiliate
Value at
December 31,
2023
     Purchased      Sold      Realized
Gain (Loss)
     Dividend
Income
     Net Increase
(Decrease) in
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
     Affiliate
Value at
March 31,
2024
 
   Cost      Shares      Proceeds      Shares  
Western Asset Premier Institutional U.S. Treasury Reserves, Premium Shares    $ 8,472,870      $ 8,887,406        8,887,406      $ 13,615,803        13,615,803        —       $ 41,897        —       $ 3,744,473  

 

 

 

8

 

 ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report

 


Notes to Schedule of Investments (unaudited) (continued)

 

3. Restricted securities

The following Portfolio investments are restricted as to resale and, in the absence of readily ascertainable market values, are valued in good faith in accordance with procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

 

Security

   Number of
Shares
     Acquisition
Date
     Cost      Fair Value
at 3/31/2024
     Value Per
Share
     Percent of
Net Assets
 
Brain Corp., Common Shares      52,367        3/21      $ 228,844      $ 276,262      $ 5.28        0.07
Brain Corp., Preferred Shares      170,237        4/20, 11/20        898,085        898,084        5.28        0.21
Caris Life Sciences Inc., Series C, Preferred Shares      183,481        10/20        506,408        389,959        2.13        0.09  
Caris Life Sciences Inc., Series D, Preferred Shares      31,383        5/21        254,202        188,256        6.00        0.04  
        

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

 
         $ 1,887,539      $ 1,752,561           0.41
        

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

  ClearBridge Variable Small Cap Growth Portfolio 2024 Quarterly Report   

 

 

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