Charles River, Rambus and Verint Shares Ready to Race Higher

It’s not easy for value investors to gain exposure to the growth-fueled and often-pricey biotech sector.

It’s not easy for value investors to gain exposure to the growth-fueled and often-pricey biotech sector. Ben Nahum, portfolio manager for the Neuberger Berman Intrinsic Value Fund, said perhaps the best way is to own shares of contract research player Charles River Laboratories (CRL). 'If you look at Charles River, all the new drugs that came out in 2014 they worked on over half of those drugs that came to market,' said Nahum. 'So we think it’s a reasonable way to participate in the biotech industry.' Shares of Charles River are up 9% so far in 2015. The iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF which tracks the sector is up 14.5% year-to-date. The Neuberger Berman Intrinsic Value Fund is down 2.7% this year, according to fund-tracker Morningstar. Nahum is also bullish on Verint (VRNT), down 17% year-to-date, saying the fraud protection provider has tremendous upside despite being dragged down by foreign currency woes last quarter. 'At 13 times earnings and the markets that they play in, we consider it a compelling value,' said Nahum, adding that the company has recently entered the cybersecurity market with a large contract he believes to be with the Israeli Defense Forces. Nahum is similarly bullish on memory provider Rambus (RMBS), up 24% thus far in 2014, saying the company is far different from the high-flyer in the internet bubble.