Oct. 28, 2023
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment) | Class A | Class I | ||||||
| Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | 3.50% | None | ||||||
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) | ||||||||
| Management Fees | 0.65% | 0.65% | ||||||
| Distribution and Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | None | ||||||
| Other Expenses | 0.40% | 0.40% | ||||||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.30% | 1.05% | ||||||
Less: Fee Waiver(1) | -0.15% | -0.15% | ||||||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver | 1.15% | 0.90% | ||||||
| 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | |||||||||||
| Class A | $463 | $733 | $1,024 | $1,850 | ||||||||||
| Class I | $92 | $319 | $565 | $1,269 | ||||||||||
Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (including any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities across a wide range of market capitalizations and investment styles with attractive fundamental characteristics. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest includes common stock, preferred stock, convertibles, warrants, American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”) and real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund looks for companies with reasonable valuations, prudent debt levels, cash flow generation, attractive growth characteristics and solid balance sheets. The Fund invests its assets in both value and growth stocks, as well as dividend-paying and non-dividend-paying stocks. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective primarily through stock selection, with less emphasis on sector weightings. As a result, the Fund expects to only occasionally make modest sector changes, preferring to differentiate performance by relative movement in individual stocks rather than in sectors or industries.
The Fund may seek to enhance returns through investments in foreign securities (which may include ADRs, dollar-denominated foreign securities, or direct investment in foreign securities, including those in emerging markets), and other investment companies (including exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”)). The Fund may invest up to 25% of its net assets in foreign securities including in emerging markets, and the Fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in other investment companies.
The Advisor may sell a position if the fundamentals have deteriorated, catalysts fail to develop, or a stock exceeds fair valuation. The Advisor may also sell a position if a better alternative becomes available.
At the discretion of the Advisor, the Fund may invest its assets in cash, cash equivalents, and high-quality, short-term debt securities and money market instruments for temporary defensive purposes in response to adverse market, economic, political or other conditions.
Losing all or a portion of your investment is a risk of investing in the Fund. The following principal risks could affect the value of your investment:
•General Market Risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. Securities in the Fund’s portfolio may underperform in comparison to securities in general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes due to a number of factors, including: inflation (or expectations for inflation); interest rates; global demand for particular products or resources; natural disasters or events; pandemic diseases; terrorism; regulatory events; and government controls. U.S. and international markets have experienced significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors, which has resulted in disruptions to business operations and supply chains, stress on the global healthcare system, growth concerns in the U.S. and overseas, staffing shortages and the inability to meet consumer demand, and widespread concern and uncertainty. Continuing uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, political events, rising government debt in the U.S. and trade tensions also contribute to market volatility. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the war between Ukraine and Russia, the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on certain Russian individuals and companies, including certain financial institutions, and have limited certain exports and imports to and from Russia. The war has contributed to recent market volatility and may continue to do so.
•Equity Securities Risk. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of economic or political changes or changes in a company’s financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, sectors or industries selected for the Fund’s portfolio or the securities market as a whole, such as changes in economic or political conditions.
•Management Risk. Your investment in the Fund varies with the success and failure of the Advisor’s investment strategies and the Advisor’s research, analysis and determination of portfolio securities.
•Small and Medium Companies Risk. Investing in securities of small and medium capitalization companies may involve greater volatility than investing in larger and more established companies because small and medium capitalization companies can be subject to more abrupt or erratic share price changes than larger, more established companies.
•Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Risk. Investments in REITs will be subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate. Risks commonly associated with the direct ownership of real estate include fluctuations in the value of underlying properties, defaults by borrowers or tenants, changes in interest rates and risks related to general or local economic conditions. REITs have their own expenses, and the Fund will bear a proportionate share of those expenses. In addition, the value of an individual REIT’s securities can decline if the REIT fails to continue qualifying for special tax treatment.
•Foreign and Emerging Market Securities Risk. Foreign securities may be more volatile and less liquid than domestic (U.S.) securities, which could affect the Fund’s investments. Securities markets of other countries are generally smaller than U.S. securities markets. These risks are enhanced in emerging markets.
•ETF and Mutual Fund Risk. When the Fund invests in a mutual fund or ETF, it will bear additional expenses based on its pro rata share of the mutual fund’s or ETF’s operating expenses, including the potential duplication of management fees. The risk of owning a mutual fund or ETF generally reflects the risks of owning the underlying securities the mutual fund or ETF holds. The Fund also will incur brokerage costs when it purchases ETFs.
The Fund may be appropriate for investors who:
•Have a long-term investment horizon;
•Want to add an investment with potential for capital appreciation to diversify their investment portfolio; and
•Can accept the greater risks of investing in a portfolio with equity holdings.
The Fund’s year-to-date return, excluding sales loads, as of September 30, 2023 was 7.36%.
During the period of time shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a calendar quarter was 21.67% (quarter ended June 30, 2020) and the lowest return for a calendar quarter was -19.77% (quarter ended March 31, 2020).
| Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2022) | Since | Since | |||||||||||||||
| Inception | Inception | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 Year | 5 Years | 10 Years | (8/11/2008) | (10/30/2013) | |||||||||||||
| Class A Shares | |||||||||||||||||
| Return Before Taxes | -16.21% | 9.72% | 11.35% | 9.32% | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions | -18.22% | 7.20% | 9.55% | 7.96% | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | -8.08% | 7.34% | 9.03% | 7.52% | N/A | ||||||||||||
| Class I Shares | |||||||||||||||||
| Return Before Taxes | -12.95% | 10.78% | N/A | N/A | 10.30% | ||||||||||||
S&P 1500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | -17.78% | 9.15% | 12.40% | 9.96% | 10.74% | ||||||||||||
Effective October 28, 2020, the Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percent of offering price) for Class A shares was reduced from 5.00% to 3.50%. Accordingly, returns for the Class A shares reflect this reduction.
The after-tax returns were calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”). The after-tax returns are shown only for Class A and the after-
tax returns for Class I will vary to the extent it has different expenses. The Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares is higher than other return figures when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor.