Derivatives, which are
instruments that have a value based on another instrument, exchange rate or index, may be used as
substitutes for securities in which the Fund can invest. To the extent the Fund uses derivatives,
the Fund will primarily use futures contracts to more effectively gain targeted equity exposure
from its cash positions.
Investment Process: In managing the Fund, the
portfolio management team employs an investment process that seeks to identify both growth and
value securities for the Fund. The team seeks to identify companies with leading competitive positions, talented management teams and durable business models. In addition, the team will invest in companies that it
believes either have the capacity to achieve a sustainable level of above average growth or have
sustainable free cash flow generation with management committed to increasing shareholder value.
As part of its investment process, the adviser seeks to assess the impact of environmental,
social and governance (ESG) factors on many issuers in the universe in which the Fund may invest.
The adviser’s assessment is based on an analysis of key opportunities and risks across industries to seek to identify financially material issues with respect to the Fund’s investments in securities and ascertain key
issues that merit engagement with issuers. These assessments may not be conclusive and securities
of issuers that may be negatively impacted by such factors may be purchased and retained by the Fund while the Fund may divest or not invest in securities of issuers that may be positively impacted by such
factors.
The adviser may sell a security for several reasons. A
security may be sold due to a change in the company’s fundamentals or if the adviser
believes the security is no longer attractively valued. Investments may also be sold if the adviser identifies a stock that it believes offers a better investment opportunity.
The Fund’s Main Investment Risks
The Fund is subject to management risk and may not achieve its objective if the adviser’s expectations
regarding particular instruments or markets are not met.
An investment in this Fund or any other fund may not provide a complete investment program. The suitability of an investment in the Fund
should be considered based on the investment objective, strategies and risks described in this Prospectus, considered in light of all of the other investments in your
portfolio, as well as your risk tolerance, financial goals and time horizons. You may want to consult with a financial advisor to determine if this Fund is suitable for you.
The Fund is subject to the main risks noted below, any of which may
adversely affect the Fund’s performance and ability to meet its investment objective.
Equity Market Risk. The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of changes in the broad market 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. When the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities goes down, your investment in the Fund decreases in value.
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), deflation (or
expectations for deflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources,
market instability, financial system instability, debt crises and downgrades, embargoes, tariffs,
sanctions and other trade barriers, regulatory events, other governmental trade or market control
programs and related geopolitical events. In addition, the value of the Fund’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of global events such as war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters or
events, country instability, and infectious disease epidemics or pandemics.
Mid Cap Company Risk. Investments in mid cap companies
may be riskier, less liquid, more volatile and more vulnerable to economic, market and industry
changes than investments in larger, more established companies. The securities of smaller
companies may trade less frequently and in smaller volumes than securities of larger companies.
As a result, changes in the price of securities issued by such companies may be more sudden or
erratic than the prices of other equity securities, especially over the short term.
Strategy Risk. Although the Fund invests in both growth
and value securities, it may invest more heavily in either growth or value securities depending
on market conditions and the convictions of the adviser. To the extent the Fund invests in growth
securities, it will be subject to risks related to growth investing. Specifically, growth stocks
may trade at higher multiples of current earnings compared to value or other stocks, leading to
inflated prices and thus potentially greater declines in value. To the extent the Fund invests in
value securities, it will be subject to risks related to value investing. Specifically, a value stock may decrease in price or may not increase in price as anticipated by the adviser if other investors fail to
recognize the company’s value or the factors that the adviser believes will cause the stock
price to increase do not occur.
Derivatives
Risk. Derivatives, including futures contracts, may be riskier than other types of investments
and may increase the volatility of the Fund. Derivatives may be sensitive to changes in economic
and market conditions and may create leverage, which could result in losses that significantly exceed the Fund’s original investment. The Fund may be more volatile than if the Fund had not been leveraged because the
leverage tends to exaggerate any effect on the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities.
Certain derivatives expose the Fund to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the derivative counterparty will not fulfill its contractual obligations (and includes credit risk associated with the counterparty). Certain
derivatives are synthetic instruments that attempt to replicate the performance of certain
reference assets. With regard to such derivatives, the Fund does not have a claim on the reference assets and is subject to enhanced counterparty risk. Derivatives may not perform as expected, so the Fund may not realize
the intended benefits. When used for hedging, the change in value of a derivative may not
correlate as expected with the security or other risk being hedged. In addition, given their complexity, derivatives expose the Fund to risks of mispricing or improper