Investment Process: In
managing the Fund, the adviser employs a process that ranks stocks based on its proprietary stock ranking system. The rankings are then reviewed and adjusted utilizing fundamental research conducted by the
investment team to enhance accuracy and consistency. The adjusted rankings are used to place
stocks into portfolios. 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. In general, stocks are purchased when they are among the top ranked within their
sector. Stocks become candidates for sale when their ranking falls, when they appear unattractive
or when the company is no longer a small cap company. The Fund may continue to hold the securities if it believes further substantial growth is possible. Risk factor exposures are managed through portfolio
construction. Portfolio constraints control for sector weights, position sizes and/or style
characteristics of the Fund.
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.
Smaller Company Risk. Investments in smaller 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, the share price changes may be more sudden or erratic than the prices of other securities, especially over the short term.
Real Estate Securities Risk. The Fund’s investments in real estate securities, including REITs, are subject to the same risks as direct investments in real estate and mortgages,
and their value will depend on the value of the underlying real estate interests. These risks
include default, prepayments, changes in value resulting from changes in interest rates and demand for real and rental property, and the management skill and credit-worthiness of REIT issuers. The Fund will indirectly
bear its proportionate share of expenses, including management fees, paid by each REIT in which
it invests in addition to the expenses of the Fund.
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 valuation. Derivatives also can expose the Fund to derivative liquidity risk, which includes risks involving
the liquidity demands that derivatives can create to make payments of margin, collateral, or
settlement payments to counterparties, legal risk, which includes the risk of loss resulting from insufficient or unenforceable contractual documentation, insufficient capacity or authority of the Fund’s
counterparty and operational risk, which includes documentation or settlement issues, system
failures, inadequate controls and human error.