Filed pursuant to Rule 497(k)

1933 Act File No. 033-52154

1940 Act File No. 811-07168

HENNESSY FOCUS FUND

Summary Prospectus

February 28, 2024

hennessyfunds.com  |  1-800-966-4354

The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated February 28, 2024, as supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund’s Prospectus, reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund at no cost online at www.hennessyfunds.com/funds/fund-documents, by calling 1-800-966-4354 or 1-415-899-1555, or by emailing fundsinfo@hennessyfunds.com.

Investment Objective

 

The Hennessy Focus Fund seeks capital appreciation.

 

Fund Fees and Expenses

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

EXAMPLE

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in shares of this Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that you reinvest all dividends and distributions, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on those assumptions, your costs would be:

 

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities, or “turns over” its portfolio.  A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account.  These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance.  During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 12% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

Principal Investment Strategy

 

The Fund invests in (i) domestic companies whose securities are listed on U.S. national securities exchanges, (ii) foreign companies listed on U.S. national securities exchanges, (iii) foreign companies through American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), which are U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers listed on U.S. national securities exchanges, and (iv) foreign companies traded on foreign exchanges. Investments consist primarily of common stocks. As a non-principal investment strategy, the Fund may also invest in securities such as preferred stocks, warrants, equity-like instruments, and debt instruments. The Fund invests without regard to market capitalization.

The Portfolio Managers implement the Fund’s strategy through a concentrated portfolio of approximately 25 companies that the Portfolio Managers believe are high-quality businesses with large growth opportunities, excellent management, low tail risk, and discount valuations. The Fund’s holdings are conviction-weighted with the top ten positions comprising approximately 60-80% of the Fund’s assets. Once a potential investment is identified, the Portfolio Managers attempt to purchase shares at a price they believe represents a discount to a conservative estimate of the company’s intrinsic value. Generally, the Portfolio Managers may sell a business for a variety of reasons, including (i) source of funds for what they believe is a superior investment idea, (ii) adverse change in their assessment of a business’s quality, growth, or management, (iii) valuation, or (iv) risk management at the company or portfolio level.

The Fund may from time to time hold a significant portion of its portfolio in cash or cash equivalents.  If market conditions reduce the availability of securities with acceptable valuations, the Fund may hold larger than usual cash reserves for extended periods until securities with acceptable valuations become available.

 

Principal Risks

 

As with any security, there are market and investment risks associated with your investment in the Fund. The value of your investment will fluctuate over time, and it is possible to lose money. The principal risks of investing in the Fund include the following:

 

Non-Diversification Risk:  The Fund is non-diversified under the Investment Company Act and employs a concentrated investment strategy. Accordingly, the Fund typically invests a greater portion of its assets in, and its performance may be affected by, a smaller number of issuers than if it were a diversified, less concentrated fund. Further, the Fund may experience greater losses as a result of a single issuer’s unfavorable market or economic conditions or other adverse developments impacting the market value of the issuer’s securities.  As of January 31, 2024, approximately 63% of the Fund’s assets were invested in its top 10 holdings.

 

Industry Concentration Risk: From time to time, the Fund may concentrate its investments in one or more industry sectors. The Fund is currently substantially invested in the Consumer Discretionary, Financials, and Industrials sectors, and its performance is therefore tied closely to, and affected by, developments in these industries. Companies in the Consumer Discretionary sector may be affected by commodity price volatility, consumer preferences, competition, changing demographics, and labor relations. These companies depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and social trends and marketing campaigns may significantly affect demand for their products. Consumer discretionary companies may also lose value more quickly in periods of economic downturns because their products are viewed as nonessential luxury items. Companies in the Financials sector may be adversely affected by changes in the regulatory environment, interest

 

 

rate fluctuations, and other factors. Finally, companies in the Industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, environmental liabilities, and product liability.

 

Real Estate Investment Risk: The Fund invests in real estate investments, including real estate investment trusts (REITs), and is therefore subject to risks associated with the real estate market.  Real estate investments are particularly susceptible to economic downturns, changes in regulations, and fluctuating interest rates.

 

Small-Sized and Medium-Sized Companies Risk:  The Fund invests in small-sized and medium-sized companies, which may have more limited liquidity and greater price volatility than larger, more established companies. Smaller companies may have limited product lines, markets, and financial resources, and their management may be dependent on fewer key individuals.

 

Foreign Securities Risk: The Fund may invest in foreign companies (i) whose securities are listed on U.S. national securities exchanges or (ii) through ADRs. There are specific risks associated with investing in foreign companies not typically associated with investing in domestic companies. Risks include the possibility of substantial price volatility or reduced liquidity as a result of political and economic instability or policy and legislative changes in the foreign country and reduced earnings potential due to significantly higher levels of taxation than U.S. companies, including potentially confiscatory levels of taxation. In addition, ADRs may not track the price of the underlying foreign securities on which they are based, and their value may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading.

 

Market and Equity Investments Risk: The market value of a security may move up or down, and these fluctuations may cause a security to be worth more or less than the price originally paid for it. Market risk may affect a single company, an industry, a sector of the economy, or the market as a whole. The value of equity securities fluctuate due to many factors, including the past and predicted earnings of the issuer, the quality of the issuer’s management, general market conditions, political and other events, forecasts for the issuer’s industry, and the value of the issuer’s assets.

 

Tax Law Change Risk:  Tax law is subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect, or to different interpretations. For example, tax legislation enacted in 2017 (the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) resulted in fundamental changes to the Internal Revenue Code (some of which are set to expire in 2025). More recently, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 added a 15% alternative minimum tax on large corporations and a 1% excise tax on repurchases of stock by publicly traded corporations and certain affiliates. Such legislation, as well as possible future U.S. tax legislation and administrative guidance, could materially affect the value of or tax consequences of your investment in the Fund. Prospective shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the impact to them of possible changes in tax laws.

 

Temporary Defensive Positions Risk:  From time to time, the Fund may take temporary defensive positions in response to adverse market, economic, or political conditions.  To the extent the assets of the Fund are invested in temporary defensive positions, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective.  For temporary defensive purposes, the Fund may invest in cash or short-term obligations.

 

Performance Information

 

The following performance information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in its performance from year to year and how the Fund’s average annual returns for one, five, and ten years compare with those of an index that reflects a broad measure of market performance, the Russell 3000^® Index, as well as an additional index that includes securities with market capitalizations and certain other attributes similar to the average market capitalization and attributes of the securities in which the Fund invests, the Russell Midcap^® Growth Index.  For additional information on these indices, please see “Descriptions of Indices” on page 68 of the Prospectus.  The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of future performance.  Updated performance information is available at www.hennessyfunds.com.

 

HENNESSY FOCUS FUND

CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS OF INVESTOR SHARES

For the period shown in the bar chart, the Fund’s highest quarterly return was 29.66% for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, and the lowest quarterly return was -30.24% for the quarter ended March 31, 2020.

 

Performance of the Fund’s Institutional Class shares differs from that of the Fund’s Investor Class shares because the share classes have different expenses and inception dates.

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS

(for the periods ended December 31, 2023)

 

	One	Five	Ten
	Year	Years	Years
Hennessy Focus Fund –
Investor Shares
Return before taxes	20.85%	11.15%	8.21%
Return after taxes
on distributions	14.89%	6.67%	5.36%
Return after taxes
on distributions and
sale of Fund shares	16.12%	8.55%	6.31%
Hennessy Focus Fund –
Institutional Shares
Return before taxes	21.31%	11.56%	8.60%
Russell 3000¨ Index
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses, or taxes)	25.96%	15.16%	11.48%
Russell Midcap¨ Growth Index
(reflects no deduction for
fees, expenses, or taxes)	25.87%	13.81%	10.57%

 

We use the Russell Midcap^® Growth Index as an additional index because it reflects the performance of investments with market capitalizations and certain other attributes similar to the average market capitalization and attributes of the securities held by the Fund.

 

The after-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual stated federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an individual investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.  After-tax returns are shown for Investor Class shares only, and after-tax returns for Institutional Class shares will vary. The Fund’s “return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares” may be higher than its “return after taxes on distributions” because it may include a tax benefit due to the capital losses generated by the sale of Fund shares.

 

Investment Manager

 

Hennessy Advisors, Inc. is the investment manager of the Fund.

 

Sub-Advisor

 

The sub-advisor to the Fund is Broad Run Investment Management, LLC.

 

Portfolio Managers

 

David S. Rainey, CFA, Brian E. Macauley, CFA, and Ira M. Rothberg, CFA, are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the portfolio of the Fund and for developing and executing the Fund’s investment program.  Each of Messrs. Rainey, Macauley, and Rothberg has served as a Co-Portfolio Manager of the Fund since August 2009. Prior to that, and while employed by the Fund’s previous sub-advisor, Mr. Rainey served as a Senior Research Analyst to the Fund from 1998 to August 2009, Mr. Macauley served as a Research Analyst to the Fund from 2003 to August 2009, and Mr. Rothberg served as a Research Analyst to the Fund from 2004 to August 2009.

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Institutional Class shares are available only to shareholders who invest directly in Fund shares or who invest through certain broker-dealers or financial institutions that have entered into appropriate arrangements with a Fund.

To purchase Fund shares, you may contact your broker-dealer or other financial intermediary. To purchase Fund shares directly from the Hennessy Funds, or for assistance with completing your application, please call 1-800-966-4354 or 1-415-899-1555 between 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. Eastern time/6:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Pacific time on Monday through Thursday or between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern time/6:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. Pacific time on Friday (excluding holidays).  You may buy Fund shares any day the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open.

The minimum initial investment in Investor Class shares of a Fund is $2,500 for regular accounts and $250 for Individual Retirement Accounts.  The minimum initial investment in Institutional Class shares of a Fund is $250,000.  For corporate-sponsored retirement plans, there is no minimum initial investment for either Investor Class or Institutional Class shares.  There is no subsequent minimum investment requirement.  A $100 minimum exists for each additional investment made through an Automatic Investment Plan.  The Funds may waive the minimum investment requirements from time to time.  Investors purchasing Fund shares through financial intermediaries’ asset-based fee programs may have the above minimums waived by their intermediary, since the intermediary, rather than the Funds, absorbs the increased costs of small purchases.

You may redeem Fund shares each day the NYSE is open either by mail (Hennessy Funds, c/o U.S. Bank Global Fund Services, P.O. Box 701, Milwaukee, WI 53201-0701) or by calling the Transfer Agent at 1-800-261-6950 between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Eastern time/6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Pacific time on Monday through Friday (excluding holidays).  Investors who wish to redeem Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary should contact the intermediary regarding the hours during which orders to redeem Fund shares may be placed.

 

Tax Information

 

The Funds’ distributions generally will be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains regardless of whether they are paid in cash or reinvested in Fund shares, unless you invest through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an IRA, in which case such distributions may be taxable at a later date.

 

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

 

If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund, the Investment Manager, and their related companies may pay the intermediary for performing shareholder services or distribution-related services for the Fund, including, without limitation, administrative, sub-transfer agency type, recordkeeping, and shareholder communication services.  If made, these payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your financial adviser to recommend a Fund over another investment.  Similarly, such payments may cause financial intermediaries to elevate the prominence of the Fund within its organization by, for example, placing it on a list of preferred funds.  Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.