Nuveen Real Estate Securities Fund

 


Ticker
Class A–FREAX
Class C–FRLCX
Class R6–FREGX
Class I–FARCX

 


1 May
2024
as supplemented
6 May 2024

 

This summary prospectus is designed to provide investors with key Fund information in a clear and concise format. Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s complete 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 online at www.nuveen.com/prospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 257-8787 or by sending an e-mail request to mutualfunds@nuveen.com. If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information will also be available from your financial intermediary. The Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, both dated May 1, 2024, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus and may be obtained, free of charge, at the website, phone number or e-mail address noted above.

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the Fund is to provide above average current income and long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The following tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund or in other Nuveen Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and in “How You Can Buy and Sell Shares” on page 53 of the Fund’s prospectus and “Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares” on page S-75 of the Fund’s statement of additional information. In addition, more information about sales charge discounts and waivers for purchases of shares through specific financial intermediaries is set forth in the appendix to the Fund’s prospectus entitled “Variations in Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers Available Through Certain Intermediaries.”

The tables and examples below do not reflect any commissions that shareholders may be required to pay directly to their financial intermediaries when buying or selling Class I shares.

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

                     
     

Class A

 

Class C

 

Class R6

 

Class I

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases
(as a percentage of offering price)

   

5.75%

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load)
(as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)1

   

None

 

1.00%

 

None

 

None

 

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends

   

None

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

Exchange Fee

   

None

 

None

 

None

 

None

 

Annual Low Balance Account Fee (for accounts under $1,000)

   

$15

 

$15

 

None

 

None

 
 

Summary Prospectus

1


Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

                                         
     

Class A

 

Class C

 

Class R6

 

Class I

 

Management Fees2

       

0.78

%

 

0.78

%

 

0.78

%

 

0.78

%

Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees

       

0.25

%

 

1.00

%

 

0.00

%

 

0.00

%

Other Expenses

       

0.19

%

 

0.19

%

 

0.06

%

 

0.19

%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

       

1.22

%

 

1.97

%

 

0.84

%

 

0.97

%

1 The contingent deferred sales charge on Class C shares applies only to redemptions within 12 months of purchase.

2 Management Fees have been restated to reflect current contractual fees.

Example

The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the 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 either redeem or do not redeem your shares at the end of a period. The example also assumes 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 these assumptions your costs would be:

                                     
     

Class A

 

Class C

 

Class R6

 

Class I

 

1 Year

     

$

692

 

$

200

 

$

86

 

$

99

 

3 Years

     

$

940

 

$

618

 

$

268

 

$

309

 

5 Years

     

$

1,207

 

$

1,062

 

$

466

 

$

536

 

10 Years

     

$

1,967

 

$

2,296

 

$

1,037

 

$

1,190

 

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 72% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of the sum of its net assets and the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes in income-producing common stocks of publicly traded companies engaged in the real estate industry. These companies derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from the ownership, construction, management, financing or sale of real estate, or have at least 50% of the fair market value of their assets invested in real estate.

The Fund’s sub-adviser will select companies that it believes exhibit strong management teams, a strong competitive position, above average growth in revenues and a sound balance sheet. These companies may be of any market capitalization, including small- and mid-capitalization companies. The sub-adviser will generally sell a stock if the stock hits its price target, the company’s fundamentals or competitive position significantly deteriorate, or if a better alternative exists in the marketplace.

A majority of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs are publicly traded corporations or trusts that invest in residential or commercial real estate. REITs generally can be divided into the following three types:

· Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property and derive their income primarily from rents and capital gains or real estate appreciation.

· Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgage loans and derive their income primarily from interest payments.

· Hybrid REITs, which combine the characteristics of equity REITs and mortgage REITs.

The Fund expects to emphasize investments in equity REITs, although it may invest in all three kinds of REITs.

The Fund may invest up to 15% of its total assets in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers. In addition, the Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets, collectively, in non-dollar denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers and in dollar-denominated equity securities of non-U.S. issuers that are either listed on a U.S. stock exchange or

2


represented by depositary receipts that may or may not be sponsored by a domestic bank. Up to 15% of the Fund’s total assets may be invested in equity securities of emerging market issuers.

The Fund may utilize derivatives, including options, futures contracts, options on futures contracts, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may use these derivatives to manage market or business risk, enhance the Fund’s return, or hedge against adverse movements in currency exchange rates.

Principal Risks

The value of your investment in this Fund will change daily. You could lose money by investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The principal risks of investing in the Fund listed below are presented alphabetically to facilitate your ability to find particular risks and compare them with the risks of other funds. The significance of any specific risk to an investment in the Fund will vary over time depending on the composition of the Fund’s portfolio, market conditions and other factors. Each risk summarized below is considered a "principal risk" of investing in the Fund, regardless of the order in which it appears.

Active Management Risk—The Fund’s sub-adviser actively manages the Fund’s investments. Consequently, the Fund is subject to the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses employed by the Fund’s sub-adviser may not produce the desired results. This could cause the Fund to lose value or its investment results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Currency Risk—Changes in currency exchange rates will affect the value of non-U.S. securities, the value of dividends and interest earned from such securities, gains and losses realized on the sale of such securities, and derivative transactions tied to such securities. A strong U.S. dollar relative to these other currencies will adversely affect the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

Cybersecurity Risk—Cybersecurity risk is the risk of an unauthorized breach and access to Fund assets, customer data (including private shareholder information), or proprietary information, or the risk of an incident occurring that causes the Fund, its investment adviser or sub-adviser, custodian, transfer agent, distributor or other service provider, a financial intermediary or the issuers of securities held by the Fund to suffer a data breach, data corruption or lose operational functionality. Successful cyber-attacks or other cyber-failures or events affecting the Fund, its service providers or the issuers of securities held by the Fund may adversely impact the Fund or its shareholders. Additionally, a cybersecurity breach could affect the issuers in which the Fund invests, which may cause the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Derivatives Risk—The use of derivatives involves additional risks and transaction costs which could leave the Fund in a worse position than if it had not used these instruments. Derivative instruments can be used to acquire or to transfer the risk and returns of a security or other asset without buying or selling the security or asset, and the risks associated with investing in such derivatives may be different and greater than the risks associated with directly investing in the underlying securities and other instruments, including leverage risk, market risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and legal risk. These instruments may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. An over-the-counter derivative transaction between the Fund and a counterparty that is not cleared through a central counterparty also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to make required payments. The payment obligation for a cleared derivative transaction is guaranteed by a central counterparty, which exposes the Fund to the creditworthiness of the central counterparty.

Emerging Markets Risk—The risk of foreign investment often increases in countries with emerging markets or that are otherwise economically tied to emerging market countries. For example, these countries may have more unstable governments than developed countries and their economies may be based on only a few industries. Emerging market countries may also have less stringent regulation of accounting, auditing, financial reporting and recordkeeping requirements, which would affect the Fund’s ability to evaluate potential portfolio companies. As a result, there could be less information about issuers in emerging market countries, which could negatively affect the ability of the Fund’s sub-adviser to evaluate local companies or their potential impact on the Fund’s performance. Because their financial markets may be very small, prices of financial instruments in emerging market countries may be volatile and difficult to determine. Financial instruments of issuers in these countries may have lower overall liquidity than those of issuers in more developed countries. In addition, foreign investors such as the Fund are subject to a variety of special restrictions in many emerging market countries. Shareholder claims and regulatory actions that are available in the U.S. may be difficult or impossible to pursue in emerging market countries.

3


Equity Security Risk—Equity securities in the Fund’s portfolio may decline significantly in price over short or extended periods of time, and such declines may occur because of declines in the equity market as a whole, or because of declines in only a particular country, company, industry, or sector of the market.

Foreign Investment Risk—Non-U.S. issuers or U.S. issuers with significant non-U.S. operations may be subject to risks in addition to those of issuers located in or that principally operate in the United States as a result of, among other things, political, social and economic developments abroad, as well as armed conflicts and different legal, regulatory and tax environments. Foreign investments may also have lower liquidity and be more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers. To the extent the Fund invests a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies in a single country or region, it may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory events or conditions affecting that country or region. Foreign investments may also be subject to risk of loss because of more or less foreign government regulation, less public information, less stringent investor protections and less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards.

Market Risk—The market value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably and for short or extended periods of time, due to the particular circumstances of individual issuers or due to general conditions impacting issuers more broadly. Global economies and financial markets have become highly interconnected, and thus economic, market or political conditions or events in one country or region might adversely impact the value of the Fund’s investments whether or not the Fund invests in such country or region. Events such as war, terrorism, natural and environmental disasters and the spread of infectious illnesses or other public health emergencies may have a severe negative impact on the global economy, could cause financial markets to experience extreme volatility and losses, and could result in the disruption of trading and the reduction of liquidity in many instruments. Additionally, as inflation increases, the value of the Fund’s assets can decline.

Real Estate Investment Risk—Because the Fund invests significantly in securities of issuers in the real estate industry, the Fund has greater exposure to adverse economic, regulatory, political, legal and other changes affecting the issuers of such securities. The Fund's investments in the real estate market have many of the same risks as direct ownership of real estate. These risks include, among others: declines in the value of real estate; risks related to general and local economic conditions; possible lack of availability of mortgage funds or other limits to accessing the credit or capital markets; defaults by borrowers or tenants, particularly during an economic downturn; and changes in interest rates. The real estate sector is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments and is characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Real estate values have been subject to substantial fluctuations and declines on a local, regional and national basis in the past and may continue to be in the future.

REITs Risk— In addition to the risks associated with investing in securities of real estate companies and real estate related companies, REITs are subject to certain additional risks. REITs may be affected by changes in real estate values, rents, property taxes and interest rates. Further, REITs are dependent upon specialized management skills and cash flows, and may have their investments in relatively few properties, or in a small geographic area or a single property type. Failure of a company to qualify as a REIT under federal tax law, or changes to federal tax law or regulations governing REITs, may have adverse consequences to the Fund. In addition, REITs have their own expenses, and the Fund will bear a proportionate share of those expenses. Many REITs utilize leverage (and some may be highly leveraged), which increases investment risk and could potentially magnify the Fund’s losses.

Small- and Mid-Cap Company Risk—Even larger REITs may be small- to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. Securities of small-cap companies involve substantial risk. Prices of small-cap securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic movements, and to wider fluctuations and lower liquidity, than security prices of larger, more established companies or broader market averages in general. It may be difficult to sell small-cap securities at the desired time and price. While mid-cap securities may be slightly less volatile than small-cap securities, they still involve similar risks.

Fund Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at www.nuveen.com/performance or by calling (800) 257-8787.

4


The bar chart below shows the variability of the Fund’s performance from year to year for Class A shares. The bar chart and highest/lowest quarterly returns that follow do not reflect sales charges, and if these charges were reflected, the returns would be less than those shown.

 

Class A Annual Total Return*

PerformanceBarChartData(2014:30.94,2015:3.22,2016:6.58,2017:5.34,2018:-5.78,2019:25.24,2020:-6.37,2021:40.98,2022:-24.87,2023:11.22)

*Class A year-to-date total return as of March 31, 2024 was -1.84%. The performance of the other share classes will differ due to their different expense structures.

During the ten-year period ended December 31, 2023, the Fund’s highest and lowest quarterly returns were 16.50%
and -23.07%, respectively, for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and March 31, 2020.

The table below shows the variability of the Fund’s average annual returns and how they compare over the time periods indicated with those of a broad measure of market performance and an index of funds with similar investment objectives. All after-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown for Class A shares only; after-tax returns for other share classes will vary. Your own actual after-tax returns will depend on your specific tax situation and may differ from what is shown here. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold Fund shares in tax-deferred accounts such as IRAs or employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Both the bar chart and the table assume that all distributions have been reinvested. Performance reflects fee waivers, if any, in effect during the periods presented. If any such waivers had not been in place, returns would have been reduced.

5


                           

 

 

 

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns

 

 

 

 

 

for the Periods Ended

 

 

 

 

 

December 31, 2023

 

 

Inception
Date

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

Class A (return before taxes)

 

9/29/95

 

 

4.83

%

 

5.42

%

 

6.41

%

Class A (return after taxes on distributions)

 

 

 

 

3.76

%

 

2.38

%

 

3.48

%

Class A (return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares)

 

 

 

 

3.11

%

 

3.55

%

 

4.26

%

Class C (return before taxes)

 

2/1/00

 

 

10.46

%

 

5.88

%

 

6.40

%

Class R6 (return before taxes)

 

4/30/13

 

 

11.66

%

 

7.09

%

 

7.48

%

Class I (return before taxes)

 

6/30/95

 

 

11.51

%

 

6.94

%

 

7.31

%

MSCI U.S. REIT Index1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(reflects reinvested dividends net of withholding taxes but reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or other taxes)

 

 

 

 

13.74

%

 

7.40

%

 

7.60

%

Real Estate Securities Blended Benchmark2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

 

 

 

 

12.54

%

 

7.08

%

 

7.44

%

Lipper Real Estate Funds Category Average3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(reflects no deduction for taxes or sales loads)

 

 

 

 

12.20

%

 

7.00

%

 

6.87

%

 
                           

1

An index designed to measure the performance of U.S. large, mid and small-cap equity REITs. The index represents about 99% of the U.S. REIT universe and securities are classified under the Equity REITs Industry (under the Real Estate sector) according to the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS), have core real estate exposure (i.e., only selected Specialized REITs are eligible which does not include cell tower REITs) and carry REIT tax status.

2

A custom index comprised of a 50% weighting in the MSCI US REIT Index and 50% weighting in the MSCI USA/IMI REITs Index. Performance prior to 10/01/21 reflects a 100% weighting in the MSCI US REIT Index.

3

Represents the average annualized total return for all reporting funds in the Lipper Real Estate Funds Category.

Management

Investment Adviser

Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC

Sub-Adviser

Nuveen Asset Management, LLC

Portfolio Managers

     

Name

Title

Portfolio Manager of Fund Since

Benjamin T. Kerl

Managing Director

April 2021

Scott C. Sedlak

Managing Director

March 2011

Sarah J. Wade

Managing Director

June 2017

6


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange shares of the Fund directly from the Fund (for certain share classes) or through a financial advisor or other financial intermediary on any day that the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) or its affiliated exchanges, NYSE Arca Equities or NYSE American, are open for trading. The Fund’s initial and subsequent investment minimums generally are as follows, although certain financial intermediaries may impose their own investment minimums and the Fund may reduce or waive the minimums in some cases:

       
 

Class A and Class C

Class R6

Class I

Eligibility and Minimum Initial Investment

Available only through certain financial intermediaries or, for Class A, by contacting the Fund directly as described in the prospectus.

$2,500 for all accounts except:

 $2,000 for Traditional/
Roth IRA accounts and Coverdell Education Savings Accounts.

 $250 for accounts opened through fee-based programs.

 No minimum for retirement plans.

Available only to certain qualified retirement plans and other investors as described in the prospectus and through fee-based programs.

$1 million for all accounts except:

 $1,000 for clients of financial intermediaries who charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or related services.

 No minimum for certain qualified retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the prospectus.

Available only through fee-based programs and certain retirement plans, and to other limited categories of investors as described in the prospectus.

$100,000 for all accounts except:

 $250 for clients of financial intermediaries and family offices that have accounts holding Class I shares with an aggregate value of at least $100,000 (or that are expected to reach this level).

 No minimum for eligible retirement plans and certain other categories of eligible investors as described in the prospectus.

Minimum
Additional
Investment

$100

No minimum.

No minimum.

Tax Information

The Fund’s distributions are taxable and will generally be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as an IRA or 401(k) plan (in which case you may be taxed upon withdrawal of your investment from such account).

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or financial advisor), the Fund, its distributor or its investment adviser may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

7


[THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

MPM-RSFRE-0524P

8