v3.26.3
Sep. 29, 2026
GMO High Yield Fund | GMO High Yield Fund
Investment objective
Total return in excess of that of its benchmark, the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index.
Fees and expenses
The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may bear for each class of shares 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 table and example below.
Annual Fund operating expenses (expenses that you bear each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
​ ​ ​
ETF Class
​
Management fee
​ ​ ​ ​ 0.50%1 ​ ​
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) fees
​ ​ ​ ​ 0.00% ​ ​
Other expenses
​ ​ ​ ​ 0.30%2 ​ ​
Total annual fund operating expenses
​ ​ ​ ​ 0.80% ​ ​
Expense reimbursement/waiver
​ ​ ​ ​ (0.44%)1 ​ ​
Total annual fund operating expenses after expense reimbursement/waiver
​ ​ ​ ​ 0.36% ​ ​
1 Includes both management fee of 0.35% and class-specific service and supplemental support fee of 0.15% for ETF Class shares. Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC (“GMO”) has contractually agreed to waive its fees with respect to and/or reimburse the Fund to the extent that the Fund’s total annual fund operating expenses (after applying all other contractual and voluntary expense limitation arrangements in effect at the time) exceed 0.35% of the average daily net assets for ETF Class shares (the “Expense Cap”). Fees and expenses of the “non-interested” Trustees and legal counsel to the “non-interested” Trustees, investment-related costs (such as brokerage commissions, interest, and acquired fund fees and expenses), payments out of assets attributable to Class I shares for sub-transfer agency, recordkeeping and other administrative services provided by financial intermediaries, borrowing and borrowing-related costs (such as expenses incurred in establishing and maintaining a credit facility), taxes, litigation and indemnification expenses, judgments, and other extraordinary or non-recurring expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund’s business (collectively, “Excluded Expenses”), are excluded from the Expense Cap. GMO is permitted to recover from the Fund, on a class-by-class basis, expenses it has borne or reimbursed pursuant to the Expense Cap (whether through reduction of its fees or otherwise) to the extent that the Fund’s total annual fund operating expenses (excluding Excluded Expenses) later fall below that Expense Cap or any lower expense limit in effect when GMO seeks to recover the expenses. The Fund, however, is not obligated to pay any such amount more than three years after GMO bore or reimbursed an expense. Any such recovery will not cause the Fund to exceed the Expense Cap set forth above or any lower expense limits as is in effect at the time GMO seeks to recover expenses. GMO also has contractually agreed to waive or reduce the Fund’s management fees and service and supplemental support fees to the extent necessary to offset the management fees and service and supplemental support fees paid to GMO that are directly or indirectly borne by the Fund or a class of shares of the Fund as a result of the Fund’s direct or indirect investments in other series of GMO Trust and GMO-managed ETFs (“GMO Funds”). Management fees and service and supplemental support fees will not be waived below zero. The reimbursement and waiver arrangements described above, including the Expense Cap, will remain in effect through at least September 30, 2027 and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Trust’s Board of Trustees.
2 Because ETF Class shares of the Fund are new, “Other expenses” are estimated amounts for the current fiscal year based on the expenses of Class R6 shares of the Fund.
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated, regardless of whether or not you sell your shares at the end of such periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses with respect to ETF Class shares remain the same as those shown in the table. The one year amounts shown reflect the expense reimbursement and waiver noted in the expense table. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
​ ​ ​
1 Year
​ ​
3 Years
​ ​
5 Years
​ ​
10 Years
​
ETF Class ​ ​ ​ $ 37 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ $ 211 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ $ 401 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ $ 949 ​ ​ ​
Portfolio turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities. A higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher transaction costs and, for holders of Fund shares subject to U.S. taxes, higher income taxes. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its fiscal year ended February 28, 2026, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (excluding short-term investments) was 160% of the average value of its portfolio securities.
Principal investment strategies
The Fund’s investment objective is total return (net of fees) in excess of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index. GMO seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by applying a systematic approach to portfolio construction. GMO’s research-based investment process is designed to take advantage of structural inefficiencies GMO has identified within the high yield bond market by dynamically allocating Fund assets across high yield bond market sectors. GMO uses quantitative models, index sampling techniques and diversification, liquidity and cost management considerations to make investment decisions for the Fund.
The Fund invests in U.S. high yield bonds, commonly referred to as “junk bonds,” and other instruments providing high yield bond exposure, including fallen angel bonds (bonds originally issued as investment grade that have since been downgraded to below investment grade), short-dated bonds (bonds with short terms to maturity), exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), and swaps on high yield bond indices (such
as the credit default swap index (CDX) and the Fund’s benchmark) and ETFs. The Fund may sell (write) put options and take short positions on the CDX and other high yield bond indices. The Fund also may invest in non-U.S. high yield bonds and other instruments providing non-U.S. high yield bond exposure. In addition, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities.
In addition to the bonds and derivative instruments indicated above, the Fund may invest in a wide variety of exchange-traded and over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives for investment exposure or hedging purposes, including, without limitation, reverse repurchase agreements, repurchase agreements, options, futures, swap contracts, swaptions, and foreign currency contracts. The Fund is not limited in its use of derivatives or in the total notional value of its derivative positions. Leverage is not a principal component of the Fund’s investment strategy. However, because of its derivative positions, the Fund may at times have gross investment exposure in excess of its net assets (i.e., the Fund may be leveraged) and, therefore, may be subject to higher risk of loss during those times than if the Fund were not leveraged. The Fund’s performance can depend substantially on the performance of assets or indices underlying its derivatives even though it does not own those assets or indices.
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests directly and indirectly (e.g., through derivatives and ETFs) at least 80% of its assets in high yield bonds (see “Name Policies”). The term “bond” includes (i) obligations of an issuer to make payments on future dates of principal, interest (whether fixed or variable) or both and (ii) synthetic debt instruments created by GMO by investing in derivatives. “High yield bonds” generally include those bonds rated BB+ and lower by S&P Global Ratings or Ba1 and lower by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. They also may include unrated bonds that GMO determines are of similar quality to bonds with those ratings.
The Fund also may invest in U.S. Treasury Fund, in money market funds unaffiliated with GMO, directly in the types of investments typically held by money market funds, and in fixed income securities issued by non-U.S. developed countries and their agencies and instrumentalities.
The Fund’s ETF Class operates as an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”).
Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s annual total returns from year to year for the periods indicated and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total returns for different calendar periods with those of the Fund’s benchmark and a broad-based securities market index intended solely to represent, in satisfaction of regulatory requirements, the overall domestic fixed income market. The Fund’s ETF Class shares are a new class and, as of the date of this Prospectus, had not commenced operations. Returns shown are those of Class VI shares of the Fund, a mutual fund class of shares of the Fund not offered in this Prospectus, and have not been adjusted to reflect the fees and expenses attributable to ETF Class shares. Class VI shares would have substantially similar annual returns to ETF Class shares because the shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities, and the annual returns at NAV (assuming ETF Class shares are bought and sold without any premium or discount) would differ only to the extent that Class VI shares do not have the same expenses as ETF Class shares. Share classes that bear higher expenses than the share classes shown below would have lower returns. 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. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant if you are tax-exempt or if you hold your Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account). After-tax returns are shown for Class VI shares only; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Updated performance information for the Fund is available at https://www.gmo.com/americas/investment-capabilities/etfs/. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Annual Total Returns/Class VI Shares Years Ending December 31
[MISSING IMAGE: bc_highyield-bw.jpg]
Highest Quarter: 7.50% 4Q 2023
Lowest Quarter: -11.21% 1Q 2020
Year-to-Date: 1.97% As of 6/30/2026
Average Annual Total Returns Periods Ending December 31, 2025
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
1 Year
​ ​ ​
5 Years
​ ​ ​
10 Years
​ ​ ​
Incept.
​ ​
​ ​ Class VI ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
6/25/2018
​ ​
​ ​
Return Before Taxes
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 9.39 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5.19 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ N/A ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5.93 % ​ ​ ​
​ ​
Return After Taxes on Distributions
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 6.98 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 1.54 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ N/A ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2.71 % ​ ​ ​
​ ​
Return After Taxes on Distributions
and Sale of Fund Shares
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5.55 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2.33 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ N/A ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3.12 % ​ ​ ​
​ ​
Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield
Index
(Fund benchmark) (returns reflect
no deduction for fees, expenses, or
taxes, but are net of withholding tax on
dividend reinvestments)
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 8.83 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 4.34 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ N/A ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 5.07 % ​ ​ ​
​ ​
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index
(reflects no deduction for fees,
expenses, or taxes)
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 7.30 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ -0.36 % ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ N/A ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2.10 % ​ ​ ​