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Companies with strong balance sheets generally generate strong levels of free cash flow with reasonable debt levels.
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In
considering whether a management team has proven its ability to increase the intrinsic value per share, the adviser looks at whether management has earned and grown economic profits, i.e., generated returns in excess of the
cost of capital over time.
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 issuers 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 security 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 net asset value (NAV), market price, 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 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, trade wars, retaliatory trade measures, sanctions and other trade
barriers, supply chain disruptions, 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 or the threat or
potential of one or more such factors and occurrences.
Smaller Company Risk. Investments in securities of smaller companies (mid cap and small cap companies) may be riskier, less liquid, more volatile and more vulnerable to
economic, market and industry changes than securities of 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 securities of larger companies, especially over the
short term. These risks are higher for small cap companies.
Value Investing Risk. 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.
Industry and Sector Focus Risk. At times, the Fund may increase the relative emphasis of its investments in a particular industry or sector. The prices of securities of
issuers in a particular industry or sector may be more susceptible to fluctuations due to changes
in economic or business conditions, government regulations, availability of basic resources or supplies, contagion risk within a particular industry or sector or to other industries or sectors, or other events that affect
that industry or sector more than securities of issuers in other industries and sectors. To the
extent that the Fund increases the relative emphasis of its investments in a particular industry or sector, the value of the Fund’s Shares may fluctuate in response to events affecting that industry or sector.
Financials Sector Risk. Financial services companies are subject to extensive governmental regulation which may limit both the
amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and
fees they can charge, the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and the amount of
capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change or due to increased competition. In addition, deterioration
of the credit markets generally may cause an adverse impact in a broad range of markets,
including U.S. and international credit and interbank money markets generally, thereby affecting a wide range of financial institutions and markets. Certain events in the financials sector may cause an unusually
high degree of volatility in the financial markets, both domestic and foreign, and cause certain
financial services companies to incur large losses. Securities of financial services companies may experience a dramatic decline in value when such companies experience substantial declines in the valuations of their
assets, take action to raise capital (such as the issuance of debt or equity securities), or
cease operations. Credit losses resulting from financial