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Momentum: This investment factor aims to capture the potential continued outperformance of those companies
whose historical share price performance, earnings growth or other indicators have exceeded
sector or market averages.
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Quality: This investment factor aims to capture the potential outperformance of companies that demonstrate a strong balance sheet and other indicators of sound financial
management relative to sector or market averages.
The portfolio managers use this proprietary multi-factor
investment process to rank the companies selected for the portfolio according to their
attractiveness with respect to each of the above-mentioned factors, and then look to give greater
weightings to companies with the highest value, momentum and quality rankings and conversely, lower weightings for companies with lower rankings. The process uses an equal-risk contribution (“ERC”) weighting
scheme, which assigns weights to each factor, so that each factor contributes a generally equal weight to the portfolio’s overall risk profile. Applying an ERC weighting scheme is different from an equal weighting scheme because ERC weighting
seeks to ensure broad factor diversification at any point in time; it aims to diversify risk by reducing exposure to a single factor. Therefore, the resulting portfolio of selected companies does not reflect an
equal weighting of the value, momentum, and quality factors, but rather reflects an adjusted weighting that, in the portfolio managers’ view, reflects equal contribution to the portfolio’s overall risk profile from
each such factor.
The Fund is actively managed and seeks to exceed the performance of the Benchmark. While the Fund will hold a number of the same constituents as the Benchmark, the Fund may also
hold securities that are not constituents of the Benchmark. The number of securities held by the Fund will generally be significantly less than the number of constituents of the Benchmark. Therefore, it is
expected that the composition of the Fund will vary significantly from that of the Benchmark.
The Fund is “non-diversified” and therefore is not required to meet certain
diversification requirements under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
The following summarizes the principal risks of investing in the Fund.
The Shares will change in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund
may not achieve its investment objective.
Market Risk. Securities held by the Fund are subject to market fluctuations. You should anticipate that the value of the
Shares will decline, more or less, in correlation with any decline in value of the securities in the Fund’s portfolio. Additionally, natural or environmental disasters, widespread disease or other public
health issues, war, military conflicts, acts of terrorism, economic crises or other events could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”). Certain changes in the U.S.
economy in particular, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have a material adverse effect on global financial markets as a whole, and on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.
Increasingly strained relations between the U.S. and foreign countries, including as a result of economic sanctions and tariffs, may also adversely affect U.S. issuers, as well as non-U.S. issuers.
During a general downturn in the financial markets, multiple asset classes may decline in
value. When markets perform well, there can be no assurance that specific investments held by the Fund will rise in value.
Management Risk. The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed portfolio. In managing the Fund’s portfolio holdings, the portfolio managers
apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there can be no guarantee that these actions will produce the desired results.
Equity Risk. Equity risk is the risk that the value of equity securities, including common stocks, may fall due to both
changes in general economic conditions that impact the market as a whole, as well as factors that
directly relate to a specific company or its industry. Such general
economic conditions include changes in interest rates, periods of market turbulence or instability, or general
and prolonged periods of economic decline and cyclical change. It is possible that a drop in the stock market may depress the price of most or all of the common stocks that the Fund holds. In addition, equity risk
includes the risk that investor sentiment toward one or more industries will become negative, resulting in those investors exiting their investments in those industries, which could cause a reduction in the value of
companies in those industries more broadly. The value of a company's common stock may fall solely because of factors, such as an increase in production costs, that negatively impact other companies in the same region, industry
or sector of the market. A company's common stock also may decline significantly in price over a
short period of time due to factors specific to that company, including decisions made by its
management or lower demand for the company's products or services. For example, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report or the failure to make anticipated dividend payments, may depress the value of
common stock.
Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Investing in securities of small-capitalization companies involves greater risk than customarily is associated with investing in larger, more established companies. These companies' securities may be more
volatile than those of more established companies. Stocks of small-capitalization companies tend to be more vulnerable to changing market conditions, may have little or no operating history or track record of success,
may have more limited product lines and markets, may have less experienced management, may depend on a small number of essential personnel and may have fewer financial resources than larger companies. Securities of
small-capitalization companies may be more thinly traded (that is, less liquid) than those of more established companies, making it difficult to buy and sell them at an acceptable price and a desirable time. These securities may
have returns that vary, sometimes significantly, from the overall securities market. Often small-capitalization companies and the industries in which they focus are still evolving, and, as a result, they may be more
sensitive to changing market conditions.
Preferred Securities
Risk. There are special risks associated with investing in preferred securities compared to those applicable generally to equity securities. Preferred
securities may be less liquid than many other securities, such as common stocks, and generally offer no voting rights with respect to the issuer. Preferred securities also may be subordinated to bonds or other debt instruments in an
issuer’s capital structure, subjecting them to a greater risk of non-payment than more senior securities. Preferred securities may include provisions that permit the issuer, in its discretion, to defer or omit
distributions for a certain period of time. If the Fund owns a security that is deferring or omitting its distributions, the Fund may be required to report the distribution on its tax returns, even though it may not have received any
income. Further, preferred securities may lose substantial value due to the omission or deferment of dividend payments.
Warrants Risk. Warrants may be purchased directly or acquired as part of other securities. The price of a warrant does not
necessarily move parallel to the price of the underlying security. Warrants may be significantly
less valuable or worthless on their expiration date and may also be postponed or terminated
early, resulting in a partial or total loss. Warrants have no voting rights, receive no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer. Warrants are highly volatile and, therefore, more susceptible to sharp declines
in value than the underlying security might be. The market for warrants may be very limited, and it may be difficult to sell them promptly at an acceptable price.
Tracking Stock Risk. Many of the risks of investing in common stock are applicable to tracking stock. Tracking stock is a separate
class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division
within a larger company and which is designed to “track” the performance of such business unit or division. Therefore, tracking stock may decline in value even if the common stock of the larger company increases in value. In addition, holders of
tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company’s common stock.