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. 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 89.97% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities issued by large capitalization companies. For these purposes, equity securities represent an ownership interest in an issuer, and large capitalization companies are those with market capitalizations similar to those of companies included in the S&P 500® Index. Equity securities in which the Fund invests are primarily common stock. The Fund may also invest in equity securities of companies that are located outside the United States.
The subadviser invests in stocks using a dynamic, multidimensional investment process that combines human insight and intuition, finance and behavioral theory, and quantitative and statistical techniques. The subadviser’s security evaluation process focuses on modeling a large number of stocks and proprietary factors, using financial statements, security analyst forecasts,
corporate management signals, economic releases, and security prices. This investment approach is intended to seek diversification across market inefficiencies, securities, industries, and sectors, while managing known risk exposures relative to the S&P 500®
Index. The range of models is designed to allow the portfolio to be diversified across exposures to numerous potential opportunities. Nevertheless, the Fund may invest in any
economic sector and, at times, emphasize one or more particular industries or sectors.
The subadviser generally considers selling a stock when the return
prediction generated by its models, adjusted for risk and expected transaction costs, is notably surpassed by another stock’s return prediction. Partial sales may occur when
the subadviser’s investment process determines that these transactions could benefit portfolio performance or when, as a result of market action, a position has grown to a size that impinges on portfolio risk or liquidity limitations. Sales may also occur under special circumstances; for example, if a company agrees to be acquired, and trades as a merger arbitrage situation, its stock may be sold. Sales can be triggered when necessary valuation data are no longer available; for example, if all security analysts drop coverage of a stock, the position may be sold. Also, a position may be trimmed or closed as a result of the subadviser's
compliance monitoring process if, for example, a security or sector weight exceeds a relevant guideline. The Fund may engage in active and frequent trading of portfolio securities.
The Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective.
As with any fund, the value of the Fund’s investments—and therefore, the value of Fund shares—may fluctuate. These changes may occur because of:
Equity securities risk – stock markets are volatile. The price of an equity
security fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.
Market risk – the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the
markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. This occurs due to numerous factors, including interest rates, the outlook for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, and the fluctuation of other securities markets around the
world. These risks may be magnified if certain social, political, economic and other conditions and events (such as natural disasters, epidemics and pandemics, terrorism, conflicts, trade disputes and social unrest or rapid technological developments
such as artificial intelligence) adversely interrupt the global economy.
Selection risk – the risk that the securities
selected by the Fund’s subadviser will underperform the markets, the relevant indexes or the securities selected by other funds with similar investment objectives and
investment strategies.
Quantitative
analysis strategy risk – the success of the Fund's investment strategy depends in part on the effectiveness of the subadviser's quantitative tools for screening securities. These strategies may incorporate factors that are not predictive of a security's value. Additionally, a previously successful strategy may become outdated or inaccurate, possibly resulting in losses.
Foreign securities risk – foreign securities often are more volatile, harder to price and less liquid than U.S. securities. The prices of
foreign securities may be further affected by other factors, such as changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the securities are traded.