particularly at times when issuers in such industry, group of industries or sector represent a significant portion of the Fund's benchmark index. Companies with mid-sized market capitalizations are typically those companies with market capitalizations in the range of $5.0 billion to $30.0 billion.
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Under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the Fund's total assets are invested in mid cap value stocks and at least 85% of the Fund's total assets will be invested in equity securities.
Principal Investment Risks.As with any mutual fund, loss of money is a risk of investing in the Fund.Additionally, an investment in the Fund is subject to the following risks which are described in more detail in the Prospectus.
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General risk: The Fund may not achieve its investment objective. An investment in the Fund could decline in value, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund.
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Market risk: The risk that prices of securities will go down because of the interplay of market forces, which may affect a single issuer, industry or sector of the economy or may affect the market as a whole. Events such as economic recession, war, acts of terrorism, social unrest, natural disasters, public health emergencies and other unforeseen events could also significantly impact issuers, economies and markets generally.
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Active Management risk: The portfolio manager's judgments about the attractiveness, value or potential appreciation of the Fund's investments may prove to be incorrect. The Fund could underperform in comparison to other funds with a similar benchmark or similar objectives and investment strategies if the Fund's overall investment selections or strategies fail to produce the intended results.
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Company risk: The price of the stock of a particular company can vary based on a variety of factors, such as the company's financial performance, changes in management and product trends, and the potential for takeover and acquisition. The prices of equity securities of smaller companies may fluctuate more than for more established companies. The equity securities of smaller companies may not be traded as often as for larger companies, therefore it may be difficult to trade securities at a desirable price. Investments in companies with small market capitalizations generally offer greater opportunities for appreciation, but are associated with more risks than for established companies.
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Focused Investment risk: Certain funds may concentrate in the securities of issuers in a particular industry, group of industries or sector. Because such a fund may invest significantly in securities of issuers in a particular industry, group of industries, or sector, the Fund's performance depends to a greater extent on the overall condition of that industry, group of industries or sector, and is more susceptible to events affecting, and the risks of issuers operating in, that industry, group of industries or sector.
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Mid-Cap risk: Mid-cap stocks experience more market risk and sharper price fluctuations than for large-cap stocks due to the fact that the earnings of mid-size companies tend to be less predictable and the stocks are traded less frequently. Mid-cap stocks may also have lower trading volumes than large-cap stocks, and this lower trading volume may cause disproportionate decreases in the market price of mid-cap stocks during times of greater selling pressure.
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Value Stock risk: Value stocks are generally undervalued in the marketplace, with high dividends and low prices relative to standard measures. Value stocks may remain undervalued.
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Stock risk: The value of your investment will go up or down, depending on, among other things, movements in the stock markets. The investment results may be better or worse than the results for the stock markets taken as a whole, or than the results of other funds that invest in the same types of securities.
Performance/Annual Return.The bar chart and table below show the annual return and average annual returns of the Fund.