Virtus Strategy Trust
01/28/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/28/2022 09:11
Summary Prospectus by Investment Company (Form 497K)
497K
Summary Prospectus January 28, 2022
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Virtus NFJ Emerging Markets Value Fund (formerly AllianzGI Emerging Markets Value Fund) |
| A: AZMAX | C: AZMCX | Institutional: AZMIX | P: AZMPX |
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Before you invest, you may want to review the fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund's prospectus, shareholder reports, statement of additional information (SAI), and other information about the fund online at virtus.com/tools-resources/mutual-fund-documents. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-243-1574 or by sending an e-mail to: [email protected]. If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary such as a bank, the prospectus and other information will also be available from your financial intermediary. The fund's prospectus and SAI, both dated January 28, 2022, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the fund's shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail, unless specifically requested from the fund or from your broker-dealer or financial intermediary. Instead, the reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website link to access the report. You may elect at any time to receive not only shareholder reports but also certain other communications such as prospectuses from the fund electronically, or you may elect to receive all future shareholder reports in paper free of charge to you. If you own your shares directly with the fund, you may make such elections by calling the fund at 1-800-243-1574 or, with respect to requesting electronic delivery, by visiting www.virtus.com. An election made directly with the fund will apply to all Virtus Mutual Funds in which you own shares directly. If you own your shares through a financial intermediary, please contact your financial intermediary to make your request and to determine whether your election will apply to all funds in which you own shares through that intermediary. |
Investment Objective
The fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
Fees and Expenses
The tables below illustrate the fees and expenses that you may pay 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts in Class A Shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under "Sales Charges" on page 155 of the fund's prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund's prospectus, entitled "Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;" and (iv) under "Alternative Purchase Arrangements" on page 134 of the fund's statement of additional information.
| Shareholder Fees(fees paid directly from your investment) | Class A | Class C | Institutional | Class P | ||||
| Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) | 5.50% | None | None | None | ||||
| Maximum Contingent Deferred Sales Charge (CDSC) (load) (as a percentage of the lower of original purchase price or NAV) | None | 1.00%(1) | None | None |
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Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) |
Class A | Class C | Institutional | Class P | ||||||||||||||||
| Management Fees | 0.85% | 0.85% | 0.85% | 0.85% | ||||||||||||||||
| Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees | 0.25% | 1.00% | None | None | ||||||||||||||||
| Other Expenses | 0.37% | 0.35% | 0.36% | 0.60% | ||||||||||||||||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses | 1.47% | 2.20% | 1.21% | 1.45% | ||||||||||||||||
| Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(2) | (0.33)% | (0.31)% | (0.32)% | (0.46)% | ||||||||||||||||
| Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(2) | 1.14% | 1.89% | 0.89% | 0.99% |
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The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only. |
| (2) |
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement reflect the effect of a contractual agreement by Virtus Investment Advisers ("VIA") to waive its management fee and/or reimburse the fund to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses, excluding interest, any other fees or expenses relating to financial leverage or borrowing (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), tax, extraordinary, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger |
| or reorganization, dividend expenses, and acquired fund fees and expenses, exceed 1.14% for Class A shares, 1.89% for Class C shares, 0.89% for Institutional Class shares and 0.99% for Class P shares through February 1, 2023. Under the Expense Limitation Agreement, VIA may recoup amounts waived or reimbursed in the preceding three years, provided total expenses, including such recoupment, do not exceed the annual expense limit in effect at the time of such waiver/reimbursement or recoupment. The amount of any such recoupment would have the effect of being shared equally between VIA and NFJ Investment Group, LLC ("NFJ") pursuant to the currently effective subadvisory arrangement between those parties. The Expense Limitation Agreement also permits recoupment by Allianz Global Investors U.S. LLC, a prior adviser to the fund, of amounts waived or reimbursed within the three preceding years under an analogous expense limitation arrangement in effect before VIA became adviser to the fund. The Expense Limitation Agreement is terminable by mutual agreement of Virtus Strategy Trust and VIA. |
Example
This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund's operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
| Share Status | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years | ||||||||||||||||||
| Class A | Sold or Held | $760 | $959 | $1,279 | $2,184 | |||||||||||||||||
| Class C | Sold | $292 | $658 | $1,151 | $2,510 | |||||||||||||||||
| Held | $192 | $658 | $1,151 | $2,510 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Institutional | Sold or Held | $91 | $352 | $634 | $1,438 | |||||||||||||||||
| Class P | Sold or Held | $101 | $413 | $748 | $1,696 |
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 and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. 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 56% of the average value of its portfolio.
Investments, Risks and Performance
Principal Investment Strategies
The fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by normally investing at least 80% of its net assets (plus borrowings made for investment purposes) in equity securities of companies that are domiciled in or tied economically to countries with emerging securities markets-that is, countries with securities markets which are, in the opinion of the portfolio managers, less sophisticated than more developed markets in terms of participation by investors, analyst coverage, liquidity and regulation. Most countries with emerging securities markets are located in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The fund may achieve its exposure to non-U.S. equity securities in several ways, including through investing in American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and other depositary receipts, in addition to direct investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers. The fund may invest in exchange traded funds ("ETFs").
Although the fund does not expect to invest significantly in foreign currency exchange contracts, options, stock index futures contracts and other derivative instruments, or access products such as participatory notes ("P-Notes"), it may do so at any time. The fund typically does not seek to hedge its exposure to securities denominated in non-U.S. dollar currencies but retains the flexibility to do so at any time.
In selecting investments for the fund, the portfolio managers use a value investing style focusing on companies the portfolio managers believe are undervalued, including smaller capitalization securities and real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). The portfolio managers partition the fund's selection universe by industry and then identify what they believe to be undervalued securities in each industry to determine potential holdings for the fund representing a broad range of industry groups. The portfolio managers use quantitative factors to screen the fund's selection universe, analyzing factors such as price-to-earnings ratios (i.e., share price relative to a company's earnings), dividend yield, price-to-book ratios (i.e., share price relative to a company's balance sheet value), price-to-cash-flow ratios (i.e., share price relative to a company's cash flow). After still further narrowing the universe through a combination of qualitative analysis and fundamental research, the portfolio managers select in excess of 100 securities for the fund.
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Principal Risks
The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund's investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund's investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below (in alphabetical order after the first seven risks):
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Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund's portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund's assets as intended. |
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Issuer Risk. The fund will be affected by factors specific to the issuers of securities and other instruments in which the fund invests, including actual or perceived changes in the financial condition or business prospects of such issuers. |
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Equity Securities Risk. The value of the stocks held by the fund may be negatively affected by the financial market, industries in which the fund invests, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk. |
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Foreign Investing Risk. Investing in foreign securities subjects the fund to additional risks such as increased volatility; currency fluctuations; less liquidity; and political, regulatory, economic, and market risk. |
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Emerging Markets Risk. Foreign investing risk may be particularly high to the extent that the fund invests in emerging market securities. Emerging markets securities may be more volatile, or more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets. |
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China-Related Risk. Because the fund may invest a substantial portion of its assets in equity securities of Chinese companies, it is particularly affected by events or factors relating to China, which may increase risk and volatility. |
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Small and Medium Market Capitalization Companies Risk. The fund's investments in small and medium market capitalization companies may increase the volatility and risk of loss to the fund, as compared with investments in larger, more established companies. |
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Allocation Risk. If the fund's exposure to equities and fixed income securities, or to other asset classes, deviates from the intended allocation, or if the fund's allocation is not optimal for market conditions at a given time, the fund's performance may suffer. |
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Counterparty Risk. A counterparty to a derivatives contract, repurchase agreement, a loan of portfolio securities or an unsettled transaction may be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations to the fund. |
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Credit Risk. If the issuer of a debt instrument fails to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or negative perceptions exist in the market of the issuer's ability to make such payments, the price of the security may decline. |
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Currency Rate Risk. Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies may negatively affect the value of the fund's shares. |
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Depositary Receipts Risk. Investments in foreign companies through depositary receipts may expose the fund to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers. |
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Derivatives Risk. Derivatives may include, among other things, futures, options, forwards and swap agreements and may be used in order to hedge portfolio risks, create leverage or attempt to increase returns. Investments in derivatives may result in increased volatility and the fund may incur a loss greater than its principal investment. |
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Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Risk. The value of an ETF may be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track. The costs to the fund of owning shares of an ETF may exceed the cost of investing directly in the underlying securities. |
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Focused Investment Risk. To the extent the fund focuses its investments on a limited number of issuers, sectors, industries or geographic regions, it may be subject to increased risk and volatility. |
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Leverage Risk. When a fund leverages its portfolio by borrowing or certain types of transactions or instruments, including derivatives, fund may be less liquid, may liquidate positions at an unfavorable time, and the volatility of the fund's value may increase. |
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Liquidity Risk. Certain securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as U.S. Government securities or common stocks. To the extent the fund invests in less liquid securities or the level of liquidity in a particular market is constrained, the lack of an active market for investments may cause delay in disposition or force a sale below fair value. |
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Portfolio Turnover Risk. High levels of portfolio turnover increase transaction costs and taxes and may lower investment performance. |
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Real Estate Investment Risk. The fund may be negatively affected by changes in real estate values or economic conditions, credit risk and interest rate fluctuations, changes in the value of the underlying real estate and defaults by lessees and/or borrowers. Adverse changes in the real estate markets may affect the value of REIT investments or real estate-linked derivatives. |
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Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken. |
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Value Stocks Risk. The fund may underperform when value investing is out of favor or the fund's investments may not appreciate in value as anticipated. |
Please see "More Information About Risks Related to Principal Investment Strategies" in the fund's prospectus for a more detailed description of the fund's risks.
Performance Information
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the potential risks of investing in the fund. The fund's past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.
The bar chart shows changes in the fund's performance from year to year over the life of the fund. The table shows how the fund's average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.
Calendar year total returns for Institutional Class Shares
Returns do not reflect sales charges and would be lower if they did.
| Best Quarter: | Q2/2020: | 21.65% | Worst Quarter: | Q1/2020: | -21.20% |
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Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/21)
Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.
| 1 Year | 5 Years |
Since Inception (12/18/2012) |
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| Institutional Class | |||||||||||||||
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Return Before Taxes |
2.53% | 11.17% | 6.61% | ||||||||||||
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Return After Taxes On Distributions |
2.67% | 10.25% | 5.45% | ||||||||||||
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Return After Taxes On Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares |
1.87% | 8.45% | 4.65% | ||||||||||||
| Class A | |||||||||||||||
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Return Before Taxes |
-3.33% | 9.63% | 5.67% | ||||||||||||
| Class C | |||||||||||||||
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Return Before Taxes |
1.51% | 10.07% | 5.55% | ||||||||||||
| Class P | |||||||||||||||
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Return Before Taxes |
2.46% | 11.05% | 6.51% | ||||||||||||
| MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) | -2.54% | 9.87% | 4.25% |
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure equity market performance in the global emerging markets. The index is calculated on a total return basis. The index is unmanaged and is not available for direct investment.
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. After-tax returns are shown only for Institutional Class Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities.
Management
The fund's investment adviser is Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. ("VIA").
The fund's subadviser is NFJ Investment Group, LLC ("NFJ").
Portfolio Management
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John R. Mowrey, CFA, co-lead senior portfolio manager, analyst, executive managing director, and CIO for the NFJ Investment team, has managed the fund since 2013. |
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J. Garth Reilly, CFA, co-lead senior portfolio manager, analyst, and managing director for the NFJ Investment team, has managed the fund since 2018. |
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Thomas W. Oliver, CFA, CPA, senior portfolio manager, analyst, and managing director for the NFJ Investment team, has managed the fund since 2012. |
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R. Burns McKinney, CFA, senior portfolio manager, analyst, and managing director for the NFJ Investment team, has managed the fund since 2012. |
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Minimum initial investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:
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$2,500, generally |
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$100 for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or exchange accounts |
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No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans. |
Minimum additional investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:
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$100, generally |
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No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans. |
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| 8053 | 1-22 |
For Class P and Institutional Class shares, the minimum initial investment in the fund is $1,000,000 and no minimum is needed to add to an existing account, though minimums may be modified for certain financial intermediaries that aggregate trades on behalf of investors.
In general, you may buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial professional, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.
Taxes
The fund's distributions are taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund, its distributor, its investment adviser or their affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary's Web site for more information.