4. The company's ability to grow its business from free cash flow over an extended period of time.
The list above is not exclusive and there is no single factor that is determinative of whether the Adviser considers a company to be a "growth" company.
The Adviser considers a company to be a "quality" company if it possesses competitive advantages as evidenced by generating a return on equity of 15% or greater for at least ten consecutive fiscal years as determined by the Adviser.
Equity securities in which the Fund invests as a principal strategy consist primarily of publicly traded common stocks of U.S. companies. Generally, each company in which the Fund invests must, as determined by the Adviser:
1. Have consistently achieved a high return on equity over the prior ten fiscal years;
2. Be in excellent financial condition; and
3. Be capable of sustaining outstanding business performance.
These companies are selected from a universe of companies that have produced long-term records of consistently high returns on shareholder equity. In order to qualify for this universe, each company must have a market capitalization of $1 billion or more, and a return on equity of 15% or greater, in each of the last ten fiscal years. The Adviser determines on an annual basis the companies that qualify for inclusion in the Fund's investable universe.
The Fund may purchase securities when they are priced below their intrinsic values as determined by the Adviser. The Fund may sell all or part of its position in a company when the Adviser has determined that another qualifying security has a greater opportunity to achieve the Fund's objective. In addition, the Fund generally sells its position in a company when the company no longer meets one or more of the Fund's investment criteria. In the event that the company no longer satisfies the investment criteria and the failure is due to an extraordinary situation that the Adviser believes will not have a material adverse impact on the company's operating performance, the Fund may continue to hold and invest in the company.
The Adviser expects to include in the Fund's investment portfolio at any time securities of approximately 25 to 30 primarily U.S. companies. The Fund must always own the securities of a minimum of 15 different companies in its portfolio. The Fund strives to be fully invested at all times in publicly traded common stocks and other eligible equity securities issued by companies that meet the investment criteria described in this Prospectus.
A significant portion of the Fund's portfolio may be invested in the equity securities of companies comprising one or more industry sectors (e.g., information technology sector) and such sectors favored by the Adviser will change during certain market environments.
The Fund is non-diversified, which means that a relatively high percentage of its assets are invested in a limited number of issuers of securities.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
Before investing in the Fund, you should carefully consider your own investment goals, the amount of time you are willing to leave your money invested, and the amount of risk you are willing to take. Remember, in addition to possibly not achieving your investment goals, you could lose money by investing in the Fund . The principal risks of investing in this Fund are:
• Stock Market Risk
The market value of stocks held by the Fund may decline over a short, or even an extended period of time, resulting in a decrease in the value of a shareholder's investment.
• Management Risk
The Adviser may be incorrect in its judgment of the value of particular stocks. The investments chosen by the Adviser may not perform as anticipated. Certain risks are inherent in the ownership of any security, and there is no assurance that the Fund's investment objective will be achieved.
• Recent Market Events Risk
U.S. and international markets have experienced and may continue to experience significant periods of volatility in recent years and months due to a number of economic, political and global macro factors including uncertainty regarding inflation and central banks' interest rate changes, the possibility of a national or global recession, trade tensions and tariffs, political events and geopolitical conflicts. As a result of continuing political tensions and armed conflicts, including the wars in Europe and the Middle East, markets have experienced increased volatility. Continuing market volatility as a result of recent market conditions or other events may have an adverse effect on the performance of the Fund.
• Non-diversification Risk
The Fund is non-diversified and is permitted to invest a greater portion of its assets in the securities of a smaller number of issuers than would be permissible if it were a "diversified" fund and therefore, it may be more sensitive to market changes than a diversified fund. Accordingly, the appreciation or depreciation of a single portfolio security may have a greater impact on the net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund.