The fund pursues long-term capital appreciation in the small and medium market capitalization sectors while seeking to incur less risk than the small- and mid-cap growth markets. The fund invests in a select group of small and mid capitalization companies believed by the subadviser to possess sustainable competitive advantages at prices the subadviser deems attractive. The investment strategy emphasizes companies the subadviser believes to have a sustainable competitive advantage, strong management and low financial risk and to be able to grow over market cycles. Although the fund invests primarily in U.S. companies, it may invest in foreign securities and depositary receipts.

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its assets in common stocks of small- and mid-market capitalization companies. As of the date of this Prospectus, the fund’s subadviser considers small- and mid-market capitalization companies for this purpose to be those companies that, at the time of initial purchase, have market capitalizations generally within the range of companies included in the Russell 2500TM Growth Index on a rolling three-year basis. On this basis, as of September 30, 2023, the market capitalization range of companies included in the Russell 2500TM Growth Index over the past three years was $1.21 million to $40.8 billion. Generally, the fund invests in approximately 20 to 35 securities at any given time.