497K 1 d497k.htm VIRTUS MULTI-SECTOR FIXED INCOME FUND Virtus Multi-Sector Fixed Income Fund

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Summary Prospectus January 31, 2011

Virtus Multi-Sector Fixed Income Fund

 

A: NAMFX    B: NBMFX    C: NCMFX    I: VMFIX

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, statement of additional information (SAI), annual report and other information about the fund online at http://www.virtus.com/individuals/forms/prospectuses.aspx?type=individual.

You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-243-1574 or by sending an e-mail to: virtus.investment.partners@virtus.com. 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 31, 2011, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.

 

 

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective to maximize current income while preserving capital.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate all fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and under “Sales Charges” on page 126 of the fund’s prospectus and “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 52 of the fund’s statement of additional information.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)    Class A      Class B      Class C      Class I  
Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)      3.75%         None         None         None   
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)      None         5.00% (a)       1.00% (a)       None   

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
   Class A      Class B      Class C      Class I  
Management Fees      0.55%         0.55%         0.55%         0.55%   
Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees      0.25%         1.00%         1.00%         None   
Other Expenses      0.36%         0.36%         0.36%         0.36%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses      1.16%         1.91%         1.91%         0.91%   

 

  (a) The maximum deferred sales charge is imposed on Class B Shares redeemed during the first year; thereafter, it decreases 1% annually to 2% during the fourth and fifth years and to 0% after the fifth year. The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

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. It shows your costs if you sold your shares at the end of the period or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. In the case of Class B Shares, it assumes that your shares are converted to Class A Shares after eight years. 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      $489         $730         $989         $1,731   
Class B    Sold      $594         $800         $1,032         $2,038   
     Held      $194         $600         $1,032         $2,038   
Class C    Sold      $294         $600         $1,032         $2,233   
     Held      $194         $600         $1,032         $2,233   
Class I    Sold or Held      $93         $290         $504         $1,120   


 

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 74% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund seeks to generate high current income and total return while preserving capital by applying extensive credit research and a time-tested approach to capitalize on opportunities across undervalued sectors of the bond market. The portfolio seeks diversification among 14 sectors in order to increase return potential and reduce risk.

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the following sectors of fixed income securities:

 

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Securities issued or guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies, authorities or instrumentalities, including collateralized mortgage obligations, real estate mortgage investment conduits and other pass-through securities;

 

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Debt securities issued by foreign issuers, including foreign governments and their political subdivisions and issuers located in emerging market countries;

 

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Investment grade securities; and

 

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High yield-high risk fixed income securities of U.S. issuers (so called “junk bonds”).

The fund may invest in all or some of these sectors.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objectives, 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 adviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. The principal risks of investing in the fund are:

 

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Credit Risk. The risk that the issuer of a security will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of the security to decline.

 

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Emerging Market Risk. The risk that prices of emerging markets securities will be more volatile, or will be more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

 

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Foreign Investing Risk. The risk that the prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than those of their domestic counterparts.

 

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High Yield-High Risk Fixed Income Securities (Junk Bonds) Risk. The risk that the issuers of high yield-high risk securities in the fund’s portfolio will default, that the prices of such securities will be volatile, and that the securities will not be liquid.

 

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Interest Rate Risk. The risk that when interest rates rise, the values of the fund’s debt securities, especially those with longer maturities, will fall.

 

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Long-Term Maturities/Durations Risk. The risk of greater price fluctuations than would be associated with securities having shorter maturities or durations.

 

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Market Volatility Risk. The risk that the value of the securities in which the fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be temporary or may last for extended periods.

 

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Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. The risk that the impairment of the value of collateral underlying a mortgage-backed or asset-backed security, such as due to non-payment of loans, will result in a reduction in the value of such security.

 

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U.S. Government Securities Risk. The risk that the U.S. Government securities in the fund’s portfolio will be subject to price fluctuations, or that an agency or instrumentality will default on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

For a more detailed description of the above risks, see “More Information About Risks Related to Principal Investment Strategies” in the prospectus.

 

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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 a 10-year period. 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 Class A Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges and would be lower if they did.

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Best Quarter:    Q2/2009:    16.15%    Worst Quarter:     Q4/2008:    -14.37%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/10; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

 

      1 Year      5 Years      10 Years     

Class  I

(since  10/1/09)

 
Class A                                    

Return Before Taxes

     9.00%         5.95%         6.77%           

Return After Taxes on Distributions

     6.57%         3.61%         4.25%           

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

     5.77%         3.64%         4.23%           
Class B                                    

Return Before Taxes

     8.32%         5.97%         6.37%           
Class C                                    

Return Before Taxes

     12.42%         5.98%         6.39%           
Class I                                    

Return Before Taxes

     13.53%                         14.25%   
Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index      6.54%         5.80%         5.84%         5.06%   

The Barclays Capital U.S. Aggregate Bond Index measures the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market. The index is calculated on a total return basis.

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 Class A 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. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc.

The fund’s subadviser is Goodwin Capital Advisers, Inc. (“Goodwin”).

Portfolio Management

 

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David L. Albrycht, CFA, a Senior Managing Director, Fixed Income and Portfolio Manager at Goodwin, is the manager of the fund. Mr. Albrycht has been Portfolio Manager since 1995, and co-managed the fund from 1994 to 1995.

 

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c/o State Street Bank and Trust Company

P.O. Box 8301

Boston, MA 02266-8301

 

 

 

8414    1-11

 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Purchase Minimums (except Class I Shares)      
Minimum Initial Purchase    $2,500

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or systematic exchange accounts

   $100

Defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans

   No minimum
Minimum Additional Purchase    $100

Defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans

   No minimum

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

In general, you can 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 advisor.

NOTE: Class B Shares are no longer available for purchase, except through reinvestment of dividends/capital gain distributions by existing shareholders and exchange of Class B shares of a fund for Class B shares of other Virtus Mutual Funds, as permitted by the existing exchange privileges (as set forth in the fund’s prospectus).

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you either as 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 the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies 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 other intermediary and your financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.