N-CSRS 1 e156496ev_h.htm EVERGREEN EQUITY TRUST

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSRS

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-08413

Evergreen Equity Trust

_____________________________________________________________

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

200 Berkeley Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

_____________________________________________________________

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Michael H. Koonce, Esq.

200 Berkeley Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02116

____________________________________________________________

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (617) 210-3200

Date of fiscal year end:

Registrant is making a semi-annual filing for five of its series, Evergreen Growth Fund, Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund, Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund, Evergreen Omega Fund and Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund, for the six months ended March 31, 2010. These series have September 30 fiscal year end.

Date of reporting period: March 31, 2010

Item 1 - Reports to Stockholders.

 


Evergreen Growth Fund

 


 


 

 

table of contents

1

 

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

4

 

FUND AT A GLANCE

6

 

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

7

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

11

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

17

 

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

18

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

19

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

20

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

28

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

This semiannual report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus of the Evergreen fund contained herein. The prospectus contains more complete information, including fees and expenses, and should be read carefully before investing or sending money.

The fund will file its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q will be available on the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the fund’s Form N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800.SEC.0330.

A description of the fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as information regarding how the fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available by visiting our Web site at EvergreenInvestments.com or by visiting the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. The fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 800.343.2898.

Mutual Funds:

 NOT FDIC INSURED   MAY LOSE VALUE   NOT BANK GUARANTEED 

Evergreen InvestmentsSM is a service mark of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC. Copyright 2010, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC.

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC, is a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company and is an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company’s broker/dealer subsidiaries. Evergreen mutual funds are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

 

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

May 2010

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Valued Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide you with this semiannual report for Evergreen Growth Fund for the six-month period ended March 31, 2010 (the “period”).

Economic growth was strong throughout the period as the economic recovery appeared to gain momentum. Gross domestic product returned to positive growth in the third quarter of 2009, following four consecutive quarters of contraction for the first time in at least 60 years. The consensus among economists was that the recession that began in December 2007 had likely ended during the summer of 2009. However, with much of the growth attributable to government stimulus, questions remained over the sustainability of the recovery. By the end of the period, the National Bureau of Economic Research had not declared an official end to the recession.

Employment data turned positive during the period, a welcome sign that the economic recovery appeared to be moving toward self-sustainability. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in March 2010, the most in three years. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7% in the final months of the period, after having peaked at 10.1% in October 2009—its highest level in more than 25 years. Other encouraging news in March included increases in temporary jobs, average hours worked, and manufacturing employment. Still, more than 8 million jobs were lost during the recession and the number of long-term unemployed—those out of work for 27 weeks or longer—continued to increase, ending the period at 6.5 million.

Other economic data continued to show additional signs of improvement. Industrial production, manufacturing, and consumer sentiment had all improved significantly as the period came to a close. Retail sales strengthened significantly during the period, with particular strength in March 2010. Although housing inventory and foreclosure rates remained elevated, home sales and prices began to show signs of improvement in many areas of the country—spurred in part by the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which was extended through the end of April 2010.

Despite extensive quantitative easing measures by the Federal Reserve Board (the “Fed”), bank lending remained constrained during the period. This indicates that the trillions of dollars of government stimulus that were added to the monetary system might not have an inflationary impact in the near term. Throughout the period, the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FOMC”) held the federal funds rate at the range of 0% to 0.25% that it first targeted in December 2008. The Fed did, however, begin to remove some of its unconventional stimulus measures. It concluded its purchases of longer-term Treasuries in October 2009 and mortgage-backed securities in March 2010.

 

 

1

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

The FOMC’s final statement during the period noted that economic activity continued to strengthen, the labor market was stabilizing, business spending had risen significantly, and inflation remained subdued. However, the committee also noted that unemployment remained high and credit continued to be tight, reiterating that it was likely to keep the federal funds rate at exceptionally low levels for an extended period because of the continued substantial economic slack.

The strong rally in the equity markets continued during the period. The advance was interrupted only briefly by modest corrections in October 2009 and January 2010 due primarily to concerns about sovereign debt, with particular focus on Greece. The euro weakened significantly against the U.S. dollar as the European Union continued to debate potential support plans for Greece throughout the period.

Despite the macroeconomic concerns, strong corporate earnings reports throughout the period provided support for the equity markets to continue to move higher. Companies in the S&P 500® Index exceeded analysts’ earnings estimates at a pace of nearly 80% in the third quarter of 2009 and more than 70% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Other than brief spikes in market volatility in late October and early January, volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), declined over the course of the period, ending at its lowest level since early 2008. Among major stock-market indices, the S&P 500® Index gained 10.6% during the period, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 12.9%, as the information technology sector remained one of the strongest-performing sectors.

Over the period, mid cap stocks outpaced both large cap and small cap stocks, which had similar returns, as measured by the Russell indices. The Russell Midcap Index rose 14.6%, while the Russell 1000 Index of large cap stocks advanced 11.7% and the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks gained 11.9%. Performance leadership between the growth and value investment styles was mixed according to market capitalization during the period. Among large cap stocks, the growth style significantly outpaced value. Conversely, value modestly outpaced growth among small cap stocks.

During the period, the management teams of Evergreen’s growth-oriented equity funds maintained their pursuit of capital appreciation, focusing on bottom-up, fundamental analysis in making individual stock selections consistent with the investment discipline and style of each fund. The manager of Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund and Evergreen Omega Fund pursued a small number of companies with the potential to sustain above-average growth for long-term cash flows. The management of Evergreen Strategic Growth Fund sought large cap companies offering superior long-term growth potential. The portfolio managers of Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund and Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund aimed to balance each portfolio with exposure both to

 

 

2

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

consistent growth companies and to companies offering attractive intrinsic value. At the same time, managers of Evergreen Growth Fund concentrated on opportunities among small cap growth companies with above-average earnings prospects and reasonable stock valuations.

We believe the changing conditions in the investment environment over the period have underscored the value of a well-diversified, long-term investment strategy to help soften the effects of volatility in any one market or asset class. As always, we encourage investors to maintain diversified investment portfolios in pursuit of their long-term investment goals.

Please visit us at EvergreenInvestments.com for more information about our funds and other investment products available to you. Thank you for your continued support of Evergreen Investments.

Sincerely,


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer
Evergreen Funds

Notice to Shareholders:

The Evergreen Funds’ Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the reorganizations of the Evergreen Funds, including the Fund in this report, into Wells Fargo Advantage Funds®. Each reorganization is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including approval by the Evergreen Fund’s shareholders at a meeting expected to be held in June 2010. It is anticipated that the reorganizations, if they are approved by shareholders and all conditions to the closing are satisfied, will occur in July 2010. Additional information, including a description of the applicable reorganization and information about fees, expenses, and risk factors, will be provided to shareholders of each Evergreen Fund in a Prospectus/Proxy Statement that was mailed in April 2010.

The foregoing is not an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, shares of any Wells Fargo Advantage Fund, nor is it a solicitation of any proxy. For more information, or to receive a free copy of the Prospectus/Proxy Statement once a registration statement relating to a proposed reorganization has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and becomes effective, please call 1.800.343.2898 or visit Evergreeninvestments.com. The Prospectus/Proxy Statement will also be available for free on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov). Please read the Prospectus/Proxy Statement carefully before making any investment decisions.

 

 

3

 


FUND AT A GLANCE

as of March 31, 2010

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Investment Advisor:

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC

Portfolio Managers:

Jeffrey S. Drummond, CFA; Linda Z. Freeman, CFA; Paul Carder, CFA; Jeffrey Harrison, CFA; Edward Rick, CFA

CURRENT INVESTMENT STYLE

 


Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar’s style box is based on a portfolio date as of 3/31/2010.

The Equity style box placement is based on 10 growth and valuation measures for each fund holding and the median size of the companies in which the fund invests.

PERFORMANCE AND RETURNS

Portfolio inception date: 4/15/1985

 

 

Class A

Class B^

Class C

Class I

Class inception date

6/5/1995

10/18/1999

4/15/1985

11/19/1997






Nasdaq symbol

EGWAX

EGRBX

EGRTX

EGRYX






6-month return with sales charge

3.77%

4.79%

9.18%

N/A






6-month return w/o sales charge

10.13%

9.79%

10.18%

10.29%






Average annual return*

 

 

 

 






1-year with sales charge

47.00%

50.03%

55.17%

N/A






1-year w/o sales charge

56.02%

55.03%

56.17%

56.38%






5-year

2.27%

2.47%

3.07%

3.77%






10-year

0.77%

0.62%

0.79%

1.63%






Maximum sales charge

5.75%

5.00%

1.00%

N/A

 

Front-end

CDSC

CDSC

 






*

Adjusted for maximum applicable sales charge, unless noted.

^

As of 6/30/2009, Class B shares are closed to new investments by new and existing shareholders.

As of 1/31/2008, Class C is closed to new investors.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance quoted represents past performance and current performance may be lower or higher. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investors’ shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end for Classes A, B, C or I, please go to EvergreenInvestments.com/fundperformance. The performance of each class may vary based on differences in loads, fees and expenses paid by the shareholders investing in each class. Performance includes the reinvestment of income dividends and capital gain distributions. Performance shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Please keep in mind that high double-digit returns were primarily achieved during favorable market conditions. You should not expect that such favorable returns can be consistently achieved. A Fund’s performance, especially for very short time periods, should not be the sole factor in making your investment decision.

 

 

4

 


FUND AT A GLANCE continued

 


Comparison of a $10,000 investment in the Evergreen Growth Fund Class A shares, reflective of maximum applicable sales charge, versus a similar investment in the Russell 2000 Growth Index (Russell 2000 Growth) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Russell 2000 Growth is an unmanaged market index and does not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses or any taxes. The CPI is a commonly used measure of inflation and does not represent an investment return. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

The fund incurs a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% for Class A, 1.00% for Class B and 0.25% for Class C. Prior to 1/31/08, the 12b-1 fees for Class C were 1.00%. Class I does not pay a 12b-1 fee.

The returns shown for Class B shares do not reflect the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares after eight years.

Returns reflect expense limits previously in effect for Class A, without which returns for Class A would have been lower.

Class I shares are only offered, subject to the minimum initial purchase requirements, in the following manner: (1) to investment advisory clients of EIMC (or its advisory affiliates), (2) to employer- or state-sponsored benefit plans, including but not limited to, retirement plans, defined benefit plans, deferred compensation plans, or savings plans, (3) to fee-based mutual fund wrap accounts, (4) through arrangements entered into on behalf of the Evergreen funds with certain financial services firms, (5) to certain institutional investors, and (6) to persons who owned Class Y shares in registered name in an Evergreen fund on or before December 31, 1994 or who owned shares of any SouthTrust fund in registered name as of March 18, 2005 or who owned shares of Vestaur Securities Fund as of May 20, 2005.

Class I shares are only available to institutional shareholders with a minimum of $1 million investment, which may be waived in certain situations.

The fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of the fund’s shareholders.

Small and mid cap securities may be subject to special risks associated with narrower product lines and limited financial resources compared to their large cap counterparts, and, as a result, small and mid cap securities may decline significantly in market downturns and may be more volatile than those of larger companies due to the higher risk of failure.

All data is as of March 31, 2010, and subject to change.

 

 

5

 


ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

The Example below is intended to describe the fees and expenses borne by shareholders and the impact of those costs on your investment.

Example

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads), redemption fees and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees and other fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

The example illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual expenses

The section in the table under the heading “Actual” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in these columns, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the appropriate column for your share class, in the column entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees or exchange fees. Therefore, the section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

 

Beginning

Ending

 

 

Account Value

Account Value

Expenses Paid

 

10/1/2009

3/31/2010

During Period*





Actual

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,101.31

$  7.12

Class B

$1,000.00

$1,097.92

$11.04

Class C

$1,000.00

$1,101.76

$  7.13

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,102.85

$  5.66

Hypothetical

 

 

 

(5% return before expenses)

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,018.15

$  6.84

Class B

$1,000.00

$1,014.41

$10.60

Class C

$1,000.00

$1,018.15

$  6.84

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,019.55

$  5.44





*

For each class of the fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio of each class (1.36% for Class A, 2.11% for Class B, 1.36% for Class C and 1.08% for Class I), multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182 / 365 days.

 

 

6

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS A

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

12.24

 

$

12.20

 

$

18.70

 

$

17.35

 

$

19.03

 

$

15.41

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.07

)1

 

(0.04

)1

 

(0.03

)1

 

(0.12

)1

 

(0.16

)1

 

(0.17

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.31

 

 

0.10

2

 

(3.61

)

 

3.63

 

 

0.55

 

 

3.79

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.24

 

 

0.06

 

 

(3.64

)

 

3.51

 

 

0.39

 

 

3.62

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.84

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 

Tax basis return of capital

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.86

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

13.48

 

$

12.24

 

$

12.20

 

$

18.70

 

$

17.35

 

$

19.03

 




















 

Total return3

 

 

10.13

%

 

0.53

%

 

(22.75

)%

 

21.93

%

 

2.55

%

 

23.49

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

50,634

 

$

48,067

 

$

56,068

 

$

90,563

 

$

91,606

 

$

94,947

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.36

%4

 

1.33

%

 

1.25

%

 

1.25

%

 

1.26

%

 

1.25

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.36

%4

 

1.33

%

 

1.27

%

 

1.26

%

 

1.26

%

 

1.25

%

Net investment loss

 

 

(1.08

)%4

 

(0.45

)%

 

(0.24

)%

 

(0.68

)%

 

(0.88

)%

 

(0.96

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

44

%

 

118

%

 

113

%

 

98

%

 

91

%

 

80

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of Fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values for the portfolio.

3

Excluding applicable sales charges

4

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

7

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS B

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

10.11

 

$

10.16

 

$

16.17

 

$

15.37

 

$

17.21

 

$

14.04

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.09

)1

 

(0.09

)1

 

(0.12

)1

 

(0.21

)1

 

(0.25

)1

 

(0.26

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.08

 

 

0.06

2

 

(3.03

)

 

3.17

 

 

0.48

 

 

3.43

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.99

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(3.15

)

 

2.96

 

 

0.23

 

 

3.17

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.84

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 

Tax basis return of capital

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.86

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

11.10

 

$

10.11

 

$

10.16

 

$

16.17

 

$

15.37

 

$

17.21

 




















 

Total return3

 

 

9.79

%

 

(0.25

)%

 

(23.37

)%

 

21.08

%

 

1.82

%

 

22.58

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

4,790

 

$

5,081

 

$

9,637

 

$

18,518

 

$

18,940

 

$

21,955

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

2.11

%4

 

2.08

%

 

1.99

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.95

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

2.11

%4

 

2.08

%

 

1.99

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.95

%

Net investment loss

 

 

(1.83

)%4

 

(1.14

)%

 

(1.00

)%

 

(1.39

)%

 

(1.59

)%

 

(1.67

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

44

%

 

118

%

 

113

%

 

98

%

 

91

%

 

80

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the portfolio.

3

Excluding applicable sales charges

4

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

8

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS C

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

10.22

 

$

10.19

 

$

16.15

 

$

15.35

 

$

17.19

 

$

14.02

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.06

)1

 

(0.04

)1

 

(0.07

)1

 

(0.21

)1

 

(0.25

)1

 

(0.26

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.10

 

 

0.09

2

 

(3.03

)

 

3.17

 

 

0.48

 

 

3.43

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.04

 

 

0.05

 

 

(3.10

)

 

2.96

 

 

0.23

 

 

3.17

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.84

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 

Tax basis return of capital

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.86

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

11.26

 

$

10.22

 

$

10.19

 

$

16.15

 

$

15.35

 

$

17.19

 




















 

Total return3

 

 

10.18

%

 

0.54

%

 

(23.03

)%

 

21.11

%

 

1.82

%

 

22.61

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

86,923

 

$

84,874

 

$

99,486

 

$

167,832

 

$

168,681

 

$

201,363

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.36

%4

 

1.33

%

 

1.54

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.95

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.36

%4

 

1.33

%

 

1.54

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.96

%

 

1.95

%

Net investment loss

 

 

(1.08

)%4

 

(0.45

)%

 

(0.55

)%

 

(1.39

)%

 

(1.59

)%

 

(1.67

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

44

%

 

118

%

 

113

%

 

98

%

 

91

%

 

80

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the portfolio.

3

Excluding applicable sales charges

4

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

9

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

  

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS I

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

12.79

 

$

12.75

 

$

19.37

 

$

17.86

 

$

19.47

 

$

15.72

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.02

)1

 

0.01

 

 

(0.07

)1

 

(0.11

)1

 

(0.12

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.36

 

 

0.10

2

 

(3.77

)

 

3.74

 

 

0.57

 

 

3.87

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.31

 

 

0.08

 

 

(3.76

)

 

3.67

 

 

0.46

 

 

3.75

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

0

3

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(2.84

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 

Tax basis return of capital

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.04

)

 

(2.86

)

 

(2.16

)

 

(2.07

)

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

14.10

 

$

12.79

 

$

12.75

 

$

19.37

 

$

17.86

 

$

19.47

 




















 

Total return

 

 

10.29

%

 

0.74

%

 

(22.56

)%

 

22.23

%

 

2.89

%

 

23.85

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

111,255

 

$

344,313

 

$

395,954

 

$

621,896

 

$

692,450

 

$

705,901

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.08

%4

 

1.08

%

 

0.99

%

 

0.96

%

 

0.96

%

 

0.95

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.08

%4

 

1.08

%

 

0.99

%

 

0.96

%

 

0.96

%

 

0.95

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.82

)%4

 

(0.20

)%

 

0.02

%

 

(0.39

)%

 

(0.59

)%

 

(0.67

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

44

%

 

118

%

 

113

%

 

98

%

 

91

%

 

80

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the portfolio.

3

Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.

4

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

10

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    96.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY    16.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auto Components    0.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wonder Auto Technology, Inc. * ρ

 

 

130,000

 

$

1,375,400

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Diversified Consumer Services    1.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capella Education Co. *

 

 

36,400

 

 

3,379,376

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure    3.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. *

 

 

131,000

 

 

2,199,490

 

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Inc. *

 

 

34,900

 

 

1,540,137

 

Shuffle Master, Inc. *

 

 

244,100

 

 

1,999,179

 

Texas Roadhouse, Inc., Class A *

 

 

176,400

 

 

2,450,196

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,189,002

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Household Durables    0.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc.

 

 

35,400

 

 

1,225,194

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet & Catalog Retail    1.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Nile, Inc. * ρ

 

 

61,180

 

 

3,366,123

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Media    1.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

National CineMedia, Inc.

 

 

193,626

 

 

3,341,985

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Specialty Retail    5.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children’s Place Retail Stores, Inc. *

 

 

42,300

 

 

1,884,465

 

DSW, Inc., Class A *

 

 

99,100

 

 

2,530,023

 

Genesco, Inc. *

 

 

85,700

 

 

2,657,557

 

Hibbett Sports, Inc. * ρ

 

 

128,500

 

 

3,287,030

 

Lumber Liquidators Holdings, Inc. *

 

 

86,200

 

 

2,298,954

 

Stein Mart, Inc. *

 

 

202,300

 

 

1,826,769

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,484,798

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods    3.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iconix Brand Group, Inc. *

 

 

157,400

 

 

2,417,664

 

The Warnaco Group, Inc. *

 

 

60,800

 

 

2,900,768

 

True Religion Apparel, Inc. *

 

 

75,200

 

 

2,283,072

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7,601,504

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

CONSUMER STAPLES    1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food Products    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diamond Foods, Inc.

 

 

47,300

 

 

1,988,492

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Personal Products    0.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Elizabeth Arden, Inc. *

 

 

124,600

 

 

2,242,800

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

ENERGY    5.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Equipment & Services    1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Core Laboratories NV

 

 

17,400

 

 

2,275,920

 

Matrix Service Co. *

 

 

188,606

 

 

2,029,401

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,305,321

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

11

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENERGY    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels    3.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodrich Petroleum Corp. * ρ

 

 

137,600

 

$

2,152,064

 

Newfield Exploration Co. *

 

 

36,400

 

 

1,894,620

 

Petrohawk Energy Corp. *

 

 

130,100

 

 

2,638,428

 

World Fuel Services Corp.

 

 

85,680

 

 

2,282,515

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,967,627

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

FINANCIALS    5.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Markets    1.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stifel Financial Corp. *

 

 

60,565

 

 

3,255,369

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Commercial Banks    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Horizon National Corp. *

 

 

210,710

 

 

2,960,477

 

MB Financial, Inc.

 

 

43,900

 

 

989,067

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,949,544

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Consumer Finance    1.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dollar Financial Corp. *

 

 

145,500

 

 

3,500,730

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Diversified Financial Services    1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Encore Capital Group, Inc. *

 

 

62,800

 

 

1,033,060

 

Portfolio Recovery Associates, Inc. *

 

 

58,300

 

 

3,198,921

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,231,981

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

HEALTH CARE    18.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology    3.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

57,800

 

 

3,142,586

 

Incyte Corp. * ρ

 

 

182,300

 

 

2,544,908

 

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

60,800

 

 

1,610,592

 

United Therapeutics Corp. *

 

 

32,900

 

 

1,820,357

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,118,443

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies    4.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Conceptus, Inc. *

 

 

59,800

 

 

1,193,608

 

DexCom, Inc. *

 

 

155,900

 

 

1,516,907

 

Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. *

 

 

61,200

 

 

2,383,740

 

Natus Medical, Inc. *

 

 

37,638

 

 

598,820

 

NuVasive, Inc. * ρ

 

 

41,800

 

 

1,889,360

 

RTI Biologics, Inc. *

 

 

452,821

 

 

1,960,715

 

Sirona Dental Systems, Inc. *

 

 

33,900

 

 

1,289,217

 

Zoll Medical Corp. *

 

 

45,800

 

 

1,207,288

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12,039,655

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Providers & Services    4.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amedisys, Inc. * ρ

 

 

36,800

 

 

2,032,096

 

Emergency Medical Services Corp., Class A *

 

 

44,000

 

 

2,488,200

 

HMS Holdings Corp. *

 

 

50,300

 

 

2,564,797

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

12

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care Providers & Services    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IPC The Hospitalist Co., Inc. *

 

 

41,800

 

$

1,467,598

 

PSS World Medical, Inc. *

 

 

56,300

 

 

1,323,613

 

Psychiatric Solutions, Inc. *

 

 

43,300

 

 

1,290,340

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,166,644

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Technology    3.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allscripts-Misys Heathcare Solutions, Inc. * ρ

 

 

100,100

 

 

1,957,956

 

MedAssets, Inc. *

 

 

139,000

 

 

2,919,000

 

Phase Forward, Inc. *

 

 

107,600

 

 

1,406,332

 

SXC Health Solutions Corp. *

 

 

43,000

 

 

2,893,040

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,176,328

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Life Sciences Tools & Services    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Icon plc, ADR *

 

 

73,107

 

 

1,930,025

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Pharmaceuticals    1.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Auxilium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

42,300

 

 

1,318,068

 

Inspire Phamaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

182,300

 

 

1,137,552

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,455,620

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

INDUSTRIALS    14.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerospace & Defense    2.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ARGON ST, Inc. *

 

 

78,017

 

 

2,076,032

 

Hexcel Corp. *

 

 

143,186

 

 

2,067,606

 

Stanley, Inc. *

 

 

76,800

 

 

2,172,672

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6,316,310

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Air Freight & Logistics    1.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings *

 

 

61,300

 

 

3,251,965

 

Forward Air Corp.

 

 

59,017

 

 

1,552,147

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,804,112

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Commercial Services & Supplies    3.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clean Harbors, Inc. *

 

 

24,700

 

 

1,372,332

 

EnerNOC, Inc. * ρ

 

 

44,378

 

 

1,317,139

 

InnerWorkings, Inc. *

 

 

263,100

 

 

1,368,120

 

Steiner Leisure, Ltd. *

 

 

71,274

 

 

3,158,864

 

Waste Connections, Inc. * ρ

 

 

75,500

 

 

2,563,980

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,780,435

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Construction & Engineering    1.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quanta Services, Inc. *

 

 

166,900

 

 

3,197,804

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Electrical Equipment    1.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EnerSys, Inc. *

 

 

88,200

 

 

2,175,012

 

Polypore International, Inc. *

 

 

38,937

 

 

679,840

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,854,852

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

13

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Machinery    2.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RBC Bearings, Inc. *

 

 

97,047

 

$

3,092,888

 

Titan International, Inc. ρ

 

 

231,600

 

 

2,021,868

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5,114,756

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Trading Companies & Distributors    2.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interline Brands, Inc. *

 

 

138,323

 

 

2,647,502

 

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Class A

 

 

57,500

 

 

2,916,400

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5,563,902

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    26.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Equipment    4.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adtran, Inc.

 

 

82,300

 

 

2,168,605

 

Blue Coat Systems, Inc. *

 

 

73,000

 

 

2,265,920

 

DG FastChannel, Inc. *

 

 

66,300

 

 

2,118,285

 

Plantronics, Inc.

 

 

110,600

 

 

3,459,568

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10,012,378

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components    2.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Benchmark Electronics, Inc. *

 

 

164,862

 

 

3,419,238

 

DTS, Inc. *

 

 

45,800

 

 

1,559,032

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,978,270

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet Software & Services    7.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ComScore, Inc. *

 

 

158,256

 

 

2,641,293

 

Constant Contact, Inc. * ρ

 

 

77,865

 

 

1,808,025

 

Equinix, Inc. *

 

 

19,454

 

 

1,893,652

 

GSI Commerce, Inc. *

 

 

57,800

 

 

1,599,326

 

LivePerson, Inc. *

 

 

265,942

 

 

2,039,775

 

NIC, Inc.

 

 

277,816

 

 

2,186,412

 

Rackspace Hosting, Inc. * ρ

 

 

110,400

 

 

2,067,792

 

Support.com, Inc. *

 

 

617,749

 

 

2,020,039

 

Vocus, Inc. *

 

 

107,808

 

 

1,838,127

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18,094,441

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

IT Services    1.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alliance Data Systems Corp. * ρ

 

 

47,800

 

 

3,058,722

 

CyberSource Corp. *

 

 

85,000

 

 

1,499,400

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,558,122

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment    7.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Advanced Energy Industries, Inc. *

 

 

156,847

 

 

2,597,387

 

ATMI, Inc. *

 

 

119,171

 

 

2,301,192

 

Cavium Networks, Inc. *

 

 

122,600

 

 

3,047,836

 

FormFactor, Inc. *

 

 

136,500

 

 

2,424,240

 

Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. *

 

 

180,984

 

 

4,265,793

 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

14

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. *

 

 

78,700

 

$

2,316,141

 

Rubicon Technology, Inc. *

 

 

89,961

 

 

1,817,212

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

18,769,801

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Software    4.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Concur Technologies, Inc. *

 

 

84,678

 

 

3,472,645

 

Radiant Systems, Inc. *

 

 

149,400

 

 

2,131,938

 

Smith Micro Software, Inc. *

 

 

123,100

 

 

1,088,204

 

Taleo Corp., Class A *

 

 

108,600

 

 

2,813,826

 

Ultimate Software Group, Inc. *

 

 

66,474

 

 

2,190,318

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11,696,931

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

MATERIALS    4.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chemicals    3.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cytec Industries, Inc.

 

 

76,700

 

 

3,584,958

 

Intrepid Potash, Inc. * ρ

 

 

133,538

 

 

4,050,208

 

Rockwood Holdings, Inc. *

 

 

78,652

 

 

2,093,716

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,728,882

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Metals & Mining    0.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brush Engineered Materials, Inc. *

 

 

98,397

 

 

2,220,820

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES    2.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diversified Telecommunication Services    0.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cbeyond, Inc. *

 

 

161,281

 

 

2,206,324

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Wireless Telecommunication Services    1.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SBA Communications Corp., Class A *

 

 

86,200

 

 

3,109,234

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Common Stocks    (cost $177,545,933)

 

 

 

 

 

244,299,335

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS    14.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUTUAL FUND SHARES    14.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BlackRock Liquidity TempFund, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

 

11,117,122

 

 

11,117,122

 

Evergreen Institutional Money Market Fund, Class I, 0.01% q ø ρρ

 

 

13,382,663

 

 

13,382,663

 

Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Fund Money Market Portfolio, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

 

10,986,222

 

 

10,986,222

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Short-Term Investments    (cost $35,486,007)

 

 

 

 

 

35,486,007

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Investments    (cost $213,031,940)    110.3%

 

 

 

 

 

279,785,342

 

Other Assets and Liabilities    (10.3%)

 

 

 

 

 

(26,184,211

)

 

 

 

 

 



 

Net Assets    100.0%

 

 

 

 

$

253,601,131

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

15

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

*

Non-income producing security

ρ

All or a portion of this security is on loan.

q

Rate shown is the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

ρρ

All or a portion of this security represents investment of cash collateral received from securities on loan.

ø

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC is the investment advisor to both the Fund and the money market fund.

 

Summary of Abbreviations

ADR

American Depository Receipt

The following table shows the percent of total long-term investments by sector as of March 31, 2010:

 

Information Technology

 

27.9

%

Health Care

 

18.8

%

Consumer Discretionary

 

17.6

%

Industrials

 

15.4

%

Financials

 

6.1

%

Energy

 

5.4

%

Materials

 

4.9

%

Telecommunication Services

 

2.2

%

Consumer Staples

 

1.7

%

 

 


 

 

 

100.0

%

 

 


 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

16

 


STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

Investments in unaffiliated issuers, at value (cost $199,649,277) including $24,869,988 of securities loaned

 

$

266,402,679

 

Investments in affiliated issuers, at value (cost $13,382,663)

 

 

13,382,663

 





 

Total investments

 

 

279,785,342

 

Segregated cash

 

 

8,962

 

Receivable for securities sold

 

 

2,827,581

 

Receivable for Fund shares sold

 

 

72,142

 

Dividends receivable

 

 

36,908

 

Receivable for securities lending income

 

 

20,591

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

15,811

 





 

Total assets

 

 

282,767,337

 





 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

Payable for securities purchased

 

 

2,340,721

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

 

 

347,279

 

Payable for securities on loan

 

 

26,371,901

 

Advisory fee payable

 

 

4,896

 

Distribution Plan expenses payable

 

 

1,082

 

Due to other related parties

 

 

718

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

99,609

 





 

Total liabilities

 

 

29,166,206

 





 

Net assets

 

$

253,601,131

 





 

Net assets represented by

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

$

285,549,056

 

Accumulated net investment loss

 

 

(1,378,865

)

Accumulated net realized losses on investments

 

 

(97,322,462

)

Net unrealized gains on investments

 

 

66,753,402

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

253,601,131

 





 

Net assets consists of

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

50,633,874

 

Class B

 

 

4,790,065

 

Class C

 

 

86,922,555

 

Class I

 

 

111,254,637

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

253,601,131

 





 

Shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized)

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

3,756,610

 

Class B

 

 

431,636

 

Class C

 

 

7,718,844

 

Class I

 

 

7,887,636

 





 

Net asset value per share

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

13.48

 

Class A — Offering price (based on sales charge of 5.75%)

 

$

14.30

 

Class B

 

$

11.10

 

Class C

 

$

11.26

 

Class I

 

$

14.10

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

17

 


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Six Months Ended March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Investment income

 

 

 

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $639)

 

$

242,394

 

Securities lending

 

 

121,976

 

Income from affiliated issuers

 

 

1,778

 





 

Total investment income

 

 

366,148

 





 

Expenses

 

 

 

 

Advisory fee

 

 

957,610

 

Distribution Plan expenses

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

58,777

 

Class B

 

 

23,065

 

Class C

 

 

103,949

 

Administrative services fee

 

 

136,801

 

Transfer agent fees

 

 

253,846

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses

 

 

4,939

 

Printing and postage expenses

 

 

31,057

 

Custodian and accounting fees

 

 

37,302

 

Registration and filing fees

 

 

40,058

 

Professional fees

 

 

25,794

 

Other

 

 

9,597

 





 

Total expenses

 

 

1,682,795

 

Less: Expense reductions

 

 

(33

)





 

Net expenses

 

 

1,682,762

 





 

Net investment loss

 

 

(1,316,614

)





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains on:

 

 

 

 

Securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

58,628,865

 

Futures contracts

 

 

2,257,703

 





 

Net realized gains on investments

 

 

60,886,568

 

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

(36,985,048

)





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

23,901,520

 





 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

$

22,584,906

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

18

 


STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended
September 30, 2009

 






 

Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

 

 

$

(1,316,614

)

 

 

 

$

(1,125,110

)

Net realized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

 

60,886,568

 

 

 

 

 

(92,318,121

)

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

 

(36,985,048

)

 

 

 

 

76,612,601

 














 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

 

 

 

 

 

22,584,906

 

 

 

 

 

(16,830,630

)














 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class I

 

 

 

 

 

(40,111

)

 

 

 

 

(608,412

)

Net realized gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

(73,358

)

Class B

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

(14,463

)

Class C

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

(157,606

)

Class I

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

(501,827

)














 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

 

 

 

(40,111

)

 

 

 

 

(1,355,666

)














 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 














 

Capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from shares sold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

441,075

 

 

5,514,004

 

 

759,381

 

 

7,493,092

 

Class B

 

 

18,068

 

 

187,391

 

 

48,557

 

 

392,989

 

Class C

 

 

14,424

 

 

148,647

 

 

30,892

 

 

244,762

 

Class I

 

 

1,627,781

 

 

20,733,813

 

 

8,107,533

 

 

82,983,144

 














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

26,583,855

 

 

 

 

 

91,113,987

 














 

Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

8,274

 

 

68,259

 

Class B

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

1,936

 

 

13,279

 

Class C

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

21,043

 

 

144,988

 

Class I

 

 

1,137

 

 

14,115

 

 

87,761

 

 

768,471

 














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,115

 

 

 

 

 

994,997

 














 

Automatic conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

21,896

 

 

265,445

 

 

128,612

 

 

1,269,545

 

Class B

 

 

(26,503

)

 

(265,445

)

 

(155,097

)

 

(1,269,545

)














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

0

 














 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

(634,040

)

 

(7,792,452

)

 

(1,565,244

)

 

(14,760,701

)

Class B

 

 

(62,310

)

 

(636,034

)

 

(341,492

)

 

(2,658,069

)

Class C

 

 

(596,640

)

 

(6,246,520

)

 

(1,509,212

)

 

(11,686,829

)

Class I

 

 

(20,654,680

)

 

(263,201,453

)

 

(12,339,466

)

 

(123,627,949

)














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(277,876,459

)

 

 

 

 

(152,733,548

)














 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

(251,278,489

)

 

 

 

 

(60,624,564

)














 

Total decrease in net assets

 

 

 

 

 

(228,733,694

)

 

 

 

 

(78,810,860

)

Net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

 

 

 

482,334,825

 

 

 

 

 

561,145,685

 














 

End of period

 

 

 

 

$

253,601,131

 

 

 

 

$

482,334,825

 














 

Accumulated net investment loss

 

 

 

 

$

(1,378,865

)

 

 

 

$

(22,140

)














 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

19

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION

Evergreen Growth Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified series of Evergreen Equity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 18, 1997. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

The Fund offers Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares. Class A shares are sold with a front-end sales charge. However, Class A share investments of $1 million or more are not subject to a front-end sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% upon redemption within 18 months. Class B shares are available for purchase only through (i) an exchange transaction in which Class B shares of another Evergreen fund are exchanged or (ii) the Fund’s dividend reinvestment program. Class B shares are sold without a front-end sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption and decreases depending on how long the shares have been held. Class C shares are sold without a front-end sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption within one year. Class C shares are only available for purchase by existing shareholders of the Fund. Class I shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge. Each class of shares, except Class I shares, pays an ongoing distribution fee.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The policies are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported herein. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Management has considered the circumstances under which the Fund should recognize or make disclosures regarding events or transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements are issued. Adjustments or additional disclosures, if any, have been included in these financial statements.

a. Valuation of investments

Listed equity securities are usually valued at the last sales price or official closing price on the national securities exchange where the securities are principally traded. If there has been no sale, the securities are valued at the mean between bid and asked prices.

Short-term securities of sufficient credit quality with remaining maturities of 60 days or less at the time of purchase are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value.

Investments in open-end mutual funds are valued at net asset value. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or not reflective of current fair value are valued at fair value as determined by the investment advisor in good faith, according to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

 

 

20

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

The valuation techniques used by the Fund to measure fair value are consistent with the market approach, income approach and/or cost approach, where applicable, for each security type.

b. Repurchase agreements

Securities pledged as collateral for repurchase agreements are held by the custodian bank or in a segregated account in the Fund’s name until the agreements mature. Collateral for certain tri-party repurchase agreements is held at the counterparty’s custodian in a segregated account for the benefit of the Fund and the counterparty. Each agreement requires that the market value of the collateral be sufficient to cover payments of interest and principal. However, in the event of default or bankruptcy by the other party to the agreement, retention of the collateral may be subject to legal proceedings. The Fund will enter into repurchase agreements with banks and other financial institutions, which are deemed by the investment advisor to be creditworthy pursuant to guidelines established by the Board of Trustees. In certain instances, the Fund’s securities lending agent may provide collateral in the form of repurchase agreements.

c. Futures contracts

The Fund is subject to equity price risk in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. The Fund may buy and sell futures contracts in order to gain exposure to, or protect against changes in, security values. The primary risks associated with the use of futures contracts are the imperfect correlation between changes in market values of securities held by the Fund and the prices of futures contracts, and the possibility of an illiquid market.

Futures contracts are valued based upon their quoted daily settlement prices. The aggregate principal amounts of the contracts are not recorded in the financial statements. Fluctuations in the value of the contracts are recorded in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities as an asset or liability and in the Statement of Operations as unrealized gains or losses until the contracts are closed, at which point they are recorded as net realized gains or losses on futures contracts. With futures contracts, there is minimal counterparty risk to the Fund since futures are exchange traded and the exchange’s clearinghouse, as counterparty to all exchange traded futures, guarantees the futures against default.

d. Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities to certain qualified brokers in order to earn additional income. The Fund receives compensation in the form of fees or interest earned on the investment of any cash collateral received. The Fund also continues to receive interest and dividends on the securities loaned. The Fund receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a market value at least equal to the market value of the securities on loan. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to the collateral. In

 

 

21

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

addition, the investment of any cash collateral received may lose all or part of its value. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand.

e. Security transactions and investment income

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses are computed using the specific cost of the security sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign income and capital gains realized on some securities may be subject to foreign taxes, which are accrued as applicable.

f. Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income, including any net capital gains (which have already been offset by available capital loss carryovers). Accordingly, no provision for federal taxes is required. The Fund’s income and excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal, Massachusetts and Delaware revenue authorities.

g. Distributions

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Such distributions are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.

h. Class allocations

Income, common expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based on the relative net assets of each class. Distribution fees, if any, are calculated daily at the class level based on the appropriate net assets of each class and the specific expense rates applicable to each class.

3. ADVISORY FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC (“EIMC”), a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the investment advisor to the Fund and is paid an annual fee starting at 0.70% and declining to 0.65% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Fund and its variable annuity counterpart, Evergreen VA Growth Fund, increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the advisory fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.70% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Fund may invest in money market funds which are advised by EIMC. Income earned on these investments is included in income from affiliated issuers on the Statement of Operations.

EIMC also serves as the administrator to the Fund providing the Fund with facilities, equipment and personnel. EIMC is paid an annual rate determined by applying

 

 

22

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

percentage rates to the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) starting at 0.10% and declining to 0.05% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the administrative services fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Evergreen Service Company, LLC (“ESC”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund. ESC receives account fees that vary based on the type of account held by the shareholders in the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the transfer agent fees were equivalent to an annual rate of 0.19% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Wachovia Bank NA, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo and an affiliate of EIMC, through its securities lending division, Wachovia Global Securities Lending, acts as the securities lending agent for the Fund (see Note 5).

4. DISTRIBUTION PLANS

Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“WFFD”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo serves as distributor of the Fund’s shares. Prior to January 4, 2010, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc. (“EIS”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, served as distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Fund has adopted Distribution Plans, as allowed by Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, for each class of shares, except Class I. Under the Distribution Plans, the Fund is permitted to pay distribution fees at an annual rate of up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets for Class A shares and up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets for each of Class B and Class C shares. However, currently the distribution fees for Class A shares are limited to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class A shares. The Fund suspended payments under the distribution plan attributable to its Class C shares in accordance with regulatory requirements applicable to the distributor. However, the 0.25% service fee continues to be assessed to Class C shares of the Fund.

For the six months ended March 31, 2010, EIS received $1,509 from the sale of Class A shares and $98 and $2,969 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class A and Class B, respectively.

5. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

Cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding short-term securities) were $121,210,798 and $359,232,219, respectively, for the six months ended March 31, 2010.

 

 

23

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

As of March 31, 2010, the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets, which are carried at fair value, were as follows:

 

Investments in Securities

 

Quoted Prices
(Level 1)

 

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

Total

 










 

Equity securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stocks

 

$

244,299,335   

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

244,299,335

 

Short-term investments

 

 

35,486,007   

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

35,486,007

 














 

 

 

$

279,785,342   

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

279,785,342

 














 

Further details on the major security types listed above can be found in the Schedule of Investments.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund loaned securities to certain brokers and earned $121,976, net of $13,713 paid to Wachovia Global Securities Lending as the securities lending agent. At March 31, 2010, the value of securities on loan and the total value of collateral received for securities loaned (including segregated cash) amounted to $24,869,988 and $26,371,901, respectively.

On March 31, 2010, the aggregate cost of securities for federal income tax purposes was $219,557,056. The gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on securities based on tax cost was $62,302,473 and $2,074,187, respectively, with a net unrealized appreciation of $60,228,286.

As of September 30, 2009, the Fund had $93,085,914 in capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes with $11,778,539 expiring in 2010 and $81,307,375 expiring in 2017. Certain portions of the capital loss carryovers of the Fund were assumed as a result of acquisitions. These losses are subject to certain limitations prescribed by the Internal Revenue Code.

 

 

24

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

For income tax purposes, capital losses incurred after October 31 within the Fund’s fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year. As of September 30, 2009, the Fund incurred and elected to defer post-October capital losses of $50,528,315.

6. DERIVATIVE TRANSACTIONS

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund entered into futures contracts for speculative purposes. As of March 31, 2010, the Fund did not have any open futures contracts but had an average contract amount of $1,607,604 in futures contracts during the six months ended March 31, 2010.

The fair value, realized gains or losses and change in unrealized gains or losses on derivative instruments are reflected in the appropriate financial statements.

7. INTERFUND LENDING

Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the SEC, the Fund may participate in an interfund lending program with certain funds in the Evergreen fund family. This program allows the Fund to borrow from, or lend money to, other participating funds. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund did not participate in the interfund lending program.

8. EXPENSE REDUCTIONS

Through expense offset arrangements with ESC and the Fund’s custodian, a portion of fund expenses has been reduced.

9. DEFERRED TRUSTEES’ FEES

Each Trustee of the Fund may defer any or all compensation related to performance of his or her duties as a Trustee. The Trustees’ deferred balances are allocated to deferral accounts, which are included in the accrued expenses for the Fund. The investment performance of the deferral accounts is based on the investment performance of certain Evergreen funds. Any gains earned or losses incurred in the deferral accounts are reported in the Fund’s Trustees’ fees and expenses. At the election of the Trustees, the deferral account will be paid either in one lump sum or in quarterly installments for up to ten years.

10. FINANCING AGREEMENT

The Fund and certain other Evergreen funds share in a $100 million unsecured revolving credit commitment for temporary and emergency purposes, including the funding of redemptions, as permitted by each participating fund’s borrowing restrictions. Borrowings under this facility bear interest at the higher of the Federal Funds rate plus 1.25% or LIBOR plus 1.25%. All of the participating funds are charged an annual commitment fee

 

 

25

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

of 0.145% on the unused balance, which is allocated pro rata. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund had no borrowings under this agreement.

11. REGULATORY MATTERS AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Evergreen funds, EIMC and certain of EIMC’s affiliates are involved in various legal actions, including private litigation and class action lawsuits, and are and may in the future be subject to regulatory inquiries and investigations.

EIMC and EIS have reached final settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Securities Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) primarily relating to the liquidation of Evergreen Ultra Short Opportunities Fund (“Ultra Short Fund”). The claims settled include the following: first, that during the period February 2007 through Ultra Short Fund’s liquidation on June 18, 2008, Ultra Short Fund’s former portfolio management team failed to properly take into account readily-available information in valuing certain non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities held by the Ultra Short Fund, resulting in the Ultra Short Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) being overstated during the period; second, that EIMC and EIS acted inappropriately when, in an effort to explain the decline in Ultra Short Fund’s NAV, certain information regarding the decline was communicated to some, but not all, shareholders and financial intermediaries; third, that the Ultra Short Fund portfolio management team did not adhere to regulatory requirements for affiliated cross trades in executing trades with other Evergreen funds; and finally, that from at least September 2007 to August 2008, EIS did not preserve certain text and instant messages transmitted via personal digital assistant devices. In settling these matters, EIMC and EIS have agreed to payments totaling $41,125,000, up to $40,125,000 of which will be distributed to eligible shareholders of Ultra Short Fund pursuant to a methodology and plan approved by the regulators. EIMC and EIS neither admitted nor denied the regulators’ conclusions.

Three purported class actions have also been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts relating to the same events; defendants include various Evergreen entities, including EIMC and EIS, and Evergreen Fixed Income Trust and its Trustees. The cases generally allege that investors in the Ultra Short Fund suffered losses as a result of (i) misleading statements in Ultra Short Fund’s registration statement and prospectus, (ii) the failure to accurately price securities in the Ultra Short Fund at different points in time and (iii) the failure of the Ultra Short Fund’s risk disclosures and description of its investment strategy to inform investors adequately of the actual risks of the fund.

EIMC does not expect that any of the legal actions, inquiries or settlement of regulatory matters will have a material adverse impact on the financial position or operations of the Fund to which these financial statements relate. Any publicity surrounding or resulting from any legal actions or regulatory inquiries involving EIMC or its affiliates or any of the

 

 

26

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

Evergreen Funds could result in reduced sales or increased redemptions of Evergreen fund shares, which could increase Evergreen fund transaction costs or operating expenses or have other adverse consequences on the Evergreen funds, including the Fund.

12. REORGANIZATION

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on December 30, 2009, the Trustees of the Fund approved a Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Under the Plan, Wells Fargo Advantage Traditional Small Cap Growth Fund, which will be a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust created in order to receive the assets of the Fund upon completion of the reorganization, will acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of the Fund in exchange for shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Traditional Small Cap Growth Fund.

A special meeting of shareholders of the Fund will be held in June 2010 to consider and vote on the Plan. In April 2010, materials for this meeting were mailed to shareholders of record on March 10, 2010. If approved by the shareholders at this meeting, the reorganization will take place in July 2010.

 

 

27

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

TRUSTEES1

 

Dr. Leroy Keith, Jr.
Trustee
DOB: 2/14/1939
Term of office since: 1983
Other directorships: Trustee,
Phoenix Fund Complex
(consisting of 46 portfolios
as of 12/31/2009)

Chairman, Bloc Global Services (development and construction); Former Managing Director, Almanac Capital Management (commodities firm); Trustee, Phoenix Fund Complex; Director, Diversapack Co. (packaging company); Former Partner, Stonington Partners, Inc. (private equity fund); Former Director, Obagi Medical Products Co.



Carol A. Kosel
Trustee
DOB: 12/25/1963
Term of office since: 2008
Other directorships: None

Former Consultant to the Evergreen Boards of Trustees; Former Vice President and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investments, Inc.; Former Treasurer, Evergreen Funds; Former Treasurer, Vestaur Securities Fund



Gerald M. McDonnell
Trustee
DOB: 7/14/1939
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Consultant, Rock Hill Metals Consultants LLC (Metals Consultant to steel industry); Former Manager of Commercial Operations, CMC Steel (steel producer)



Patricia B. Norris
Trustee
DOB: 4/9/1948
Term of office since: 2006
Other directorships: None

President and Director of Buckleys of Kezar Lake, Inc. (real estate company); Former President and Director of Phillips Pond Homes Association (home community); Former Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (independent registered public accounting firm)



William Walt Pettit2
Trustee
DOB: 8/26/1955
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Director, Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC (law firm); Director, Superior Packaging Corp. (packaging company); Member, Superior Land, LLC (real estate holding company), Member, K&P Development, LLC (real estate development); Former Vice President, Kellam & Pettit, P.A. (law firm); Former Director, National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. (non-profit organization)



David M. Richardson
Trustee
DOB: 9/19/1941
Term of office since: 1982
Other directorships: None

President, Richardson, Runden LLC (executive recruitment advisory services); Director, J&M Cumming Paper Co. (paper merchandising); Former Trustee, NDI Technologies, LLP (communications); Former Consultant, AESC (The Association of Executive Search Consultants)



Russell A. Salton III, MD
Trustee
DOB: 6/2/1947
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

President/CEO, AccessOne MedCard, Inc.



Michael S. Scofield
Trustee
DOB: 2/20/1943
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

Retired Attorney, Law Offices of Michael S. Scofield; Former Director and Chairman, Branded Media Corporation (multi-media branding company)



Richard J. Shima
Trustee
DOB: 8/11/1939
Term of office since: 1993
Other directorships: None

Independent Consultant; Director, Hartford Hospital; Trustee, Greater Hartford YMCA; Former Director,Trust Company of CT; Former Trustee, Saint Joseph College (CT)



 

 

28

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS continued

 

Richard K. Wagoner, CFA3
Trustee
DOB: 12/12/1937
Term of office since: 1999
Other directorships: None

Member and Former President, North Carolina Securities Traders Association; Member, Financial Analysts Society



OFFICERS

 

W. Douglas Munn4
President
DOB: 4/21/1963
Term of office since: 2009

Principal occupations: President and Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC; Former Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.



Jeremy DePalma4
Treasurer
DOB: 2/5/1974
Term of office since: 2005

Principal occupations: Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC; Assistant Treasurer, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds; Former Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Former Assistant Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.



Michael H. Koonce4
Secretary
DOB: 4/20/1960
Term of office since: 2000

Principal occupations: Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo & Company; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Alternative Strategies Brokerage Services, Inc.; Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC and Evergreen Service Company, LLC



Robert Guerin4
Chief Compliance Officer
DOB: 9/20/1965
Term of office since: 2007

Principal occupations: Chief Compliance Officer, Evergreen Funds and Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Compliance Manager, Wells Fargo Funds Management Group; Former Managing Director and Senior Compliance Officer, Babson Capital Management LLC; Former Principal and Director, Compliance and Risk Management, State Street Global Advisors; Former Vice President and Manager, Sales Practice Compliance, Deutsche Asset Management



1

Each Trustee serves until a successor is duly elected or qualified or until his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office. Each Trustee oversaw 74 Evergreen funds as of December 31, 2009. Correspondence for each Trustee may be sent to Evergreen Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 20083, Charlotte, NC 28202.

2

It is possible that Mr. Pettit may be viewed as an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his law firm’s previous representation of affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor, EIMC. The Trustees are treating Mr. Pettit as an interested trustee for the time being.

3

Mr. Wagoner is an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds because of his ownership of shares in Wells Fargo & Company, the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor.

4

The address of the Officer is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Additional information about the Fund’s Board of Trustees and Officers can be found in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and is available upon request without charge by calling 800.343.2898.

 

 

29

 



122767 566379 rv7 05/2010

 

 


Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund

 


 

 


 

 

table of contents

1

 

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

4

 

FUND AT A GLANCE

6

 

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

7

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

11

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

14

 

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

15

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

16

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

17

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

24

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

This semiannual report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus of the Evergreen fund contained herein. The prospectus contains more complete information, including fees and expenses, and should be read carefully before investing or sending money.

The fund will file its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q will be available on the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the fund’s Form N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800.SEC.0330.

A description of the fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as information regarding how the fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available by visiting our Web site at EvergreenInvestments.com or by visiting the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. The fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 800.343.2898.

Mutual Funds:

 NOT FDIC INSURED   MAY LOSE VALUE   NOT BANK GUARANTEED 

Evergreen InvestmentsSM is a service mark of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC. Copyright 2010, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC.

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC, is a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company and is an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company’s broker/dealer subsidiaries. Evergreen mutual funds are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

 

 

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

May 2010

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Valued Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide you with this semiannual report for Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund for the six-month period ended March 31, 2010 (the “period”).

Economic growth was strong throughout the period as the economic recovery appeared to gain momentum. Gross domestic product returned to positive growth in the third quarter of 2009, following four consecutive quarters of contraction for the first time in at least 60 years. The consensus among economists was that the recession that began in December 2007 had likely ended during the summer of 2009. However, with much of the growth attributable to government stimulus, questions remained over the sustainability of the recovery. By the end of the period, the National Bureau of Economic Research had not declared an official end to the recession.

Employment data turned positive during the period, a welcome sign that the economic recovery appeared to be moving toward self-sustainability. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in March 2010, the most in three years. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7% in the final months of the period, after having peaked at 10.1% in October 2009—its highest level in more than 25 years. Other encouraging news in March included increases in temporary jobs, average hours worked, and manufacturing employment. Still, more than 8 million jobs were lost during the recession and the number of long-term unemployed—those out of work for 27 weeks or longer—continued to increase, ending the period at 6.5 million.

Other economic data continued to show additional signs of improvement. Industrial production, manufacturing, and consumer sentiment had all improved significantly as the period came to a close. Retail sales strengthened significantly during the period, with particular strength in March 2010. Although housing inventory and foreclosure rates remained elevated, home sales and prices began to show signs of improvement in many areas of the country—spurred in part by the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which was extended through the end of April 2010.

Despite extensive quantitative easing measures by the Federal Reserve Board (the “Fed”), bank lending remained constrained during the period. This indicates that the trillions of dollars of government stimulus that were added to the monetary system might not have an inflationary impact in the near term. Throughout the period, the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FOMC”) held the federal funds rate at the range of 0% to 0.25% that it first targeted in December 2008. The Fed did, however, begin to remove some of its unconventional stimulus measures. It concluded its purchases of longer-term Treasuries in October 2009 and mortgage-backed securities in March 2010.

 

 

1

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

The FOMC’s final statement during the period noted that economic activity continued to strengthen, the labor market was stabilizing, business spending had risen significantly, and inflation remained subdued. However, the committee also noted that unemployment remained high and credit continued to be tight, reiterating that it was likely to keep the federal funds rate at exceptionally low levels for an extended period because of the continued substantial economic slack.

The strong rally in the equity markets continued during the period. The advance was interrupted only briefly by modest corrections in October 2009 and January 2010 due primarily to concerns about sovereign debt, with particular focus on Greece. The euro weakened significantly against the U.S. dollar as the European Union continued to debate potential support plans for Greece throughout the period.

Despite the macroeconomic concerns, strong corporate earnings reports throughout the period provided support for the equity markets to continue to move higher. Companies in the S&P 500® Index exceeded analysts’ earnings estimates at a pace of nearly 80% in the third quarter of 2009 and more than 70% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Other than brief spikes in market volatility in late October and early January, volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), declined over the course of the period, ending at its lowest level since early 2008. Among major stock-market indices, the S&P 500® Index gained 10.6% during the period, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composi te Index advanced 12.9%, as the information technology sector remained one of the strongest-performing sectors.

Over the period, mid cap stocks outpaced both large cap and small cap stocks, which had similar returns, as measured by the Russell indices. The Russell Midcap Index rose 14.6%, while the Russell 1000 Index of large cap stocks advanced 11.7% and the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks gained 11.9%. Performance leadership between the growth and value investment styles was mixed according to market capitalization during the period. Among large cap stocks, the growth style significantly outpaced value. Conversely, value modestly outpaced growth among small cap stocks.

During the period, the management teams of Evergreen’s growth-oriented equity funds maintained their pursuit of capital appreciation, focusing on bottom-up, fundamental analysis in making individual stock selections consistent with the investment discipline and style of each fund. The manager of Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund and Evergreen Omega Fund pursued a small number of companies with the potential to sustain above-average growth for long-term cash flows. The management of Evergreen Strategic Growth Fund sought large cap companies offering superior long-term growth potential. The portfolio managers of Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund and Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund aimed to balance each portfolio with exposure both to

 

 

2

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

consistent growth companies and to companies offering attractive intrinsic value. At the same time, managers of Evergreen Growth Fund concentrated on opportunities among small cap growth companies with above-average earnings prospects and reasonable stock valuations.

We believe the changing conditions in the investment environment over the period have underscored the value of a well-diversified, long-term investment strategy to help soften the effects of volatility in any one market or asset class. As always, we encourage investors to maintain diversified investment portfolios in pursuit of their long-term investment goals.

Please visit us at EvergreenInvestments.com for more information about our funds and other investment products available to you. Thank you for your continued support of Evergreen Investments.

Sincerely,

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Evergreen Funds

Notice to Shareholders:

The Evergreen Funds’ Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the reorganizations of the Evergreen Funds, including the Fund in this report, into Wells Fargo Advantage Funds®. Each reorganization is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including approval by the Evergreen Fund’s shareholders at a meeting expected to be held in June 2010. It is anticipated that the reorganizations, if they are approved by shareholders and all conditions to the closing are satisfied, will occur in July 2010. Additional information, including a description of the applicable reorganization and information about fees, expenses, and risk factors, will be provided to shareholders of each Evergreen Fund in a Prospectus/Proxy Statement that was mailed in April 2010.

The foregoing is not an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, shares of any Wells Fargo Advantage Fund, nor is it a solicitation of any proxy. For more information, or to receive a free copy of the Prospectus/Proxy Statement once a registration statement relating to a proposed reorganization has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and becomes effective, please call 1.800.343.2898 or visit Evergreeninvestments.com. The Prospectus/Proxy Statement will also be available for free on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov). Please read the Prospectus/Proxy Statement carefully before making any investment decisions.

 

 

3

 


FUND AT A GLANCE

as of March 31, 2010

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Investment Advisor:

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC

Portfolio Manager:

Aziz Hamzaogullari, CFA

CURRENT INVESTMENT STYLE

 


Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar’s style box is based on a portfolio date as of 3/31/2010.

The Equity style box placement is based on 10 growth and valuation measures for each fund holding and the median size of the companies in which the fund invests.

PERFORMANCE AND RETURNS

Portfolio inception date: 9/11/1935

 

 

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class I

Class inception date

1/20/1998

9/11/1935

1/22/1998

6/30/1999






Nasdaq symbol

EKJAX

EKJBX

EKJCX

EKJYX






6-month return with sales charge

8.64%

9.80%

13.75%

N/A






6-month return w/o sales charge

15.26%

14.80%

14.75%

15.31%






Average annual return*

 

 

 

 






1-year with sales charge

38.19%

40.59%

44.53%

N/A






1-year w/o sales charge

46.71%

45.59%

45.53%

46.98%






5-year

5.10%

5.27%

5.58%

6.61%






10-year

-2.85%

-2.98%

-2.99%

-2.02%






Maximum sales charge

5.75%

5.00%

1.00%

N/A

 

Front-end

CDSC

CDSC

 






*

Adjusted for maximum applicable sales charge, unless noted.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance quoted represents past performance and current performance may be lower or higher. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investors’ shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end for Classes A, B, C or I, please go to EvergreenInvestments.com/fundperformance. The performance of each class may vary based on differences in loads, fees and expenses paid by the shareholders investing in each class. Performance includes the reinvestment of income dividends and capital gain distributions. Performance shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Please keep in mind that high double-digit returns were primarily achieved during favorable market conditions. You should not expect that such favorable returns can be consistently achieved. A Fund’s performance, especially for very short time periods, should not be the sole factor in making your investment decision.

The fund incurs a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% for Class A and 1.00% for Classes B and C. Class I does not pay a 12b-1 fee.

The returns shown for Class B shares do not reflect the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares after eight years.

Class B shares are closed to new investments by new and existing shareholders.

Returns reflect expense limits previously in effect for Class A, without which returns for Class A would have been lower.

 

 

4

 


FUND AT A GLANCE continued

 


Comparison of a $10,000 investment in the Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund Class A shares, reflective of maximum applicable sales charge, versus a similar investment in the Russell 1000 Growth Index (Russell 1000 Growth) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Russell 1000 Growth is an unmanaged market index and does not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses or any taxes. The CPI is a commonly used measure of inflation and does not represent an investment return. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Class I shares are only offered, subject to the minimum initial purchase requirements, in the following manner: (1) to investment advisory clients of EIMC (or its advisory affiliates), (2) to employer- or state-sponsored benefit plans, including but not limited to, retirement plans, defined benefit plans, deferred compensation plans, or savings plans, (3) to fee-based mutual fund wrap accounts, (4) through arrangements entered into on behalf of the Evergreen funds with certain financial services firms, (5) to certain institutional investors, and (6) to persons who owned Class Y shares in registered name in an Evergreen fund on or before December 31, 1994 or who owned shares of any SouthTrust fund in registered name as of March 18, 2005 or who owned shares of Vestaur Securities Fund as of May 20, 2005.

Class I shares are only available to institutional shareholders with a minimum of $1 million investment, which may be waived in certain situations.

The fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of the fund’s shareholders.

Foreign investments may contain more risk due to the inherent risks associated with changing political climates, foreign market instability and foreign currency fluctuations.

Small and mid cap securities may be subject to special risks associated with narrower product lines and limited financial resources compared to their large cap counterparts, and, as a result, small and mid cap securities may decline significantly in market downturns and may be more volatile than those of larger companies due to the higher risk of failure.

All data is as of March 31, 2010, and subject to change.

 

 

5

 


ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

The Example below is intended to describe the fees and expenses borne by shareholders and the impact of those costs on your investment.

Example

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads), redemption fees and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees and other fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

The example illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual expenses

The section in the table under the heading “Actual” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in these columns, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the appropriate column for your share class, in the column entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees or exchange fees. Therefore, the section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

 

Beginning
Account Value
10/1/2009

Ending
Account Value
3/31/2010

Expenses Paid
During Period*





Actual

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,152.55

$5.74

Class B

$1,000.00

$1,148.04

$9.75

Class C

$1,000.00

$1,147.54

$9.74

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,153.06

$4.46

Hypothetical

 

 

 

(5% return before expenses)

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,019.60

$5.39

Class B

$1,000.00

$1,015.86

$9.15

Class C

$1,000.00

$1,015.86

$9.15

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,020.79

$4.18





*

For each class of the fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio of each class (1.07% for Class A, 1.82% for Class B, 1.82% for Class C and 0.83% for Class I), multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182 / 365 days.

 

 

6

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS A

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

7.23

 

$

7.20

 

$

8.50

 

$

6.96

 

$

6.66

 

$

5.96

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0.01

 

 

0.05

1

 

0.03

1

 

0.01

1

 

0

1

 

0.01

1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.09

 

 

0.02

2

 

(1.33

)

 

1.53

 

 

0.31

 

 

0.69

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.10

 

 

0.07

 

 

(1.30

)

 

1.54

 

 

0.31

 

 

0.70

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.05

)

 

(0.04

)

 

0

3

 

0

 

 

(0.01

)

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

8.28

 

$

7.23

 

$

7.20

 

$

8.50

 

$

6.96

 

$

6.66

 




















 

Total return4

 

 

15.26

%

 

1.04

%

 

(15.25

)%

 

22.13

%

 

4.65

%

 

11.74

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

311,363

 

$

268,422

 

$

276,771

 

$

361,051

 

$

341,511

 

$

370,926

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.07

%5

 

1.12

%

 

1.07

%

 

1.10

%

 

1.14

%

 

1.15

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.07

%5

 

1.12

%

 

1.09

%

 

1.12

%

 

1.14

%

 

1.15

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0.30

%5

 

0.86

%

 

0.44

%

 

0.10

%

 

(0.01

)%

 

0.18

%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

3

%

 

24

%

 

39

%

 

21

%

 

117

%

 

120

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of Fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values for the portfolio.

3

Amount represents less than $0.005 per share.

4

Excluding applicable sales charges

5

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

7

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS B

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

6.62

 

$

6.60

 

$

7.85

 

$

6.47

 

$

6.23

 

$

5.61

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.02

)1

 

0.01

1

 

(0.02

)1

 

(0.04

)1

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.03

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.00

 

 

0.01

2

 

(1.23

)

 

1.42

 

 

0.29

 

 

0.65

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.98

 

 

0.02

 

 

(1.25

)

 

1.38

 

 

0.24

 

 

0.62

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

7.60

 

$

6.62

 

$

6.60

 

$

7.85

 

$

6.47

 

$

6.23

 




















 

Total return3

 

 

14.80

%

 

0.30

%

 

(15.92

)%

 

21.33

%

 

3.85

%

 

11.05

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

8,439

 

$

7,951

 

$

10,489

 

$

16,694

 

$

17,986

 

$

21,949

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.82

%4

 

1.87

%

 

1.81

%

 

1.82

%

 

1.84

%

 

1.85

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.82

%4

 

1.87

%

 

1.81

%

 

1.82

%

 

1.84

%

 

1.85

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.45

)%4

 

0.11

%

 

(0.31

)%

 

(0.61

)%

 

(0.71

)%

 

(0.50

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

3

%

 

24

%

 

39

%

 

21

%

 

117

%

 

120

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of Fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values for the portfolio.

3

Excluding applicable sales charges

4

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

8

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS C

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

6.62

 

$

6.59

 

$

7.84

 

$

6.47

 

$

6.23

 

$

5.61

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.02

)1

 

0

1

 

(0.02

)1

 

(0.04

)1

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.03

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.00

 

 

0.03

2

 

(1.23

)

 

1.41

 

 

0.29

 

 

0.65

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.98

 

 

0.03

 

 

(1.25

)

 

1.37

 

 

0.24

 

 

0.62

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

7.58

 

$

6.62

 

$

6.59

 

$

7.84

 

$

6.47

 

$

6.23

 




















 

Total return3

 

 

14.75

%

 

0.46

%

 

(15.94

)%

 

21.17

%

 

3.85

%

 

11.05

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

18,434

 

$

13,717

 

$

10,046

 

$

10,058

 

$

8,397

 

$

8,799

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.82

%4

 

1.87

%

 

1.82

%

 

1.82

%

 

1.84

%

 

1.85

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.82

%4

 

1.87

%

 

1.82

%

 

1.82

%

 

1.84

%

 

1.85

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.43

)%4

 

0.08

%

 

(0.30

)%

 

(0.61

)%

 

(0.71

)%

 

(0.53

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

3

%

 

24

%

 

39

%

 

21

%

 

117

%

 

120

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of Fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values for the portfolio.

3

Excluding applicable sales charges

4

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

9

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS I

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

7.24

 

$

7.22

 

$

8.53

 

$

6.96

 

$

6.67

 

$

5.94

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

0.02

1

 

0.06

1

 

0.05

1

 

0.03

1

 

0.02

1

 

0.03

1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.08

 

 

0.02

2

 

(1.33

)

 

1.54

 

 

0.30

 

 

0.70

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.10

 

 

0.08

 

 

(1.28

)

 

1.57

 

 

0.32

 

 

0.73

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.06

)

 

(0.06

)

 

(0.03

)

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

8.28

 

$

7.24

 

$

7.22

 

$

8.53

 

$

6.96

 

$

6.67

 




















 

Total return

 

 

15.31

%

 

1.28

%

 

(15.07

)%

 

22.56

%

 

4.81

%

 

12.29

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

20,244

 

$

11,335

 

$

6,321

 

$

11,197

 

$

13,605

 

$

14,685

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

0.83

%3

 

0.87

%

 

0.81

%

 

0.82

%

 

0.84

%

 

0.85

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

0.83

%3

 

0.87

%

 

0.81

%

 

0.82

%

 

0.84

%

 

0.85

%

Net investment income

 

 

0.62

%3

 

1.04

%

 

0.68

%

 

0.39

%

 

0.29

%

 

0.49

%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

3

%

 

24

%

 

39

%

 

21

%

 

117

%

 

120

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

The per share net realized and unrealized gains or losses is not in accord with the net realized and unrealized gains or losses for the period due to the timing of sales and redemptions of fund shares in relation to fluctuating market values of the portfolio.

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

10

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    99.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY    14.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet & Catalog Retail    7.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon.com, Inc. *

 

190,351

 

$

25,836,341

 

 

 

 

 



 

Media    2.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

 

224,613

 

 

8,717,231

 

 

 

 

 



 

Multiline Retail    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Target Corp.

 

58,100

 

 

3,056,060

 

 

 

 

 



 

Specialty Retail    2.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Depot, Inc.

 

184,500

 

 

5,968,575

 

Lowe’s Cos.

 

119,400

 

 

2,894,256

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

8,862,831

 

 

 

 

 



 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods    2.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timberland Co., Class A *

 

328,100

 

 

7,001,654

 

 

 

 

 



 

CONSUMER STAPLES    7.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beverages    3.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coca-Cola Co.

 

154,666

 

 

8,506,630

 

Diageo plc, ADR

 

74,040

 

 

4,993,998

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

13,500,628

 

 

 

 

 



 

Household Products    3.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clorox Co.

 

94,088

 

 

6,034,804

 

Procter & Gamble Co.

 

96,435

 

 

6,101,443

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

12,136,247

 

 

 

 

 



 

ENERGY    3.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Equipment & Services    3.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

 

152,200

 

 

9,658,612

 

Weatherford International, Ltd. *

 

112,700

 

 

1,787,422

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

11,446,034

 

 

 

 

 



 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels    0.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chevron Corp.

 

9,496

 

 

720,082

 

ConocoPhillips

 

15,103

 

 

772,820

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

1,492,902

 

 

 

 

 



 

FINANCIALS    17.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Markets    5.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legg Mason, Inc.

 

321,148

 

 

9,207,313

 

SEI Investments Co.

 

504,401

 

 

11,081,690

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

20,289,003

 

 

 

 

 



 

Consumer Finance    11.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Express Co.

 

369,100

 

 

15,229,066

 

Visa, Inc., Class A

 

268,300

 

 

24,423,349

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

39,652,415

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

11

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIALS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insurance    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marsh & McLennan Cos.

 

115,148

 

$

2,811,914

 

 

 

 

 



 

HEALTH CARE    19.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology    8.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amgen, Inc. *

 

226,800

 

 

13,553,568

 

Biogen Idec, Inc. *

 

276,855

 

 

15,880,403

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

29,433,971

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies    5.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medtronic, Inc.

 

159,847

 

 

7,197,910

 

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. *

 

182,019

 

 

10,775,525

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

17,973,435

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Providers & Services    0.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

WellPoint, Inc. *

 

27,923

 

 

1,797,683

 

 

 

 

 



 

Pharmaceuticals    5.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merck & Co., Inc.

 

213,108

 

 

7,959,584

 

Novartis AG, ADR

 

212,723

 

 

11,508,314

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

19,467,898

 

 

 

 

 



 

INDUSTRIALS    7.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air Freight & Logistics    7.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

 

318,800

 

 

11,770,096

 

United Parcel Service, Inc., Class B

 

239,900

 

 

15,451,959

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

27,222,055

 

 

 

 

 



 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    29.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Equipment    6.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cisco Systems, Inc. *

 

462,300

 

 

12,033,669

 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

 

262,658

 

 

11,029,009

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

23,062,678

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet Software & Services    6.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google, Inc., Class A *

 

42,580

 

 

24,143,286

 

 

 

 

 



 

IT Services    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

 

119,793

 

 

5,327,195

 

 

 

 

 



 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment    4.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Altera Corp.

 

496,814

 

 

12,077,548

 

Analog Devices, Inc.

 

115,400

 

 

3,325,828

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

15,403,376

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

12

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Software    10.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

FactSet Research Systems, Inc.

 

150,900

 

$

11,071,533

 

Microsoft Corp.

 

307,799

 

 

9,009,277

 

Oracle Corp.

 

628,028

 

 

16,134,039

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

36,214,849

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Common Stocks    (cost $288,805,509)

 

 

 

 

354,849,686

 

 

 

 

 



 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS    0.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUTUAL FUND SHARES    0.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evergreen Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Class I, 0.01% q ø    
(cost $2,359,009)

 

2,359,009

 

 

2,359,009

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Investments    (cost $291,164,518)    99.6%

 

 

 

 

357,208,695

 

Other Assets and Liabilities    0.4%

 

 

 

 

1,272,667

 

 

 

 

 



 

Net Assets    100.0%

 

 

 

$

358,481,362

 

 

 

 

 



 

*

Non-income producing security

q

Rate shown is the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

ø

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC is the investment advisor to both the Fund and the money market fund.

Summary of Abbreviations

ADR

American Depository Receipt

The following table shows the percent of total long-term investements by sector as of March 31, 2010:

 

Information Technology

29.3

%

Health Care

19.4

%

Financials

17.6

%

Consumer Discretionary

15.1

%

Industrials

7.7

%

Consumer Staples

7.2

%

Energy

3.7

%

 


 

 

100.0

%

 


 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

13

 


STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

Investments in unaffiliated issuers, at value (cost $288,805,509)

 

$

354,849,686

 

Investments in affiliated issuers, at value (cost $2,359,009)

 

 

2,359,009

 





 

Total investments

 

 

357,208,695

 

Receivable for Fund shares sold

 

 

855,166

 

Dividends receivable

 

 

776,560

 

Receivable for securities lending income

 

 

10,611

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

121,214

 





 

Total assets

 

 

358,972,246

 





 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

 

 

424,848

 

Advisory fee payable

 

 

5,025

 

Distribution Plan expenses payable

 

 

2,877

 

Due to other related parties

 

 

3,313

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

 

 

32,352

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

22,469

 





 

Total liabilities

 

 

490,884

 





 

Net assets

 

$

358,481,362

 





 

Net assets represented by

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

$

367,920,034

 

Undistributed net investment income

 

 

404,274

 

Accumulated net realized losses on investments

 

 

(75,887,123

)

Net unrealized gains on investments

 

 

66,044,177

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

358,481,362

 





 

Net assets consists of

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

311,363,191

 

Class B

 

 

8,439,480

 

Class C

 

 

18,434,269

 

Class I

 

 

20,244,422

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

358,481,362

 





 

Shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized)

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

37,620,227

 

Class B

 

 

1,110,712

 

Class C

 

 

2,432,700

 

Class I

 

 

2,443,538

 





 

Net asset value per share

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

8.28

 

Class A — Offering price (based on sales charge of 5.75%)

 

$

8.79

 

Class B

 

$

7.60

 

Class C

 

$

7.58

 

Class I

 

$

8.28

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

14

 


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Six Months Ended March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Investment income

 

 

 

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $119,977)

 

$

2,266,513

 

Securities lending

 

 

15,470

 

Income from affiliated issuers

 

 

686

 





 

Total investment income

 

 

2,282,669

 





 

Expenses

 

 

 

 

Advisory fee

 

 

843,269

 

Distribution Plan expenses

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

364,987

 

Class B

 

 

40,719

 

Class C

 

 

79,337

 

Administrative services fee

 

 

165,347

 

Transfer agent fees

 

 

229,024

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses

 

 

2,387

 

Printing and postage expenses

 

 

19,880

 

Custodian and accounting fees

 

 

41,052

 

Registration and filing fees

 

 

37,296

 

Professional fees

 

 

16,977

 

Other

 

 

4,925

 





 

Total expenses

 

 

1,845,200

 

Less: Expense reductions

 

 

(35

)





 

Net expenses

 

 

1,845,165

 





 

Net investment income

 

 

437,504

 





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains or losses on:

 

 

 

 

Securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

913,888

 

Foreign currency related transactions

 

 

(13

)





 

Net realized gains on investments

 

 

913,875

 

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

44,819,932

 





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

45,733,807

 





 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

$

46,171,311

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

15

 


STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended
September 30, 2009

 






 

Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

 

 

$

437,504

 

 

 

 

$

2,020,263

 

Net realized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

 

913,875

 

 

 

 

 

(14,374,848

)

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

 

44,819,932

 

 

 

 

 

13,220,743

 














 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

 

 

 

 

46,171,311

 

 

 

 

 

866,158

 














 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

 

 

 

(1,872,577

)

 

 

 

 

(1,331,237

)

Class C

 

 

 

 

 

(34,306

)

 

 

 

 

0

 

Class I

 

 

 

 

 

(113,001

)

 

 

 

 

(42,823

)














 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

 

 

 

(2,019,884

)

 

 

 

 

(1,374,060

)














 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 














 

Capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from shares sold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

2,774,340

 

 

21,831,845

 

 

3,041,606

 

 

18,812,931

 

Class B

 

 

33,775

 

 

244,035

 

 

339,029

 

 

1,819,345

 

Class C

 

 

516,679

 

 

3,737,637

 

 

1,350,015

 

 

7,559,367

 

Class I

 

 

1,054,191

 

 

8,272,052

 

 

1,145,464

 

 

7,437,548

 














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34,085,569

 

 

 

 

 

35,629,191

 














 

Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

204,308

 

 

1,597,685

 

 

200,939

 

 

1,141,331

 

Class C

 

 

3,540

 

 

25,385

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Class I

 

 

11,388

 

 

89,058

 

 

1,223

 

 

6,945

 














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,712,128

 

 

 

 

 

1,148,276

 














 

Automatic conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

21,826

 

 

164,204

 

 

284,079

 

 

1,710,249

 

Class B

 

 

(23,849

)

 

(164,204

)

 

(309,654

)

 

(1,710,249

)














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

 

0

 














 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

(2,494,738

)

 

(19,568,841

)

 

(4,869,216

)

 

(29,318,435

)

Class B

 

 

(99,842

)

 

(709,395

)

 

(419,246

)

 

(2,281,784

)

Class C

 

 

(159,970

)

 

(1,143,105

)

 

(801,008

)

 

(4,251,455

)

Class I

 

 

(186,713

)

 

(1,471,082

)

 

(457,675

)

 

(2,621,319

)














 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(22,892,423

)

 

 

 

 

(38,472,993

)














 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

12,905,274

 

 

 

 

 

(1,695,526

)














 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

 

 

 

 

 

57,056,701

 

 

 

 

 

(2,203,428

)

Net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

 

 

 

301,424,661

 

 

 

 

 

303,628,089

 














 

End of period

 

 

 

 

$

358,481,362

 

 

 

 

$

301,424,661

 














 

Undistributed net investment income

 

 

 

 

$

404,274

 

 

 

 

$

1,986,654

 














 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

16

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION

Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified series of Evergreen Equity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 18, 1997. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

The Fund offers Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares. Class A shares are sold with a front-end sales charge. However, Class A share investments of $1 million or more are not subject to a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% upon redemption within 18 months. Class B shares are available for purchase only through (i) an exchange transaction in which Class B shares of another Evergreen fund are exchanged or (ii) the Fund’s dividend reinvestment program. Class B shares are sold without a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption and decreases depending on how long the shares had been held. Class C shares are sold without a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption within one year. Class I shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge. Each class of shares, except Class I shares, pays an ongoing distribution fee.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The policies are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported herein. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Management has considered the circumstances under which the Fund should recognize or make disclosures regarding events or transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements are issued. Adjustments or additional disclosures, if any, have been included in these financial statements.

a. Valuation of investments

Listed equity securities are usually valued at the last sales price or official closing price on the national securities exchange where the securities are principally traded. If there has been no sale, the securities are valued at the mean between bid and asked prices.

Investments in open-end mutual funds are valued at net asset value. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or not reflective of current fair value are valued at fair value as determined by the investment advisor in good faith, according to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

The valuation techniques used by the Fund to measure fair value are consistent with the market approach, income approach and/or cost approach, where applicable, for each security type.

 

 

17

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

b. Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities to certain qualified brokers in order to earn additional income. The Fund receives compensation in the form of fees or interest earned on the investment of any cash collateral received. The Fund also continues to receive interest and dividends on the securities loaned. The Fund receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a market value at least equal to the market value of the securities on loan. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to the collateral. In addition, the investment of any cash collateral received may lose all or part of its value. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand.

c. Security transactions and investment income

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses are computed using the specific cost of the security sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign income and capital gains realized on some securities may be subject to foreign taxes, which are accrued as applicable.

d. Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income, including any net capital gains (which have already been offset by available capital loss carryovers). Accordingly, no provision for federal taxes is required. The Fund’s income and excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal, Massachusetts and Delaware revenue authorities.

e. Distributions

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Such distributions are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.

f. Class allocations

Income, common expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based on the relative net assets of each class. Distribution fees, if any, are calculated daily at the class level based on the appropriate net assets of each class and the specific expense rates applicable to each class.

3. ADVISORY FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC (“EIMC”), a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the investment advisor to the Fund and is paid an annual fee starting at 0.51% and declining to 0.26% as average daily net assets increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the advisory fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.51% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

 

18

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

The Fund may invest in money market funds which are advised by EIMC. Income earned on these investments is included in income from affiliated issuers on the Statement of Operations.

EIMC also serves as the administrator to the Fund providing the Fund with facilities, equipment and personnel. EIMC is paid an annual rate determined by applying percentage rates to the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) starting at 0.10% and declining to 0.05% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the administrative services fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Evergreen Service Company, LLC (“ESC”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund. ESC receives account fees that vary based on the type of account held by the shareholders in the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the transfer agent fees were equivalent to an annual rate of 0.14% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Wachovia Bank NA, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo and an affiliate of EIMC, through its securities lending division, Wachovia Global Securities Lending, acts as the securities lending agent for the Fund (see Note 5).

4. DISTRIBUTION PLANS

Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“WFFD”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo serves a distributor of the Fund’s shares. Prior to January 4, 2010, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc. (“EIS”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, served as distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Fund has adopted Distribution Plans, as allowed by Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, for each class of shares, except Class I. Under the Distribution Plans, the Fund is permitted to pay distribution fees at an annual rate of up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets for Class A shares and up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets for each of Class B and Class C shares. However, currently the distribution fees for Class A shares are limited to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the class.

For the six months ended March 31, 2010, EIS received $18,179 from the sale of Class A shares and $6,147 and $422 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class B and Class C shares, respectively.

5. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

Cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding short-term securities) were $22,101,720 and $11,284,124, respectively, for the six months ended March 31, 2010.

 

 

19

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

As of March 31, 2010, the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets, which are carried at fair value, were as follows:

 

Investments in Securities

 

Quoted Prices
(Level 1)

 

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

Total

 










 

Equity securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stocks

 

$

354,849,686

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

354,849,686

 

Short-term investments

 

 

2,359,009

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

2,359,009

 














 

 

 

$

357,208,695

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

357,208,695

 














 

Further details on the major security types listed above can be found in the Schedule of Investments.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund loaned securities to certain brokers and earned $15,470, net of $1,339 paid to Wachovia Global Securities Lending as the securities lending agent.

On March 31, 2010, the aggregate cost of securities for federal income tax purposes was $291,899,902. The gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on securities based on tax cost was $78,636,107 and $13,327,314, respectively, with a net unrealized appreciation of $65,308,793.

As of September 30, 2009 the Fund had $63,677,014 in capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes with $24,379,268 expiring in 2010, $37,876,227 expiring in 2011 and $1,421,519 expiring in 2017.

For income tax purposes, capital losses incurred after October 31 within the Fund’s fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year. As of September 30, 2009, the Fund incurred and elected to defer post-October losses of $12,388,598.

 

 

20

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

6. INTERFUND LENDING

Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the SEC, the Fund may participate in an interfund lending program with certain funds in the Evergreen fund family. This program allows the Fund to borrow from, or lend money to, other participating funds. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund did not participate in the interfund lending program.

7. EXPENSE REDUCTIONS

Through expense offset arrangements with ESC and the Fund’s custodian, a portion of fund expenses has been reduced.

8. DEFERRED TRUSTEES’ FEES

Each Trustee of the Fund may defer any or all compensation related to performance of his or her duties as a Trustee. The Trustees’ deferred balances are allocated to deferral accounts, which are included in the accrued expenses for the Fund. The investment performance of the deferral accounts is based on the investment performance of certain Evergreen funds. Any gains earned or losses incurred in the deferral accounts are reported in the Fund’s Trustees’ fees and expenses. At the election of the Trustees, the deferral account will be paid either in one lump sum or in quarterly installments for up to ten years.

9. FINANCING AGREEMENT

The Fund and certain other Evergreen funds share in a $100 million unsecured revolving credit commitment for temporary and emergency purposes, including the funding of redemptions, as permitted by each participating fund’s borrowing restrictions. Borrowings under this facility bear interest at the higher of the Federal Funds rate plus 1.25% or LIBOR plus 1.25%. All of the participating funds are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.145% on the unused balance, which is allocated pro rata. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund had no borrowings under this agreement.

10. REGULATORY MATTERS AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Evergreen funds, EIMC and certain of EIMC’s affiliates are involved in various legal actions, including private litigation and class action lawsuits, and are and may in the future be subject to regulatory inquiries and investigations.

EIMC and EIS have reached final settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Securities Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) primarily relating to the liquidation of Evergreen Ultra Short Opportunities Fund (“Ultra Short Fund”). The claims settled include the following: first, that during the period February 2007 through Ultra Short Fund’s liquidation on June 18, 2008, Ultra Short Fund’s former portfolio management team failed to properly take into account readily-available information in valuing certain non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities held by the Ultra Short Fund, resulting in the Ultra

 

 

21

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

Short Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) being overstated during the period; second, that EIMC and EIS acted inappropriately when, in an effort to explain the decline in Ultra Short Fund’s NAV, certain information regarding the decline was communicated to some, but not all, shareholders and financial intermediaries; third, that the Ultra Short Fund portfolio management team did not adhere to regulatory requirements for affiliated cross trades in executing trades with other Evergreen funds; and finally, that from at least September 2007 to August 2008, EIS did not preserve certain text and instant messages transmitted via personal digital assistant devices. In settling these matters, EIMC and EIS have agreed to payments totaling $41,125,000, up to $40,125,000 of which will be distributed to eligible shareholders of Ultra Short Fund pursuant to a methodology and plan approved by the regulators. EIMC and EIS neither admitted nor denied the regulators’ conclusions.

Three purported class actions have also been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts relating to the same events; defendants include various Evergreen entities, including EIMC and EIS, and Evergreen Fixed Income Trust and its Trustees. The cases generally allege that investors in the Ultra Short Fund suffered losses as a result of (i) misleading statements in Ultra Short Fund’s registration statement and prospectus, (ii) the failure to accurately price securities in the Ultra Short Fund at different points in time and (iii) the failure of the Ultra Short Fund’s risk disclosures and description of its investment strategy to inform investors adequately of the actual risks of the fund.

EIMC does not expect that any of the legal actions, inquiries or settlement of regulatory matters will have a material adverse impact on the financial position or operations of the Fund to which these financial statements relate. Any publicity surrounding or resulting from any legal actions or regulatory inquiries involving EIMC or its affiliates or any of the Evergreen Funds could result in reduced sales or increased redemptions of Evergreen fund shares, which could increase Evergreen fund transaction costs or operating expenses or have other adverse consequences on the Evergreen funds, including the Fund.

11. REORGANIZATION

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on December 30, 2009, the Trustees of the Fund approved a Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Under the Plan, Wells Fargo Advantage Premier Large Company Growth Fund, which will be a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust created in order to receive the assets of the Fund upon completion of the reorganization, will acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of the Fund in exchange for shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Premier Large Company Growth Fund.

A special meeting of shareholders of the Fund will be held in June 2010 to consider and vote on the Plan. In April 2010, materials for this meeting were mailed to shareholders of record on March 10, 2010. If approved by the shareholders at this meeting, the reorganization will take place in July 2010.

 

 

22

 


This page left intentionally blank

 

 

23

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

TRUSTEES1

 

Dr. Leroy Keith, Jr.
Trustee
DOB: 2/14/1939
Term of office since: 1983
Other directorships: Trustee,
Phoenix Fund Complex
(consisting of 46 portfolios
as of 12/31/2009)

Chairman, Bloc Global Services (development and construction); Former Managing Director, Almanac Capital Management (commodities firm); Trustee, Phoenix Fund Complex; Director, Diversapack Co. (packaging company); Former Partner, Stonington Partners, Inc. (private equity fund); Former Director, Obagi Medical Products Co.



Carol A. Kosel
Trustee
DOB: 12/25/1963
Term of office since: 2008
Other directorships: None

Former Consultant to the Evergreen Boards of Trustees; Former Vice President and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investments, Inc.; Former Treasurer, Evergreen Funds; Former Treasurer, Vestaur Securities Fund



Gerald M. McDonnell
Trustee
DOB: 7/14/1939
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Consultant, Rock Hill Metals Consultants LLC (Metals Consultant to steel industry); Former Manager of Commercial Operations, CMC Steel (steel producer)



Patricia B. Norris
Trustee
DOB: 4/9/1948
Term of office since: 2006
Other directorships: None

President and Director of Buckleys of Kezar Lake, Inc. (real estate company); Former President and Director of Phillips Pond Homes Association (home community); Former Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (independent registered public accounting firm)



William Walt Pettit2
Trustee
DOB: 8/26/1955
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Director, Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC (law firm); Director, Superior Packaging Corp. (packaging company); Member, Superior Land, LLC (real estate holding company), Member, K&P Development, LLC (real estate development); Former Vice President, Kellam & Pettit, P.A. (law firm); Former Director, National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. (non-profit organization)



David M. Richardson
Trustee
DOB: 9/19/1941
Term of office since: 1982
Other directorships: None

President, Richardson, Runden LLC (executive recruitment advisory services); Director, J&M Cumming Paper Co. (paper merchandising); Former Trustee, NDI Technologies, LLP (communications); Former Consultant, AESC (The Association of Executive Search Consultants)



Russell A. Salton III, MD
Trustee
DOB: 6/2/1947
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

President/CEO, AccessOne MedCard, Inc.



Michael S. Scofield
Trustee
DOB: 2/20/1943
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

Retired Attorney, Law Offices of Michael S. Scofield; Former Director and Chairman, Branded Media Corporation (multi-media branding company)



Richard J. Shima
Trustee
DOB: 8/11/1939
Term of office since: 1993
Other directorships: None

Independent Consultant; Director, Hartford Hospital; Trustee, Greater Hartford YMCA; Former Director,Trust Company of CT; Former Trustee, Saint Joseph College (CT)



 

 

24

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS continued

 

Richard K. Wagoner, CFA3
Trustee
DOB: 12/12/1937
Term of office since: 1999
Other directorships: None

Member and Former President, North Carolina Securities Traders Association; Member, Financial Analysts Society



OFFICERS

 

W. Douglas Munn4
President
DOB: 4/21/1963
Term of office since: 2009

Principal occupations: President and Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC; Former Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.



Jeremy DePalma4
Treasurer
DOB: 2/5/1974
Term of office since: 2005

Principal occupations: Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC; Assistant Treasurer, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds; Former Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Former Assistant Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.



Michael H. Koonce4
Secretary
DOB: 4/20/1960
Term of office since: 2000

Principal occupations: Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo & Company; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Alternative Strategies Brokerage Services, Inc.; Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC and Evergreen Service Company, LLC



Robert Guerin4
Chief Compliance Officer
DOB: 9/20/1965
Term of office since: 2007

Principal occupations: Chief Compliance Officer, Evergreen Funds and Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Compliance Manager, Wells Fargo Funds Management Group; Former Managing Director and Senior Compliance Officer, Babson Capital Management LLC; Former Principal and Director, Compliance and Risk Management, State Street Global Advisors; Former Vice President and Manager, Sales Practice Compliance, Deutsche Asset Management



1

Each Trustee serves until a successor is duly elected or qualified or until his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office. Each Trustee oversaw 74 Evergreen funds as of December 31, 2009. Correspondence for each Trustee may be sent to Evergreen Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 20083, Charlotte, NC 28202.

2

It is possible that Mr. Pettit may be viewed as an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his law firm’s previous representation of affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor, EIMC. The Trustees are treating Mr. Pettit as an interested trustee for the time being.

3

Mr. Wagoner is an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds because of his ownership of shares in Wells Fargo & Company, the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor.

4

The address of the Officer is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Additional information about the Fund’s Board of Trustees and Officers can be found in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and is available upon request without charge by calling 800.343.2898.

 

 

25

 



122768 566380 rv7 05/2010

 

 

 


Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund

 


 


 

 

table of contents

1

 

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

4

 

FUND AT A GLANCE

6

 

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

7

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

11

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

16

 

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

17

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

18

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

19

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

28

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

This semiannual report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus of the Evergreen fund contained herein. The prospectus contains more complete information, including fees and expenses, and should be read carefully before investing or sending money.

The fund will file its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q will be available on the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the fund’s Form N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800.SEC.0330.

A description of the fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as information regarding how the fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available by visiting our Web site at EvergreenInvestments.com or by visiting the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. The fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 800.343.2898.

Mutual Funds:

 NOT FDIC INSURED   MAY LOSE VALUE   NOT BANK GUARANTEED 

Evergreen InvestmentsSM is a service mark of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC. Copyright 2010, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC.

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC, is a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company and is an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company’s broker/dealer subsidiaries. Evergreen mutual funds are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

 

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

May 2010

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Valued Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide you with this semiannual report for Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund for the six-month period ended March 31, 2010 (the “period”).

Economic growth was strong throughout the period as the economic recovery appeared to gain momentum. Gross domestic product returned to positive growth in the third quarter of 2009, following four consecutive quarters of contraction for the first time in at least 60 years. The consensus among economists was that the recession that began in December 2007 had likely ended during the summer of 2009. However, with much of the growth attributable to government stimulus, questions remained over the sustainability of the recovery. By the end of the period, the National Bureau of Economic Research had not declared an official end to the recession.

Employment data turned positive during the period, a welcome sign that the economic recovery appeared to be moving toward self-sustainability. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in March 2010, the most in three years. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7% in the final months of the period, after having peaked at 10.1% in October 2009—its highest level in more than 25 years. Other encouraging news in March included increases in temporary jobs, average hours worked, and manufacturing employment. Still, more than 8 million jobs were lost during the recession and the number of long-term unemployed—those out of work for 27 weeks or longer—continued to increase, ending the period at 6.5 million.

Other economic data continued to show additional signs of improvement. Industrial production, manufacturing, and consumer sentiment had all improved significantly as the period came to a close. Retail sales strengthened significantly during the period, with particular strength in March 2010. Although housing inventory and foreclosure rates remained elevated, home sales and prices began to show signs of improvement in many areas of the country—spurred in part by the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which was extended through the end of April 2010.

Despite extensive quantitative easing measures by the Federal Reserve Board (the “Fed”), bank lending remained constrained during the period. This indicates that the trillions of dollars of government stimulus that were added to the monetary system might not have an inflationary impact in the near term. Throughout the period, the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FOMC”) held the federal funds rate at the range of 0% to 0.25% that it first targeted in December 2008. The Fed did, however, begin to remove some of its unconventional stimulus measures. It concluded its purchases of longer-term Treasuries in October 2009 and mortgage-backed securities in March 2010.

 

 

1

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

The FOMC’s final statement during the period noted that economic activity continued to strengthen, the labor market was stabilizing, business spending had risen significantly, and inflation remained subdued. However, the committee also noted that unemployment remained high and credit continued to be tight, reiterating that it was likely to keep the federal funds rate at exceptionally low levels for an extended period because of the continued substantial economic slack.

The strong rally in the equity markets continued during the period. The advance was interrupted only briefly by modest corrections in October 2009 and January 2010 due primarily to concerns about sovereign debt, with particular focus on Greece. The euro weakened significantly against the U.S. dollar as the European Union continued to debate potential support plans for Greece throughout the period.

Despite the macroeconomic concerns, strong corporate earnings reports throughout the period provided support for the equity markets to continue to move higher. Companies in the S&P 500® Index exceeded analysts’ earnings estimates at a pace of nearly 80% in the third quarter of 2009 and more than 70% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Other than brief spikes in market volatility in late October and early January, volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), declined over the course of the period, ending at its lowest level since early 2008. Among major stock-market indices, the S&P 500® Index gained 10.6% during the period, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 12.9%, as the information technology sector remained one of the strongest-performing sectors.

Over the period, mid cap stocks outpaced both large cap and small cap stocks, which had similar returns, as measured by the Russell indices. The Russell Midcap Index rose 14.6%, while the Russell 1000 Index of large cap stocks advanced 11.7% and the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks gained 11.9%. Performance leadership between the growth and value investment styles was mixed according to market capitalization during the period. Among large cap stocks, the growth style significantly outpaced value. Conversely, value modestly outpaced growth among small cap stocks.

During the period, the management teams of Evergreen’s growth-oriented equity funds maintained their pursuit of capital appreciation, focusing on bottom-up, fundamental analysis in making individual stock selections consistent with the investment discipline and style of each fund. The manager of Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund and Evergreen Omega Fund pursued a small number of companies with the potential to sustain above-average growth for long-term cash flows. The management of Evergreen Strategic Growth Fund sought large cap companies offering superior long-term growth potential. The portfolio managers of Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund and Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund aimed to balance each portfolio with exposure both to

 

 

2

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

consistent growth companies and to companies offering attractive intrinsic value. At the same time, managers of Evergreen Growth Fund concentrated on opportunities among small cap growth companies with above-average earnings prospects and reasonable stock valuations.

We believe the changing conditions in the investment environment over the period have underscored the value of a well-diversified, long-term investment strategy to help soften the effects of volatility in any one market or asset class. As always, we encourage investors to maintain diversified investment portfolios in pursuit of their long-term investment goals.

Please visit us at EvergreenInvestments.com for more information about our funds and other investment products available to you. Thank you for your continued support of Evergreen Investments.

Sincerely,


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Evergreen Funds

Notice to Shareholders:

The Evergreen Funds’ Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the reorganizations of the Evergreen Funds, including the Fund in this report, into Wells Fargo Advantage Funds®. Each reorganization is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including approval by the Evergreen Fund’s shareholders at a meeting expected to be held in June 2010. It is anticipated that the reorganizations, if they are approved by shareholders and all conditions to the closing are satisfied, will occur in July 2010. Additional information, including a description of the applicable reorganization and information about fees, expenses, and risk factors, will be provided to shareholders of each Evergreen Fund in a Prospectus/Proxy Statement that was mailed in April 2010.

The foregoing is not an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, shares of any Wells Fargo Advantage Fund, nor is it a solicitation of any proxy. For more information, or to receive a free copy of the Prospectus/Proxy Statement once a registration statement relating to a proposed reorganization has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and becomes effective, please call 1.800.343.2898 or visit Evergreeninvestments.com. The Prospectus/Proxy Statement will also be available for free on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov). Please read the Prospectus/Proxy Statement carefully before making any investment decisions.

 

 

3

 


FUND AT A GLANCE

as of March 31, 2010

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Investment Advisor:

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC

Portfolio Managers:

Robert C. Junkin, CPA; Lori S. Evans; Julian J. Johnson

CURRENT INVESTMENT STYLE

 


Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar’s style box is based on a portfolio date as of 3/31/2010.

The Equity style box placement is based on 10 growth and valuation measures for each fund holding and the median size of the companies in which the fund invests.

PERFORMANCE AND RETURNS

Portfolio inception date: 9/11/1935

 

 

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class I

Class inception date

1/20/1998

9/11/1935

1/26/1998

1/26/1998






Nasdaq symbol

EKAAX

EKABX

EKACX

EKAYX






6-month return with sales charge

6.16%

7.44%

11.20%

N/A






6-month return w/o sales charge

12.61%

12.44%

12.20%

12.93%






Average annual return*

 

 

 

 






1-year with sales charge

40.85%

43.23%

46.91%

N/A






1-year w/o sales charge

49.25%

48.23%

47.91%

49.60%






5-year

-0.31%

-0.23%

0.15%

1.14%






10-year

-3.16%

-3.27%

-3.27%

-2.32%






Maximum sales charge

5.75%

5.00%

1.00%

N/A

 

Front-end

CDSC

CDSC

 






*

Adjusted for maximum applicable sales charge, unless noted.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance quoted represents past performance and current performance may be lower or higher. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investors’ shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end for Classes A, B, C or I, please go to EvergreenInvestments.com/fundperformance. The performance of each class may vary based on differences in loads, fees and expenses paid by the shareholders investing in each class. Performance includes the reinvestment of income dividends and capital gain distributions. Performance shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Please keep in mind that high double-digit returns were primarily achieved during favorable market conditions. You should not expect that such favorable returns can be consistently achieved. A Fund’s performance, especially for very short time periods, should not be the sole factor in making your investment decision.

The fund incurs a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% for Class A and 1.00% for Classes B and C. Class I does not pay a 12b-1 fee.

The returns shown for Class B shares do not reflect the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares after eight years.

Class B shares are closed to new investments by new and existing shareholders.

Returns reflect expense limits previously in effect, without which returns would have been lower.

 

 

4

 


FUND AT A GLANCE continued

 


Comparison of a $10,000 investment in the Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund Class A shares, reflective of maximum applicable sales charge, versus a similar investment in the Russell Midcap Growth Index (Russell Midcap Growth) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Russell Midcap Growth is an unmanaged market index and does not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses or any taxes. The CPI is a commonly used measure of inflation and does not represent an investment return. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Class I shares are only offered, subject to the minimum initial purchase requirements, in the following manner: (1) to investment advisory clients of EIMC (or its advisory affiliates), (2) to employer- or state-sponsored benefit plans, including but not limited to, retirement plans, defined benefit plans, deferred compensation plans, or savings plans, (3) to fee-based mutual fund wrap accounts, (4) through arrangements entered into on behalf of the Evergreen funds with certain financial services firms, (5) to certain institutional investors, and (6) to persons who owned Class Y shares in registered name in an Evergreen fund on or before December 31, 1994 or who owned shares of any SouthTrust fund in registered name as of March 18, 2005 or who owned shares of Vestaur Securities Fund as of May 20, 2005.

Class I shares are only available to institutional shareholders with a minimum of $1 million investment, which may be waived in certain situations.

The fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of the fund’s shareholders.

Foreign investments may contain more risk due to the inherent risks associated with changing political climates, foreign market instability and foreign currency fluctuations.

Small and mid cap securities may be subject to special risks associated with narrower product lines and limited financial resources compared to their large cap counterparts, and, as a result, small and mid cap securities may decline significantly in market downturns and may be more volatile than those of larger companies due to the higher risk of failure.

The market value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase and may be affected by changes in the price of the underlying security.

All data is as of March 31, 2010, and subject to change.

 

 

5

 


ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

The Example below is intended to describe the fees and expenses borne by shareholders and the impact of those costs on your investment.

Example

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads), redemption fees and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees and other fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

The example illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual expenses

The section in the table under the heading “Actual” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in these columns, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the appropriate column for your share class, in the column entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees or exchange fees. Therefore, the section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

 

Beginning
Account Value
10/1/2009

Ending
Account Value
3/31/2010

Expenses Paid
During Period*





Actual

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,126.13

$5.99

Class B

$1,000.00

$1,124.39

$9.96

Class C

$1,000.00

$1,121.95

$9.95

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,129.33

$4.67

Hypothetical

 

 

 

(5% return before expenses)

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,019.30

$5.69

Class B

$1,000.00

$1,015.56

$9.45

Class C

$1,000.00

$1,015.56

$9.45

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,020.54

$4.43





*

For each class of the fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio of each class (1.13% for Class A, 1.88% for Class B, 1.88% for Class C and 0.88% for Class I), multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182 / 365 days.

 

 

6

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months
Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS A

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

4.44

 

$

4.94

 

$

7.01

 

$

5.55

 

$

5.44

 

$

4.65

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0

 

 

0.01

 

 

(0.01

)1

 

(0.01

)

 

(0.02

)

 

(0.03

)

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

0.56

 

 

(0.43

)

 

(1.80

)

 

1.47

 

 

0.13

 

 

0.82

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.56

 

 

(0.42

)

 

(1.81

)

 

1.46

 

 

0.11

 

 

0.79

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

0

 

 

(0.05

)

 

(0.09

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(0.17

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.08

)

 

(0.26

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

5.00

 

$

4.44

 

$

4.94

 

$

7.01

 

$

5.55

 

$

5.44

 




















 

Total return2

 

 

12.61

%

 

(8.05

)%

 

(26.74

)%

 

26.31

%

 

2.02

%

 

16.99

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (millions)

 

$

317

 

$

296

 

$

354

 

$

540

 

$

506

 

$

564

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.13

%3

 

1.09

%

 

0.93

%

 

1.06

%

 

1.09

%

 

1.13

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.13

%3

 

1.19

%

 

1.05

%

 

1.07

%

 

1.09

%

 

1.13

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.22

)%3

 

0.05

%

 

(0.14

)%

 

(0.36

)%

 

(0.34

)%

 

(0.68

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

36

%

 

41

%

 

114

%

 

89

%

 

110

%

 

141

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Excluding applicable sales charges

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

7

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months
Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS B

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

4.10

 

$

4.53

 

$

6.45

 

$

5.15

 

$

5.08

 

$

4.37

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.02

)1

 

(0.02

)1

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.06

)1

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.07

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

0.53

 

 

(0.38

)

 

(1.67

)

 

1.36

 

 

0.12

 

 

0.78

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.51

 

 

(0.40

)

 

(1.72

)

 

1.30

 

 

0.07

 

 

0.71

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(0.17

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(0.20

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

4.61

 

$

4.10

 

$

4.53

 

$

6.45

 

$

5.15

 

$

5.08

 




















 

Total return2

 

 

12.44

%

 

(8.68

)%

 

(27.41

)%

 

25.24

%

 

1.38

%

 

16.25

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (millions)

 

$

7

 

$

7

 

$

11

 

$

21

 

$

21

 

$

27

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.88

%3

 

1.83

%

 

1.68

%

 

1.78

%

 

1.79

%

 

1.83

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.88

%3

 

1.93

%

 

1.78

%

 

1.78

%

 

1.79

%

 

1.83

%

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.97

)%3

 

(0.68

)%

 

(0.89

)%

 

(1.08

)%

 

(1.04

)%

 

(1.38

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

36

%

 

41

%

 

114

%

 

89

%

 

110

%

 

141

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Excluding applicable sales charges

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

8

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months
Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS C

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

4.10

 

$

4.53

 

$

6.45

 

$

5.15

 

$

5.08

 

$

4.37

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.02

)

 

(0.02

)1

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.06

)1

 

(0.05

)1

 

(0.07

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

0.52

 

 

(0.38

)

 

(1.66

)

 

1.36

 

 

0.12

 

 

0.78

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.50

 

 

(0.40

)

 

(1.71

)

 

1.30

 

 

0.07

 

 

0.71

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.04

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(0.17

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(0.21

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

4.60

 

$

4.10

 

$

4.53

 

$

6.45

 

$

5.15

 

$

5.08

 




















 

Total return2

 

 

12.20

%

 

(8.68

)%

 

(27.26

)%

 

25.24

%

 

1.38

%

 

16.25

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (millions)

 

$

5

 

$

5

 

$

5

 

$

7

 

$

6

 

$

7

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.88

%3

 

1.84

%

 

1.68

%

 

1.78

%

 

1.79

%

 

1.83

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.88

%3

 

1.94

%

 

1.78

%

 

1.78

%

 

1.79

%

 

1.83

%

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.97

)%3

 

(0.72

)%

 

(0.89

)%

 

(1.09

)%

 

(1.04

)%

 

(1.38

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

36

%

 

41

%

 

114

%

 

89

%

 

110

%

 

141

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Excluding applicable sales charges

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

9

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months
Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

 


 

CLASS I

 

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

4.57

 

$

5.10

 

$

7.24

 

$

5.72

 

$

5.59

 

$

4.76

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0

 

 

0.07

 

 

0.01

1

 

0

1

 

(0.01

)

 

(0.02

)

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

0.59

 

 

(0.50

)

 

(1.87

)

 

1.52

 

 

0.14

 

 

0.85

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

0.59

 

 

(0.43

)

 

(1.86

)

 

1.52

 

 

0.13

 

 

0.83

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.01

)

 

(0.07

)

 

(0.11

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

(0.03

)

 

(0.17

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 


















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

(0.01

)

 

(0.10

)

 

(0.28

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

5.15

 

$

4.57

 

$

5.10

 

$

7.24

 

$

5.72

 

$

5.59

 




















 

Total return

 

 

12.93

%

 

(7.92

)%

 

(26.62

)%

 

26.57

%

 

2.33

%

 

17.44

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (millions)

 

$

28

 

$

26

 

$

77

 

$

94

 

$

114

 

$

86

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

0.88

%2

 

0.82

%

 

0.69

%

 

0.78

%

 

0.79

%

 

0.83

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

0.88

%2

 

0.92

%

 

0.79

%

 

0.78

%

 

0.79

%

 

0.83

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0.03

%2

 

0.33

%

 

0.10

%

 

(0.08

)%

 

(0.03

)%

 

(0.38

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

36

%

 

41

%

 

114

%

 

89

%

 

110

%

 

141

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

10

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    98.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY    20.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diversified Consumer Services    2.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

ITT Educational Services, Inc. *

 

24,000

 

$

2,699,520

 

Strayer Education, Inc. ρ

 

31,500

 

 

7,670,880

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

10,370,400

 

 

 

 

 



 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

WMS Industries, Inc. *

 

129,600

 

 

5,435,424

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet & Catalog Retail    4.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liberty Media Holding Corp. – Interactive, Ser. A *

 

297,400

 

 

4,553,194

 

priceline.com, Inc. *

 

40,200

 

 

10,251,000

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

14,804,194

 

 

 

 

 



 

Media    1.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walt Disney Co.

 

105,147

 

 

3,670,682

 

 

 

 

 



 

Specialty Retail    4.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aeropostale, Inc. *

 

191,250

 

 

5,513,738

 

Chico’s FAS, Inc. *

 

522,700

 

 

7,537,334

 

Ross Stores, Inc.

 

81,400

 

 

4,352,458

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

17,403,530

 

 

 

 

 



 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods    5.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coach, Inc.

 

210,422

 

 

8,315,877

 

Deckers Outdoor Corp. *

 

29,100

 

 

4,015,800

 

Hanesbrands, Inc. *

 

305,700

 

 

8,504,574

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

20,836,251

 

 

 

 

 



 

CONSUMER STAPLES    7.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food & Staples Retailing    2.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whole Foods Market, Inc. *

 

211,500

 

 

7,645,725

 

 

 

 

 



 

Food Products    3.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Del Monte Foods Co.

 

403,400

 

 

5,889,640

 

Hershey Co.

 

109,600

 

 

4,691,976

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

10,581,616

 

 

 

 

 



 

Household Products    2.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Church & Dwight Co.

 

74,900

 

 

5,014,555

 

Energizer Holdings, Inc. *

 

34,900

 

 

2,190,324

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

7,204,879

 

 

 

 

 



 

ENERGY    3.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Equipment & Services    3.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cameron International Corp. *

 

128,200

 

 

5,494,652

 

National Oilwell Varco, Inc. *

 

108,500

 

 

4,402,930

 

Oceaneering International, Inc. *

 

59,300

 

 

3,764,957

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

13,662,539

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

11

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENERGY    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels    0.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. *

 

1

 

$

50

 

 

 

 

 



 

FINANCIALS    5.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Markets    3.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

BlackRock, Inc. ρ

 

18,000

 

 

3,919,680

 

INVESCO, Ltd.

 

305,900

 

 

6,702,269

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

10,621,949

 

 

 

 

 



 

Insurance    1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torchmark Corp.

 

52,400

 

 

2,803,924

 

Unum Group

 

135,800

 

 

3,363,766

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

6,167,690

 

 

 

 

 



 

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)    1.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care REIT, Inc.

 

79,400

 

 

3,591,262

 

 

 

 

 



 

HEALTH CARE    13.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology    2.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

76,000

 

 

4,132,120

 

Cephalon, Inc. *

 

69,000

 

 

4,676,820

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

8,808,940

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies    5.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becton, Dickinson & Co.

 

51,600

 

 

4,062,468

 

Edwards Lifesciences Corp. *

 

46,400

 

 

4,588,032

 

Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. *

 

129,300

 

 

5,036,235

 

St. Jude Medical, Inc. *

 

102,200

 

 

4,195,310

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

17,882,045

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Providers & Services    2.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Express Scripts, Inc. *

 

64,900

 

 

6,604,224

 

Medco Health Solutions, Inc. *

 

61,400

 

 

3,963,984

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

10,568,208

 

 

 

 

 



 

Life Sciences Tools & Services    1.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Technologies Corp. *

 

109,300

 

 

5,713,111

 

 

 

 

 



 

Pharmaceuticals    1.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forest Laboratories, Inc. *

 

121,100

 

 

3,797,696

 

 

 

 

 



 

INDUSTRIALS    17.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aerospace & Defense    3.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goodrich Corp.

 

95,700

 

 

6,748,764

 

ITT Corp.

 

95,900

 

 

5,141,199

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

11,889,963

 

 

 

 

 



 

Construction & Engineering    1.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. *

 

152,200

 

 

6,877,918

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

12

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

Electrical Equipment    3.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cooper Industries plc

 

133,100

 

$

6,380,814

 

GrafTech International, Ltd. *

 

374,100

 

 

5,113,947

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

11,494,761

 

 

 

 

 



 

Machinery    5.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cummins, Inc.

 

104,400

 

 

6,467,580

 

Joy Global, Inc.

 

94,700

 

 

5,360,020

 

Pall Corp.

 

158,100

 

 

6,401,469

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

18,229,069

 

 

 

 

 



 

Professional Services    1.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

 

86,100

 

 

6,407,562

 

 

 

 

 



 

Trading Companies & Distributors    1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

W.W. Grainger, Inc.

 

56,100

 

 

6,065,532

 

 

 

 

 



 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    21.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Equipment    4.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

F5 Networks, Inc. *

 

153,128

 

 

9,418,903

 

NICE-Systems, Ltd., ADS *

 

212,100

 

 

6,734,175

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

16,153,078

 

 

 

 

 



 

Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components    1.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amphenol Corp., Class A

 

87,200

 

 

3,678,968

 

 

 

 

 



 

IT Services    6.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp., Class A *

 

198,000

 

 

10,094,040

 

Fiserv, Inc. *

 

69,100

 

 

3,507,516

 

Global Payments, Inc.

 

124,600

 

 

5,675,530

 

SAIC, Inc. *

 

171,300

 

 

3,032,010

 

Western Union Co.

 

95,900

 

 

1,626,464

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

23,935,560

 

 

 

 

 



 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment    6.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Altera Corp.

 

333,000

 

 

8,095,230

 

Broadcom Corp., Class A *

 

209,400

 

 

6,947,892

 

Marvell Technology Group, Ltd. *

 

368,100

 

 

7,501,878

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

22,545,000

 

 

 

 

 



 

Software    2.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ansys, Inc. *

 

167,100

 

 

7,208,694

 

McAfee, Inc. *

 

78,200

 

 

3,138,166

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

10,346,860

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

13

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

Shares

 

Value

 






 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

MATERIALS    6.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chemicals    4.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Agrium, Inc.

 

109,200

 

$

7,712,796

 

Airgas, Inc.

 

52,400

 

 

3,333,688

 

CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

 

54,300

 

 

4,951,074

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

15,997,558

 

 

 

 

 



 

Metals & Mining    2.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

 

452,800

 

 

7,910,416

 

 

 

 

 



 

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless Telecommunication Services    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Tower Corp., Class A *

 

125,400

 

 

5,343,294

 

 

 

 

 



 

UTILITIES    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

Independent Power Producers & Energy Traders    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

AES Corp. *

 

251,600

 

 

2,767,600

 

 

 

 

 



 

Multi-Utilities    0.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

CMS Energy Corp.

 

171,100

 

 

2,645,206

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Common Stocks    (cost $293,681,680)

 

 

 

 

351,054,536

 

 

 

 

 



 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS    5.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUTUAL FUND SHARES    5.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

BlackRock Liquidity TempFund, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

4,968,990

 

 

4,968,990

 

Evergreen Institutional Money Market Fund, Class I, 0.01% q ρρ ø

 

8,054,544

 

 

8,054,544

 

Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Fund Money Market Portfolio, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

4,910,482

 

 

4,910,482

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Short-Term Investments    (cost $17,934,016)

 

 

 

 

17,934,016

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Investments    (cost $311,615,696)    103.3%

 

 

 

 

368,988,552

 

Other Assets and Liabilities    (3.3%)

 

 

 

 

(11,649,852

)

 

 

 

 



 

Net Assets    100.0%

 

 

 

$

357,338,700

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

*

 

Non-income producing security

ρ

 

All or a portion of this security is on loan.

q

 

Rate shown is the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

ρρ

 

All or a portion of this security represents investment of cash collateral received from securities on loan.

ø

 

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC is the investment advisor to both the Fund and the money market fund.

 

Summary of Abbreviations

ADS

 

American Depository Shares

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

14

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

The following table shows the percent of total long-term investments by sector as of March 31, 2010:

 

Information Technology

 

21.9

%

Consumer Discretionary

 

20.7

%

Industrials

 

17.4

%

Health Care

 

13.3

%

Consumer Staples

 

7.2

%

Materials

 

6.8

%

Financials

 

5.8

%

Energy

 

3.9

%

Utilities

 

1.5

%

Telecommunication Services

 

1.5

%

 

 


 

 

 

100.0

%

 

 


 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

15

 


STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

Investments in unaffiliated issuers, at value (cost $303,561,152) including $10,733,568 of securities loaned

 

$

360,934,008

 

Investments in affiliated issuers, at value (cost $8,054,544)

 

 

8,054,544

 





 

Total investments

 

 

368,988,552

 

Segregated cash

 

 

4,006

 

Receivable for Fund shares sold

 

 

209,910

 

Dividends receivable

 

 

128,943

 

Receivable for securities lending income

 

 

14,380

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

75,766

 





 

Total assets

 

 

369,421,557

 





 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

 

 

191,025

 

Payable for securities on loan

 

 

11,787,378

 

Advisory fee payable

 

 

5,022

 

Distribution Plan expenses payable

 

 

2,526

 

Due to other related parties

 

 

2,926

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses payable

 

 

41,378

 

Printing and postage expenses payable

 

 

38,095

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

14,507

 





 

Total liabilities

 

 

12,082,857

 





 

Net assets

 

$

357,338,700

 





 

Net assets represented by

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

$

404,593,308

 

Accumulated net investment loss

 

 

(424,053

)

Accumulated net realized losses on investments

 

 

(104,203,411

)

Net unrealized gains on investments

 

 

57,372,856

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

357,338,700

 





 

Net assets consists of

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

317,108,062

 

Class B

 

 

7,190,278

 

Class C

 

 

5,186,496

 

Class I

 

 

27,853,864

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

357,338,700

 





 

Shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized)

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

63,379,824

 

Class B

 

 

1,560,970

 

Class C

 

 

1,127,127

 

Class I

 

 

5,408,809

 





 

Net asset value per share

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

5.00

 

Class A — Offering price (based on sales charge of 5.75%)

 

$

5.31

 

Class B

 

$

4.61

 

Class C

 

$

4.60

 

Class I

 

$

5.15

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

16

 


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Six Months Ended March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Investment income

 

 

 

 

Dividends

 

$

1,520,673

 

Securities lending

 

 

18,908

 

Income from affiliated issuers

 

 

2,183

 





 

Total investment income

 

 

1,541,764

 





 

Expenses

 

 

 

 

Advisory fee

 

 

860,154

 

Distribution Plan expenses

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

374,259

 

Class B

 

 

34,696

 

Class C

 

 

23,847

 

Administrative services fee

 

 

168,658

 

Transfer agent fees

 

 

302,334

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses

 

 

4,759

 

Printing and postage expenses

 

 

39,342

 

Custodian and accounting fees

 

 

49,227

 

Registration and filing fees

 

 

39,294

 

Professional fees

 

 

15,788

 

Other

 

 

6,221

 





 

Total expenses

 

 

1,918,579

 

Less: Expense reductions

 

 

(36

)





 

Net expenses

 

 

1,918,543

 





 

Net investment loss

 

 

(376,779

)





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

Net realized losses on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

(7,349,427

)

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

48,733,116

 





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

41,383,689

 





 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

$

41,006,910

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

17

 


STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

 

 

Six Months Ended
March 31, 2010
(unaudited)

 

Year Ended
September 30, 2009

 






 

Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

 

$

(376,779

)

 

 

$

158,630

 

Net realized losses on investments

 

 

 

 

(7,349,427

)

 

 

 

(94,052,748

)

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

48,733,116

 

 

 

 

47,621,759

 












 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

 

 

 

 

41,006,910

 

 

 

 

(46,272,359

)












 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

(3,594,908

)

Class I

 

 

 

 

(56,143

)

 

 

 

(534,242

)

Net realized gains

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

(1,954,848

)

Class B

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

(64,846

)

Class C

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

(27,093

)

Class I

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

(216,273

)












 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

 

 

(56,143

)

 

 

 

(6,392,210

)












 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 












 

Capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from shares sold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

614,632

 

 

2,822,421

 

801,271

 

 

2,879,591

 

Class B

 

24,095

 

 

104,066

 

197,880

 

 

664,764

 

Class C

 

121,990

 

 

517,459

 

418,766

 

 

1,452,776

 

Class I

 

1,221,757

 

 

5,875,390

 

3,323,311

 

 

12,828,163

 












 

 

 

 

 

 

9,319,336

 

 

 

 

17,825,294

 












 

Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

0

 

 

0

 

1,356,780

 

 

4,672,373

 

Class B

 

0

 

 

0

 

19,649

 

 

60,911

 

Class C

 

0

 

 

0

 

7,261

 

 

22,509

 

Class I

 

987

 

 

4,600

 

74,993

 

 

266,504

 












 

 

 

 

 

 

4,600

 

 

 

 

5,022,297

 












 

Automatic conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

46,249

 

 

208,286

 

393,184

 

 

1,467,400

 

Class B

 

(50,106

)

 

(208,286

)

(424,750

)

 

(1,467,400

)












 

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

0

 












 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

(3,899,339

)

 

(18,025,300

)

(7,579,616

)

 

(27,830,607

)

Class B

 

(149,990

)

 

(643,570

)

(553,316

)

 

(1,877,336

)

Class C

 

(110,536

)

 

(475,661

)

(341,415

)

 

(1,151,128

)

Class I

 

(1,415,798

)

 

(6,780,793

)

(12,908,978

)

 

(52,979,146

)












 

 

 

 

 

 

(25,925,324

)

 

 

 

(83,838,217

)












 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

(16,601,388

)

 

 

 

(60,990,626

)












 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

 

 

 

 

24,349,379

 

 

 

 

(113,655,195

)

Net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

 

 

332,989,321

 

 

 

 

446,644,516

 












 

End of period

 

 

 

$

357,338,700

 

 

 

$

332,989,321

 












 

Undistributed net investment income (accumulated net investment loss)

 

 

 

$

(424,053

)

 

 

$

8,869

 












 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

18

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION

Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified series of Evergreen Equity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 18, 1997. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

The Fund offers Class A, Class B, Class C and Class I shares. Class A shares are sold with a front-end sales charge. However, Class A share investments of $1 million or more are not subject to a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% upon redemption within 18 months. Class B shares are available for purchase only through (i) an exchange transaction in which Class B shares of another Evergreen fund are exchanged or (ii) the Fund’s dividend reinvestment program. Class B shares are sold without a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption and decreases depending on how long the shares had been held. Class C shares are sold without a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption within one year. Class I shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge. Each class of shares, except Class I shares, pays an ongoing distribution fee.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The policies are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported herein. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Management has considered the circumstances under which the Fund should recognize or make disclosures regarding events or transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements are issued. Adjustments or additional disclosures, if any, have been included in these financial statements.

a. Valuation of investments

Listed equity securities are usually valued at the last sales price or official closing price on the national securities exchange where the securities are principally traded. If there has been no sale, the securities are valued at the mean between bid and asked prices.

Investments in open-end mutual funds are valued at net asset value. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or not reflective of current fair value are valued at fair value as determined by the investment advisor in good faith, according to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

The valuation techniques used by the Fund to measure fair value are consistent with the market approach, income approach and/or cost approach, where applicable, for each security type.

 

 

19

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

b. Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities to certain qualified brokers in order to earn additional income. The Fund receives compensation in the form of fees or interest earned on the investment of any cash collateral received. The Fund also continues to receive interest and dividends on the securities loaned. The Fund receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a market value at least equal to the market value of the securities on loan. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to the collateral. In addition, the investment of any cash collateral received may lose all or part of its value. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand.

c. Security transactions and investment income

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses are computed using the specific cost of the security sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

d. Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income, including any net capital gains (which have already been offset by available capital loss carryovers). Accordingly, no provision for federal taxes is required. The Fund’s income and excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal, Massachusetts and Delaware revenue authorities.

e. Distributions

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Such distributions are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.

f. Class allocations

Income, common expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based on the relative net assets of each class. Distribution fees, if any, are calculated daily at the class level based on the appropriate net assets of each class and the specific expense rates applicable to each class.

3. ADVISORY FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC (“EIMC”), a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the investment advisor to the Fund and is paid an annual fee starting at 0.51% and declining to 0.26% as average daily net assets increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the advisory fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.51% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

 

20

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

The Fund may invest in money market funds which are advised by EIMC. Income earned on these investments is included in income from affiliated issuers on the Statement of Operations.

EIMC also serves as the administrator to the Fund providing the Fund with facilities, equipment and personnel. EIMC is paid an annual rate determined by applying percentage rates to the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) starting at 0.10% and declining to 0.05% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the administrative services fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Evergreen Service Company, LLC (“ESC”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund. ESC receives account fees that vary based on the type of account held by the shareholders in the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the transfer agent fees were equivalent to an annual rate of 0.18% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Wachovia Bank NA, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo and an affiliate of EIMC, through its securities lending division, Wachovia Global Securities Lending, acts as the securities lending agent for the Fund (see Note 5).

4. DISTRIBUTION PLANS

Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“WFFD”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo serves as distributor of the Fund’s shares. Prior to January 4, 2010, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc. (“EIS”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, served as distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Fund has adopted Distribution Plans, as allowed by Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, for each class of shares, except Class I. Under the Distribution Plans, the Fund is permitted to pay distribution fees at an annual rate of up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets for Class A shares and up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets for each of Class B and Class C shares. However, currently the distribution fees for Class A shares are limited to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the class.

For the six months ended March 31, 2010, EIS received $1,334 from the sale of Class A shares and $5,641 and $280 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class B and Class C shares, respectively.

5. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

Cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding short-term securities) were $117,680,171 and $128,623,167, respectively, for the six months ended March 31, 2010.

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in

 

 

21

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

As of March 31, 2010, the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets, which are carried at fair value, were as follows:

 

Investments in Securities

 

Quoted Prices
(Level 1)

 

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

Total

 










 

Equity securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stocks

 

$

351,054,536

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

351,054,536

 

Short-term investments

 

 

17,934,016

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

17,934,016

 














 

 

 

$

368,988,552

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

368,988,552

 














 

Further details on the major security types listed above can be found in the Schedule of Investments.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund loaned securities to certain brokers and earned $18,908, net of $2,142 paid to Wachovia Global Securities Lending as the securities lending agent. At March 31, 2010, the value of securities on loan and the total value of collateral received for securities loaned (including segregated cash) amounted to $10,733,568 and $11,787,378, respectively.

On March 31, 2010, the aggregate cost of securities for federal income tax purposes was $311,912,279. The gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on securities based on tax cost was $65,285,510 and $8,209,237, respectively, with a net unrealized appreciation of $57,076,273.

As of September 30, 2009, the Fund had $11,082,219 in capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes expiring in 2017.

For income tax purposes, capital losses incurred after October 31 within the Fund’s fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year. As of September 30, 2009, the Fund incurred and elected to defer post-October losses of $85,279,067.

 

 

22

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

6. INTERFUND LENDING

Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the SEC, the Fund may participate in an interfund lending program with certain funds in the Evergreen fund family. This program allows the Fund to borrow from, or lend money to, other participating funds. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund did not participate in the interfund lending program.

7. EXPENSE REDUCTIONS

Through expense offset arrangements with ESC and the Fund’s custodian, a portion of fund expenses has been reduced.

8. DEFERRED TRUSTEES’ FEES

Each Trustee of the Fund may defer any or all compensation related to performance of his or her duties as a Trustee. The Trustees’ deferred balances are allocated to deferral accounts, which are included in the accrued expenses for the Fund. The investment performance of the deferral accounts is based on the investment performance of certain Evergreen funds. Any gains earned or losses incurred in the deferral accounts are reported in the Fund’s Trustees’ fees and expenses. At the election of the Trustees, the deferral account will be paid either in one lump sum or in quarterly installments for up to ten years.

9. FINANCING AGREEMENT

The Fund and certain other Evergreen funds share in a $100 million unsecured revolving credit commitment for temporary and emergency purposes, including the funding of redemptions, as permitted by each participating fund’s borrowing restrictions. Borrowings under this facility bear interest at the higher of the Federal Funds rate plus 1.25% or LIBOR plus 1.25%. All of the participating funds are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.145% on the unused balance, which is allocated pro rata. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund had no borrowings under this agreement.

10. REGULATORY MATTERS AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Evergreen funds, EIMC and certain of EIMC’s affiliates are involved in various legal actions, including private litigation and class action lawsuits, and are and may in the future be subject to regulatory inquiries and investigations.

EIMC and EIS have reached final settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Securities Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) primarily relating to the liquidation of Evergreen Ultra Short Opportunities Fund (“Ultra Short Fund”). The claims settled include the following: first, that during the period February 2007 through Ultra Short Fund’s liquidation on June 18, 2008, Ultra Short Fund’s former portfolio management team failed to properly take into account readily-available information in valuing certain non-agency

 

 

23

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

residential mortgage-backed securities held by the Ultra Short Fund, resulting in the Ultra Short Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) being overstated during the period; second, that EIMC and EIS acted inappropriately when, in an effort to explain the decline in Ultra Short Fund’s NAV, certain information regarding the decline was communicated to some, but not all, shareholders and financial intermediaries; third, that the Ultra Short Fund portfolio management team did not adhere to regulatory requirements for affiliated cross trades in executing trades with other Evergreen funds; and finally, that from at least September 2007 to August 2008, EIS did not preserve certain text and instant messages transmitted via personal digital assistant devices. In settling these matters, EIMC and EIS have agreed to payments totaling $41,125,000, up to $40,125,000 of which will be distributed to eligible shareholders of Ultra Short Fund pursuant to a methodology and plan approved by the regulators. EIMC and EIS neither admitted nor denied the regulators’ conclusions.

Three purported class actions have also been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts relating to the same events; defendants include various Evergreen entities, including EIMC and EIS, and Evergreen Fixed Income Trust and its Trustees. The cases generally allege that investors in the Ultra Short Fund suffered losses as a result of (i) misleading statements in Ultra Short Fund’s registration statement and prospectus, (ii) the failure to accurately price securities in the Ultra Short Fund at different points in time and (iii) the failure of the Ultra Short Fund’s risk disclosures and description of its investment strategy to inform investors adequately of the actual risks of the fund.

EIMC does not expect that any of the legal actions, inquiries or settlement of regulatory matters will have a material adverse impact on the financial position or operations of the Fund to which these financial statements relate. Any publicity surrounding or resulting from any legal actions or regulatory inquiries involving EIMC or its affiliates or any of the Evergreen Funds could result in reduced sales or increased redemptions of Evergreen fund shares, which could increase Evergreen fund transaction costs or operating expenses or have other adverse consequences on the Evergreen funds, including the Fund.

11. REORGANIZATION

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on December 30, 2009, the Trustees of the Fund approved a Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Under the Plan, Wells Fargo Advantage Mid Cap Growth Fund, a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust, will acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of the Fund in exchange for shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Mid Cap Growth Fund.

A special meeting of shareholders of the Fund will be held in June 2010 to consider and vote on the Plan. In April 2010, materials for this meeting were mailed to shareholders of record on March 10, 2010. If approved by the shareholders at this meeting, the reorganization will take place in July 2010.

 

 

24

 


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25

 


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26

 


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27

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

TRUSTEES1

 

Dr. Leroy Keith, Jr.
Trustee
DOB: 2/14/1939
Term of office since: 1983
Other directorships: Trustee,
Phoenix Fund Complex
(consisting of 46 portfolios
as of 12/31/2009)

Chairman, Bloc Global Services (development and construction); Former Managing Director, Almanac Capital Management (commodities firm); Trustee, Phoenix Fund Complex; Director, Diversapack Co. (packaging company); Former Partner, Stonington Partners, Inc. (private equity fund); Former Director, Obagi Medical Products Co.



Carol A. Kosel
Trustee
DOB: 12/25/1963
Term of office since: 2008
Other directorships: None

Former Consultant to the Evergreen Boards of Trustees; Former Vice President and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investments, Inc.; Former Treasurer, Evergreen Funds; Former Treasurer, Vestaur Securities Fund



Gerald M. McDonnell
Trustee
DOB: 7/14/1939
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Consultant, Rock Hill Metals Consultants LLC (Metals Consultant to steel industry); Former Manager of Commercial Operations, CMC Steel (steel producer)



Patricia B. Norris
Trustee
DOB: 4/9/1948
Term of office since: 2006
Other directorships: None

President and Director of Buckleys of Kezar Lake, Inc. (real estate company); Former President and Director of Phillips Pond Homes Association (home community); Former Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (independent registered public accounting firm)



William Walt Pettit2
Trustee
DOB: 8/26/1955
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Director, Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC (law firm); Director, Superior Packaging Corp. (packaging company); Member, Superior Land, LLC (real estate holding company), Member, K&P Development, LLC (real estate development); Former Vice President, Kellam & Pettit, P.A. (law firm); Former Director, National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. (non-profit organization)



David M. Richardson
Trustee
DOB: 9/19/1941
Term of office since: 1982
Other directorships: None

President, Richardson, Runden LLC (executive recruitment advisory services); Director, J&M Cumming Paper Co. (paper merchandising); Former Trustee, NDI Technologies, LLP (communications); Former Consultant, AESC (The Association of Executive Search Consultants)



Russell A. Salton III, MD
Trustee
DOB: 6/2/1947
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

President/CEO, AccessOne MedCard, Inc.



Michael S. Scofield
Trustee
DOB: 2/20/1943
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

Retired Attorney, Law Offices of Michael S. Scofield; Former Director and Chairman, Branded Media Corporation (multi-media branding company)



Richard J. Shima
Trustee
DOB: 8/11/1939
Term of office since: 1993
Other directorships: None

Independent Consultant; Director, Hartford Hospital; Trustee, Greater Hartford YMCA; Former Director,Trust Company of CT; Former Trustee, Saint Joseph College (CT)



 

 

28

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS continued

 

Richard K. Wagoner, CFA3
Trustee
DOB: 12/12/1937
Term of office since: 1999
Other directorships: None

Member and Former President, North Carolina Securities Traders Association; Member, Financial Analysts Society



OFFICERS

 

W. Douglas Munn4
President
DOB: 4/21/1963
Term of office since: 2009

Principal occupations: President and Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC; Former Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.



Jeremy DePalma4
Treasurer
DOB: 2/5/1974
Term of office since: 2005

Principal occupations: Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC; Assistant Treasurer, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds; Former Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Former Assistant Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.



Michael H. Koonce4
Secretary
DOB: 4/20/1960
Term of office since: 2000

Principal occupations: Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo & Company; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Alternative Strategies Brokerage Services, Inc.; Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC and Evergreen Service Company, LLC



Robert Guerin4
Chief Compliance Officer
DOB: 9/20/1965
Term of office since: 2007

Principal occupations: Chief Compliance Officer, Evergreen Funds and Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Compliance Manager, Wells Fargo Funds Management Group; Former Managing Director and Senior Compliance Officer, Babson Capital Management LLC; Former Principal and Director, Compliance and Risk Management, State Street Global Advisors; Former Vice President and Manager, Sales Practice Compliance, Deutsche Asset Management



1

Each Trustee serves until a successor is duly elected or qualified or until his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office. Each Trustee oversaw 74 Evergreen funds as of December 31, 2009. Correspondence for each Trustee may be sent to Evergreen Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 20083, Charlotte, NC 28202.

2

It is possible that Mr. Pettit may be viewed as an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his law firm’s previous representation of affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor, EIMC. The Trustees are treating Mr. Pettit as an interested trustee for the time being.

3

Mr. Wagoner is an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds because of his ownership of shares in Wells Fargo & Company, the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor.

4

The address of the Officer is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Additional information about the Fund’s Board of Trustees and Officers can be found in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and is available upon request without charge by calling 800.343.2898.

 

 

29

 



122769 569842 rv6 05/2010

 

 


Evergreen Omega Fund

 


 


 

 

table of contents

1

 

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

4

 

FUND AT A GLANCE

6

 

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

7

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

12

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

15

 

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

16

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

17

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

18

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

28

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

This semiannual report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus of the Evergreen fund contained herein. The prospectus contains more complete information, including fees and expenses, and should be read carefully before investing or sending money.

The fund will file its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q will be available on the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the fund’s Form N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800.SEC.0330.

A description of the fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as information regarding how the fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available by visiting our Web site at EvergreenInvestments.com or by visiting the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. The fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 800.343.2898.

Mutual Funds:

 NOT FDIC INSURED   MAY LOSE VALUE   NOT BANK GUARANTEED 

Evergreen InvestmentsSM is a service mark of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC. Copyright 2010, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC.

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC, is a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company and is an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company’s broker/dealer subsidiaries. Evergreen mutual funds are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

May 2010

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Valued Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide you with this semiannual report for Evergreen Omega Fund for the six-month period ended March 31, 2010 (the “period”).

Economic growth was strong throughout the period as the economic recovery appeared to gain momentum. Gross domestic product returned to positive growth in the third quarter of 2009, following four consecutive quarters of contraction for the first time in at least 60 years. The consensus among economists was that the recession that began in December 2007 had likely ended during the summer of 2009. However, with much of the growth attributable to government stimulus, questions remained over the sustainability of the recovery. By the end of the period, the National Bureau of Economic Research had not declared an official end to the recession.

Employment data turned positive during the period, a welcome sign that the economic recovery appeared to be moving toward self-sustainability. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in March 2010, the most in three years. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7% in the final months of the period, after having peaked at 10.1% in October 2009—its highest level in more than 25 years. Other encouraging news in March included increases in temporary jobs, average hours worked, and manufacturing employment. Still, more than 8 million jobs were lost during the recession and the number of long-term unemployed—those out of work for 27 weeks or longer—continued to increase, ending the period at 6.5 million.

Other economic data continued to show additional signs of improvement. Industrial production, manufacturing, and consumer sentiment had all improved significantly as the period came to a close. Retail sales strengthened significantly during the period, with particular strength in March 2010. Although housing inventory and foreclosure rates remained elevated, home sales and prices began to show signs of improvement in many areas of the country—spurred in part by the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which was extended through the end of April 2010.

Despite extensive quantitative easing measures by the Federal Reserve Board (the “Fed”), bank lending remained constrained during the period. This indicates that the trillions of dollars of government stimulus that were added to the monetary system might not have an inflationary impact in the near term. Throughout the period, the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FOMC”) held the federal funds rate at the range of 0% to 0.25% that it first targeted in December 2008. The Fed did, however, begin to remove some of its unconventional stimulus measures. It concluded its purchases of longer-term Treasuries in October 2009 and mortgage-backed securities in March 2010.

 

 

1

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

The FOMC’s final statement during the period noted that economic activity continued to strengthen, the labor market was stabilizing, business spending had risen significantly, and inflation remained subdued. However, the committee also noted that unemployment remained high and credit continued to be tight, reiterating that it was likely to keep the federal funds rate at exceptionally low levels for an extended period because of the continued substantial economic slack.

The strong rally in the equity markets continued during the period. The advance was interrupted only briefly by modest corrections in October 2009 and January 2010 due primarily to concerns about sovereign debt, with particular focus on Greece. The euro weakened significantly against the U.S. dollar as the European Union continued to debate potential support plans for Greece throughout the period.

Despite the macroeconomic concerns, strong corporate earnings reports throughout the period provided support for the equity markets to continue to move higher. Companies in the S&P 500® Index exceeded analysts’ earnings estimates at a pace of nearly 80% in the third quarter of 2009 and more than 70% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Other than brief spikes in market volatility in late October and early January, volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), declined over the course of the period, ending at its lowest level since early 2008. Among major stock-market indices, the S&P 500® Index gained 10.6% during the period, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 12.9%, as the information technology sector remained one of the strongest-performing sectors.

Over the period, mid cap stocks outpaced both large cap and small cap stocks, which had similar returns, as measured by the Russell indices. The Russell Midcap Index rose 14.6%, while the Russell 1000 Index of large cap stocks advanced 11.7% and the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks gained 11.9%. Performance leadership between the growth and value investment styles was mixed according to market capitalization during the period. Among large cap stocks, the growth style significantly outpaced value. Conversely, value modestly outpaced growth among small cap stocks.

During the period, the management teams of Evergreen’s growth-oriented equity funds maintained their pursuit of capital appreciation, focusing on bottom-up, fundamental analysis in making individual stock selections consistent with the investment discipline and style of each fund. The manager of Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund and Evergreen Omega Fund pursued a small number of companies with the potential to sustain above-average growth for long-term cash flows. The management of Evergreen Strategic Growth Fund sought large cap companies offering superior long-term growth potential. The portfolio managers of Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund and Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund aimed to balance each portfolio with exposure both to

 

 

2

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

consistent growth companies and to companies offering attractive intrinsic value. At the same time, managers of Evergreen Growth Fund concentrated on opportunities among small cap growth companies with above-average earnings prospects and reasonable stock valuations.

We believe the changing conditions in the investment environment over the period have underscored the value of a well-diversified, long-term investment strategy to help soften the effects of volatility in any one market or asset class. As always, we encourage investors to maintain diversified investment portfolios in pursuit of their long-term investment goals.

Please visit us at EvergreenInvestments.com for more information about our funds and other investment products available to you. Thank you for your continued support of Evergreen Investments.

Sincerely,

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Evergreen Funds

Notice to Shareholders:

The Evergreen Funds’ Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the reorganizations of the Evergreen Funds, including the Fund in this report, into Wells Fargo Advantage Funds®. Each reorganization is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including approval by the Evergreen Fund’s shareholders at a meeting expected to be held in June 2010. It is anticipated that the reorganizations, if they are approved by shareholders and all conditions to the closing are satisfied, will occur in July 2010. Additional information, including a description of the applicable reorganization and information about fees, expenses, and risk factors, will be provided to shareholders of each Evergreen Fund in a Prospectus/Proxy Statement that was mailed in April 2010.

The foregoing is not an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, shares of any Wells Fargo Advantage Fund, nor is it a solicitation of any proxy. For more information, or to receive a free copy of the Prospectus/Proxy Statement once a registration statement relating to a proposed reorganization has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and becomes effective, please call 1.800.343.2898 or visit Evergreeninvestments.com. The Prospectus/Proxy Statement will also be available for free on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov). Please read the Prospectus/Proxy Statement carefully before making any investment decisions.

 

 

3

 


FUND AT A GLANCE

as of March 31, 2010

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Investment Advisor:

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC

Portfolio Manager:

Aziz Hamzaogullari, CFA

CURRENT INVESTMENT STYLE

 


Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar’s style box is based on a portfolio date as of 3/31/2010.

The Equity style box placement is based on 10 growth and valuation measures for each fund holding and the median size of the companies in which the fund invests.

PERFORMANCE AND RETURNS

Portfolio inception date: 4/29/1968

 

 

Class A

Class B

Class C

Class I

Class R

Class inception date

4/29/1968

8/2/1993

8/2/1993

1/13/1997

10/10/2003







Nasdaq symbol

EKOAX

EKOBX

EKOCX

EOMYX

EKORX







6-month return with sales charge

7.04%

8.12%

12.14%

N/A

N/A







6-month return w/o sales charge

13.57%

13.12%

13.14%

13.71%

13.42%







Average annual return*

 

 

 

 

 







1-year with sales charge

39.58%

41.95%

46.00%

N/A

N/A







1-year w/o sales charge

48.09%

46.95%

47.00%

48.47%

47.70%







5-year

4.98%

5.13%

5.46%

6.52%

5.99%







10-year

-2.30%

-2.44%

-2.43%

-1.45%

-1.85%







Maximum sales charge

5.75%

5.00%

1.00%

N/A

N/A

 

Front-end

CDSC

CDSC

 

 







*

Adjusted for maximum applicable sales charge, unless noted.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance quoted represents past performance and current performance may be lower or higher. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investors’ shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end for Classes A, B, C or I, please go to EvergreenInvestments.com/fundperformance. Please call 1.800.847.5397 for the most recent month-end performance information for Class R. The performance of each class may vary based on differences in loads, fees and expenses paid by the shareholders investing in each class. Performance includes the reinvestment of income dividends and capital gain distributions. Performance shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Please keep in mind that high double-digit returns were primarily achieved during favorable market conditions. You should not expect that such favorable returns can be consistently achieved. A Fund’s performance, especially for very short time periods, should not be the sole factor in making your investment decision.

Historical performance shown for Class R prior to its inception is based on the performance of Class A, the original class offered. The historical returns for Class R have not been adjusted to reflect the effect of its 12b-1 fee. The fund incurs a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% for Class A, 0.50% for Class R and 1.00% for Classes B and C. Class I does not pay a 12b-1 fee. If these fees had been reflected, returns for Class R would have been lower.

 

 

4

 


FUND AT A GLANCE continued

 


Comparison of a $10,000 investment in the Evergreen Omega Fund Class A shares, reflective of maximum applicable sales charge, versus a similar investment in the Russell 1000 Growth Index (Russell 1000 Growth) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Russell 1000 Growth is an unmanaged market index and does not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses or any taxes. The CPI is a commonly used measure of inflation and does not represent an investment return. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

The returns shown for Class B shares do not reflect the conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares after eight years.

Class B shares are closed to new investments by new and existing shareholders.

Returns reflect expense limits previously in effect, without which returns would have been lower.

Class I shares are only offered, subject to the minimum initial purchase requirements, in the following manner: (1) to investment advisory clients of EIMC (or its advisory affiliates), (2) to employer- or state-sponsored benefit plans, including but not limited to, retirement plans, defined benefit plans, deferred compensation plans, or savings plans, (3) to fee-based mutual fund wrap accounts, (4) through arrangements entered into on behalf of the Evergreen funds with certain financial services firms, (5) to certain institutional investors, and (6) to persons who owned Class Y shares in registered name in an Evergreen fund on or before December 31, 1994 or who owned shares of any SouthTrust fund in registered name as of March 18, 2005 or who owned shares of Vestaur Securities Fund as of May 20, 2005.

Class I shares are only available to institutional shareholders with a minimum of $1 million investment, which may be waived in certain situations.

Class R shares generally are available only to 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer-sponsored 403(b) plans, profit sharing and money purchase pension plans, defined benefit plans and non-qualified deferred compensation plans.

The fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of the fund’s shareholders.

Foreign investments may contain more risk due to the inherent risks associated with changing political climates, foreign market instability and foreign currency fluctuations.

Small and mid cap securities may be subject to special risks associated with narrower product lines and limited financial resources compared to their large cap counterparts, and, as a result, small and mid cap securities may decline significantly in market downturns and may be more volatile than those of larger companies due to the higher risk of failure.

All data is as of March 31, 2010, and subject to change.

 

 

5

 


ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

The Example below is intended to describe the fees and expenses borne by shareholders and the impact of those costs on your investment.

Example

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads), redemption fees and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees and other fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

The example illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual expenses

The section in the table under the heading “Actual” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in these columns, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the appropriate column for your share class, in the column entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees or exchange fees. Therefore, the section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

 

 

Beginning
Account Value
10/1/2009

 

Ending
Account Value
3/31/2010

 

Expenses Paid
During Period*

 








 

Actual

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,135.70

 

$

7.13

 

 

Class B

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,131.23

 

$

11.05

 

 

Class C

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,131.38

 

$

11.11

 

 

Class I

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,137.12

 

$

5.81

 

 

Class R

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,134.16

 

$

8.46

 

 

Hypothetical

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5% return before expenses)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,018.25

 

$

6.74

 

 

Class B

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,014.56

 

$

10.45

 

 

Class C

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,014.51

 

$

10.50

 

 

Class I

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,019.50

 

$

5.49

 

 

Class R

 

$1,000.00

 

$1,017.00

 

$

8.00

 

 










 

*

For each class of the fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio of each class (1.34% for Class A, 2.08% for Class B, 2.09% for Class C, 1.09% for Class I and 1.59% for Class R), multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182 / 365 days.

 

 

6

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS A

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

28.44

 

$

27.26

 

$

31.44

 

$

25.60

 

$

25.54

 

$

23.00

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.02

)1

 

0.18

1

 

0.05

1

 

(0.11

)1

 

(0.15

)1

 

(0.12

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

3.87

 

 

1.00

 

 

(4.23

)

 

5.95

 

 

0.21

 

 

2.66

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

3.85

 

 

1.18

 

 

(4.18

)

 

5.84

 

 

0.06

 

 

2.54

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.19

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

32.10

 

$

28.44

 

$

27.26

 

$

31.44

 

$

25.60

 

$

25.54

 




















 

Total return2

 

 

13.57

%

 

4.33

%

 

(13.30

)%

 

22.81

%

 

0.23

%

 

11.04

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

511,173

 

$

460,082

 

$

465,952

 

$

595,296

 

$

520,421

 

$

449,639

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.34

%3

 

1.39

%

 

1.37

%

 

1.40

%

 

1.42

%

 

1.44

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.34

%3

 

1.48

%

 

1.44

%

 

1.46

%

 

1.51

%

 

1.48

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.14

)%3

 

0.79

%

 

0.16

%

 

(0.38

)%

 

(0.57

)%

 

(0.49

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

5

%

 

26

%

 

44

%

 

23

%

 

128

%

 

134

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Excluding applicable sales charges

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

7

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS B

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

24.46

 

$

23.62

 

$

27.45

 

$

22.51

 

$

22.62

 

$

20.51

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.12

)1

 

0.02

1

 

(0.15

)1

 

(0.27

)1

 

(0.29

)1

 

(0.25

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

3.33

 

 

0.82

 

 

(3.68

)

 

5.21

 

 

0.18

 

 

2.36

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

3.21

 

 

0.84

 

 

(3.83

)

 

4.94

 

 

(0.11

)

 

2.11

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

27.67

 

$

24.46

 

$

23.62

 

$

27.45

 

$

22.51

 

$

22.62

 




















 

Total return2

 

 

13.12

%

 

3.56

%

 

(13.95

)%

 

21.95

%

 

(0.49

)%

 

10.29

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

52,167

 

$

51,984

 

$

85,008

 

$

183,129

 

$

311,011

 

$

437,122

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

2.08

%3

 

2.13

%

 

2.11

%

 

2.11

%

 

2.12

%

 

2.14

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

2.08

%3

 

2.22

%

 

2.16

%

 

2.15

%

 

2.21

%

 

2.18

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.90

)%3

 

0.10

%

 

(0.61

)%

 

(1.08

)%

 

(1.27

)%

 

(1.17

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

5

%

 

26

%

 

44

%

 

23

%

 

128

%

 

134

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Excluding applicable sales charges

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

8

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS C

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

24.53

 

$

23.69

 

$

27.52

 

$

22.57

 

$

22.67

 

$

20.57

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.12

)

 

0

1

 

(0.15

)1

 

(0.27

)1

 

(0.29

)1

 

(0.25

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

3.34

 

 

0.84

 

 

(3.68

)

 

5.22

 

 

0.19

 

 

2.35

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

3.22

 

 

0.84

 

 

(3.83

)

 

4.95

 

 

(0.10

)

 

2.10

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.02

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

27.73

 

$

24.53

 

$

23.69

 

$

27.52

 

$

22.57

 

$

22.67

 




















 

Total return2

 

 

13.14

%

 

3.55

%

 

(13.92

)%

 

21.93

%

 

(0.44

)%

 

10.21

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

49,536

 

$

43,806

 

$

40,829

 

$

54,982

 

$

64,042

 

$

92,223

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

2.09

%3

 

2.14

%

 

2.11

%

 

2.11

%

 

2.12

%

 

2.14

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

2.09

%3

 

2.23

%

 

2.16

%

 

2.15

%

 

2.21

%

 

2.18

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.89

)%3

 

0.02

%

 

(0.58

)%

 

(1.09

)%

 

(1.27

)%

 

(1.15

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

5

%

 

26

%

 

44

%

 

23

%

 

128

%

 

134

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Excluding applicable sales charges

3

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

9

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS I

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

29.39

 

$

28.10

 

$

32.32

 

$

26.25

 

$

26.10

 

$

23.44

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0.21

 

 

0.24

1

 

0.13

1

 

(0.03

)1

 

(0.08

)1

 

(0.04

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

3.80

 

 

1.05

 

 

(4.35

)

 

6.10

 

 

0.23

 

 

2.70

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

4.01

 

 

1.29

 

 

(4.22

)

 

6.07

 

 

0.15

 

 

2.66

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.25

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

33.15

 

$

29.39

 

$

28.10

 

$

32.32

 

$

26.25

 

$

26.10

 




















 

Total return

 

 

13.71

%

 

4.59

%

 

(13.06

)%

 

23.12

%

 

0.57

%

 

11.35

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

31,220

 

$

32,437

 

$

23,910

 

$

16,503

 

$

16,344

 

$

10,526

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.09

%2

 

1.14

%

 

1.12

%

 

1.11

%

 

1.12

%

 

1.14

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.09

%2

 

1.23

%

 

1.17

%

 

1.15

%

 

1.21

%

 

1.18

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

0.12

%2

 

1.00

%

 

0.42

%

 

(0.09

)%

 

(0.30

)%

 

(0.15

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

5

%

 

26

%

 

44

%

 

23

%

 

128

%

 

134

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

10

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS R

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

2006

 

2005

 














 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

28.09

 

$

26.99

 

$

31.20

 

$

25.47

 

$

25.46

 

$

22.97

 




















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.06

)

 

0.08

1

 

(0.02

)1

 

(0.14

)1

 

(0.19

)1

 

(0.24

)1

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

3.82

 

 

1.02

 

 

(4.19

)

 

5.87

 

 

0.20

 

 

2.73

 

 

 


















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

3.76

 

 

1.10

 

 

(4.21

)

 

5.73

 

 

0.01

 

 

2.49

 




















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

(0.18

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 




















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

31.67

 

$

28.09

 

$

26.99

 

$

31.20

 

$

25.47

 

$

25.46

 




















 

Total return

 

 

13.42

%

 

4.08

%

 

(13.49

)%

 

22.50

%

 

0.04

%

 

10.84

%




















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

1,604

 

$

838

 

$

84

 

$

63

 

$

445

 

$

385

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.59

%2

 

1.67

%

 

1.61

%

 

1.61

%

 

1.62

%

 

1.63

%

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.59

%2

 

1.76

%

 

1.66

%

 

1.65

%

 

1.71

%

 

1.67

%

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

(0.33

)%2

 

0.35

%

 

(0.08

)%

 

(0.53

)%

 

(0.75

)%

 

(0.98

)%

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

5

%

 

26

%

 

44

%

 

23

%

 

128

%

 

134

%




















 

1

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

2

Annualized

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

11

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 


Shares

 

 


Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    99.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY    17.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Internet & Catalog Retail    10.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon.com, Inc. *

 

 

331,529

 

$

44,998,432

 

Blue Nile, Inc. * ρ

 

 

438,584

 

 

24,130,892

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

69,129,324

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Media    1.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Omnicom Group, Inc.

 

 

288,690

 

 

11,204,059

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Multiline Retail    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Target Corp.

 

 

96,002

 

 

5,049,705

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Specialty Retail    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Depot, Inc.

 

 

165,450

 

 

5,352,307

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods    3.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timberland Co., Class A *

 

 

984,650

 

 

21,012,431

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

CONSUMER STAPLES    5.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beverages    0.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coca-Cola Co.

 

 

89,239

 

 

4,908,145

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Food Products    2.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

McCormick & Co., Inc.

 

 

411,550

 

 

15,787,058

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Household Products    2.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clorox Co.

 

 

158,519

 

 

10,167,408

 

Procter & Gamble Co.

 

 

73,992

 

 

4,681,474

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14,848,882

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

ENERGY    3.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Energy Equipment & Services    3.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schlumberger, Ltd.

 

 

278,218

 

 

17,655,714

 

Weatherford International, Ltd. *

 

 

297,200

 

 

4,713,592

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22,369,306

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels    0.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chevron Corp.

 

 

8,092

 

 

613,616

 

ConocoPhillips

 

 

12,033

 

 

615,729

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,229,345

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

FINANCIALS    19.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Markets    7.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Legg Mason, Inc.

 

 

603,267

 

 

17,295,665

 

SEI Investments Co.

 

 

1,386,655

 

 

30,464,810

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

47,760,475

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Consumer Finance    7.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

American Express Co.

 

 

351,000

 

 

14,482,260

 

Visa, Inc., Class A

 

 

398,400

 

 

36,266,352

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

50,748,612

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

12

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 


Shares

 

 


Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINANCIALS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diversified Financial Services    3.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MSCI, Inc., Class A *

 

 

588,100

 

$

21,230,410

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Insurance    0.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marsh & McLennan Cos.

 

 

230,487

 

 

5,628,493

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

HEALTH CARE    17.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology    7.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amgen, Inc. *

 

 

324,506

 

 

19,392,478

 

Biogen Idec, Inc. *

 

 

503,363

 

 

28,872,902

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

48,265,380

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies    4.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medtronic, Inc.

 

 

218,618

 

 

9,844,368

 

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. *

 

 

357,743

 

 

21,178,386

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

31,022,754

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Health Care Providers & Services    0.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WellPoint, Inc. *

 

 

22,907

 

 

1,474,753

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Pharmaceuticals    4.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Merck & Co., Inc.

 

 

290,884

 

 

10,864,518

 

Novartis AG, ADR ρ

 

 

330,263

 

 

17,867,228

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28,731,746

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

INDUSTRIALS    8.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Air Freight & Logistics    7.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

 

 

817,861

 

 

30,195,428

 

United Parcel Service, Inc., Class B

 

 

247,700

 

 

15,954,357

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

46,149,785

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Professional Services    1.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CoStar Group, Inc. *

 

 

155,500

 

 

6,456,360

 

Verisk Analytics, Inc., Class A *

 

 

111,722

 

 

3,150,561

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9,606,921

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    28.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Equipment    4.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cisco Systems, Inc. *

 

 

472,215

 

 

12,291,757

 

QUALCOMM, Inc.

 

 

388,784

 

 

16,325,040

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

28,616,797

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet Software & Services    5.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Google, Inc., Class A *

 

 

58,435

 

 

33,133,229

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

IT Services    1.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

 

 

173,347

 

 

7,708,741

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

13

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 


Shares

 

 


Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment    6.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Altera Corp.

 

 

1,232,374

 

$

29,959,012

 

Analog Devices, Inc.

 

 

209,000

 

 

6,023,380

 

Linear Technology Corp. ρ

 

 

301,600

 

 

8,529,248

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

44,511,640

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Software    10.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FactSet Research Systems, Inc. ρ

 

 

385,800

 

 

28,306,146

 

Microsoft Corp.

 

 

423,385

 

 

12,392,479

 

Oracle Corp.

 

 

1,027,031

 

 

26,384,426

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

67,083,051

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Common Stocks    (cost $513,133,082)

 

 

 

 

 

642,563,349

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS    6.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUTUAL FUND SHARES    6.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BlackRock Liquidity TempFund, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

 

17,651,521

 

 

17,651,521

 

Evergreen Institutional Money Market Fund, Class I, 0.01% q ø ρρ

 

 

6,763,291

 

 

6,763,291

 

Evergreen Institutional U.S. Government Money Market Fund, Class I, 0.01% q ø

 

 

1,987,511

 

 

1,987,511

 

Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Fund Money Market Portfolio, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

 

17,443,682

 

 

17,443,682

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Short-Term Investments    (cost $43,846,005)

 

 

 

 

 

43,846,005

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Investments    (cost $556,979,087)    106.3%

 

 

 

 

 

686,409,354

 

Other Assets and Liabilities    (6.3%)

 

 

 

 

 

(40,710,144

)

 

 

 

 

 



 

Net Assets    100.0%

 

 

 

 

$

645,699,210

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

*

Non-income producing security

ρ

All or a portion of this security is on loan.

q

Rate shown is the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

ρρ

All or a portion of this security represents investment of cash collateral received from securities on loan.

ø

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC is the investment advisor to both the Fund and the money market fund.

 

Summary of Abbreviations

ADR

American Depository Receipt

The following table shows the percent of total long-term investments by sector as of March 31, 2010:

 

Information Technology

 

28.2

%

Financials

 

19.5

%

Consumer Discretionary

 

17.4

%

Health Care

 

17.0

%

Industrials

 

8.7

%

Consumer Staples

 

5.5

%

Energy

 

3.7

%

 

 


 

 

 

100.0

%

 

 


 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

14

 


STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

Investments in unaffiliated issuers, at value (cost $548,228,285) including $40,591,198 of securities loaned

 

$

677,658,552

 

Investments in affiliated issuers, at value (cost $8,750,802)

 

 

8,750,802

 





 

Total investments

 

 

686,409,354

 

Segregated cash

 

 

14,232

 

Receivable for Fund shares sold

 

 

1,325,453

 

Dividends receivable

 

 

1,018,357

 

Receivable for securities lending income

 

 

20,352

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

71,760

 





 

Total assets

 

 

688,859,508

 





 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

 

 

1,174,267

 

Payable for securities on loan

 

 

41,872,726

 

Advisory fee payable

 

 

9,241

 

Distribution Plan expenses payable

 

 

6,338

 

Due to other related parties

 

 

5,723

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

92,003

 





 

Total liabilities

 

 

43,160,298

 





 

Net assets

 

$

645,699,210

 





 

Net assets represented by

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

$

950,721,088

 

Overdistributed net investment loss

 

 

(819,870

)

Accumulated net realized losses on investments

 

 

(433,632,275

)

Net unrealized gains on investments

 

 

129,430,267

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

645,699,210

 





 

Net assets consists of

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

511,172,917

 

Class B

 

 

52,166,649

 

Class C

 

 

49,535,733

 

Class I

 

 

31,220,313

 

Class R

 

 

1,603,598

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

645,699,210

 





 

Shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized)

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

15,924,436

 

Class B

 

 

1,885,019

 

Class C

 

 

1,786,475

 

Class I

 

 

941,901

 

Class R

 

 

50,628

 





 

Net asset value per share

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

32.10

 

Class A — Offering price (based on sales charge of 5.75%)

 

$

34.06

 

Class B

 

$

27.67

 

Class C

 

$

27.73

 

Class I

 

$

33.15

 

Class R

 

$

31.67

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

15

 


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Six Months Ended March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Investment income

 

 

 

 

Dividends (net of foreign withholding taxes of $99,605)

 

$

3,616,644

 

Securities lending

 

 

42,434

 

Income from affiliated issuers

 

 

1,196

 





 

Total investment income

 

 

3,660,274

 





 

Expenses

 

 

 

 

Advisory fee

 

 

1,598,495

 

Distribution Plan expenses

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

609,217

 

Class B

 

 

255,722

 

Class C

 

 

233,851

 

Class R

 

 

3,117

 

Administrative services fee

 

 

307,403

 

Transfer agent fees

 

 

1,199,752

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses

 

 

6,634

 

Printing and postage expenses

 

 

69,005

 

Custodian and accounting fees

 

 

72,791

 

Registration and filing fees

 

 

43,813

 

Professional fees

 

 

26,018

 

Interest expense

 

 

48

 

Other

 

 

11,643

 





 

Total expenses

 

 

4,437,509

 

Less: Expense reductions

 

 

(65

)





 

Net expenses

 

 

4,437,444

 





 

Net investment loss

 

 

(777,170

)





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

349,881

 

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

78,290,782

 





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

78,640,663

 





 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

$

77,863,493

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

16

 


STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

  

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 

Year Ended

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

September 30, 2009

 






 

Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income (loss)

 

 

 

$

(777,170

)

 

 

$

3,302,572

 

Net realized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

349,881

 

 

 

 

(37,534,588

)

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

78,290,782

 

 

 

 

47,129,070

 












 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

 

 

 

77,863,493

 

 

 

 

12,897,054

 












 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

 

 

(3,039,350

)

 

 

 

0

 

Class C

 

 

 

 

(38,379

)

 

 

 

0

 

Class I

 

 

 

 

(216,128

)

 

 

 

0

 

Class R

 

 

 

 

(8,005

)

 

 

 

0

 












 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

 

 

(3,301,862

)

 

 

 

0

 












 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 












 

Capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from shares sold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

854,710

 

 

25,972,168

 

1,147,772

 

 

27,740,191

 

Class B

 

18,337

 

 

485,303

 

181,477

 

 

3,496,619

 

Class C

 

146,305

 

 

3,826,974

 

412,479

 

 

8,601,221

 

Class I

 

412,422

 

 

12,654,944

 

448,507

 

 

11,306,125

 

Class R

 

30,964

 

 

919,370

 

102,631

 

 

2,415,251

 












 

 

 

 

 

 

43,858,759

 

 

 

 

53,559,407

 












 

Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

92,412

 

 

2,785,288

 

0

 

 

0

 

Class C

 

1,150

 

 

30,010

 

0

 

 

0

 

Class I

 

6,244

 

 

194,202

 

0

 

 

0

 

Class R

 

169

 

 

5,026

 

0

 

 

0

 












 

 

 

 

 

 

3,014,526

 

 

 

 

0

 












 

Automatic conversion of Class B shares to Class A shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

79,937

 

 

2,327,970

 

826,492

 

 

18,988,798

 

Class B

 

(92,988

)

 

(2,327,970

)

(957,225

)

 

(18,988,798

)












 

 

 

 

 

 

0

 

 

 

 

0

 












 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

(1,279,069

)

 

(38,792,061

)

(2,889,525

)

 

(65,971,047

)

Class B

 

(165,549

)

 

(4,299,294

)

(697,389

)

 

(13,569,375

)

Class C

 

(146,949

)

 

(3,853,574

)

(350,181

)

 

(6,917,725

)

Class I

 

(580,509

)

 

(17,624,562

)

(195,688

)

 

(4,830,031

)

Class R

 

(10,347

)

 

(314,422

)

(75,911

)

 

(1,804,408

)












 

 

 

 

 

 

(64,883,913

)

 

 

 

(93,092,586

)












 

Net decrease in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

(18,010,628

)

 

 

 

(39,533,179

)












 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

 

 

 

 

56,551,003

 

 

 

 

(26,636,125

)

Net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

 

 

589,148,207

 

 

 

 

615,784,332

 












 

End of period

 

 

 

$

645,699,210

 

 

 

$

589,148,207

 












 

Undistributed (overdistributed) net investment income (loss)

 

 

 

$

(819,870

)

 

 

$

3,259,162

 












 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

17

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION

Evergreen Omega Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified series of Evergreen Equity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 18, 1997. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

The Fund offers Class A, Class B, Class C, Class I and Class R shares. Class A shares are sold with a front-end sales charge. However, Class A share investments of $1 million or more are not subject to a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% upon redemption within 18 months. Class B shares are available for purchase only through (i) an exchange transaction in which Class B shares of another Evergreen fund are exchanged or (ii) the Fund’s dividend reinvestment program. Class B shares are sold without a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption and decreases depending on how long the shares had been held. Class C shares are sold without a front-end sales charge, but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge that is payable upon redemption within one year. Class I shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge. Class R shares are only available to participants in certain retirement plans and are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge. Each class of shares, except Class I shares, pays an ongoing distribution fee.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The policies are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported herein. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Management has considered the circumstances under which the Fund should recognize or make disclosures regarding events or transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements are issued. Adjustments or additional disclosures, if any, have been included in these financial statements.

a. Valuation of investments

Listed equity securities are usually valued at the last sales price or official closing price on the national securities exchange where the securities are principally traded. If there has been no sale, the securities are valued at the mean between bid and asked prices.

Investments in open-end mutual funds are valued at net asset value. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or not reflective of current fair value are valued at fair value as determined by the investment advisor in good faith, according to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

 

 

18

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

The valuation techniques used by the Fund to measure fair value are consistent with the market approach, income approach and/or cost approach, where applicable, for each security type.

b. Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities to certain qualified brokers in order to earn additional income. The Fund receives compensation in the form of fees or interest earned on the investment of any cash collateral received. The Fund also continues to receive interest and dividends on the securities loaned. The Fund receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a market value at least equal to the market value of the securities on loan. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund could experience delays and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to the collateral. In addition, the investment of any cash collateral received may lose all or part of its value. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand.

c. Security transactions and investment income

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses are computed using the specific cost of the security sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Foreign income and capital gains realized on some securities may be subject to foreign taxes, which are accrued as applicable.

d. Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income, including any net capital gains (which have already been offset by available capital loss carryovers). Accordingly, no provision for federal taxes is required. The Fund’s income and excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal, Massachusetts and Delaware revenue authorities.

e. Distributions

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Such distributions are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.

f. Class allocations

Income, common expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based on the relative net assets of each class. Distribution fees, if any, are calculated daily at the class level based on the appropriate net assets of each class and the specific expense rates applicable to each class.

3. ADVISORY FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC (“EIMC”), a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the investment advisor to the Fund and is paid an

 

 

19

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

annual fee starting at 0.52% and declining to 0.41% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Fund and its variable annuity counterpart, Evergreen VA Omega Fund, increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the advisory fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.52% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

The Fund may invest in money market funds which are advised by EIMC. Income earned on these investments is included in income from affiliated issuers on the Statement of Operations.

EIMC also serves as the administrator to the Fund providing the Fund with facilities, equipment and personnel. EIMC is paid an annual rate determined by applying percentage rates to the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) starting at 0.10% and declining to 0.05% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the administrative services fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Evergreen Service Company, LLC (“ESC”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund. ESC receives account fees that vary based on the type of account held by the shareholders in the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the transfer agent fees were equivalent to an annual rate of 0.39% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Wachovia Bank NA, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo and an affiliate of EIMC, through its securities lending division, Wachovia Global Securities Lending, acts as the securities lending agent for the Fund (see Note 5).

4. DISTRIBUTION PLANS

Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“WFFD”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo serves as distributor of the Fund’s shares. Prior to January 4, 2010, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc. (“EIS”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, served as distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Fund has adopted Distribution Plans, as allowed by Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, for each class of shares, except Class I. Under the Distribution Plans, the Fund is permitted to pay distribution fees at an annual rate of up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets for Class A shares and up to 1.00% of the average daily net assets for each of Class B, Class C and Class R shares. However, currently the distribution fees for Class A shares are limited to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the class and the distribution fees for Class R shares are limited to 0.50% of the average daily net assets of Class R shares.

For the six months ended March 31, 2010, EIS received $17,763 from the sale of Class A shares and $1,882, $36,681 and $1,745 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class A, Class B and Class C shares, respectively.

 

 

20

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

5. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

Cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding short-term securities) were $31,576,724 and $50,668,712, respectively, for the six months ended March 31, 2010.

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

As of March 31, 2010, the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets, which are carried at fair value, were as follows:

 

Investments in Securities

 

Quoted Prices
(Level 1)

 

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

Total

 










 

Equity securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stocks

 

$

642,563,349

 

$0

 

$0

 

$

642,563,349

 

Short-term investments

 

 

43,846,005

 

 0

 

 0

 

 

43,846,005

 












 

 

 

$

686,409,354

 

$0

 

$0

 

$

686,409,354

 












 

Further details on the major security types listed above can be found in the Schedule of Investments.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund loaned securities to certain brokers and earned $42,434, net of $4,800 paid to Wachovia Global Securities Lending as the securities lending agent. At March 31, 2010, the value of securities on loan and the total value of collateral received for securities loaned (including segregated cash) amounted to $40,591,198 and $41,872,726, respectively.

On March 31, 2010, the aggregate cost of securities for federal income tax purposes was $558,753,761. The gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on securities based on tax cost was $153,176,197 and $25,520,604, respectively, with a net unrealized appreciation of $127,655,593.

 

 

21

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

As of September 30, 2009, the Fund had $400,398,111 in capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes with $196,908,105 expiring in 2010, $199,421,027 expiring in 2011 and $4,068,979 expiring in 2017. Certain portions of the capital loss carryovers of the Fund were assumed as a result of acquisitions. These losses are subject to certain limitations prescribed by the Internal Revenue Code.

For income tax purposes, capital losses incurred after October 31 within the Fund’s fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year. As of September 30, 2009, the Fund incurred and elected to defer post-October losses of $31,899,202.

6. INTERFUND LENDING

Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the SEC, the Fund may participate in an interfund lending program with certain funds in the Evergreen fund family. This program allows the Fund to borrow from, or lend money to, other participating funds. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund did not participate in the interfund lending program.

7. EXPENSE REDUCTIONS

Through expense offset arrangements with ESC and the Fund’s custodian, a portion of fund expenses has been reduced.

8. DEFERRED TRUSTEES’ FEES

Each Trustee of the Fund may defer any or all compensation related to performance of his or her duties as a Trustee. The Trustees’ deferred balances are allocated to deferral accounts, which are included in the accrued expenses for the Fund. The investment performance of the deferral accounts is based on the investment performance of certain Evergreen funds. Any gains earned or losses incurred in the deferral accounts are reported in the Fund’s Trustees’ fees and expenses. At the election of the Trustees, the deferral account will be paid either in one lump sum or in quarterly installments for up to ten years.

9. FINANCING AGREEMENT

The Fund and certain other Evergreen funds share in a $100 million unsecured revolving credit commitment for temporary and emergency purposes, including the funding of redemptions, as permitted by each participating fund’s borrowing restrictions. Borrowings under this facility bear interest at the higher of the Federal Funds rate plus 1.25% or LIBOR plus 1.25%. All of the participating funds are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.145% on the unused balance, which is allocated pro rata.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund had average borrowings outstanding of $3,288 (on an annualized basis) at a rate of 1.46% and paid interest of $48.

 

 

22

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

10. REGULATORY MATTERS AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Evergreen funds, EIMC and certain of EIMC’s affiliates are involved in various legal actions, including private litigation and class action lawsuits, and are and may in the future be subject to regulatory inquiries and investigations.

EIMC and EIS have reached final settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Securities Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) primarily relating to the liquidation of Evergreen Ultra Short Opportunities Fund (“Ultra Short Fund”). The claims settled include the following: first, that during the period February 2007 through Ultra Short Fund’s liquidation on June 18, 2008, Ultra Short Fund’s former portfolio management team failed to properly take into account readily-available information in valuing certain non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities held by the Ultra Short Fund, resulting in the Ultra Short Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) being overstated during the period; second, that EIMC and EIS acted inappropriately when, in an effort to explain the decline in Ultra Short Fund’s NAV, certain information regarding the decline was communicated to some, but not all, shareholders and financial intermediaries; third, that the Ultra Short Fund portfolio management team did not adhere to regulatory requirements for affiliated cross trades in executing trades with other Evergreen funds; and finally, that from at least September 2007 to August 2008, EIS did not preserve certain text and instant messages transmitted via personal digital assistant devices. In settling these matters, EIMC and EIS have agreed to payments totaling $41,125,000, up to $40,125,000 of which will be distributed to eligible shareholders of Ultra Short Fund pursuant to a methodology and plan approved by the regulators. EIMC and EIS neither admitted nor denied the regulators’ conclusions.

Three purported class actions have also been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts relating to the same events; defendants include various Evergreen entities, including EIMC and EIS, and Evergreen Fixed Income Trust and its Trustees. The cases generally allege that investors in the Ultra Short Fund suffered losses as a result of (i) misleading statements in Ultra Short Fund’s registration statement and prospectus, (ii) the failure to accurately price securities in the Ultra Short Fund at different points in time and (iii) the failure of the Ultra Short Fund’s risk disclosures and description of its investment strategy to inform investors adequately of the actual risks of the fund.

EIMC does not expect that any of the legal actions, inquiries or settlement of regulatory matters will have a material adverse impact on the financial position or operations of the Fund to which these financial statements relate. Any publicity surrounding or resulting from any legal actions or regulatory inquiries involving EIMC or its affiliates or any of the Evergreen Funds could result in reduced sales or increased redemptions of Evergreen fund shares, which could increase Evergreen fund transaction costs or operating expenses or have other adverse consequences on the Evergreen funds, including the Fund.

 

 

23

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

11. REORGANIZATION

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on December 30, 2009, the Trustees of the Fund approved a Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Under the Plan, Wells Fargo Advantage Omega Growth Fund, which will be a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust created in order to receive the assets of the Fund upon completion of the reorganization, will acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of the Fund in exchange for shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Omega Growth Fund.

A special meeting of shareholders of the Fund will be held in June 2010 to consider and vote on the Plan. In April 2010, materials for this meeting were mailed to shareholders of record on March 10, 2010. If approved by the shareholders at this meeting, the reorganization will take place in July 2010.

 

 

24

 


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25

 


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26

 


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27

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

TRUSTEES1

 

Dr. Leroy Keith, Jr.
Trustee
DOB: 2/14/1939
Term of office since: 1983
Other directorships: Trustee,
Phoenix Fund Complex
(consisting of 46 portfolios
as of 12/31/2009)

Chairman, Bloc Global Services (development and construction); Former Managing Director, Almanac Capital Management (commodities firm); Trustee, Phoenix Fund Complex; Director, Diversapack Co. (packaging company); Former Partner, Stonington Partners, Inc. (private equity fund); Former Director, Obagi Medical Products Co.



Carol A. Kosel
Trustee
DOB: 12/25/1963
Term of office since: 2008
Other directorships: None

Former Consultant to the Evergreen Boards of Trustees; Former Vice President and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investments, Inc.; Former Treasurer, Evergreen Funds; Former Treasurer, Vestaur Securities Fund



Gerald M. McDonnell
Trustee
DOB: 7/14/1939
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Consultant, Rock Hill Metals Consultants LLC (Metals Consultant to steel industry); Former Manager of Commercial Operations, CMC Steel (steel producer)



Patricia B. Norris
Trustee
DOB: 4/9/1948
Term of office since: 2006
Other directorships: None

President and Director of Buckleys of Kezar Lake, Inc. (real estate company); Former President and Director of Phillips Pond Homes Association (home community); Former Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (independent registered public accounting firm)



William Walt Pettit2
Trustee
DOB: 8/26/1955
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Director, Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC (law firm); Director, Superior Packaging Corp. (packaging company); Member, Superior Land, LLC (real estate holding company), Member, K&P Development, LLC (real estate development); Former Vice President, Kellam & Pettit, P.A. (law firm); Former Director, National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. (non-profit organization)



David M. Richardson
Trustee
DOB: 9/19/1941
Term of office since: 1982
Other directorships: None

President, Richardson, Runden LLC (executive recruitment advisory services); Director, J&M Cumming Paper Co. (paper merchandising); Former Trustee, NDI Technologies, LLP (communications); Former Consultant, AESC (The Association of Executive Search Consultants)



Russell A. Salton III, MD
Trustee
DOB: 6/2/1947
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

President/CEO, AccessOne MedCard, Inc.



Michael S. Scofield
Trustee
DOB: 2/20/1943
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

Retired Attorney, Law Offices of Michael S. Scofield; Former Director and Chairman, Branded Media Corporation (multi-media branding company)



Richard J. Shima
Trustee
DOB: 8/11/1939
Term of office since: 1993
Other directorships: None

Independent Consultant; Director, Hartford Hospital; Trustee, Greater Hartford YMCA; Former Director,Trust Company of CT; Former Trustee, Saint Joseph College (CT)



 

 

28

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS continued

 

Richard K. Wagoner, CFA3
Trustee
DOB: 12/12/1937
Term of office since: 1999
Other directorships: None

Member and Former President, North Carolina Securities Traders Association; Member, Financial Analysts Society



OFFICERS

 

W. Douglas Munn4
President
DOB: 4/21/1963
Term of office since: 2009

Principal occupations: President and Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC; Former Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.



Jeremy DePalma4
Treasurer
DOB: 2/5/1974
Term of office since: 2005

Principal occupations: Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC; Assistant Treasurer, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds; Former Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Former Assistant Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.



Michael H. Koonce4
Secretary
DOB: 4/20/1960
Term of office since: 2000

Principal occupations: Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo & Company; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Alternative Strategies Brokerage Services, Inc.; Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC and Evergreen Service Company, LLC



Robert Guerin4
Chief Compliance Officer
DOB: 9/20/1965
Term of office since: 2007

Principal occupations: Chief Compliance Officer, Evergreen Funds and Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Compliance Manager, Wells Fargo Funds Management Group; Former Managing Director and Senior Compliance Officer, Babson Capital Management LLC; Former Principal and Director, Compliance and Risk Management, State Street Global Advisors; Former Vice President and Manager, Sales Practice Compliance, Deutsche Asset Management



1

Each Trustee serves until a successor is duly elected or qualified or until his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office. Each Trustee oversaw 74 Evergreen funds as of December 31, 2009. Correspondence for each Trustee may be sent to Evergreen Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 20083, Charlotte, NC 28202.

2

It is possible that Mr. Pettit may be viewed as an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his law firm’s previous representation of affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor, EIMC. The Trustees are treating Mr. Pettit as an interested trustee for the time being.

3

Mr. Wagoner is an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds because of his ownership of shares in Wells Fargo & Company, the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor.

4

The address of the Officer is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Additional information about the Fund’s Board of Trustees and Officers can be found in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and is available upon request without charge by calling 800.343.2898.

 

 

29

 



122770 566382 rv7 05/2010

 


Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund

 


 


 

 

table of contents

1

 

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

4

 

FUND AT A GLANCE

6

 

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

7

 

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

9

 

SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

13

 

STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

14

 

STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

15

 

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

16

 

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

24

 

TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

This semiannual report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus of the Evergreen fund contained herein. The prospectus contains more complete information, including fees and expenses, and should be read carefully before investing or sending money.

The fund will file its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-Q. The fund’s Form N-Q will be available on the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. In addition, the fund’s Form N-Q may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 800.SEC.0330.

A description of the fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, as well as information regarding how the fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available by visiting our Web site at EvergreenInvestments.com or by visiting the SEC’s Web site at http://www.sec.gov. The fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures are also available without charge, upon request, by calling 800.343.2898.

Mutual Funds:

 NOT FDIC INSURED   MAY LOSE VALUE   NOT BANK GUARANTEED 

Evergreen InvestmentsSM is a service mark of Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC. Copyright 2010, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC.

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC, is a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company and is an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company’s broker/dealer subsidiaries. Evergreen mutual funds are distributed by Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC, an affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company.

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

May 2010

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Dear Valued Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide you with this semiannual report for Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund for the six-month period ended March 31, 2010 (the “period”).

Economic growth was strong throughout the period as the economic recovery appeared to gain momentum. Gross domestic product returned to positive growth in the third quarter of 2009, following four consecutive quarters of contraction for the first time in at least 60 years. The consensus among economists was that the recession that began in December 2007 had likely ended during the summer of 2009. However, with much of the growth attributable to government stimulus, questions remained over the sustainability of the recovery. By the end of the period, the National Bureau of Economic Research had not declared an official end to the recession.

Employment data turned positive during the period, a welcome sign that the economic recovery appeared to be moving toward self-sustainability. U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in March 2010, the most in three years. The unemployment rate edged down to 9.7% in the final months of the period, after having peaked at 10.1% in October 2009—its highest level in more than 25 years. Other encouraging news in March included increases in temporary jobs, average hours worked, and manufacturing employment. Still, more than 8 million jobs were lost during the recession and the number of long-term unemployed—those out of work for 27 weeks or longer—continued to increase, ending the period at 6.5 million.

Other economic data continued to show additional signs of improvement. Industrial production, manufacturing, and consumer sentiment had all improved significantly as the period came to a close. Retail sales strengthened significantly during the period, with particular strength in March 2010. Although housing inventory and foreclosure rates remained elevated, home sales and prices began to show signs of improvement in many areas of the country—spurred in part by the government’s $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers, which was extended through the end of April 2010.

Despite extensive quantitative easing measures by the Federal Reserve Board (the “Fed”), bank lending remained constrained during the period. This indicates that the trillions of dollars of government stimulus that were added to the monetary system might not have an inflationary impact in the near term. Throughout the period, the Federal Open Market Committee (the “FOMC”) held the federal funds rate at the range of 0% to 0.25% that it first targeted in December 2008. The Fed did, however, begin to remove some of its unconventional stimulus measures. It concluded its purchases of longer-term Treasuries in October 2009 and mortgage-backed securities in March 2010.

 

 

1

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

The FOMC’s final statement during the period noted that economic activity continued to strengthen, the labor market was stabilizing, business spending had risen significantly, and inflation remained subdued. However, the committee also noted that unemployment remained high and credit continued to be tight, reiterating that it was likely to keep the federal funds rate at exceptionally low levels for an extended period because of the continued substantial economic slack.

The strong rally in the equity markets continued during the period. The advance was interrupted only briefly by modest corrections in October 2009 and January 2010 due primarily to concerns about sovereign debt, with particular focus on Greece. The euro weakened significantly against the U.S. dollar as the European Union continued to debate potential support plans for Greece throughout the period.

Despite the macroeconomic concerns, strong corporate earnings reports throughout the period provided support for the equity markets to continue to move higher. Companies in the S&P 500® Index exceeded analysts’ earnings estimates at a pace of nearly 80% in the third quarter of 2009 and more than 70% in the fourth quarter of 2009. Other than brief spikes in market volatility in late October and early January, volatility, as measured by the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX), declined over the course of the period, ending at its lowest level since early 2008. Among major stock-market indices, the S&P 500® Index gained 10.6% during the period, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 11.8%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index advanced 12.9%, as the information technology sector remained one of the strongest-performing sectors.

Over the period, mid cap stocks outpaced both large cap and small cap stocks, which had similar returns, as measured by the Russell indices. The Russell Midcap Index rose 14.6%, while the Russell 1000 Index of large cap stocks advanced 11.7% and the Russell 2000 Index of small cap stocks gained 11.9%. Performance leadership between the growth and value investment styles was mixed according to market capitalization during the period. Among large cap stocks, the growth style significantly outpaced value. Conversely, value modestly outpaced growth among small cap stocks.

During the period, the management teams of Evergreen’s growth-oriented equity funds maintained their pursuit of capital appreciation, focusing on bottom-up, fundamental analysis in making individual stock selections consistent with the investment discipline and style of each fund. The manager of Evergreen Large Company Growth Fund and Evergreen Omega Fund pursued a small number of companies with the potential to sustain above-average growth for long-term cash flows. The management of Evergreen Strategic Growth Fund sought large cap companies offering superior long-term growth potential. The portfolio managers of Evergreen Mid Cap Growth Fund and Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund aimed to balance each portfolio with exposure both to

 

 

2

 


LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS continued

consistent growth companies and to companies offering attractive intrinsic value. At the same time, managers of Evergreen Growth Fund concentrated on opportunities among small cap growth companies with above-average earnings prospects and reasonable stock valuations.

We believe the changing conditions in the investment environment over the period have underscored the value of a well-diversified, long-term investment strategy to help soften the effects of volatility in any one market or asset class. As always, we encourage investors to maintain diversified investment portfolios in pursuit of their long-term investment goals.

Please visit us at EvergreenInvestments.com for more information about our funds and other investment products available to you. Thank you for your continued support of Evergreen Investments.

Sincerely,

 


W. Douglas Munn

President and Chief Executive Officer

Evergreen Funds

Notice to Shareholders:

The Evergreen Funds’ Board of Trustees has unanimously approved the reorganizations of the Evergreen Funds, including the Fund in this report, into Wells Fargo Advantage Funds®. Each reorganization is subject to the satisfaction of a number of conditions, including approval by the Evergreen Fund’s shareholders at a meeting expected to be held in June 2010. It is anticipated that the reorganizations, if they are approved by shareholders and all conditions to the closing are satisfied, will occur in July 2010. Additional information, including a description of the applicable reorganization and information about fees, expenses, and risk factors, will be provided to shareholders of each Evergreen Fund in a Prospectus/Proxy Statement that was mailed in April 2010.

The foregoing is not an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, shares of any Wells Fargo Advantage Fund, nor is it a solicitation of any proxy. For more information, or to receive a free copy of the Prospectus/Proxy Statement once a registration statement relating to a proposed reorganization has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and becomes effective, please call 1.800.343.2898 or visit Evergreeninvestments.com. The Prospectus/Proxy Statement will also be available for free on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website (www.sec.gov). Please read the Prospectus/Proxy Statement carefully before making any investment decisions.

 

 

3

 


FUND AT A GLANCE

as of March 31, 2010

MANAGEMENT TEAM

Investment Advisor:

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC

Portfolio Managers:

Robert C. Junkin, CPA; Lori S. Evans; Julian J. Johnson

CURRENT INVESTMENT STYLE

 


Source: Morningstar, Inc.

Morningstar’s style box is based on a portfolio date as of 3/31/2010.

The Equity style box placement is based on 10 growth and valuation measures for each fund holding and the median size of the companies in which the fund invests.

PERFORMANCE AND RETURNS

Portfolio inception date: 10/11/2005

 

 

Class A

Class I

Class inception date

10/11/2005

10/11/2005




Nasdaq symbol

ESMGX

ESMIX




6-month return with sales charge

4.96%

N/A




6-month return w/o sales charge

11.37%

11.56%




Average annual return*

 

 




1-year with sales charge

39.58%

N/A




1-year w/o sales charge

48.13%

48.70%




Since portfolio inception

4.87%

6.53%




Maximum sales charge

5.75%

N/A

 

Front-end

 




*

Adjusted for maximum applicable sales charge, unless noted.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The performance quoted represents past performance and current performance may be lower or higher. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that investors’ shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month-end for Classes A or I, please go to EvergreenInvestments.com/fundperformance. The performance of each class may vary based on differences in loads, fees and expenses paid by the shareholders investing in each class. Performance includes the reinvestment of income dividends and capital gain distributions. Performance shown does not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Please keep in mind that high double-digit returns were primarily achieved during favorable market conditions. You should not expect that such favorable returns can be consistently achieved. A Fund’s performance, especially for very short time periods, should not be the sole factor in making your investment decision.

The fund incurs a 12b-1 fee of 0.25% for Class A. Class I does not pay a 12b-1 fee.

The advisor is waiving a portion of its advisory fee. Had the fee not been waived, returns would have been lower. Returns reflect expense limits previously in effect for Class A, without which returns for Class A would have been lower.

 

 

4

 


FUND AT A GLANCE continued

 


Comparison of a $10,000 investment in the Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund Class A shares, reflective of maximum applicable sales charge, versus a similar investment in the Russell 2500 Growth Index (Russell 2500 Growth) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The Russell 2500 Growth is an unmanaged market index and does not include transaction costs associated with buying and selling securities, any mutual fund fees or expenses or any taxes. The CPI is a commonly used measure of inflation and does not represent an investment return. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Class I shares are only offered, subject to the minimum initial purchase requirements, in the following manner: (1) to investment advisory clients of EIMC (or its advisory affiliates), (2) to employer- or state-sponsored benefit plans, including but not limited to, retirement plans, defined benefit plans, deferred compensation plans, or savings plans, (3) to fee-based mutual fund wrap accounts, (4) through arrangements entered into on behalf of the Evergreen funds with certain financial services firms, (5) to certain institutional investors, and (6) to persons who owned Class Y shares in registered name in an Evergreen fund on or before December 31, 1994 or who owned shares of any SouthTrust fund in registered name as of March 18, 2005 or who owned shares of Vestaur Securities Fund as of May 20, 2005.

Class I shares are only available to institutional shareholders with a minimum of $1 million investment, which may be waived in certain situations.

The fund’s investment objective may be changed without a vote of the fund’s shareholders.

Small and mid cap securities may be subject to special risks associated with narrower product lines and limited financial resources compared to their large cap counterparts, and, as a result, small and mid cap securities may decline significantly in market downturns and may be more volatile than those of larger companies due to the higher risk of failure.

All data is as of March 31, 2010, and subject to change.

 

 

5

 


ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

The Example below is intended to describe the fees and expenses borne by shareholders and the impact of those costs on your investment.

Example

As a shareholder of the fund, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads), redemption fees and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees, distribution (12b-1) fees and other fund expenses. This Example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010.

The example illustrates your fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual expenses

The section in the table under the heading “Actual” provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in these columns, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the appropriate column for your share class, in the column entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

Hypothetical example for comparison purposes

The section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not the fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the fund and other funds. To do so, compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of the other funds.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees or exchange fees. Therefore, the section in the table under the heading “Hypothetical (5% return before expenses)” is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

 

Beginning
Account Value
10/1/2009

Ending
Account Value
3/31/2010

Expenses Paid
During Period*





Actual

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,113.72

$6.43

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,115.56

$5.12

Hypothetical

 

 

 

(5% return before expenses)

 

 

 

Class A

$1,000.00

$1,018.85

$6.14

Class I

$1,000.00

$1,020.09

$4.89





*

For each class of the fund, expenses are equal to the annualized expense ratio of each class (1.22% for Class A and 0.97% for Class I), multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182 / 365 days.

 

 

6

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS A

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

20061

 












 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

10.64

 

$

10.64

 

$

14.73

 

$

11.53

 

$

10.00

 

















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.04

)

 

(0.05

)

 

(0.08

)

 

(0.11

)2

 

(0.05

)

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.25

 

 

0.05

 

 

(2.59

)

 

3.31

 

 

1.58

 

 

 















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.21

 

 

0

 

 

(2.67

)

 

3.20

 

 

1.53

 

















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(1.36

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

Tax basis return of capital

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.06

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(1.42

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

11.85

 

$

10.64

 

$

10.64

 

$

14.73

 

$

11.53

 

















 

Total return3

 

 

11.37

%

 

0

%

 

(20.01

)%

 

27.75

%

 

15.30

%

















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

26,597

 

$

24,441

 

$

26,497

 

$

45,706

 

$

3

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

1.22

%4

 

1.22

%

 

1.18

%

 

1.17

%

 

1.18

%4, 5

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.50

%4

 

1.69

%

 

1.33

%

 

1.28

%

 

1.99

%4

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.67

)%4

 

(0.55

)%

 

(0.48

)%

 

(0.79

)%

 

(0.66

)%4

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

26

%

 

69

%

 

129

%

 

192

%

 

132

%

















 

1

For the period from October 11, 2005 (commencement of class operations), to September 30, 2006.

2

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

3

Excluding applicable sales charges

4

Annualized

5

Including the expense reductions, the ratio would be 1.17%.

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

7

 


FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(For a share outstanding throughout each period)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

Year Ended September 30,

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 


 

CLASS I

 

(unaudited)

 

2009

 

2008

 

2007

 

20061

 












 

Net asset value, beginning of period

 

$

10.73

 

$

10.71

 

$

14.77

 

$

11.54

 

$

10.00

 

















 

Income from investment operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.02

)2

 

(0.04

)

 

(0.03

)2

 

(0.06

)2

 

(0.02

)

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

1.26

 

 

0.06

 

 

(2.61

)

 

3.30

 

 

1.56

 

 

 















 

Total from investment operations

 

 

1.24

 

 

0.02

 

 

(2.64

)

 

3.24

 

 

1.54

 

















 

Distributions to shareholders from

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment income

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.01

)

 

0

 

Net realized gains

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(1.36

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

Tax basis return of capital

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(0.06

)

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

 















 

Total distributions to shareholders

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

(1.42

)

 

(0.01

)

 

0

 

















 

Net asset value, end of period

 

$

11.97

 

$

10.73

 

$

10.71

 

$

14.77

 

$

11.54

 

















 

Total return

 

 

11.56

%

 

0.19

%

 

(19.72

)%

 

28.11

%

 

15.40

%

















 

Ratios and supplemental data

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net assets, end of period (thousands)

 

$

16,365

 

$

24,710

 

$

17,489

 

$

140,931

 

$

22,429

 

Ratios to average net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses including waivers/reimbursements but excluding expense reductions

 

 

0.97

%3

 

0.97

%

 

0.92

%

 

0.92

%

 

0.93

%3, 4

Expenses excluding waivers/reimbursements and expense reductions

 

 

1.25

%3

 

1.44

%

 

1.04

%

 

0.98

%

 

1.74

%3

Net investment loss

 

 

(0.42

)%3

 

(0.35

)%

 

(0.27

)%

 

(0.42

)%

 

(0.37

)%3

Portfolio turnover rate

 

 

26

%

 

69

%

 

129

%

 

192

%

 

132

%

















 

1

For the period from October, 11, 2005 (commencement of class operations), to September 30, 2006.

2

Per share amount is based on average shares outstanding during the period.

3

Annualized

4

Including the expense reductions, the ratio would be 0.92%.

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

8

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 


Shares

 

 


Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    94.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY    23.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diversified Consumer Services    4.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capella Education Co. *

 

 

10,857

 

$

1,007,964

 

Strayer Education, Inc. ρ

 

 

3,200

 

 

779,264

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,787,228

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure    3.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Buffalo Wild Wings, Inc. *

 

 

20,148

 

 

969,320

 

Penn National Gaming, Inc. *

 

 

20,300

 

 

564,340

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,533,660

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet & Catalog Retail    2.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

priceline.com, Inc. *

 

 

4,300

 

 

1,096,500

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Specialty Retail    7.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aeropostale, Inc. *

 

 

29,000

 

 

836,070

 

Chico’s FAS, Inc. *

 

 

61,200

 

 

882,504

 

Guess?, Inc.

 

 

21,200

 

 

995,976

 

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. *

 

 

13,200

 

 

550,572

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,265,122

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods    5.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanesbrands, Inc. *

 

 

44,500

 

 

1,237,990

 

Lululemon Athletica, Inc ρ *

 

 

29,000

 

 

1,203,500

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,441,490

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

CONSUMER STAPLES    1.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Personal Products    1.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alberto-Culver Co.

 

 

30,600

 

 

800,190

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

ENERGY    6.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels    6.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continental Resources, Inc. *

 

 

24,400

 

 

1,038,220

 

Denbury Resources, Inc. *

 

 

40,477

 

 

682,847

 

Southwestern Energy Co. *

 

 

21,756

 

 

885,904

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,606,971

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

FINANCIALS    3.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Capital Markets    2.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INVESCO, Ltd.

 

 

40,900

 

 

896,119

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance    1.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NewAlliance Bancshares, Inc.

 

 

46,600

 

 

588,092

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

HEALTH CARE    16.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biotechnology    4.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

13,400

 

 

728,558

 

Cephalon, Inc. *

 

 

8,200

 

 

555,796

 

Myriad Genetics, Inc. *

 

 

17,900

 

 

430,495

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,714,849

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

9

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 


Shares

 

 


Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Health Care Equipment & Supplies    3.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ArthroCare Corp. *

 

 

15,500

 

$

460,660

 

ResMed, Inc. *

 

 

13,800

 

 

878,370

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,339,030

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Life Sciences Tools & Services    3.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. * ρ

 

 

9,800

 

 

342,118

 

Life Technologies Corp. *

 

 

8,200

 

 

428,614

 

Qiagen NV * ρ

 

 

33,700

 

 

774,763

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,545,495

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Pharmaceuticals    6.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

52,800

 

 

620,928

 

MAP Pharmaceuticals, Inc. *

 

 

28,600

 

 

454,454

 

Shire, Ltd., ADS

 

 

11,500

 

 

758,540

 

Warner Chilcott plc *

 

 

28,900

 

 

738,395

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,572,317

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

INDUSTRIALS    12.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commercial Services & Supplies    1.0%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EnerNOC, Inc. * ρ

 

 

14,100

 

 

418,488

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Electrical Equipment    5.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EnerSys, Inc. *

 

 

17,300

 

 

426,618

 

General Cable Corp. *

 

 

22,200

 

 

599,400

 

GrafTech International, Ltd. *

 

 

30,600

 

 

418,302

 

Roper Industries, Inc.

 

 

14,740

 

 

852,562

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2,296,882

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Machinery    3.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Manitowoc Co.

 

 

68,300

 

 

887,900

 

Wabtec

 

 

14,300

 

 

602,316

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,490,216

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Professional Services    1.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dun & Bradstreet Corp.

 

 

7,100

 

 

528,382

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Trading Companies & Distributors    1.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Class A

 

 

16,325

 

 

828,004

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    24.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Communications Equipment    4.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

F5 Networks, Inc. *

 

 

17,957

 

 

1,104,535

 

NICE-Systems, Ltd., ADS *

 

 

25,108

 

 

797,179

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,901,714

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

10

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 


Shares

 

 


Value

 








 

COMMON STOCKS    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY    continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Computers & Peripherals    2.6%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quantum Corp. *

 

 

235,600

 

$

619,628

 

Synaptics, Inc. * ρ

 

 

17,500

 

 

483,175

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,102,803

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Electronic Equipment, Instruments & Components    3.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flir Systems, Inc. *

 

 

26,400

 

 

744,480

 

Itron, Inc. *

 

 

11,832

 

 

858,648

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,603,128

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Internet Software & Services    1.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VistaPrint, Ltd. *

 

 

10,100

 

 

578,225

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

IT Services    2.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Syntel, Inc.

 

 

23,369

 

 

899,006

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment    7.7%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. *

 

 

31,894

 

 

711,236

 

NetLogic Microsystems, Inc. *

 

 

45,800

 

 

1,347,894

 

Power Integrations, Inc. *

 

 

30,500

 

 

1,256,600

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3,315,730

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Software    2.4%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ansys, Inc. *

 

 

23,800

 

 

1,026,732

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

MATERIALS    4.1%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chemicals    3.2%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

 

 

6,500

 

 

592,670

 

Scotts Miracle-Gro Co., Class A

 

 

17,000

 

 

787,950

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1,380,620

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Metals & Mining    0.9%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

 

 

22,100

 

 

386,087

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES    1.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wireless Telecommunication Services    1.8%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NII Holdings, Inc. *

 

 

19,000

 

 

791,540

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Common Stocks    (cost $30,335,341)

 

 

 

 

 

40,734,620

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

EXCHANGE TRADED FUND    3.5%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

iShares Russell 2000 Growth Index Fund ρ    (cost $1,366,874)

 

 

20,657

 

 

1,512,919

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS    14.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MUTUAL FUND SHARES    14.3%

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BlackRock Liquidity TempFund, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

 

2,189,599

 

 

2,189,599

 

Evergreen Institutional Money Market Fund, Class I , 0.01% q ρρ ø

 

 

1,793,972

 

 

1,793,972

 

Morgan Stanley Institutional Liquidity Fund Money Market Portfolio, Institutional Class, 0.12% q ρρ

 

 

2,163,817

 

 

2,163,817

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

Total Short-Term Investments    (cost $6,147,388)

 

 

 

 

 

6,147,388

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

11

 


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS continued

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Value

 








 

Total Investments    (cost $37,849,603)    112.6%

 

 

 

 

$

48,394,927

 

Other Assets and Liabilities    (12.6%)

 

 

 

 

 

(5,432,674

)

 

 

 

 

 



 

Net Assets    100.0%

 

 

 

 

$

42,962,253

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

*

Non-income producing security

ρ

All or a portion of this security is on loan.

q

Rate shown is the 7-day annualized yield at period end.

ρρ

All or a portion of this security represents investment of cash collateral received from securities on loan.

ø

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC is the investment advisor to both the Fund and the money market fund.

 

Summary of Abbreviations

ADS

American Depository Shares

The following table shows the percent of total long-term investments by sector as of March 31, 2010:

 

Information Technology

 

24.7

%

Consumer Discretionary

 

23.9

%

Health Care

 

17.0

%

Industrials

 

13.2

%

Energy

 

6.2

%

Materials

 

4.2

%

Financials

 

3.5

%

Consumer Staples

 

1.9

%

Telecommunication Services

 

1.8

%

Other

 

3.6

%

 

 


 

 

 

100.0

%

 

 


 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

12

 


STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Assets

 

 

 

 

Investments in unaffiliated issuers, at value (cost $36,055,631) including $5,022,760 of securities loaned

 

$

46,600,955

 

Investments in affiliated issuers, at value (cost $1,793,972)

 

 

1,793,972

 





 

Total investments

 

 

48,394,927

 

Cash

 

 

26,737

 

Segregated cash

 

 

1,766

 

Receivable for Fund shares sold

 

 

10,559

 

Dividends receivable

 

 

10,664

 

Receivable for securities lending income

 

 

6,548

 

Prepaid expenses and other assets

 

 

30,061

 





 

Total assets

 

 

48,481,262

 





 

Liabilities

 

 

 

 

Payable for Fund shares redeemed

 

 

301,717

 

Payable for securities on loan

 

 

5,194,141

 

Advisory fee payable

 

 

535

 

Distribution Plan expenses payable

 

 

183

 

Due to other related parties

 

 

684

 

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

 

 

21,749

 





 

Total liabilities

 

 

5,519,009

 





 

Net assets

 

$

42,962,253

 





 

Net assets represented by

 

 

 

 

Paid-in capital

 

$

40,217,513

 

Undistributed net investment loss

 

 

(132,736

)

Accumulated net realized losses on investments

 

 

(7,667,848

)

Net unrealized gains on investments

 

 

10,545,324

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

42,962,253

 





 

Net assets consists of

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

26,596,900

 

Class I

 

 

16,365,353

 





 

Total net assets

 

$

42,962,253

 





 

Shares outstanding (unlimited number of shares authorized)

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

 

2,244,222

 

Class I

 

 

1,367,039

 





 

Net asset value per share

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

$

11.85

 

Class A — Offering price (based on sales charge of 5.75%)

 

$

12.57

 

Class I

 

$

11.97

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

13

 


STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

Six Months Ended March 31, 2010 (unaudited)

 

Investment income

 

 

 

 

Dividends

 

$

83,931

 

Securities lending

 

 

47,985

 

Income from affiliated issuers

 

 

288

 





 

Total investment income

 

 

132,204

 





 

Expenses

 

 

 

 

Advisory fee

 

 

168,144

 

Distribution Plan expenses

 

 

31,282

 

Administrative services fee

 

 

24,020

 

Transfer agent fees

 

 

49,937

 

Trustees’ fees and expenses

 

 

1,327

 

Printing and postage expenses

 

 

10,768

 

Custodian and accounting fees

 

 

8,869

 

Registration and filing fees

 

 

24,245

 

Professional fees

 

 

12,119

 

Interest expense

 

 

120

 

Other

 

 

565

 





 

Total expenses

 

 

331,396

 

Less: Expense reductions

 

 

(5

)

  Fee waivers

 

 

(66,990

)





 

Net expenses

 

 

264,401

 





 

Net investment loss

 

 

(132,197

)





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

Net realized gains on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

2,236,699

 

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on securities in unaffiliated issuers

 

 

3,213,060

 





 

Net realized and unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

5,449,759

 





 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

$

5,317,562

 





 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

14

 


STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS

 

 

 

Six Months Ended

 

 

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

 

Year Ended

 

 

 

(unaudited)

 

September 30, 2009

 






 

Operations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net investment loss

 

 

 

$

(132,197

)

 

 

$

(168,597

)

Net realized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

2,236,699

 

 

 

 

(8,924,992

)

Net change in unrealized gains or losses on investments

 

 

 

 

3,213,060

 

 

 

 

10,080,296

 












 

Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

 

 

 

 

5,317,562

 

 

 

 

986,707

 












 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 

Shares

 

 

 

 












 

Capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from shares sold

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

157,066

 

 

1,733,594

 

338,880

 

 

3,116,497

 

Class I

 

212,637

 

 

2,319,753

 

1,457,647

 

 

12,523,625

 












 

 

 

 

 

 

4,053,347

 

 

 

 

15,640,122

 












 

Payment for shares redeemed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A

 

(210,441

)

 

(2,320,809

)

(531,015

)

 

(4,498,432

)

Class I

 

(1,148,075

)

 

(13,239,625

)

(788,731

)

 

(6,962,493

)












 

 

 

 

 

 

(15,560,434

)

 

 

 

(11,460,925

)












 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from capital share transactions

 

 

 

 

(11,507,087

)

 

 

 

4,179,197

 












 

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

 

 

 

 

(6,189,525

)

 

 

 

5,165,904

 

Net assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beginning of period

 

 

 

 

49,151,778

 

 

 

 

43,985,874

 












 

End of period

 

 

 

$

42,962,253

 

 

 

$

49,151,778

 












 

Undistributed net investment loss

 

 

 

$

(132,736

)

 

 

$

(539

)












 

See Notes to Financial Statements

 

 

15

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION

Evergreen Small-Mid Growth Fund (the “Fund”) is a diversified series of Evergreen Equity Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized on September 18, 1997. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”).

The Fund offers Class A and Class I shares. Class A shares are sold with a front-end sales charge. However, Class A share investments of $1 million or more are not subject to a front-end sales charge but are subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% upon redemption within 18 months. Class I shares are sold without a front-end sales charge or contingent deferred sales charge. Class A shares pay an ongoing distribution fee.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements. The policies are in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America, which require management to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported herein. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Management has considered the circumstances under which the Fund should recognize or make disclosures regarding events or transactions occurring subsequent to the balance sheet date through the date the financial statements are issued. Adjustments or additional disclosures, if any, have been included in these financial statements.

a. Valuation of investments

Listed equity securities are usually valued at the last sales price or official closing price on the national securities exchange where the securities are principally traded. If there has been no sale, the securities are valued at the mean between bid and asked prices.

Investments in open-end mutual funds are valued at net asset value. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or not reflective of current fair value are valued at fair value as determined by the investment advisor in good faith, according to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees.

The valuation techniques used by the Fund to measure fair value are consistent with the market approach, income approach and/or cost approach, where applicable, for each security type.

b. Securities lending

The Fund may lend its securities to certain qualified brokers in order to earn additional income. The Fund receives compensation in the form of fees or interest earned on the investment of any cash collateral received. The Fund also continues to receive interest and dividends on the securities loaned. The Fund receives collateral in the form of cash or securities with a market value at least equal to the market value of the securities on loan. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the borrower, the Fund could experience delays

 

 

16

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

and costs in recovering the loaned securities or in gaining access to the collateral. In addition, the investment of any cash collateral received may lose all or part of its value. The Fund has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand.

c. Security transactions and investment income

Security transactions are recorded on trade date. Realized gains and losses are computed using the specific cost of the security sold. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date.

d. Federal and other taxes

The Fund intends to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company and distribute all of its taxable income, including any net capital gains (which have already been offset by available capital loss carryovers). Accordingly, no provision for federal taxes is required. The Fund’s income and excise tax returns and all financial records supporting those returns for the prior three fiscal years are subject to examination by the federal, Massachusetts and Delaware revenue authorities.

e. Distributions

Distributions to shareholders from net investment income and net realized gains, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Such distributions are determined in conformity with income tax regulations, which may differ from generally accepted accounting principles.

f. Class allocations

Income, common expenses and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated to the classes based on the relative net assets of each class. Distribution fees, if any, are calculated daily at the class level based on the appropriate net assets of each class and the specific expense rates applicable to each class.

3. ADVISORY FEE AND OTHER TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC (“EIMC”), a subsidiary of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), is the investment advisor to the Fund and is paid an annual fee starting at 0.70% and declining to 0.65% as average daily net assets increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the advisory fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.70% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

From time to time, EIMC may voluntarily or contractually waive its fee and/or reimburse expenses in order to limit operating expenses. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, EIMC voluntarily waived its advisory fee in the amount of $66,990.

The Fund may invest in money market funds which are advised by EIMC. Income earned on these investments is included in income from affiliated issuers on the Statement of Operations.

 

 

17

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

EIMC also serves as the administrator to the Fund providing the Fund with facilities, equipment and personnel. EIMC is paid an annual rate determined by applying percentage rates to the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) starting at 0.10% and declining to 0.05% as the aggregate average daily net assets of the Evergreen funds (excluding money market funds) increase. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the administrative services fee was equivalent to an annual rate of 0.10% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Evergreen Service Company, LLC (“ESC”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, is the transfer and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund. ESC receives account fees that vary based on the type of account held by the shareholders in the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2010, the transfer agent fees were equivalent to an annual rate of 0.21% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

Wachovia Bank NA, a subsidiary of Wells Fargo and an affiliate of EIMC, through its securities lending division, Wachovia Global Securities Lending, acts as the securities lending agent for the Fund (see Note 5).

4. DISTRIBUTION PLAN

Wells Fargo Funds Distributor, LLC (“WFFD”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wells Fargo serves as distributor of the Fund’s shares. Prior to January 4, 2010, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc. (“EIS”), an affiliate of EIMC and a subsidiary of Wells Fargo, served as distributor of the Fund’s shares. The Fund has adopted a Distribution Plan, as allowed by Rule 12b-1 of the 1940 Act, for Class A shares. Under the Distribution Plan, the Fund is permitted to pay distribution fees at an annual rate of up to 0.75% of the average daily net assets for Class A shares. However, currently the distribution fees for Class A shares are limited to 0.25% of the average daily net assets of the class.

For the six months ended March 31, 2010, EIS received $2,660 from the sale of Class A shares and $4,205 in contingent deferred sales charges from redemptions of Class A shares.

5. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

Cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of investment securities (excluding short-term securities) were $11,615,223 and $22,155,768, respectively, for the six months ended March 31, 2010.

Fair value measurements of investments are determined within a framework that has established a fair value hierarchy based upon the various data inputs utilized in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized into three broad levels as follows:

 

 

18

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

Level 1 – quoted prices in active markets for identical securities

Level 2 – other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

Level 3 – significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.

As of March 31, 2010, the inputs used in valuing the Fund’s assets, which are carried at fair value, were as follows:

 

Investments in Securities

 

Quoted Prices
(Level 1)

 

Significant
Other
Observable
Inputs
(Level 2)

 

Significant
Unobservable
Inputs
(Level 3)

 

Total

 










 

Equity securities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Common stocks

 

$

40,734,620

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

40,734,620

 

Exchange traded funds

 

 

1,512,919

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

1,512,919

 

Short-term investments

 

 

6,147,388

 

 

0

 

 

0

 

 

6,147,388

 














 

 

 

$

48,394,927

 

$

0

 

$

0

 

$

48,394,927

 














 

Further details on the major security types listed above can be found in the Schedule of Investments.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund loaned securities to certain brokers and earned $47,985, net of $5,275 paid to Wachovia Global Securities Lending as the securities lending agent. At March 31, 2010, the value of securities on loan and the total value of collateral received for securities loaned (including segregated cash) amounted to $5,022,760 and $5,194,141, respectively.

On March 31, 2010, the aggregate cost of securities for federal income tax purposes was $38,533,264. The gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on securities based on tax cost was $10,818,514 and $956,851, respectively, with a net unrealized appreciation of $9,861,663.

As of September 30, 2009, the Fund had $1,578,401 in capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes expiring in 2017.

For income tax purposes, capital losses incurred after October 31 within the Fund’s fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year. As of September 30, 2009, the Fund incurred and elected to defer post-October losses of $7,253,129.

6. INTERFUND LENDING

Pursuant to an Exemptive Order issued by the SEC, the Fund may participate in an interfund lending program with certain funds in the Evergreen fund family. This program

 

 

19

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

allows the Fund to borrow from, or lend money to, other participating funds. During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund did not participate in the interfund lending program.

7. EXPENSE REDUCTIONS

Through expense offset arrangements with ESC and the Fund’s custodian, a portion of fund expenses has been reduced.

8. DEFERRED TRUSTEES’ FEES

Each Trustee of the Fund may defer any or all compensation related to performance of his or her duties as a Trustee. The Trustees’ deferred balances are allocated to deferral accounts, which are included in the accrued expenses for the Fund. The investment performance of the deferral accounts is based on the investment performance of certain Evergreen funds. Any gains earned or losses incurred in the deferral accounts are reported in the Fund’s Trustees’ fees and expenses. At the election of the Trustees, the deferral account will be paid either in one lump sum or in quarterly installments for up to ten years.

9. FINANCING AGREEMENT

The Fund and certain other Evergreen funds share in a $100 million unsecured revolving credit commitment for temporary and emergency purposes, including the funding of redemptions, as permitted by each participating fund’s borrowing restrictions. Borrowings under this facility bear interest at the higher of the Federal Funds rate plus 1.25% or LIBOR plus 1.25%. All of the participating funds are charged an annual commitment fee of 0.145% on the unused balance, which is allocated pro rata.

During the six months ended March 31, 2010, the Fund had average borrowings outstanding of $8,274 (on an annualized basis) at an average rate of 1.45% and paid interest of $120.

10. REGULATORY MATTERS AND LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

The Evergreen funds, EIMC and certain of EIMC’s affiliates are involved in various legal actions, including private litigation and class action lawsuits, and are and may in the future be subject to regulatory inquiries and investigations.

EIMC and EIS have reached final settlements with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Securities Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (“Commonwealth”) primarily relating to the liquidation of Evergreen Ultra Short Opportunities Fund (“Ultra Short Fund”). The claims settled include the following: first, that during the period February 2007 through Ultra Short Fund’s liquidation on June 18, 2008, Ultra Short Fund’s former portfolio management team failed to properly take into account readily-available information in valuing certain non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities held by the Ultra Short Fund, resulting in the Ultra

 

 

20

 


NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (unaudited) continued

Short Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”) being overstated during the period; second, that EIMC and EIS acted inappropriately when, in an effort to explain the decline in Ultra Short Fund’s NAV, certain information regarding the decline was communicated to some, but not all, shareholders and financial intermediaries; third, that the Ultra Short Fund portfolio management team did not adhere to regulatory requirements for affiliated cross trades in executing trades with other Evergreen funds; and finally, that from at least September 2007 to August 2008, EIS did not preserve certain text and instant messages transmitted via personal digital assistant devices. In settling these matters, EIMC and EIS have agreed to payments totaling $41,125,000, up to $40,125,000 of which will be distributed to eligible shareholders of Ultra Short Fund pursuant to a methodology and plan approved by the regulators. EIMC and EIS neither admitted nor denied the regulators’ conclusions.

Three purported class actions have also been filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts relating to the same events; defendants include various Evergreen entities, including EIMC and EIS, and Evergreen Fixed Income Trust and its Trustees. The cases generally allege that investors in the Ultra Short Fund suffered losses as a result of (i) misleading statements in Ultra Short Fund’s registration statement and prospectus, (ii) the failure to accurately price securities in the Ultra Short Fund at different points in time and (iii) the failure of the Ultra Short Fund’s risk disclosures and description of its investment strategy to inform investors adequately of the actual risks of the fund.

EIMC does not expect that any of the legal actions, inquiries or settlement of regulatory matters will have a material adverse impact on the financial position or operations of the Fund to which these financial statements relate. Any publicity surrounding or resulting from any legal actions or regulatory inquiries involving EIMC or its affiliates or any of the Evergreen Funds could result in reduced sales or increased redemptions of Evergreen fund shares, which could increase Evergreen fund transaction costs or operating expenses or have other adverse consequences on the Evergreen funds, including the Fund.

11. REORGANIZATION

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees held on December 30, 2009, the Trustees of the Fund approved a Plan of Reorganization (the “Plan”). Under the Plan, Wells Fargo Advantage Growth Opportunities Fund, which will be a series of Wells Fargo Funds Trust created in order to receive the assets of the Fund upon completion of the reorganization, will acquire the assets and assume the liabilities of the Fund in exchange for shares of Wells Fargo Advantage Growth Opportunities Fund.

A special meeting of shareholders of the Fund will be held in June 2010 to consider and vote on the Plan. In April 2010, materials for this meeting were mailed to shareholders of record on March 10, 2010. If approved by the shareholders at this meeting, the reorganization will take place in July 2010.

 

 

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23

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS

 

TRUSTEES1

 

Dr. Leroy Keith, Jr.
Trustee
DOB: 2/14/1939
Term of office since: 1983
Other directorships: Trustee,
Phoenix Fund Complex
(consisting of 46 portfolios
as of 12/31/2009)

Chairman, Bloc Global Services (development and construction); Former Managing Director, Almanac Capital Management (commodities firm); Trustee, Phoenix Fund Complex; Director, Diversapack Co. (packaging company); Former Partner, Stonington Partners, Inc. (private equity fund); Former Director, Obagi Medical Products Co.



Carol A. Kosel
Trustee
DOB: 12/25/1963
Term of office since: 2008
Other directorships: None

Former Consultant to the Evergreen Boards of Trustees; Former Vice President and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investments, Inc.; Former Treasurer, Evergreen Funds; Former Treasurer, Vestaur Securities Fund



Gerald M. McDonnell
Trustee
DOB: 7/14/1939
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Consultant, Rock Hill Metals Consultants LLC (Metals Consultant to steel industry); Former Manager of Commercial Operations, CMC Steel (steel producer)



Patricia B. Norris
Trustee
DOB: 4/9/1948
Term of office since: 2006
Other directorships: None

President and Director of Buckleys of Kezar Lake, Inc. (real estate company); Former President and Director of Phillips Pond Homes Association (home community); Former Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP (independent registered public accounting firm)



William Walt Pettit2
Trustee
DOB: 8/26/1955
Term of office since: 1988
Other directorships: None

Director, Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC (law firm); Director, Superior Packaging Corp. (packaging company); Member, Superior Land, LLC (real estate holding company), Member, K&P Development, LLC (real estate development); Former Vice President, Kellam & Pettit, P.A. (law firm); Former Director, National Kidney Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. (non-profit organization)



David M. Richardson
Trustee
DOB: 9/19/1941
Term of office since: 1982
Other directorships: None

President, Richardson, Runden LLC (executive recruitment advisory services); Director, J&M Cumming Paper Co. (paper merchandising); Former Trustee, NDI Technologies, LLP (communications); Former Consultant, AESC (The Association of Executive Search Consultants)



Russell A. Salton III, MD
Trustee
DOB: 6/2/1947
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

President/CEO, AccessOne MedCard, Inc.



Michael S. Scofield
Trustee
DOB: 2/20/1943
Term of office since: 1984
Other directorships: None

Retired Attorney, Law Offices of Michael S. Scofield; Former Director and Chairman, Branded Media Corporation (multi-media branding company)



Richard J. Shima
Trustee
DOB: 8/11/1939
Term of office since: 1993
Other directorships: None

Independent Consultant; Director, Hartford Hospital; Trustee, Greater Hartford YMCA; Former Director,Trust Company of CT; Former Trustee, Saint Joseph College (CT)



 

 

24

 


TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS continued

 

Richard K. Wagoner, CFA3
Trustee
DOB: 12/12/1937
Term of office since: 1999
Other directorships: None

Member and Former President, North Carolina Securities Traders Association; Member, Financial Analysts Society



OFFICERS

 

W. Douglas Munn4
President
DOB: 4/21/1963
Term of office since: 2009

Principal occupations: President and Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Chief Operating Officer, Wells Fargo Funds Management, LLC; Former Chief Operating Officer, Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.



Jeremy DePalma4
Treasurer
DOB: 2/5/1974
Term of office since: 2005

Principal occupations: Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC; Assistant Treasurer, Wells Fargo Advantage Funds; Former Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Former Assistant Vice President, Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.



Michael H. Koonce4
Secretary
DOB: 4/20/1960
Term of office since: 2000

Principal occupations: Managing Counsel, Wells Fargo & Company; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Alternative Strategies Brokerage Services, Inc.; Evergreen Investment Services, Inc.; Secretary and Senior Vice President, Evergreen Investment Management Company, LLC and Evergreen Service Company, LLC



Robert Guerin4
Chief Compliance Officer
DOB: 9/20/1965
Term of office since: 2007

Principal occupations: Chief Compliance Officer, Evergreen Funds and Senior Vice President of Evergreen Investment Company, Inc.; Compliance Manager, Wells Fargo Funds Management Group; Former Managing Director and Senior Compliance Officer, Babson Capital Management LLC; Former Principal and Director, Compliance and Risk Management, State Street Global Advisors; Former Vice President and Manager, Sales Practice Compliance, Deutsche Asset Management



1

Each Trustee serves until a successor is duly elected or qualified or until his or her death, resignation, retirement or removal from office. Each Trustee oversaw 74 Evergreen funds as of December 31, 2009. Correspondence for each Trustee may be sent to Evergreen Board of Trustees, P.O. Box 20083, Charlotte, NC 28202.

2

It is possible that Mr. Pettit may be viewed as an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds, as defined in the 1940 Act, because of his law firm’s previous representation of affiliates of Wells Fargo & Company (“Wells Fargo”), the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor, EIMC. The Trustees are treating Mr. Pettit as an interested trustee for the time being.

3

Mr. Wagoner is an “interested person” of the Evergreen funds because of his ownership of shares in Wells Fargo & Company, the parent to the Evergreen funds’ investment advisor.

4

The address of the Officer is 200 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA 02116.

Additional information about the Fund’s Board of Trustees and Officers can be found in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and is available upon request without charge by calling 800.343.2898.

 

 

25

 



122771 576004 rv4 05/2010

 


Item 2 - Code of Ethics

Not required for this semi-annual filing.

Item 3 - Audit Committee Financial Expert

Not required for this semi-annual filing.

Items 4 – Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Not required for this semi-annual filing.

Items 5 – Audit Committee of Listed Registrants

Not applicable.

Item 6 – Schedule of Investments

Please see schedule of investments contained in the Report to Stockholders included under Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.

Item 7 – Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable.

Item 8 – Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable.

Item 9 – Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

Not applicable.

Item 10 – Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrant’s board of trustees that have been implemented since the Registrant last provided disclosure in response to the requirements of this Item.

Item 11 - Controls and Procedures

(a)

The Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have evaluated the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) within 90 days of this filing and have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective, as of that date, in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the Registrant in this Form N-CSR was recorded, processed, summarized, and reported timely.

(b)

There has been no changes in the Registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) that occurred during the second fiscal quarter of the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12 - Exhibits

File the exhibits listed below as part of this Form. Letter or number the exhibits in the sequence indicated.

(a)

Any code of ethics, or amendment thereto, that is the subject of the disclosure required by Item 2, to the extent that the Registrant intends to satisfy the Item 2 requirements through filing of an exhibit.

 


(b)(1)

Separate certifications for the Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached as EX99.CERT.

(b)(2)

Separate certifications for the Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as required by Section 1350 of Title 18 of United States Code, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, are attached as EX99.906CERT. The certifications furnished pursuant to this paragraph are not deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certifications are not deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, except to the extent that the Registrant specifically incorporates them by reference.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Evergreen Equity Trust

 

 

 

By: 


/s/ W. Douglas Munn

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

W. Douglas Munn
Principal Executive Officer

 

 

 

Date: May 28, 2010

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By: 


/s/ W. Douglas Munn

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

W. Douglas Munn
Principal Executive Officer

 

 

 

Date: May 28, 2010

 

By: 


/s/ Jeremy DePalma

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Jeremy DePalma
Principal Financial Officer

 

 

 

Date: May 28, 2010