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ADVISORSHARES DORSEY WRIGHT FSM US CORE ETF (NASDAQ Ticker: DWUS)

 

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS – November 1, 2023

 

Before you invest in the AdvisorShares Fund, you may want to review the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, which contain more information about the Fund and the risks of investing in the Fund. The Fund’s current prospectus and statement of additional information, each dated November 1, 2023, as supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. You can find the Fund’s prospectus and statement of additional information, as well as other information about the Fund, online at http://advisorshares.com/etfs/dwus. You may also obtain this information at no charge by calling 877.843.3831 or by sending an email request to info@advisorshares.com.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The AdvisorShares Dorsey Wright FSM US Core ETF (the “Fund”) seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation with capital preservation as a secondary objective.

 

FUND FEES AND EXPENSES

 

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table below.

 

SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment) None
   

ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

MANAGEMENT FEES 0.75%
DISTRIBUTION (12b-1) FEES 0.00%
OTHER EXPENSES 0.22%
ACQUIRED FUND FEES AND EXPENSES(a) 0.20%
TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES 1.17%
FEE/EXPENSE RECAPTURE(b) 0.01%
TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING EXPENSES AFTER RECAPTURE 1.18%

 

(a) Total Annual Operating Expenses and Total Annual Operating Expenses After Recapture in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratios in the Fund’s financial highlights because the financial highlights include only the Fund’s direct operating expenses and do not include Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which represent the Fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses of exchange-traded funds and/or money market funds in which it invests.
(b) AdvisorShares Investments, LLC (the “Advisor”) has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse expenses to keep net expenses (excluding amounts payable pursuant to any plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1, interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, other

 

 

 

 

  expenditures which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and extraordinary expenses) from exceeding 0.99% of the Fund’s average daily net assets for at least one year from the date of this Prospectus. The expense limitation agreement will remain in effect unless terminated and may be terminated without payment of any penalty (i) by AdvisorShares Trust (the “Trust”) for any reason and at any time and (ii) by the Advisor, for any reason, upon ninety (90) days’ prior written notice to the Trust, such termination to be effective as of the close of business on the last day of the then-current one-year period. If it becomes unnecessary for the Advisor to waive fees or reimburse expenses, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) may permit the Advisor to retain the difference between the Fund’s total annual operating expenses and the expense limitation currently in effect, or, if lower, the expense limitation that was in effect at the time of the waiver and/or reimbursement, to recapture all or a portion of its prior fee waivers or expense reimbursements within three years of the date they were waived or reimbursed. The table above shows that the Advisor recaptured 0.01% during the most recent fiscal year, which is an expense of the Fund.

 

EXAMPLE

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. This Example does not take into account brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries that you may pay when purchasing or selling shares of the Fund. If these fees were included, your costs would be higher.

 

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

  1 YEAR 3 YEARS 5 YEARS 10 YEARS
AdvisorShares Dorsey Wright FSM US Core ETF $120 $373 $645 $1,421

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

 

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Total Annual Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. This rate excludes the value of portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of in-kind creations or redemptions of the Fund’s shares. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 103% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

The Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that is primarily a “fund of funds.” The Advisor seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing in ETFs that invest primarily in domestic large-capitalization equity securities. During periods in which the Advisor believes the market indicates broad equity weakness and cash strength, the Fund invests in fixed income ETFs with a short or ultra-short duration, money market funds, cash and cash equivalents (“Defensive Investments”). The Fund may invest in affiliated and unaffiliated ETFs. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in U.S. investments.

 

The Advisor allocates the Fund’s portfolio investments using research obtained from the FSM Core Solution US Core Model (the “FSM US Core Model”), a model owned and developed by Dorsey, Wright and Associates, LLC (“DWA”). The FSM US Core Model applies a proprietary ranking system based on certain technical indicators to a pre-determined universe of US large-cap ETFs, selected by DWA. Each ETF within the universe that ranks in a top tier is included in the model. If an ETF in the portfolio no longer ranks in a top tier at the time of rebalancing, then that ETF is removed and the position is allocated to a Defensive Investment.

 

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The Advisor uses the FSM US Core Model to measure the relative ranking of the Fund’s core portfolio. When the model identifies broad equity weakness and cash strength, the Advisor will sell equity positions in order to allocate some or all of the portfolio to Defensive Investments. When the Fund is invested in Defensive Investments, the Advisor will shorten the Fund’s rebalancing frequency to seek to move back into equity ETF positions once the model again identifies favorable equity market conditions.

 

The Fund also may invest in repurchase agreements.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS OF INVESTING IN THE FUND

 

The Fund is subject to a number of risks, described below, that may affect the value of its shares including the possible loss of money. As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.

 

Allocation Risk. The Fund’s particular allocations may have a significant effect on the Fund’s performance. Allocation risk is the risk that the selection of other ETFs for the Fund’s portfolio and the allocation of the Fund’s assets among such other ETFs will cause the Fund to underperform other funds with a similar investment objective that do not allocate their assets in the same manner or the market as a whole.

 

Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the securities market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

ETF Market Risk. In stressed market conditions, the market for certain ETF shares may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the ETF’s underlying portfolio holdings. This adverse effect on liquidity for the ETF’s shares in turn can lead to differences between the market price of the ETF’s shares and the underlying value of those shares. In addition, there are a limited number of institutions that act as authorized participants. If these institutions exit the business or are, for any reason, unable to process creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund, or purchase and sell securities in connection with creation and/or redemption orders, as applicable, and no other authorized participant steps forward to create or redeem, or purchase or sell securities, as applicable, Fund shares may trade at a premium or discount to their net asset value (“NAV”) and possibly face operational issues such as trading halts and/or delisting. The absence of an active market in the Fund’s shares could lead to a heightened risk of differences between the market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares.

 

Management Risk. The Advisor continuously evaluates the Fund’s holdings, purchases and sales with a view to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. However, achievement of the stated investment objective cannot be guaranteed. The Advisor’s judgment about the markets, the economy, or companies may not anticipate actual market movements, economic conditions or company performance, and these factors may affect the return on your investment.

 

Market Risk. Due to market conditions, the value of the Fund’s investments may fluctuate significantly from day to day. Price fluctuations may be temporary or may last for extended periods. This volatility may cause the value of your investment in the Fund to decrease. Local, regional, or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, uncertainties regarding interest rates, rising inflation, or other events could have a significant impact on the market generally and on specific securities. The market value of a security may also decline because of factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or increased production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. Because of its link to the markets, an investment in the Fund may be more suitable for long-term investors who can bear the risk of short-term principal fluctuations, which at times may be significant.

 

Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may experience relatively high portfolio turnover, which may result in increased transaction costs and Fund performance that is lower than expected.

 

Repurchase Agreement Risk. The Fund will be subject to credit risk with respect to the counterparties with which the Fund enters into repurchase agreements, including with respect to recovering or realizing on collateral.

 

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Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade above or below their NAV. The trading price of the Fund’s shares may deviate significantly from their NAV during periods of market volatility and, in such instances, you may pay significantly more or receive significantly less than the underlying value of the Fund’s shares. There can be no assurance that an active trading market for the Fund’s shares will develop or be maintained. In addition, trading in shares of the Fund may be halted because of market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the NASDAQ Stock Market LLC (the “Exchange”), make trading in shares inadvisable.

 

Underlying ETF Risk. Through its investments in other ETFs, the Fund is subject to the risks associated with such other ETFs’ investments or reference assets/benchmark components, including the possibility that the value of the securities or instruments held by or linked to an ETF could decrease. These risks include any combination of the risks described below, as well as certain of the other risks described in this section. The Fund’s exposure to a particular risk will be proportionate to the Fund’s overall allocation to the ETFs and the ETFs’ asset allocation.

 

Concentration Risk. An ETF may, at various times, concentrate in the securities of a particular industry, group of industries, or sector, and when a fund is over-weighted in an industry, group of industries, or sector, it may be more sensitive to any single economic, business, political, or regulatory occurrence than a fund that is not over-weighted in an industry, group of industries, or sector.

 

Credit Risk. Certain of the ETFs are subject to the risk that a decline in the credit quality of a portfolio investment or reference asset could cause the ETF’s share price to fall. The ETFs could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a portfolio investment or the counterparty to a derivatives contract fails to make timely principal or interest payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

Equity Risk. The prices of equity securities rise and fall daily. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual issuers, industries or the stock market as a whole. In addition, equity markets tend to move in cycles which may cause stock prices to fall over short or extended periods of time.

 

Fixed Income Securities Risk. An ETF’s investments in, or exposure to, fixed income securities are subject to the risk that the securities may be paid off earlier or later than expected. Either situation could cause the ETF to hold securities paying lower- than-market rates of interest, which could hurt the Fund’s yield or share price.

 

High-Yield Risk. An ETF may invest in, or be exposed to, high-yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds”). High-yield securities generally pay higher yields (greater income) than investment in higher quality securities; however, high-yield securities and junk bonds may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit and liquidity risk than funds that do not invest in such securities, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to an issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.

 

Income Risk. An ETF may derive dividend and interest income from certain of its investments. This income can vary widely over time. If prevailing market interest rates drop, distribution rates of an ETF’s income producing investments may decline which then may adversely affect the Fund’s value.

 

Interest Rate Risk. An ETF’s investments in or exposure to fixed income securities are subject to the risk that interest rates rise and fall over time. As with any investment whose yield reflects current interest rates, an ETF’s yield will change over time. During periods when interest rates are low, an ETF’s yield (and total return) also may be low. To the extent that the investment adviser or issuer of an ETF anticipates interest rate trends imprecisely, the ETF could miss yield opportunities or its share price could fall.

 

Large-Capitalization Risk. The large-cap segment of the market may underperform other segments of the equity market or the equity market as a whole. The underperformance of large-cap securities may cause the ETF’s performance to be less than expected.

 

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FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The bar chart and table that follow show how the Fund has performed on a calendar year basis and provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The table also shows how the Fund’s performance compares to the S&P 500 Index, which is a broad-based, unmanaged measurement of changes in stock market conditions based on the average of 500 widely held common stocks. Both the bar chart and the table assume the reinvestment of all dividends and distributions. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how the Fund will perform in the future.

 

Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

 

Calendar Year Total Returns

 

 

The Fund’s year-to-date total return as of September 30, 2023 was 6.69%.

 

Best and Worst Quarter Returns (for the period reflected in the bar chart above)

 

  Return Quarter/Year
Highest Return 26.41% 2Q/2020
Lowest Return -16.04% 2Q/2022

 

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURNS FOR THE PERIODS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2022

 

ADVISORSHARES DORSEY WRIGHT FSM US CORE ETF 1 Year

Since Inception

(12/26/2019)

Return Before Taxes Based on NAV -17.28% 10.38%
Return After Taxes on Distributions -17.46% 10.24%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares -10.11% 8.08%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) -18.11% 7.71%

 

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation, may differ from those shown and are not relevant if you hold your shares through tax-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts. In some cases, your return after taxes may exceed your return before taxes due to an assumed tax benefit from any losses on a sale of Fund shares at the end of the measurement period.

 

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MANAGEMENT

 

Name Title
AdvisorShares Investments, LLC Advisor

 

PORTFOLIO MANAGER

 

Name and Title Length of Service with the Advisor
Dan S. Ahrens, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Investment Officer & Portfolio Manager since November 2008

 

PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES

 

The Fund issues and redeems shares on a continuous basis at NAV only in a large specified number of shares called a “Creation Unit.” Only institutional investors that are acting as the Fund’s authorized participants (typically broker-dealers) may purchase or redeem Creation Units. A Creation Unit transaction generally is conducted in exchange for a basket of securities closely approximating the holdings of the Fund along with and a specified amount of cash.

 

Individual Fund shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers. The shares of the Fund are listed on the Exchange and, because shares trade at market price rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a value greater than (premium) or less than (discount) NAV. When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, you may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information regarding the Fund’s NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads will be available on the Fund’s website at www.advisorshares.com.

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxed as ordinary income, qualified dividend income or capital gains (or a combination thereof), unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account (“IRA”), which may be taxed upon withdrawal.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

Investors purchasing shares in the secondary market through a brokerage account or with the assistance of a broker may be subject to brokerage commissions and charges. If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing broker-dealers or other intermediaries and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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