N-CSR 1 d522586dncsr.htm N-CSR N-CSR

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSR

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT

INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-23410

FROST FAMILY OF FUNDS

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

(Address of Principal Executive Offices, Zip code)

Michael Beattie

c/o SEI Investments

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: 1-877-713-7678

Date of fiscal year end: July 31, 2023

Date of reporting period: July 31, 2023


Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.

(a)  A copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”) (17 CFR § 270.30e-1), is attached hereto.


LOGO

 

Frost Family of Funds Annual Report JULY 31 , 2023 FROST GROWTH EQUITY FUND FROST LOW DURATION BOND FUND FROST TOTAL RETURN BOND FUND FROST MUNICIPAL BOND FUND FROST CREDIT FUND Investment Adviser: Frost Investment Advisors, LLC


LOGO

 

     Page  

Letter to Shareholders

     1  

Management Discussion of Fund Performance

     3  

Schedules of Investments

     21  

Glossary

     42  

Statements of Assets and Liabilities

     43  

Statements of Operations

     45  

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     48  

Financial Highlights

     50  

Notes to Financial Statements

     53  

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     66  

Trustees and Officers

     68  

Disclosure of Fund Expenses

     76  

Review of Liquidity Risk Management Program

     78  

Notice to Shareholders

     79  

The Funds file their complete schedule of investments of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year on Form N-PORT within sixty days after period end. The Funds’ Forms N-PORT are available on the Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov, and may be reviewed and copied at the Commission’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

A description of the policies and procedures that the Funds use to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities, as well as information relating to how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-877-71-FROST; and (ii) on the Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

 


LOGO

 

 

Dear Shareholders,

This year’s letter will strike a similar tone to last year’s, as we look back on a year of high inflation, high and still rising interest rates, and a tight labor market amid surprising strength in the U.S. economy. This year has been a surprise in terms of soaring large-cap equity returns coupled with a fixed-income market buffeted by huge increases in supply of Treasury notes and bonds but a significant drop in activity for credit assets. Corporate debt issuance has stalled, with the sticker shock of soaring borrowing costs crippling the market. The Federal Reserve is well into its tightening cycle, with the pundits now guessing as to whether it will declare victory.

Last year’s supply chain issues have been largely resolved. Bottlenecks have eased and demand for goods has fallen as consumers struggle in the face of high inflation. The U.S. economy has been remarkably resilient, with forecasts of imminent recession turning to a consensus of a soft landing. Employment has been strong, with some initial signs of weakness emerging, but wages continue to rise as employers clamor for the staffing needed to operate.

The European Union managed to eke out enough energy to make it through last winter, importing the natural gas needed from all comers, but the EU again faces the prospect of shutdowns as another winter looms. Europe is in a serious drought, reducing the ability to move manufactured goods on rivers, usually a fail-proof method of transportation. Low water is also hampering the Panama Canal, with container ships now being restricted depending on their draw.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues to roil the commodities markets, with grain production estimates hinging on the latest news and whipsawing future prices. The conflict appears to be nowhere close to an end, so estimating economic activity for eastern Europe is extraordinarily difficult. Soaring inflation and still-tightening monetary policy has resulted in a perpetual prediction of imminent recession for Europe, which, much like in the U.S., has yet to arrive.

The higher home listing prices of last year have settled down, with housing demand strong in some regions and anemic in others. Higher mortgage rates have brought the existing home supply down to historically low levels. Around 75% of homeowners have existing mortgages at interest rates at or lower than 4%. New home inventories have been steady, but mortgage applications have fallen through the floor.

Despite this litany of woe, the Frost family of funds had a good year. Our growth fund was positioned well for the trends that moved the markets, with exposure to many of the companies that led the market. Breadth in the market was poor, but our alignment with the prominent themes contributed significantly to our success on both a relative and absolute basis. Our fixed-income team delivered another very good year in a turbulent market. Being correct on their duration call and taking risk where it made sense delivered competitive returns against our funds’ respective benchmarks and peers. The market tumult hasn’t fazed our equity and fixed income teams – they adeptly navigated the sometimes rapidly changing landscape.

Last year I commented that we were positioned well for the future, that our team continued to mature, and the addition of new talent continued to increase our skill set. Those words remain true today.

We are grateful for your continued support, and we look forward to what this coming year may offer.

Sincerely,

 

LOGO

Mace M. McCain

 

1


LOGO

 

 

Past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment performance and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost, and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Investment performance reflects voluntary fee waivers in effect. Absent these waivers, total return and yield would be reduced. There can be no assurance that Frost Investment Advisors, LLC will continue to waive fees. For performance data current to the most recent month end, please call 877.713.7678.

The information provided in this report should not be considered a recommendation to purchase or sell any particular security. These views are subject to change and are not intended to predict or guarantee the future performance of any individual security or the markets in general. There is no assurance that any securities discussed herein will remain in an account’s portfolio at the time you receive this report or that securities sold have not been repurchased. The securities discussed do not represent an account’s entire portfolio and in the aggregate may represent only a small percentage of an account’s portfolio holdings.

Mutual fund investing involves risk including possible loss of principal. International investments may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuation in currency values, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles or from social, economic or political instability in other nations. Bond and bond funds are subject to interest rate risk and will decline in value as interest rates rise. REIT investments are subject to changes in economic conditions, credit risk and interest rate fluctuations. Emerging markets involve heightened risks related to the same factors as well as increased volatility and lower trading volume. Derivatives are often more volatile than other investments and may magnify the Fund’s gains or losses. The primary risk of derivative instruments is that changes in the market value of securities held by the fund and of the derivative instruments relating to those securities may not be proportionate. Derivatives are also subject to illiquidity and counter party risk. Diversification does not protect against market loss.

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable and dollar denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities and asset-backed securities.

The S&P 500 Index is a market-value weighted index consisting of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation, with each stock’s weight in the Index proportionate to its market value

 

2


LOGO

 

 

Frost Growth Equity Fund

Manager Commentary

It has been a surprisingly strong year for equity markets, given aggressive monetary tightening by major central banks around the world along with the collapse of a few regional banks in early spring. Working in the stock markets’ favor, at least over these last nine months and up until recently, has been a combination of low expectations, bearish sentiment, and resilient economic growth. Many economists came into the year predicting a high probability of recession, and instead economic growth has been revised consistently higher as seen in measures such as the Citigroup economic surprise index.

Growth stocks were the standout performers over the period. Attractive starting point valuations late last year followed dramatic underperformance throughout much of 2022, and technology companies newly found focus on cost efficiency and excitement around artificial intelligence were a boost. In terms of cost efficiencies, many employee layoffs over the past few quarters have come from the traditional growth sectors such as technology, communication services and consumer discretionary. Meta Platforms Inc. (formerly known as Facebook) coined 2023 its “year of efficiency,” and that applies to a lot of large-cap technology and internet companies. Unfortunately, many companies in these sectors hired too many employees over the past few years and believed strength from pandemic-related demand was sustainable. When economic growth started to slow in 2022, many of these companies had inflated cost structures. But in response, and as a silver lining, many companies took the opportunity to aggressively rein in costs and become more efficient. Meta probably is the most extreme example, but lots of companies took similar actions. It’s still early in terms of seeing the full benefits from this focus on efficiency. Meanwhile, structural growth tailwinds such as the shift to cloud, digital transformation and now artificial intelligence remain intact.

Looking back over the 12-month period ending July 31, 2023, the top performing sectors in the market were either growth-oriented sectors such as technology and communication services or cyclical sectors such as industrials. The more defensive or counter-cyclical related sectors such as consumer staples, health care and utilities all underperformed the broader averages, as investors had little appetite to play defense. This is notable given how consensus the call for recession was coming into this year.

For fiscal year 2023, the Frost Growth Equity Fund Institutional class posted a gain of 15.34%. The fund underperformed its benchmark, the Russell 1000 Growth Index, by 197 basis points, but outperformed its large growth peer group by 87 basis points. The Russell 1000 Growth Index continues to be significantly more concentrated than the average large cap growth fund and can often experience large relative swings based on only a handful of mega-cap stocks. Relative to its actively managed large-growth peer group, the fund ranked in the second quartile over the period.

The underperformance relative to the benchmark was driven more by sector weighting decisions than by stock selection. The sector-related headwinds were a result of the fund being underweight the technology sector, which was the best performing and largest sector in the Russell 1000 Growth Index. The fund was also overweight the health care, consumer discretionary and financials sectors, with all three sectors underperforming the overall benchmark average return.

Stock selection was relatively solid, with selection in consumer discretionary, financial and communication services the top contributors to the fund’s relative performance. Stock selection in technology and health care detracted the most.

In the consumer discretionary, an underweight in Tesla and overweight positions in O’Reilly Automotive, Booking Holdings and Chipotle Mexican Grill were all notable contributors. We admire Tesla’s ability to grow volumes by more than 50%, but the company has had to cut prices significantly to maintain those targets. Gross margins have declined by around 12 percentage points relative to the peak last year, and earnings estimates have been revised materially lower as a result. Although Tesla remains the leader in electric vehicles for the foreseeable future, the stock looks relatively expensive to us, and we maintain the position as a sizeable underweight in the fund.

Amazon was the biggest detractor in consumer discretionary, with the stock down modestly over the 12-month period. We remain constructive on Amazon at current levels. The management team is in the early stages of focusing on costs and efficiency following years of inefficient growth during the pandemic, and we think growth at Amazon Web Services is likely

 

3


LOGO

 

 

bottoming. The stock is reasonably priced on free cash flow metrics looking out over the next year or two, a rarity for Amazon stock over its history.

In communication services, an overweight in Meta was the top overall contributor for the year. The stock benefitted from strong first and second quarter earnings reports that showed solid user growth, better engagement and improved monetization thanks to aggressive investments in artificial intelligence. Meta is back to double-digit revenue growth, and despite the significant move year-to-date, the stock only trades in line with the overall market on a multiple to earnings basis, which we view as relatively attractive.

On the downside, relative performance in the technology sector was hurt most by not owning Broadcom and by an underweight position in Apple. We view Apple as one of the highest quality companies in the market and have owned the stock in the fund for the past 15 years. But we are underweight relative to the benchmark because we believe the valuation already reflects the quality and the growth prospects of the business. Contributing positively to stock selection in the sector were our positions in leading software companies such as Microsoft, Workday, ServiceNow and Adobe Systems.

Lastly, performance in the health care sector contributed to the underperformance relative to the benchmark, despite a significant overweight in Eli Lilly, one of the best performing pharmaceutical stocks over the last year. Stock selection was hurt by long-time holdings Danaher and Edwards Lifesciences. Danaher benefitted from pandemic-related hospital testing and as a provider of vaccine manufacturing equipment. There could be another few quarters of inventory digestion in bioprocessing, but we think the long-term outlook for the industry still looks solid.

Looking forward, the market backdrop and outlook for the economy is mixed following roughly 500 basis points of interest rate increases from the Federal Reserve to slow economic growth and bring down inflation. While it’s difficult to predict whether the economy will enter a recession, we think higher interest rates work with a long lag, and it’s too early to understand the full impact from the Fed’s tightening campaign. We think the cumulative effect of higher interest rates is likely to slow economic growth more in 2024 than it did in 2023. The impact of interest rate hikes may work with a longer than normal lag because during the pandemic, consumers and businesses locked in lower rates for a longer period. We have positioned most of the portfolio in companies who have the potential to perform well through headwinds. Growth-oriented sectors like information technology, communication services and consumer discretionary make up roughly two-thirds of the fund, and many companies in these sectors have growth drivers and tailwinds that don’t rely on a robust economy to grow. For defensive exposure, health care remains our preferred sector, and it is overweight in the fund. Here again, our focus is on health care innovators introducing efficient new drugs, diagnostics, and delivery methods.

Ultimately, our investment process focuses on identifying innovative, competitively advantaged, and differentiated companies led by top-notch management teams that have exposure to large and attractive markets. We strongly believe the best business models win out over time, and our focus on finding companies with the ability to sustain above-average earnings and cash flow growth for long periods of time is how we add value through an economic cycle.

 

4


LOGO

 

Frost Growth Equity Fund

 

    Growth of a $1,000,000 Investment
   

One Year 

 

Return

 

 Annualized 3 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 5 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 10 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 

 

Inception to

 

Date

Institutional Class Shares(2)

  15.34%    8.94%    12.78%   14.00%   10.70%

Investor Class Shares(3)(4)

  15.11%    8.67%    12.50%   13.71%   10.82%

S&P 500 Growth Index

  8.00%    10.41%    12.92%   14.27%   11.79%

Russell 1000 Growth Index

  17.31%    12.19%    15.23%   15.53%   12.56%

 

LOGO

 

(1)

The graph is based on only Institutional Class Shares; performance for Investor Class Shares would be lower due to differences in fee structures.

 

(2)

Institutional Class Shares commenced operations on April 25, 2008.

 

(3)

Effective March 31, 2015, Class A Shares were re-designated as Investor Class Shares. Prior to March 31, 2015, shareholders were charged a sales charge on purchases and redemptions of Class A Shares. The performance information provided for the period between the inception date and March 30, 2015 represents the performance of Investor Class Shares when they were called Class A Shares. The share class change had no impact on the Fund’s operations or investment policy.

 

(4)

Investor Class Shares commenced operations on June 30, 2008.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that, when redeemed, may be worth less than its original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike a fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the index returns, the performance would have been lower.

The performance of the Fund would have been lower had the Adviser not waived a portion of its fees. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

There are no assurances that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change because it is actively managed and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

 

5


LOGO

 

FIXED INCOME FUNDS

Market Review

US Bond Market

The U.S. bond market turned in another rather disappointing year with mostly negative returns except for a few sectors such as floating-rate coupon and high-yield corporate bonds. The large core U.S. Aggregate (AGG) and U.S. Universal bond indexes lost 3.37% and 2.40%, respectively. In fact, apart from the floating-rate coupon sector, which often benefits from rising rates, much of the U.S. bond market has been in a three-year bear market with the AGG index now down 4.50% since mid-2020. Overall bond market volatility has remained elevated over the past year, due in part to the mini banking crisis that began in March. The bond market has spent the past year with an inverted yield curve. Longer-maturity yields remained lower than shorter-maturity yields as the Federal Reserve raised money market rates over 5.0%. The inverted yield curve created a challenging bond environment because it can negate natural market valuation rises as securities move closer to their maturity.

Treasury Securities

The Treasury market produced returns ranging from positive 4.50% to a negative 13.0% depending on subsector details. The best portion of the Treasury space was the floating-rate coupon area, which benefited from Fed rate hikes and returned approximately 4.50%. The long-maturity fixed-rate area lost between 7.0% and 13.0%. 30-year Treasury bonds lost 13.10%. The Treasury Inflation-Protected sector (“TIPs”) produced positive returns of 2.0% due to inflation concerns. Within the AGG index, Treasury securities lost 4.0% with returns even lower for longer-maturity securities.

Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (“RMBS”)

The U.S agency sector of RMBS underperformed the AGG index and was generally the worst performing sector within the AGG. The Bloomberg RMBS index lost 4.66%. The agency RMBS sector struggled with a general rise in interest rates, a slowing housing market, and two very large buyer bases – the Fed and private banking – meaningfully slowing their investment purchases. In direct correlation with interest rate increases, 30-year collateral bonds underperformed 15-year collateral bonds, and higher-duration lower-coupon collateral underperformed higher coupons.

Within the non-agency RMBS sector, returns were somewhat higher but still struggled to produce positive returns. The prime RMBS sector generally produced flat or slightly positive returns as U.S. housing fundamentals remained solid for that credit profile. However, the non-qualified mortgage and reperforming collateral types within the sector generally saw spreads over government securities increase, resulting in negative returns.

Asset-Backed Securities (“ABS”)

The ABS sector returned between 1.0% and 3.0% during the year and broadly outperformed both the AGG index Treasurys on a duration-adjusted basis. The higher-quality Bloomberg US ABS Sub-Index returned 1.12%. The lower-rated higher-risk area of ABS generally produced returns closer to 3.0%. ABS benefited from its lower duration and interest rate risk profile. The sector saw stable credit spreads across most loan collateral types even as investment sentiment focused on a possible recession.

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Securities (“CMBS”)

CMBS underperformed the U.S. fixed income market and generally produced negative returns over the past year. The sector struggled with a double whammy of higher interest rates on government securities and investor worries on commercial real estate credit. Unlike prior years where most of the credit worries revolved around office space collateral, during this past year investor worries spread to multifamily and hotels. The CMBS sub-sector within the AGG lost 3.25%. Many higher-risk sectors such as BBB-rated CMBS securities produced returns lower than negative 3.25%.

Collateralized Loan Obligation (“CLO”)

The CLO sector delivered positive total returns and outperformed most fixed-income sectors. CLO benefited from its floating-rate coupon and very low duration profile. Like other floating-rate coupon securities, CLO saw increased returns as the Fed

 

6


LOGO

 

 

continued to increase money market rates, pushing up yields on CLO-linked indexes such as LIBOR and SOFR rates. Broadly, CLO returns ranged between 5.0% to 10.0% with the higher-credit AAA-rated securities at 5.0% and the riskier BBB- and BB-rated securities making up the higher return range.

Investment Grade Corporate Securities (“IG”)

The Bloomberg US IG Index lost 1.30% in the year, which was better than both the AGG and U.S. government bonds. On a duration-adjusted basis, IG outperformed Treasurys by approximately 2.50%. Like other sectors, the shorter maturity, and less duration profile in IG, the better the returns. Shorter maturities like one- to three-years delivered meaningfully higher returns than intermediate maturities like four- to nine-years, and intermediate maturities delivered better returns than longer maturities. The one- to three-year IG category in the Bloomberg index returned 1.40%, but the 30-year category lost almost 6.0%. Generally lower quality delivered better returns, and lower returns were linear as bonds moved up in ratings. The BBB-rated category returned very close to 0% while the AA category lost 1.25%. Many industry groups, apart from banks, provided similar returns. The banking industry underperformed due to the mini banking crisis occurring in March and April. IG spreads finished the year at 1.18% over Treasury securities.

High Yield Corporate Securities (“HY”)

The HY sector was one of the star performers across fixed income. The Bloomberg U.S. HY index returned 4.40%. On a duration-adjusted basis, high yield outperformed Treasurys by more than 5.50%. Similar to other sectors, lower-duration profiles generally delivered better returns. The CCC-rated category returned 6.50% and the BB-rated category returned around 3.0%. High yield benefited nicely from the continued economic and credit cycle improvement, even in the face of constant investor worries. The HY energy category produced some of the best performances in terms of aggregate and duration-adjusted returns. The overall energy sector within the Bloomberg HY index returned close to 8.0%. On the opposite side of returns, banks and financials underperformed, as did the communication sector. Overall, most industrial sectors delivered better returns relative to the HY benchmark and duration-adjusted Treasury. Overall HY spreads rallied (declined) by approximately 80 basis points over U.S. government bonds, resulting in one of the best 12-month periods for spreads since the pandemic. At year-end the Bloomberg HY sector finished with an average spread of 3.95% over Treasurys.

Money Market Securities

Money markets had their second consecutive active year. The Fed continued to raise money-market rates from around 2% to 5%, the highest rate since 2007. This follows the preceding year, in which the Fed raised the rate from effectively 0% to 2%. Over a period of less than 24 months, U.S. government money-market yields increased by 500 basis points. Other money-market sectors increased in tandem, resulting in corporate commercial paper yielding closer to 6% than 5% at year-end.

 

7


LOGO

 

 

Frost Total Return Bond Fund

Fund Recap

 

   

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the AGG) returned negative 3.37% for the year that ended on July 31, 2023. The Frost Total Return Bond Fund (institutional share class) returned 2.05% for the same period, bettering the benchmark by 5.42%.

 

   

The fund maintained its effective duration – a measure of interest rate risk – between 2.90 and 3.80% with the higher end of the range early in the year and declining toward the middle of the year as interest rates moved higher.

 

   

With the benchmark’s average duration approximately 6.25%, the fund’s underweight duration allocation resulted in positive outperformance relative to the benchmark. This was the fund’s most meaningful positive factor.

 

   

The fund was overweight the high yield, corporate, collateralized loan obligations and asset-backed securities sectors and underweight allocations to U.S. government bonds.

 

   

The allocation to credit resulted in slight overperformance relative to the benchmark as the credit markets outperformed U.S. government sectors. Risk asset sectors generally benefited from economic and credit cycle performance.

 

   

The fund outperformed due to individual security selection, primarily in its high-yield energy securities and its investment-grade ABS.

 

   

The fund held an average allocation of 6% to energy during the year. This resulted in positive relative performance. Several of the fund’s oil holdings saw significant outperformance. The fund held underweight allocations to Treasury, corporate and RMBS sectors and overweight ABS, CMBS and CLOs.

 

   

The fund’s average allocations during the year were 30% Treasurys, 18% corporates and CLOs, 12% ABS, 8% RMBS and 7% CMBS.

Strategy

Our one-year outlook for the U.S. bond market is for returns of 4.00% to 4.50%, which is on the high end of our previous estimates over the past decade. However, even these estimates assume a slightly higher move in interest rates over the next year. As the new year starts, the income generated by many core U.S. bond strategies has now moved above 4.00% for the first time in many years. Our overall projection for U.S. bonds is broadly equal to the market’s current income generation with little change in valuations due to changes in interest rates or credit spreads. Our base projection for Treasury yields must increase only marginally over the course of the next year. A foundation for this outlook is for the U.S. economy to slow compared with the past year while continuing to produce growth and stable employment. We acknowledge the uncertainty around the globe as well as central banks’ tighter monetary policy.

We are underweight interest rate risk entering the new year as we have been for some time. The risk-reward calculus for rates remains poor. Having said this, we acknowledge that the rise in yields across the U.S. bond market over the past two years has increased bonds’ relative valuation. We also acknowledge the global economic uncertainty and believe there is a meaningful probability that we will need to change the fund’s rate risk profile sometime over the coming year. Balancing both views, we begin the year with a target effective duration of around 4.0%, which is higher than our target of the last several years but still low compared to 6.50% for the benchmark. Floating-rate coupon bonds remain a focus, with a targeted allocation between 15-18%. This allocation supports our strategy to overweight the low duration objectives of the fund even though it’s lower than the last several years.

The fund begins the new year underweight U.S. government securities, somewhat overweight the high-yield corporate sector and overweight securitized sectors. The fund’s largest sector allocations at the start of the year are Treasurys (31%), corporate bonds (20%), collateralized loan obligations (18%), asset-backed securities (12%), residential mortgage-backed securities (8%) and CMBS (6%). The fund’s largest sector variances relative to the benchmark are an underweight in Treasurys (31% vs. 41%), an underweight to U.S. agency residential MBS (8% vs. 27%) and an overweight to non-U.S. agency RMBS like ABS and CLOs (38% in the fund vs. 3% for the benchmark). We continue to see attractive relative valuations across most of the securitized sectors, including for the first time in several years the U.S. agency RMBS, and in selected high-yield corporates.

 

8


LOGO

 

 

The fund also begins the new year with a healthy 6% allocation to energy. However, we are slowly decreasing the fund’s focus in energy due to increasingly higher valuations.

The fund remains focused on generating above-average dividend income relative to its benchmark. We expect individual security selection will continue to be a focus and we remain positioned to move the fund’s interest rate risk profile in either direction if needed to adjust to the wide dispersion of economic and interest rate possibilities.

 

9


LOGO

 

Frost Total Return Bond Fund

 

    Growth of a $1,000,000 Investment
   

One Year 

 

Return

 

 Annualized 3 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 5 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 10 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 

 

Inception to

 

Date

Institutional Class Shares(2)

  2.05%    1.78%    2.21%   2.80%   4.59%

Investor Class Shares(3)(4)

  1.79%    1.53%    1.96%   2.55%   4.37%

A Class Shares(5)

  1.69%    1.50%    1.90%   2.44%   4.25%

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index

  (3.37)%    (4.46)%    0.75%   1.50%   2.67%

 

LOGO

 

(1)

The graph is based on only Institutional Class Shares; performance for Investor Class Shares and A Class Shares would be lower due to differences in fee structures.

 

(2)

Institutional Class Shares commenced operations on April 25, 2008.

 

(3)

Effective March 31, 2015, Class A Shares were re-designated as Investor Class Shares. Prior to March 31, 2015, shareholders were charged a sales charge on purchases and redemptions of Class A Shares. The performance information provided for the period between the inception date and March 30, 2015 represents the performance of Investor Class Shares when they were called Class A Shares. The share class change had no impact on the Fund’s operations or investment policy.

 

(4)

Investor Class Shares commenced operations on June 30, 2008.

 

(5)

A Class Shares commenced operations on June 1, 2018.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that, when redeemed, may be worth less than its original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike a fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the index returns, the performance would have been lower.

The performance of the Fund would have been lower had the Adviser not waived a portion of its fees. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

There are no assurances that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change because it is actively managed and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

 

10


LOGO

 

Bond Credit Quality as of July 31, 2023

 

     Percentage of Total 
  Credit Rating(1)    Investments 

  Agency

    7%

  AAA

   14%

  AA

   12%

  A

   11%

  BBB

   11%

  Below Investment Grade

   10%

  Treasury

   34%

  Cash

    1%

(1) The credit quality breakdown depicts the credit quality ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities that are rated by one or more of the four major nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”). These four NRSRO’s currently are Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch, and DBRS. When a security is rated by more than one NRSRO, the highest rating is used. These credit quality ratings are shown without regard to gradations within a given rating category.

 

11


LOGO

 

 

Frost Credit Fund

Manager Commentary:

Fund Recap

 

   

The fund’s hybrid benchmark (50% Bloomberg U.S. Credit Index/50% Bloomberg US Corporate High Yield Index) returned 1.56% for the year. The fund returned 5.31% over the same period, representing a 375-basis-point outperformance.

 

   

The fund was underweight interest rate risk throughout the year, representing nearly all outperformance relative to the benchmark. The five-year Treasury note rose from 2.60% to over 4.0%, resulting in negative returns for the security.

 

   

The fund’s effective duration was between 2.30% and 2.70%, with the high end of the range occurring early in the year. This is compared to the 5.0% effective duration of the benchmark.

 

   

The fund was overweight the securitized market sectors (ABS, CMBS and CLOs) and underweight the investment-grade and high-yield corporate sector. These allocation positions resulted in sizable relative outperformance.

 

   

The fund was slightly underweight credit risk such as high-yield sector, resulting in slight relative underperformance. Riskier sectors such as high yield outperformed.

 

   

The fund slightly outperformed due to positive security selection, even though this paled in comparison to the fund’s primary outperformance metric of interest rate positioning and duration.

Strategy

Our one-year outlook for the U.S. bond market is for returns of 4.0% to 4.50%, which is on the high end of the previous decade’s estimates. We expect credit-related sectors to deliver slightly higher returns as economic and credit cycles slow but continue expanding. Considering that many credit sectors began the new year with some of the highest yields in a decade, even just a muddle-through type of credit cycle should translate to marginal outperformance.

We are underweight interest rate risk entering the new year as we have been for some time. The risk-reward calculus for rates remains poor. Having said this, we acknowledge that the rise in yields across the U.S. bond market over the past two years has increased bonds’ relative valuation. We also acknowledge the global economic uncertainty and believe there is a meaningful probability that we will need to change the fund’s rate risk profile sometime over the coming year. Balancing both views, we begin the year with a target effective duration of approximately 3.0%, which is higher than our target of the last several years, but still low compared to the benchmark’s 5.25%. Floating-rate coupon bonds remain a focus for the fund, with a targeted allocation of at least 25%. This allocation supports our strategy to overweight the low-duration objectives of the fund, even though it is lower than the last several years.

The fund starts the new year with a somewhat conservative allocation of 58% investment-grade securities and 42% below-investment-grade securities. The fund starts the year with a 41% allocation to corporate bonds, 26% CLOs and 21% ABS.

 

12


LOGO

 

Frost Credit Fund

 

    Growth of a $1,000,000 Investment
   

 One Year 

 

Return

 

 Annualized 3 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 5 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 10 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 

 

Inception to

 

Date

Institutional Class Shares(2)   5.31%    3.21%    3.25%   4.07%   4.04%
Investor Class Shares(2)(3)   4.94%    2.92%    2.98%   3.80%   3.76%
A Class Shares(4)   5.06%    2.96%    2.98%   3.72%   3.67%
50/50 Hybrid of the Following Indices   1.56%    (1.12)%    2.54%   3.45%   3.32%
Bloomberg U.S. Credit Index   (1.29)%    (4.26)%    1.57%   2.47%   2.02%
Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index   4.41%    2.04%    3.42%   4.38%   4.56%

 

LOGO

 

(1)

The graph is based on only Institutional Class Shares; performance for Investor Class Shares and A Class Shares would be lower due to differences in fee structures.

 

(2)

Both Institutional Class Shares and Investor Class Shares commenced operations on December 3, 2012.

 

(3)

Effective March 31, 2015, Class A Shares were re-designated as Investor Class Shares. Prior to March 31, 2015, shareholders were charged a sales charge on purchases and redemptions of Class A Shares. The performance information provided for the period between the inception date and March 30, 2015 represents the performance of Investor Class Shares when they were called Class A Shares. The share class change had no impact on the Fund’s operations or investment policy.

 

(4)

A Class Shares commenced operations on June 1, 2018.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that, when redeemed, may be worth less than its original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike a fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the index returns, the performance would have been lower.

The performance of the Fund would have been lower had the Adviser not waived portion of its fees.

Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

There are no assurances that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change because it is actively managed and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

 

13


LOGO

 

Bond Credit Quality as of July 31, 2023

 

     Percentage of Total 
  Credit Rating(1)    Investments 

  Agency

    1%

  AAA

    2%

  AA

    8%

  A

   23%

  BBB

   26%

  Below Investment Grade

   36%

  Cash

    4%

(1) The credit quality breakdown depicts the credit quality ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities that are rated by one or more of the four major nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”). These four NRSRO’s currently are Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch, and DBRS. When a security is rated by more than one NRSRO, the highest rating is used. These credit quality ratings are shown without regard to gradations within a given rating category

 

14


LOGO

 

 

Frost Low Duration Bond Fund

Manager Commentary:

Fund Recap

 

   

The Bloomberg U.S. Government Credit One to Five Year Bond Index lost 0.38% during the year that ended July 31, 2023 The Frost Low Duration Bond Fund (institutional share class) returned 1.05% over the same period, outperformance of 143 basis points.

 

   

The fund maintained an underweight allocation to interest rate risk, with an effective duration profile of between 1.65% and 2.20%.

 

   

Short-term interest rates increased as the Fed continued its more-restrictive monetary policy and increased money-market yields above 5%, so the fund’s duration profile had a positive attribution effect of approximately 0.75% relative to its benchmark. This explained about half of the fund’s relative outperformance as the yield on the three-year Treasury note rose from 2.80% to over 4.50%.

 

   

Another reason for the fund’s relative outperformance was positive sector allocations. The fund held a meaningful overweight to the ABS sector (51%) and an underweight to the Treasury sector (22%). The fund and the benchmark ABS holdings delivered higher returns than the Treasury sector.

 

   

The fund held an average 19% allocation to investment-grade corporate bonds, an underweight to the benchmark.

Strategy

The fund is underweight interest rate risk. We feel there is little reward for holding high levels of rate risk if the Fed continues to raise short-term rates. We expect to maintain the fund’s effective duration at a level lower than the benchmark. Our current effective duration target is between 2-2.25 years, compared to 2.6 for the benchmark. We look for an opportunity to add to duration risk next year as we expect the Fed will end its rate-hiking cycle.

We continue to see ABS as a source of value for the fund, and we feel the sector is cheaper on a relative value basis than it has been in years. We expect to maintain the fund’s large overweight allocation to ABS and may increase it further. Our focus in ABS continues to be consumer-related loans, primarily auto loans.

We expect to be slightly overweight credit risk due to an underweight allocation to Treasurys and other U.S. government sectors.

 

15


LOGO

 

Frost Low Duration Bond Fund

 

    Growth of a $1,000,000 Investment
   

 One Year 

 

Return

 

 Annualized 3 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 5 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 10 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 

 

Inception to

 

Date

Institutional Class Shares(2)

  1.05%    (0.58)%    1.10%   1.17%   2.29%

Investor Class Shares(3)(4)

  0.90%    (0.83)%    0.87%   0.93%   1.99%
Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Government/Credit Index   (0.38)%    (1.56)%    1.23%   1.15%   1.88%

 

LOGO

 

(1)

The graph is based on only Institutional Class Shares; performance for Investor Class Shares would be lower due to differences in fee structures.

 

(2)

Institutional Class Shares commenced operations on April 25, 2008.

 

(3)

Effective March 31, 2015, Class A Shares were re-designated as Investor Class Shares. Prior to March 31, 2015, shareholders were charged a sales charge on purchases and redemptions of Class A Shares. The performance information provided for the period between the inception date and March 30, 2015 represents the performance of Investor Class Shares when they were called Class A Shares. The share class change had no impact on the Fund’s operations or investment policy.

 

(4)

Investor Class Shares commenced operations on June 30, 2008.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that, when redeemed, may be worth less than its original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike a fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the index returns, the performance would have been lower.

The performance of the Fund would have been lower had the Adviser not waived a portion of its fees.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

There are no assurances that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change because it is actively managed and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

 

16


LOGO

 

Bond Credit Quality as of July 31, 2023

     Percentage of Total 
  Credit Rating(1)    Investments 

  AAA

   12%

  AA

    9%

  A

   21%

  BBB

   27%

  Agency

    6%

  Treasury

   24%

  Cash

    1%

 

(1)

The credit quality breakdown depicts the credit quality ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities that are rated by one or more of the four major nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”). These four NRSRO’s currently are Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch, and DBRS. When a security is rated by more than one NRSRO, the highest rating is used. These credit quality ratings are shown without regard to gradations within a given rating category.

 

17


LOGO

 

 

Frost Municipal Bond Fund

Manager Commentary:

Fund Recap

 

   

The Bloomberg Municipal Bond index returned 0.93% for the year that ended July 31, 2023. The Frost Municipal Bond Fund returned 0.46% during the same period, or 47 basis points underperformance.

 

   

The fund maintained a material underweight allocation to interest rate risk with an effective duration between 3.50% and 4.25% compared with 6% for the benchmark. The fund’s effective duration at year-end stood at 3.08%.

 

   

The fund also held an average maturity at year-end of 4.50 years compared to 12.92 years for the index. The fund continued to be materially underweight the 20- to 30- year sector.

 

   

The benchmark’s 20- to 30-year sector lost more than 11.50% and was the worst-performing space of the index. The fund’s material underweight in this sector was its largest positive relative performance characteristic.

 

   

The fund was slightly underweight credit risk with a higher allocation to AAA- and AA-rated securities and a lower allocation to BBB-rated bonds. This did not have a material relative performance attribution to the benchmark.

 

   

The fund continued to hold Texas municipality securities, with a year-end allocation of approximately 70%.

 

   

The fund held an average 11% allocation to cash, which aided relative performance. Cash was the best-performing sector.

Strategy

We continue to be underweight interest rate risk entering the new year. We continue to feel that the risk-reward calculus for rates is poor, and we expect to keep the fund’s effective duration meaningfully lower than the benchmark. We begin the year with a target effective duration of 4.00% compared to 6.00% for the benchmark.

 

18


LOGO

 

Frost Municipal Bond Fund

 

    Growth of a $1,000,000 Investment
   

 One Year 

 

Return

 

 Annualized 3 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 5 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 10 

 

Year Return

 

 Annualized 

 

Inception to

 

Date

Institutional Class Shares(2)

  0.46%    0.10%    1.85%   2.06%   2.70%

Investor Class Shares(3)(4)

  0.31%    (0.11)%    1.61%   1.81%   2.42%
Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index   0.93%    (1.00)%    1.87%   2.81%   3.50%

 

LOGO

 

(1)

The graph is based on only Institutional Class Shares; performance for Investor Class Shares would be lower due to differences in fee structures.

 

(2)

Institutional Class Shares commenced operations on April 25, 2008.

 

(3)

Effective March 31, 2015, Class A Shares were re-designated as Investor Class Shares. Prior to March 31, 2015, shareholders were charged a sales charge on purchases and redemptions of Class A Shares. The performance information provided for the period between the inception date and March 30, 2015 represents the performance of Investor Class Shares when they were called Class A Shares. The share class change had no impact on the Fund’s operations or investment policy.

 

(4)

Investor Class Shares commenced operations on August 28, 2008.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that, when redeemed, may be worth less than its original cost. Past performance is no guarantee of future performance and should not be considered as a representation of the future results of the Fund. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike a fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the index returns, the performance would have been lower.

The performance of the Fund would have been lower had the Adviser not waived a portion of its fees. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

There are no assurances that the Fund will meet its stated objectives. The Fund’s holdings and allocations are subject to change because it is actively managed and should not be considered recommendations to buy individual securities.

 

19


LOGO

 

Bond Credit Quality as of July 31, 2023

     Percentage of Total 
  Credit Rating(1)    Investments 

  AAA

   43%

  AA

   23%

  A

   25%

  BBB

    3%

  Below Investment Grade

    6%

 

(1)

The credit quality breakdown depicts the credit quality ratings of the Fund’s portfolio securities that are rated by one or more of the four major nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”). These four NRSRO’s currently are Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, Fitch, and DBRS. When a security is rated by more than one NRSRO, the highest rating is used. These credit quality ratings are shown without regard to gradations within a given rating category.

 

20


LOGO

 

SECTOR WEIGHTINGS (Unaudited)†

 

 

LOGO

† Percentages are based on total investments.

 

                                                   
     
Description    Shares      Value  

COMMON STOCK§ — 99.9%

     

Communication Services — 11.2%

     

Alphabet, Cl A *

     90,680       $ 12,035,050  

Alphabet, Cl C *

     84,900        11,301,039  

Meta Platforms, Cl A *

     24,290        7,738,794  

Netflix *

     5,900        2,589,923  

Spotify Technology *

     11,200        1,673,392  
     

 

 

 
          35,338,198  
     

 

 

 

Consumer Discretionary — 17.3%

     

Airbnb, Cl A *

     9,000        1,369,710  

Amazon.com *

     165,120        22,073,241  

Booking Holdings *

     1,150        3,416,420  

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Cl A *

     2,300        4,513,244  

Floor & Decor Holdings, Cl A *

     11,500        1,320,775  

Home Depot

     13,590        4,536,886  

Lululemon Athletica *

     4,500        1,703,385  

NIKE, Cl B

     22,500        2,483,775  

O’Reilly Automotive *

     4,420        4,091,992  

Starbucks

     26,050        2,645,899  

Tesla *

     16,345        4,371,143  

TJX

     23,500        2,033,455  
     

 

 

 
        54,559,925  
     

 

 

 

Consumer Staples — 2.7%

     

Coca-Cola

     50,000        3,096,500  

Costco Wholesale

     6,882        3,858,531  

Monster Beverage *

     25,000        1,437,250  
     

 

 

 
        8,392,281  
     

 

 

 

Energy — 0.8%

     

Hess

     17,000        2,579,410  
     

 

 

 

Financials — 8.7%

     

Cboe Global Markets

     15,500        2,165,040  

JPMorgan Chase

     4,300        679,228  

Mastercard, Cl A

     24,060        9,486,377  

Moody’s

     12,905        4,552,238  

S&P Global

     1,000        394,510  

Visa, Cl A

     42,200        10,032,206  
     

 

 

 
        27,309,599  
     

 

 

 

Health Care — 13.3%

     

Abbott Laboratories

     14,000        1,558,620  

AbbVie

     12,500        1,869,750  

Boston Scientific *

     60,500        3,136,925  
                                                   
     
Description    Shares      Value  

Charles River Laboratories International *

     5,750       $ 1,204,855  

Danaher

     19,100        4,871,646  

Edwards Lifesciences *

     24,000        1,969,680  

Eli Lilly

     20,200        9,181,910  

Humana

     7,700        3,517,591  

Intuitive Surgical *

     7,500        2,433,000  

Merck

     12,000        1,279,800  

Seagen *

     13,350        2,560,263  

UnitedHealth Group

     12,200        6,177,714  

Zoetis, Cl A

     12,235        2,301,281  
     

 

 

 
        42,063,035  
     

 

 

 

Industrials — 4.3%

     

Canadian Pacific Kansas City

     55,200        4,542,408  

Fortive

     32,000        2,507,200  

Uber Technologies *

     70,500        3,486,930  

Union Pacific

     12,700        2,946,654  
     

 

 

 
        13,483,192  
     

 

 

 

Information Technology — 40.2%

     

Accenture, Cl A

     5,100        1,613,385  

Adobe *

     10,700        5,844,019  

Advanced Micro Devices *

     35,050        4,009,720  

Apple

     171,960        33,781,542  

Globant *

     11,600        2,026,868  

Intuit

     4,200        2,149,140  

Lam Research

     500        359,245  

Marvell Technology

     73,035        4,756,770  

Microsoft

     124,015        41,659,119  

NVIDIA

     34,500        16,121,505  

QUALCOMM

     22,500        2,973,825  

ServiceNow *

     10,000        5,830,000  

Snowflake, Cl A *

     6,850        1,217,313  

Workday, Cl A *

     18,500        4,386,905  
     

 

 

 
        126,729,356  
     

 

 

 

Materials — 1.0%

     

Sherwin-Williams

     11,500        3,179,750  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate — 0.4%

     

American Tower ‡

     6,000        1,141,860  
     

 

 

 

Total Common Stock
(Cost $127,839,102)

        314,776,606  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments — 99.9%
(Cost $127,839,102)

       $  314,776,606  
     

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $315,201,602.

 

*

Non-income producing security.

§

Narrow industries are utilized for compliance purposes, whereas broad sectors are utilized for reporting.

Real Estate Investment Trust

As of July 31, 2023, all of the Fund’s investments in securities were considered Level 1, in accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Financial Statements.

See “Glossary” for abbreviations.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

21


LOGO

 

SECTOR WEIGHTINGS (Unaudited)†

 

 

LOGO

† Percentages are based on total investments.

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

U.S. TREASURY OBLIGATIONS — 30.6%

 

  

U.S. Treasury Bill

     

5.287%, 08/22/23 (A)

   $ 2,000,000       $ 1,993,870  

5.271%, 08/29/23 (A)

     2,000,000        1,991,816  

5.220%, 08/08/23 (A)

     2,000,000        1,997,965  

5.212%, 08/15/23 (A)

     2,000,000        1,995,900  

U.S. Treasury Bond

     

4.000%, 11/15/42

     80,000,000        77,912,500  

3.875%, 05/15/43

     45,000,000        43,017,188  

3.625%, 02/15/53

     25,000,000        23,316,406  

3.250%, 05/15/42

     125,000,000        109,316,406  

0.000%, 08/15/43 (B)

     10,000,000        4,318,269  

U.S. Treasury Notes

     

4.625%, 02/28/25

     65,000,000        64,509,961  

4.500%, 11/30/24

     50,000,000        49,496,094  

4.375%, 10/31/24

     200,000,000        197,781,250  

4.250%, 12/31/24

     135,000,000        133,212,305  

4.125%, 09/30/27

     130,000,000        129,146,875  
     

 

 

 

Total U.S. Treasury Obligations
(Cost $862,962,554)

           840,006,805  
     

 

 

 

CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS — 20.0%

 

  

Consumer Discretionary — 3.5%

     

Airswift Global

     

13.842%, U.S. SOFR + 8.900%, 05/12/25 (C)(D)

     7,000,000        7,245,000  

Choice Hotels International

     

3.700%, 01/15/31

     3,000,000        2,591,412  

3.700%, 12/01/29

     8,000,000        7,099,477  

Empire Resorts

     

7.750%, 11/01/26 (D)

     2,750,000        2,208,515  

General Motors Financial

     

1.200%, 10/15/24

     6,333,000        6,002,191  

MajorDrive Holdings IV

     

6.375%, 06/01/29 (D)

     29,685,000        24,283,963  

NES Fircroft Bondco

     

11.750%, 09/29/26 (D)

     7,750,000        7,878,218  

Scientific Games International

     

8.625%, 07/01/25 (D)

     5,750,000        5,869,960  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

STL Holding

     

7.500%, 02/15/26 (D)

   $ 16,460,000       $ 15,225,500  

TransJamaican Highway

     

5.750%, 10/10/36 (D)

     1,392,851        1,146,316  

VistaJet Malta Finance

     

7.875%, 05/01/27 (D)

     14,863,000        13,781,234  

6.375%, 02/01/30 (D)

     2,000,000        1,692,940  
     

 

 

 
        95,024,726  
     

 

 

 

Consumer Staples — 0.1%

     

Philip Morris International

     

5.125%, 02/15/30

     2,500,000        2,484,098  
     

 

 

 

Energy — 5.8%

     

Apache

     

7.750%, 12/15/29

     4,138,000        4,273,023  

Colonial Pipeline

     

8.375%, 11/01/30 (D)

     500,000        571,591  

Intesa Sanpaolo

     

4.000%, 09/23/29 (D)

     5,000,000        4,379,080  

New England Power

     

2.807%, 10/06/50 (D)

     5,000,000        3,140,488  

Paratus Energy Services

     

10.000% PIK, 07/15/26 (D)

     90,830,720        83,615,463  

10.000% PIK, 07/15/26

     24,586,317        22,633,271  

Petroleos Mexicanos

     

10.000%, 02/07/33 (D)

     2,000,000        1,862,475  

Reliance Industries

     

2.875%, 01/12/32 (D)

     2,000,000        1,660,514  

Tiger Holdco Pte

     

13.000% PIK, 09/10/23 (D)

     15,928,005        16,166,925  

Transocean

     

11.500%, 01/30/27 (D)

     17,500,000        18,350,806  
     

 

 

 
           156,653,636  
     

 

 

 

Financials — 6.9%

     

BAC Capital Trust XIV

     

5.952%, U.S. SOFR + 0.400%, 09/15/71 (C)

     9,870,000        7,896,003  

Bank of Ireland Group

     

6.253%, H15T1Y + 2.650%, 09/16/26 (C)(D)

     7,000,000        6,973,086  

Barclays

     

8.000%, H15T5Y + 5.431%, 12/15/71 (C)

     22,250,000        20,692,500  

Charles Schwab

     

4.000%, H15T10Y + 3.079%, 03/01/72 (C)

     2,000,000        1,566,477  

Citigroup

     

6.174%, U.S. SOFR + 2.661%, 05/25/34 (C)

     5,000,000        5,079,101  

Comerica

     

4.000%, 02/01/29

     13,300,000        11,682,301  

Comerica Bank

     

7.875%, 09/15/26

     24,790,000        25,001,672  

Credit Suisse

     

4.750%, 08/09/24

     15,000,000        14,758,834  

Credit Suisse Group

     

5.100%, H15T5Y + 3.293%, 07/24/72 (E)

     10,000,000        350,000  

Deutsche Bank

     

7.500%, USD Swap Semi 30/360 5 Yr Curr + 5.003%, 04/30/72 (C)

     4,000,000        3,695,840  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

22


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

7.146%, U.S. SOFR + 2.520%, 07/13/27 (C)

   $ 4,000,000       $ 4,079,473  

7.079%, U.S. SOFR + 3.650%, 02/10/34 (C)

     5,000,000        4,816,237  

3.742%, U.S. SOFR + 2.257%, 01/07/33 (C)

     2,000,000        1,528,870  

Enova International

     

8.500%, 09/15/25 (D)

     3,007,000        2,962,196  

Farmers Exchange Capital

     

7.050%, 07/15/28 (D)

     6,075,000        6,095,616  

KeyBank MTN

     

5.000%, 01/26/33

     5,000,000        4,518,088  

4.700%, 01/26/26

     20,750,000        19,794,432  

KeyCorp MTN

     

4.100%, 04/30/28

     7,113,000        6,455,336  

Royal Bank of Canada MTN

     

5.500%, 04/28/33

     10,000,000        9,495,119  

5.200%, 01/31/33

     3,000,000        2,851,804  

SBL Holdings

     

7.000%, H15T5Y + 5.580%, 05/13/72 (C)(D)

     2,500,000        1,556,250  

6.500%, H15T5Y + 5.620%, 11/13/71 (C)(D)

     9,492,000        5,386,710  

Synchrony Bank

     

5.400%, 08/22/25

     8,144,000        7,843,516  

Synchrony Financial

     

4.375%, 03/19/24

     3,000,000        2,956,262  

Synovus Bank

     

5.625%, 02/15/28

     1,000,000        932,816  

US Bancorp

     

5.836%, U.S. SOFR + 2.260%, 06/12/34 (C)

     4,000,000        4,055,902  

3.700%, H15T5Y + 2.541%, 01/15/72 (C)

     3,273,000        2,544,758  

Wachovia

     

6.605%, 10/01/25

     5,650,000        5,749,723  
     

 

 

 
           191,318,922  
     

 

 

 

Industrials — 1.2%

     

AerCap Ireland Capital DAC

     

1.750%, 10/29/24

     4,000,000        3,782,171  

Boeing

     

2.950%, 02/01/30

     3,344,000        2,929,115  

Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping Holdings

     

6.000%, 02/01/26 (D)

     3,100,000        2,977,581  

Burlington Northern Santa Fe

     

7.290%, 06/01/36

     5,000,000        5,699,206  

Equifax

     

3.100%, 05/15/30

     3,000,000        2,577,564  

Flowserve

     

3.500%, 10/01/30

     4,000,000        3,439,935  

Icahn Enterprises

     

4.375%, 02/01/29

     4,320,000        3,503,920  

Leidos

     

2.300%, 02/15/31

     3,291,000        2,633,630  

nVent Finance Sarl

     

5.650%, 05/15/33

     3,000,000        2,943,603  

Regal Rexnord

     

6.300%, 02/15/30 (D)

     4,500,000        4,492,621  
     

 

 

 
        34,979,346  
     

 

 

 
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Information Technology — 1.3%

     

Apple

     

3.850%, 05/04/43

   $ 2,000,000       $ 1,776,477  

Avnet

     

3.000%, 05/15/31

     7,000,000        5,609,669  

Kyndryl Holdings

     

4.100%, 10/15/41

     10,730,000        7,095,591  

Motorola Solutions

     

4.600%, 05/23/29

     21,435,000        20,832,350  
     

 

 

 
        35,314,087  
     

 

 

 

Materials — 0.3%

     

Mineral Resources

     

8.125%, 05/01/27 (D)

     8,136,000        8,143,160  

Nacional del Cobre de Chile

     

3.150%, 01/15/51 (D)

     500,000        342,922  
     

 

 

 
        8,486,082  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate — 0.2%

     

GLP Capital

     

3.250%, 01/15/32 ‡

     750,000        612,299  

Invitation Homes Operating Partnership

     

2.000%, 08/15/31 ‡

     2,000,000        1,544,183  

Sabra Health Care

     

3.200%, 12/01/31 ‡

     3,920,000        2,988,332  
     

 

 

 
        5,144,814  
     

 

 

 

Utilities — 0.7%

     

Pacific Gas and Electric

     

4.500%, 07/01/40

     11,000,000        8,656,546  

3.750%, 08/15/42

     5,000,000        3,466,265  

Sempra

     

6.000%, 10/15/39

     6,000,000        6,095,812  
     

 

 

 
        18,218,623  
     

 

 

 

Total Corporate Obligations
(Cost $575,278,398)

           547,624,334  
     

 

 

 

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES — 16.8%

 

Automotive — 8.3%

     

ACC Auto Trust, Ser 2021-A, Cl D

     

6.100%, 06/15/29 (D)

     13,000,000        12,530,198  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-3, Cl D

     

2.400%, 06/15/26 (D)

     6,500,000        6,416,793  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-4, Cl E

     

3.650%, 12/14/26 (D)

     4,000,000        3,917,906  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-2, Cl C

     

4.410%, 06/13/28 (D)

     5,000,000        4,906,871  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-4, Cl C

     

7.860%, 02/15/29 (D)

     5,000,000        5,077,636  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-1, Cl C

     

5.590%, 04/12/29 (D)

     5,000,000        4,907,547  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

23


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-2, Cl D

     

6.470%, 08/13/29 (D)

   $ 4,000,000       $      3,958,186  

Avid Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-1, Cl E

     

11.140%, 05/15/29 (D)

     5,595,000        5,571,350  

CarNow Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-2A, Cl C

     

1.690%, 03/15/27 (D)

     3,330,000        3,242,874  

CarNow Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-2A, Cl E

     

4.450%, 02/15/28 (D)

     4,000,000        3,619,892  

CarNow Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-1A, Cl E

     

12.040%, 04/16/29 (D)

     5,000,000        4,798,780  

CIG Auto Receivables Trust,
Ser 2021-1A, Cl E

     

4.450%, 05/12/28 (D)

     7,000,000        6,422,477  

CPS Auto Receivables Trust,
Ser 2019-B, Cl F

     

7.480%, 06/15/26 (D)

     6,055,000        6,036,785  

CPS Auto Receivables Trust,
Ser 2019-D, Cl E

     

3.860%, 10/15/25 (D)

     6,000,000        5,895,907  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020- 1A, Cl E

     

3.480%, 02/16/27 (D)

     4,500,000        4,356,413  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020- 3A, Cl D

     

1.840%, 06/15/26 (D)

     2,000,000        1,888,426  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2021- 1A, Cl E

     

2.380%, 01/18/28 (D)

     1,000,000        912,889  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2021- 3A, Cl D

     

1.310%, 05/17/27 (D)

     5,500,000        4,982,534  

First Investors Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020-1A, Cl D

     

3.150%, 04/15/26 (D)

     4,000,000        3,945,806  

First Investors Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020-1A, Cl E

     

4.630%, 06/16/26 (D)

     5,510,000        5,431,805  

First Investors Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020-1A, Cl F

     

7.070%, 06/15/27 (D)

     5,300,000        5,260,257  

First Investors Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl E

     

5.410%, 06/15/29 (D)

     2,280,000        2,065,772  

Flagship Credit Auto Trust, Ser 2019-2, Cl D

     

3.530%, 05/15/25 (D)

     4,346,543        4,285,219  

Flagship Credit Auto Trust, Ser 2020-1, Cl E

     

3.520%, 06/15/27 (D)

     7,931,000        7,223,506  

Flagship Credit Auto Trust, Ser 2020-2, Cl E

     

8.220%, 09/15/27 (D)

     8,000,000        7,992,775  

Foursight Capital Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-1, Cl E

     

4.690%, 08/15/29 (D)

     4,230,000        3,705,818  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2019-3A, Cl D

     

3.840%, 05/15/26 (D)

   $ 6,000,000       $      5,899,501  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2020-1A, Cl D

     

3.680%, 11/16/26 (D)

     5,000,000        4,839,523  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2020-4A, Cl E

     

3.510%, 10/15/27 (D)

     650,000        616,167  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl E

     

5.640%, 05/15/29 (D)

     4,000,000        3,702,840  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2022-3A, Cl E

     

8.350%, 10/15/29 (D)

     1,990,000        1,906,527  

Hertz Vehicle Financing, Ser 2021- 1A, Cl D

     

3.980%, 12/26/25 (D)

     10,000,000        9,376,830  

Octane Receivables Trust,
Ser 2021-2A, Cl B

     

2.020%, 09/20/28 (D)

     3,000,000        2,719,993  

Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-AA, Cl E

     

7.690%, 05/15/26 (D)

     9,006,000        8,994,513  

Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-AA, Cl F

     

10.120%, 01/16/29 (D)

     27,740,000        27,931,617  

Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-BA, Cl F

     

7.030%, 08/15/28 (D)

     6,250,000        6,209,478  

Santander Consumer Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-AA, Cl E

     

3.280%, 03/15/27 (D)

     1,000,000        914,084  

Tricolor Auto Securitization Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl F

     

9.800%, 07/16/29 (D)

     4,000,000        3,838,008  

Tricolor Auto Securitization Trust, Ser 2023-1A, Cl F

     

16.000%, 06/17/30 (D)

     11,910,000        11,830,347  

United Auto Credit Securitization Trust, Ser 2022-2, Cl D

     

6.840%, 01/10/28 (D)

     5,389,000        5,319,722  

Veros Auto Receivables Trust,
Ser 2021-1, Cl C

     

3.640%, 08/15/28 (D)

     4,320,000        4,087,790  
     

 

 

 
        227,541,362  
     

 

 

 

Credit Card — 0.3%

     

Capital One Multi-Asset Execution Trust, Ser 2023-A1, Cl A

     

4.420%, 05/15/28

     4,000,000        3,929,501  

Mercury Financial Credit Card Master Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

2.500%, 09/21/26 (D)

     3,000,000        2,858,001  

Mercury Financial Credit Card Master Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl C

     

5.200%, 09/21/26 (D)

     1,780,000        1,694,728  
     

 

 

 
        8,482,230  
     

 

 

 
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

24


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Other Asset-Backed Securities — 8.2%

 

510 Asset Backed Trust, Ser 2021-NPL1, Cl A2

     

3.967%, 06/25/61 (D)(F)

   $ 20,000,000       $     17,114,012  

510 Asset Backed Trust,
Ser 2021-NPL2, Cl A2

     

4.090%, 06/25/61 (D)(F)

     7,000,000        6,036,463  

Amur Equipment Finance Receivables IX, Ser 2021-1A, Cl D

     

2.300%, 11/22/27 (D)

     1,250,000        1,157,216  

Amur Equipment Finance Receivables XI, Ser 2022-2A, Cl E

     

9.320%, 10/22/29 (D)

     2,600,000        2,498,943  

BHG Securitization Trust,
Ser 2022-B, Cl D

     

6.690%, 06/18/35 (D)

     5,993,367        5,501,794  

CAL Funding IV, Ser 2020-1A, Cl B

     

3.500%, 09/25/45 (D)

     1,290,583        1,125,856  

Carrington Mortgage Loan Trust, Ser 2007-FRE1, Cl M8

     

2.461%, U.S. SOFR + 2.250%, 02/25/37 (C)(E)(G)

     1,000,000         

CF Hippolyta Issuer, Ser 2020-1, Cl A2

     

1.990%, 07/15/60 (D)

     5,263,000        4,428,841  

CIFC Funding, Ser 2018-1A, Cl A

     

6.572%, TSFR3M + 1.262%, 04/18/31 (C)(D)

     10,000,000        9,962,000  

CIFC Funding, Ser 2022-2A, Cl A1

     

6.640%, TSFR3M + 1.320%, 04/19/35 (C)(D)

     4,500,000        4,427,122  

CIFC Funding, Ser 2022-2A, Cl B

     

7.170%, TSFR3M + 1.850%, 04/19/35 (C)(D)

     9,125,000        8,973,452  

CP EF Asset Securitization I, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

5.960%, 04/15/30 (D)

     2,918,916        2,871,338  

Global SC Finance VII Srl, Ser 2020-1A, Cl A

     

2.170%, 10/17/40 (D)

     2,741,796        2,443,405  

GoldenTree Credit Opportunities Financing, Ser 2018-1A, Cl A1R

     

7.232%, U.S. SOFR + 1.680%, 06/15/34 (C)(D)

     1,529,170        1,525,483  

Harley Marine Financing, Ser 2018-1A, Cl A2

     

6.682%, 05/15/43 (D)(F)

     9,569,989        9,434,516  

Harley Marine Financing, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

8.869%, 05/15/43 (D)(F)

     6,000,000        5,599,044  

JG Wentworth XXI LLC, Ser 2010- 2A, Cl B

     

7.450%, 01/15/50 (D)

     1,000,448        995,034  

JGWPT XXVI LLC, Ser 2012-2A, Cl B

     

6.770%, 10/17/61 (D)

     1,328,798        1,283,684  

Kapitus Asset Securitization, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

3.382%, 07/10/28 (D)

     8,000,000        7,501,974  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

LCM Loan Income Fund I Income Note Issuer, Ser 2018-27A, Cl A1

     

6.650%, TSFR3M + 1.342%, 07/16/31 (C)(D)

   $ 13,000,000       $     12,933,882  

Libra Solutions, Ser 2023-1A, Cl A

     

7.000%, 02/15/35 (D)

     4,072,403        4,052,776  

Libra Solutions, Ser 2023-1A, Cl B

     

10.250%, 02/15/35 (D)

     5,909,871        5,918,982  

Marlette Funding Trust, Ser 2020- 1A, Cl D

     

3.540%, 03/15/30 (D)

     612,696        600,198  

Mosaic Solar Loan Trust, Ser 2020-2A, Cl B

     

2.210%, 08/20/46 (D)

     2,661,000        2,109,528  

Oak Hill Credit Partners X-R,
Ser 2021-10RA, Cl BR

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.812%, 04/20/34 (C)(D)

     8,000,000        7,848,024  

Oak Hill Credit Partners X-R,
Ser 2021-10RA, Cl CR

     

7.588%, TSFR3M + 2.262%, 04/20/34 (C)(D)

     5,100,000        4,984,817  

OHA Credit Funding 7, Ser 2022- 7A, Cl AR

     

6.620%, TSFR3M + 1.300%, 02/24/37 (C)(D)

     25,000,000        24,693,925  

Oportun Issuance Trust, Ser 2022- A, Cl C

     

7.400%, 06/09/31 (D)

     3,000,000        2,848,333  

Orange Lake Timeshare Trust,
Ser 2019-A, Cl C

     

3.610%, 04/09/38 (D)

     1,118,881        1,058,262  

Orange Lake Timeshare Trust,
Ser 2019-A, Cl D

     

4.930%, 04/09/38 (D)

     184,618        172,632  

OZLM Funding IV, Ser 2017-4A, Cl A2R

     

7.307%, TSFR3M + 1.962%, 10/22/30 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,933,165  

Pawneee Equipment Receivables, Ser 2021-1, Cl C

     

2.300%, 07/15/27 (D)

     4,700,000        4,277,640  

Pawneee Equipment Receivables, Ser 2022-1, Cl C

     

6.010%, 07/17/28 (D)

     4,000,000        3,817,592  

PRET, Ser 2021-NPL3, Cl A2

     

3.721%, 07/25/51 (D)(F)

     4,755,000        3,848,894  

PRET, Ser 2021-NPL5, Cl A2

     

4.704%, 10/25/51 (D)(F)

     7,000,000        6,059,256  

PRET, Ser 2021-RN3, Cl A1

     

1.843%, 09/25/51 (D)(F)

     6,701,173        6,092,287  

PRET, Ser 2021-RN4, Cl A2

     

5.194%, 10/25/51 (C)(D)

     6,000,000        5,241,754  

Pretium Mortgage Credit Partners I, Ser 2021-NPL1, Cl A2

     

4.213%, 09/27/60 (D)(F)

     9,000,000        7,886,228  

Pretium Mortgage Credit Partners I, Ser 2021-NPL2, Cl A2

     

3.844%, 06/27/60 (D)(F)

     2,750,000        2,257,247  

Sapphire Aviation Finance I,
Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

5.926%, 03/15/40 (D)

     1,715,776        861,234  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

25


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Stack Infrastructure Issuer,
Ser 2019-1A, Cl A2

     

4.540%, 02/25/44 (D)

   $ 2,525,251       $ 2,491,034  

Textainer Marine Containers VII, Ser 2020-2A, Cl B

     

3.340%, 09/20/45 (D)

     1,452,994        1,278,483  

Triton Container Finance VIII,
Ser 2020-1A, Cl B

     

3.740%, 09/20/45 (D)

     759,167        663,448  

VOLT CIII, Ser 2021-CF1, Cl A2

     

3.967%, 08/25/51 (D)(F)

     3,303,000        2,733,071  

VOLT, Ser 2021-CF2, Cl A2

     

5.316%, 11/27/51 (D)(F)

     4,000,000        3,346,738  

VR Funding, Ser 2020-1A, Cl A

     

2.790%, 11/15/50 (D)

     6,122,450        5,329,125  

VR Funding, Ser 2020-1A, Cl C

     

6.420%, 11/15/50 (D)

     3,707,500        3,394,647  
     

 

 

 
           224,613,379  
     

 

 

 

Student Loan — 0.0%

     

Commonbond Student Loan Trust, Ser 2017-AGS, Cl A1

     

2.550%, 05/25/41 (D)

     1,154,788        1,067,618  
     

 

 

 

Total Asset-Backed Securities
(Cost $484,137,678)

        461,704,589  
     

 

 

 

COLLATERALIZED LOAN OBLIGATIONS — 14.9%

 

AMMC CLO 26, Ser 2023-26A, Cl B1

     

7.593%, TSFR3M + 2.450%, 04/15/36 (C)(D)

     7,500,000        7,563,525  

Apidos CLO Funding RR Subsidiary, Ser 2018-12RR, Cl A

     

6.790%, TSFR3M + 1.530%, 04/15/31 (C)(D)

     3,000,000        2,994,843  

Apidos CLO XI, Ser 2021-11A, Cl CR3

     

7.570%, TSFR3M + 2.262%, 04/17/34 (C)(D)

     13,750,000        13,341,955  

Apidos CLO XI, Ser 2021-11A, Cl ER3

     

12.140%, TSFR3M + 6.832%, 04/17/34 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,691,195  

Apidos CLO XXVIII, Ser 2017-28A, Cl A2

     

6.988%, TSFR3M + 1.662%, 01/20/31 (C)(D)

     15,000,000        14,705,625  

Audax Senior Debt 6, Ser 2021- 6A, Cl B

     

7.538%, TSFR3M + 2.212%, 10/20/33 (C)(D)

     8,000,000        7,500,496  

Battalion CLO 17, Ser 2021-17A, Cl B

     

7.188%, TSFR3M + 1.862%, 03/09/34 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,914,645  

BCC Middle Market CLO, Ser 2018-1A, Cl A1A

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.550%, 10/20/30 (C)(D)

     15,148,073        15,018,527  

Benefit Street Partners CLO III, Ser 2017-IIIA, Cl DR

     

12.188%, TSFR3M + 6.862%, 07/20/29 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,650,310  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Benefit Street Partners CLO III,
Ser 2021-IIIA, Cl BR2

     

7.988%, TSFR3M + 2.662%, 07/20/29 (C)(D)

   $ 15,000,000       $     14,863,470  

Benefit Street Partners CLO IV,
Ser 2021-IVA, Cl A2AR

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.812%, 01/20/32 (C)(D)

     8,750,000        8,589,227  

Benefit Street Partners CLO VIII, Ser 2018-8A, Cl A1AR

     

6.688%, TSFR3M + 1.362%, 01/20/31 (C)(D)

     5,131,108        5,107,757  

BlueMountain CLO, Ser 2021-2A, Cl A2R2

     

7.079%, TSFR3M + 1.700%, 08/20/32 (C)(D)

     10,000,000        9,791,540  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-1A, Cl CR2

     

7.370%, TSFR3M + 2.062%, 04/17/31 (C)(D)

     4,500,000        4,335,255  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-3A, Cl A1A2

     

6.753%, TSFR3M + 1.442%, 01/14/32 (C)(D)

     24,855,641        24,704,221  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-3A, Cl A2A2

     

7.423%, TSFR3M + 2.112%, 01/14/32 (C)(D)

     7,000,000        6,955,781  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-3RA, Cl A1A

     

6.669%, TSFR3M + 1.050%, 07/27/31 (C)(D)

     14,877,491        14,840,922  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-3RA, Cl A2

     

7.169%, TSFR3M + 1.550%, 07/27/31 (C)(D)

     9,000,000        8,809,875  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-5A, Cl A1RR

     

6.710%, TSFR3M + 1.402%, 07/15/31 (C)(D)

     15,834,091        15,796,881  

Dryden 68 CLO, Ser 2021-68A, Cl BR

     

7.270%, TSFR3M + 1.962%, 07/15/35 (C)(D)

     11,750,000        11,503,027  

Elmwood CLO 20, Ser 2022-7A, Cl B1

     

8.058%, TSFR3M + 2.750%, 10/17/34 (C)(D)

     5,625,000        5,636,587  

Galaxy XV CLO, Ser 2021-15A, Cl CRR

     

7.420%, TSFR3M + 2.112%, 10/15/30 (C)(D)

     4,814,000        4,674,745  

Galaxy XXI, Ser 2015-21A, Cl AR

     

6.608%, TSFR3M + 1.282%, 04/20/31 (C)(D)

     4,942,724        4,911,471  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017- 17A, Cl A1R

     

7.263%, TSFR3M + 1.912%, 10/25/30 (C)(D)

     7,250,616        7,244,714  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

26


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017- 21A, Cl AR

     

7.083%, TSFR3M + 1.732%, 01/25/31 (C)(D)

   $ 10,450,929       $ 10,386,489  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017- 22A, Cl AR

     

6.768%, TSFR3M + 1.442%, 01/20/31 (C)(D)

     8,589,884        8,552,690  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017- 23A, Cl AR

     

6.788%, TSFR3M + 1.462%, 01/20/31 (C)(D)

     19,131,478            19,072,668  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017- 24A, Cl AR

     

6.926%, TSFR3M + 1.600%, 11/05/29 (C)(D)

     8,266,846        8,228,083  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017- 24A, Cl DR

     

9.226%, TSFR3M + 3.900%, 11/05/29 (C)(D)

     3,000,000        2,783,205  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2018- 26A, Cl BR

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.812%, 04/20/31 (C)(D)

     12,000,000        11,786,388  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2018- 36A, Cl A

     

6.626%, TSFR3M + 1.300%, 02/05/31 (C)(D)

     10,245,422        10,163,715  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2021- 19RA, Cl B1R2

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.812%, 04/20/34 (C)(D)

     20,000,000        19,561,740  

Invesco CLO, Ser 2022-3A, Cl B

     

8.096%, TSFR3M + 2.750%, 10/22/35 (C)(D)

     6,000,000        6,019,200  

NXT Capital CLO, Ser 2021-1A,
Cl BRR

     

7.595%, TSFR3M + 2.262%, 07/20/33 (C)(D)

     9,000,000        8,538,354  

Oaktree CLO, Ser 2021-3A, Cl BR

     

7.338%, TSFR3M + 2.012%, 10/20/34 (C)(D)

     13,500,000        13,092,489  

Texas Debt Capital CLO,
Ser 2023-1A, Cl A

     

6.622%, TSFR3M + 1.800%, 04/20/36 (C)(D)

     4,000,000        4,004,936  

Thayer Park CLO, Ser 2021-1A,
Cl A2AR

     

6.988%, TSFR3M + 1.662%, 04/20/34 (C)(D)

     9,250,000        9,024,772  

Thayer Park CLO, Ser 2021-1A,
Cl BR

     

7.388%, TSFR3M + 2.062%, 04/20/34 (C)(D)

     9,500,000        9,313,543  

Venture 37 CLO, Ser 2021-37A,
Cl BR

     

7.320%, TSFR3M + 2.012%, 07/15/32 (C)(D)

     10,000,000        9,654,250  

Venture XIX, Ser 2018-19A,
Cl ARR

     

6.830%, TSFR3M + 1.522%, 01/15/32 (C)(D)

     19,250,000        19,110,033  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Zais, Ser 2017-1A, Cl A2

     

7.070%, TSFR3M + 1.762%, 07/15/29 (C)(D)

   $ 11,250,000       $ 11,134,271  

Zais, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

7.020%, TSFR3M + 1.712%, 04/15/29 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,925,625  
     

 

 

 

Total Collateralized Loan Obligations
(Cost $414,672,419)

           408,499,045  
     

 

 

 

MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES — 12.2%

 

Agency Mortgage-Backed Obligation — 4.9%

 

FHLMC

     

6.786%, RFUCCT1Y + 1.650%, 06/01/43 (C)

     941,506        937,911  

3.064%, RFUCCT1Y + 1.620%, 01/01/45 (C)

     2,736,146        2,648,379  

FHLMC Military Housing Bonds Resecuritization Trust Certificates, Ser 2015-R1, Cl C3

     

6.006%, 11/25/52 (C)(D)

     32,779,185        28,584,039  

FHLMC STRIPS, Ser 2012-293, Cl IO, IO

     

4.000%, 11/15/32

     494,024        47,080  

FHLMC, Ser 2011-3898, Cl FC

     

5.692%, SOFR30A + 0.624%, 11/15/36 (C)

     1,036,720        1,023,752  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-3996, Cl QL

     

4.000%, 02/15/42

     5,017,033        4,804,202  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4029, Cl LI, IO

     

3.000%, 01/15/27

     876,209        16,460  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4077, Cl AI, IO

     

3.000%, 01/15/27

     666,943        5,550  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4106, Cl YI, IO

     

2.500%, 09/15/27

     975,410        34,992  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4116, Cl MI, IO

     

4.000%, 10/15/42

     12,091,700        1,680,272  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4116, Cl PI, IO

     

4.000%, 10/15/42

     3,882,697        757,114  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4134, Cl BI, IO

     

2.500%, 11/15/27

     2,888,380        103,114  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4136, Cl PI, IO

     

3.000%, 11/15/32

     7,606,503        741,083  

FHLMC, Ser 2012-4148, Cl LI, IO

     

2.500%, 12/15/27

     1,980,148        73,804  

FHLMC, Ser 2013-4213, Cl IG, IO

     

4.000%, 06/15/43

     6,051,889        734,918  

FHLMC, Ser 2014-4349, Cl KI, IO

     

3.000%, 04/15/33

     3,777,322        208,883  

FHLMC, Ser 2015-4457, Cl EI, IO

     

3.500%, 02/15/45

     254,141        23,112  

FHLMC, Ser 2017-4675, Cl VE

     

3.500%, 08/15/37

     4,707,000        4,436,283  

FHLMC, Ser 2019-4908, Cl AS, IO

     

0.917%, SOFR30A + 5.986%, 01/25/45 (C)

     9,700,549        1,077,297  

FHLMC, Ser 2021-5085, Cl IG, IO

     

2.500%, 03/25/51

     20,865,345        2,719,835  

FHLMC, Ser 2022-5202, Cl KI, IO

     

3.500%, 06/25/49

     15,768,235        2,612,918  

FNMA

     

5.500%, 05/01/44

     3,424,691        3,499,916  

4.500%, 08/01/41

     1,906,679        1,874,909  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

27


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

3.000%, 10/01/32 to 11/01/46

   $ 5,145,658       $      4,640,647  

FNMA STRIPS, Ser 2009-397, Cl 2, IO

     

5.000%, 09/25/39

     1,071,065        196,299  

FNMA STRIPS, Ser 2009-400, Cl 2, IO

     

4.500%, 11/25/39

     830,755        133,087  

FNMA STRIPS, Ser 2010-404, Cl 2, IO

     

4.500%, 05/25/40

     1,506,097        264,663  

FNMA STRIPS, Ser 2011-407, Cl 2, IO

     

4.000%, 03/25/41

     1,484,115        241,931  

FNMA STRIPS, Ser 2012-410, Cl C5, IO

     

3.500%, 05/25/27

     2,160,341        68,772  

FNMA STRIPS, Ser 2015-421, Cl C1, IO

     

3.000%, 05/25/30

     1,956,322        137,370  

FNMA, Ser 2011-103, Cl GI, IO

     

3.500%, 10/25/26

     534,472        12,714  

FNMA, Ser 2011-146, Cl AY

     

3.500%, 01/25/32

     2,067,399        1,964,365  

FNMA, Ser 2012-61, Cl KI, IO

     

4.000%, 12/25/41

     2,758,520        208,253  

FNMA, Ser 2012-68, Cl GY

     

3.000%, 07/25/32

     5,000,000        4,584,922  

FNMA, Ser 2013-104, Cl TI, IO

     

3.000%, 08/25/32

     1,062,714        42,846  

FNMA, Ser 2014-40, Cl GI, IO

     

3.000%, 06/25/33

     4,088,292        391,972  

FNMA, Ser 2017-52, Cl DI, IO

     

4.500%, 07/25/47

     6,941,015        1,120,991  

FNMA, Ser 2019-44, Cl CI, IO

     

4.000%, 08/25/59

     5,639,986        1,179,485  

FNMA, Ser 2019-44, Cl PI, IO

     

4.000%, 08/25/49

     4,578,185        722,554  

FNMA, Ser 2020-44, Cl MI, IO

     

2.500%, 01/25/57

     12,345,485        1,960,507  

GNMA, Ser 2013-170, Cl QI, IO

     

3.875%, 11/20/43 (C)

     7,285,018        769,235  

GNMA, Ser 2013-42, Cl MI, IO

     

3.500%, 04/20/41

     343,994        3,075  

GNMA, Ser 2013-62, Cl NI, IO

     

4.000%, 08/20/40

     2,395,492        130,022  

GNMA, Ser 2014-32, Cl CI, IO

     

4.000%, 03/20/43

     2,006,947        154,968  

GNMA, Ser 2014-44, Cl IO, IO

     

4.000%, 11/16/26

     2,141,649        53,755  

GNMA, Ser 2015-103, Cl CI, IO

     

4.000%, 07/20/45

     10,033,223        1,417,513  

GNMA, Ser 2015-17, Cl JI, IO

     

3.500%, 05/20/28

     1,968,746        48,534  

GNMA, Ser 2016-99, Cl ID, IO

     

4.500%, 04/16/44

     14,589,360        3,185,372  

GNMA, Ser 2017-137, Cl DI, IO

     

3.000%, 02/20/47

     802,200        16,920  

GNMA, Ser 2019-137, Cl GI, IO

     

4.000%, 11/20/49

     52,540,906        8,920,174  

GNMA, Ser 2020-189, Cl IJ, IO

     

2.500%, 12/20/50

     20,471,010        2,331,501  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

GNMA, Ser 2020-191, Cl CT

     

1.250%, 12/20/50

   $ 3,900,657       $ 2,975,688  

GNMA, Ser 2021-8, Cl IG, IO

     

2.500%, 01/20/51

     27,481,684        3,454,467  

GNMA, Ser 2023-59, Cl G

     

6.000%, 03/20/50

     20,813,117        20,758,337  

GNMA, Ser 2023-93, Cl B

     

5.500%, 12/20/44

     12,830,104        12,716,049  
     

 

 

 
           133,452,811  
     

 

 

 

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Obligation — 5.3%

 

280 Park Avenue Mortgage Trust, Ser 280P, Cl F

     

8.042%, TSFR1M + 2.877%, 09/15/34 (C)(D)

     12,500,000        10,318,726  

Bear Stearns Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust, Ser 2007-T26, Cl AJ

     

5.566%, 01/12/45 (C)

     112,912        108,401  

Benchmark Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2020-B18, Cl E

     

2.250%, 07/15/53 (D)

     8,000,000        3,474,928  

Benchmark Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2020-B21, Cl D

     

2.000%, 12/17/53 (D)

     13,000,000        6,505,609  

Benchmark Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2020-IG3, Cl A4

     

2.437%, 09/15/48 (D)

     10,000,000        8,254,609  

BX Commercial Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2020-VIV3, Cl B

     

3.544%, 03/09/44 (C)(D)

     8,000,000        6,729,706  

BXMT, Ser 2020-FL2, Cl A

     

6.236%, TSFR1M + 1.014%, 02/15/38 (C)(D)

     9,964,339        9,517,429  

Citigroup Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2015-GC31, Cl C

     

4.036%, 06/10/48 (C)

     5,000,000        4,031,082  

Commercial Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2012-CR2, Cl D

     

4.874%, 08/15/45 (C)(D)

     63,296        60,135  

Commercial Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2014-LC15, Cl D

     

5.003%, 04/10/47 (C)(D)

     9,500,000        8,412,321  

Commercial Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2014-UBS6, Cl C

     

4.434%, 12/10/47 (C)

     4,000,000        3,305,235  

Commercial Mortgage Trust,
Ser 2015-DC1, Cl D

     

4.295%, 02/10/48 (C)(D)

     9,000,000        6,868,193  

Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage Securities, Ser 2005- C2, Cl AMFL

     

5.586%, TSFR1M + 0.364%, 04/15/37 (C)

     33,880        33,686  

Credit Suisse First Boston Mortgage Securities, Ser 2005- C2, Cl AMFX

     

4.877%, 04/15/37

     3,028        2,966  

DROP Mortgage Trust, Ser 2021- FILE, Cl D

     

8.087%, TSFR1M + 2.864%, 10/15/43 (C)(D)

     15,000,000        11,268,823  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

28


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Fontainebleau Miami Beach Trust, Ser 2019-FBLU, Cl A

     

3.144%, 12/10/36 (D)

   $ 10,000,000       $      9,530,300  

FREMF Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-K54, Cl C

     

4.053%, 04/25/48 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,744,283  

FREMF Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-K57, Cl C

     

3.918%, 08/25/49 (C)(D)

     8,840,000        8,307,194  

Hudson Yards Mortgage Trust, Ser 2019-30HY, Cl B

     

3.380%, 07/10/39 (C)(D)

     2,500,000        2,089,059  

JPMDB Commercial Mortgage Securities Trust, Ser 2016-C2, Cl C

     

3.329%, 06/15/49 (C)

     4,328,000        3,108,487  

JPMorgan Chase Commercial Mortgage Securities, Ser 2007-LD12, Cl AJ

     

6.519%, 02/15/51 (C)

     591,216        579,113  

JPMorgan Chase Commercial Mortgage Securities, Ser 2007-LD12, Cl J

     

5.994%, 02/15/51 (C)(E)(G)

     1,000,000         

LStar Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-4, Cl AS

     

3.188%, 03/10/49 (D)

     3,000,000        2,715,571  

Morgan Stanley Bank of America Merrill Lynch Trust, Ser 2016-C29, Cl C

     

4.721%, 05/15/49 (C)

     2,413,000        2,077,417  

TRTX Issuer, Ser 2021-FL4, Cl C

     

7.736%, TSFR1M + 2.514%, 03/15/38 (C)(D)

     10,000,000        8,968,110  

Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-C32, Cl C

     

4.729%, 01/15/59 (C)

     5,000,000        4,373,947  

Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-C32, Cl D

     

3.788%, 01/15/59 (C)(D)

     2,000,000        1,519,120  

Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-C34, Cl B

     

4.089%, 06/15/49

     5,000,000        4,305,174  

Wells Fargo Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2018-AUS, Cl A

     

4.058%, 08/17/36 (C)(D)

     5,000,000        4,510,887  

WFRBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2013-UBS1, Cl C

     

5.027%, 03/15/46 (C)

     3,000,000        2,923,440  

WFRBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2014-C25, Cl D

     

3.803%, 11/15/47 (C)(D)

     7,310,000        6,026,661  
     

 

 

 
        144,670,612  
     

 

 

 

Non-Agency Residential Mortgage-Backed Obligation — 2.0%

 

Angel Oak Mortgage Trust, Ser 2021-4, Cl A3

     

1.446%, 01/20/65 (C)(D)

     2,146,842        1,708,933  

Arroyo Mortgage Trust, Ser 2019-2, Cl A2

     

3.498%, 04/25/49 (C)(D)

     2,096,631        1,935,762  

CAFL, Ser 2021-RTL1, Cl A1

     

2.239%, 03/28/29 (D)(F)

     2,000,000        1,850,827  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

CAFL, Ser 2022-RTL1, Cl A1

     

4.250%, 05/28/29 (F)

   $ 7,000,000       $ 6,593,495  

CSMC Trust, Ser 2019-AFC1, Cl A1

     

2.573%, 07/25/49 (D)(F)

     2,414,072        2,219,058  

FirstKey Mortgage Trust, Ser 2015-1, Cl A3

     

3.500%, 03/25/45 (C)(D)

     854,003        766,078  

Galton Funding Mortgage Trust, Ser 2019-1, Cl A22

     

4.000%, 02/25/59 (C)(D)

     133,494        125,998  

Galton Funding Mortgage Trust, Ser 2019-2, Cl A21

     

4.000%, 06/25/59 (C)(D)

     1,426,005        1,311,579  

MFA Trust, Ser 2022-INV1, Cl A3

     

4.250%, 04/25/66 (C)(D)

     4,000,000        3,288,737  

PRPM, Ser 2021-10, Cl A2

     

4.826%, 10/25/26 (D)(F)

     8,000,000        7,060,523  

PRPM, Ser 2021-5, Cl A2

     

3.721%, 06/25/26 (D)(F)

     5,000,000        3,917,934  

PSMC Trust, Ser 2020-2, Cl A2

     

3.000%, 05/25/50 (C)(D)

     602,163        525,224  

RCO VI Mortgage, Ser 2022-1, Cl A2

     

5.250%, 01/25/27 (D)(F)

     5,000,000        4,696,705  

Sequoia Mortgage Trust, Ser 2013-4, Cl AIO1, IO

     

0.848%, 04/25/43 (C)(D)

     48,006,988        1,133,848  

Sequoia Mortgage Trust, Ser 2017-CH1, Cl A2

     

3.500%, 08/25/47 (C)(D)

     63,492        58,272  

Sequoia Mortgage Trust, Ser 2018-CH4, Cl A2

     

4.000%, 10/25/48 (C)(D)

     15,263        15,100  

Toorak Mortgage, Ser 2021-1, Cl M1

     

5.805%, 06/25/24 (D)(F)

     15,000,000            14,295,723  

Wells Fargo Mortgage Backed Securities Trust, Ser 2020-1, Cl A1

     

3.000%, 12/25/49 (C)(D)

     2,429,826        2,058,562  

WinWater Mortgage Loan Trust, Ser 2014-1, Cl A1

     

3.919%, 06/20/44 (C)(D)

     457,557        424,728  

WinWater Mortgage Loan Trust, Ser 2014-2, Cl A1

     

4.000%, 09/20/44 (C)(D)

     131,164        121,431  

WinWater Mortgage Loan Trust, Ser 2014-3, Cl A3

     

3.500%, 11/20/44 (C)(D)

     335,177        306,461  

WinWater Mortgage Loan Trust, Ser 2015-2, Cl A11

     

3.500%, 02/20/45 (C)(D)

     425,345        378,732  

WinWater Mortgage Loan Trust, Ser 2015-3, Cl A3

     

3.500%, 03/20/45 (C)(D)

     567,624        515,614  
     

 

 

 
        55,309,324  
     

 

 

 

Total Mortgage-Backed Securities
(Cost $373,977,412)

        333,432,747  
     

 

 

 
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

29


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

MUNICIPAL BONDS — 1.7%

     

Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, Build America Bonds, Ser D, Cl D, RB

     

5.134%, 08/15/42

   $ 3,000,000       $ 2,998,465  

GDB Debt Recovery Authority of Puerto Rico, RB

     

7.500%, 08/20/40

     6,388,442        5,238,522  

Mission, Economic Development, RB

     

8.550%, 12/01/21(E)(G)

     2,125,000        21,250  

Mission, Economic Development, RB

     

10.875%, 12/01/28(E)(G)

     3,315,000        33,150  

9.750%, 12/01/25(E)(G)

     3,045,000        30,450  

North Texas Tollway Authority, RB

     

8.410%, 02/01/30

     1,959,000        2,142,016  

Northwest Independent School District, Ser A, GO, PSF-GTD

     

1.776%, 02/15/31

     2,000,000        1,635,074  

1.836%, 02/15/32

     1,890,000        1,511,705  

Rhode Island State, Health & Educational System, Providence Public Schools, Ser A, Cl A, RB, CITY APPROP ST AID WITHHLDG

     

8.000%, 05/15/29

     5,000,000        5,007,452  

San Juan, Higher Education Finance Authority, RB

     

8.250%, 08/15/29

     4,400,000        4,408,670  

State of Illinois, Ser A, GO

     

3.140%, 10/01/24

     14,460,000        14,021,343  

Texas State, Public Finance Authority Charter School, Cl O, RB

     

8.125%, 02/15/27

     1,900,000        2,028,406  

Texas State, Transportation Commission State Highway Fund, RB

     

4.000%, 10/01/33

     3,000,000        2,821,980  

Texas State, Transportation Commission State Highway Fund, Ser B-BUILD, RB

     

5.178%, 04/01/30

     3,980,000        4,016,085  
     

 

 

 

Total Municipal Bonds
(Cost $56,608,023)

            45,914,568  
     

 

 

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY OBLIGATIONS — 1.7%

 

FAMC

     

6.125%, 10/27/32

     3,000,000        2,964,141  

FFCB

     

6.330%, 06/07/38

     2,500,000        2,482,001  

6.250%, 07/26/38

     2,000,000        1,996,127  

6.080%, 04/28/33

     5,000,000        4,949,178  

5.930%, 03/28/33

     3,000,000        2,951,248  

5.700%, 03/23/26

     3,000,000        2,972,464  

5.560%, 06/06/25

     2,000,000        1,986,343  

5.490%, 09/22/42

     1,000,000        968,787  

5.360%, 06/16/33

     2,000,000        1,951,133  

FHLB

     

6.610%, 11/09/34

     2,000,000        1,990,868  

6.230%, 12/28/37

     2,000,000        1,981,139  

6.110%, 12/21/32

     12,000,000        11,855,731  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

6.050%, 07/19/38

   $ 2,000,000       $ 1,991,510  

6.000%, 04/12/38

     3,000,000        2,954,541  

5.940%, 04/20/43

     2,000,000        1,975,401  

2.150%, 09/23/36

     1,500,000        1,096,157  
     

 

 

 

Total U.S. Government Agency Obligations
(Cost $47,989,660)

 

     47,066,769  
     

 

 

 
     Shares         

COMMON STOCK — 0.6%

     

Energy — 0.6%

     

Paratus Energy Services *(G)

     27,666        15,106,308  
     

 

 

 

Total Common Stock
(Cost $–)

        15,106,308  
     

 

 

 
     Face Amount         

SOVEREIGN DEBT — 0.3%

     

Colombia Government International Bond

     

3.250%, 04/22/32

   $ 5,000,000        3,823,822  

Kenya Government International Bond

     

7.250%, 02/28/28 (D)

     3,000,000        2,628,750  

Provincia de Buenos Aires

     

5.250%, 09/01/37 (D)(F)

     333,959        129,409  

Ukraine Government International Bond

     

7.750%, 09/01/24 (E)

     5,000,000        1,650,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Sovereign Debt
(Cost $12,311,869)

        8,231,981  
     

 

 

 

REPURCHASE AGREEMENT(H) — 0.7%

 

Santander U.S. Capital Markets 5.150%, dated 07/31/23, to be repurchased on 08/01/23, repurchase price $20,002,861 (collateralized by various Government Obligations, ranging in par value $33 - $9,999,980, 2.659% - 7.133%, 01/28/2026 - 04/27/2051, with a total market value of $20,391,551)

     20,000,000        20,000,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Repurchase Agreement
(Cost $20,000,000)

        20,000,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments — 99.5%
(Cost $2,847,938,013)

       $  2,727,587,146  
     

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $2,742,647,719.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

30


LOGO

 

*

Non-income producing security.

Real Estate Investment Trust

(A)

Interest rate represents the security’s effective yield at the time of purchase.

(B)

Zero coupon security. The rate reported on the Schedule of Investments is the effective yield at the time of purchase.

(C)

Variable or floating rate security. The rate shown is the effective interest rate as of period end. The rates on certain securities are not based on published reference rates and spreads and are either determined by the issuer or agent based on current market conditions; by using a formula based on the rates of underlying loans; or by adjusting periodically based on prevailing interest rates.

(D)

Securities sold within terms of a private placement memorandum, exempt from registration under Section 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may be sold only to dealers in that program or other “accredited investors.” The total value of such securities at July 31, 2023 was $1,314,162,954 and represents 47.9% of Net Assets.

(E)

Security in default on interest payments.

(F)

Step Bonds — The rate reflected on the Schedule of Investments is the effective yield on July 31, 2023. The coupon on a step bond changes on a specific date.

(G)

Level 3 security in accordance with fair value hierarchy.

(H)

Tri-Party Repurchase Agreement.

The following is a summary of the level of inputs used as of July 31, 2023, in valuing the Fund’s investments carried at value:

 

Investments
in

Securities

   Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

U.S. Treasury Obligations

    $       $ 840,006,805       $ —        $ 840,006,805  

Corporate Obligations

            547,624,334        —         547,624,334  

Asset-Backed Securities

            461,704,589        —^        461,704,589  

Collateralized Loan Obligations

            408,499,045        —         408,499,045  

Mortgage-Backed Securities

            333,432,747        —^        333,432,747  

Municipal Bonds

            45,829,718        84,850         45,914,568  

U.S. Government Agency Obligations

            47,066,769        —         47,066,769  

Common Stock

                   15,106,308         15,106,308  

Sovereign Debt

            8,231,981        —         8,231,981  

Repurchase Agreement

            20,000,000        —         20,000,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

    $     —       $  2,712,395,988       $  15,191,158        $  2,727,587,146  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

^ This category includes securities with a value of $0.

 

The following is a reconciliation of the investments in which significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were used in determining value as of July 31, 2023:

 

                                                                                                                                                           
             
      Asset-Backed
Securities
     Mortgage-
Backed
Securities
     Municipal Bonds      Warrants     Common Stock      Total  

Balance as of July 31, 2022

   $ —^      $ —^      $ 84,850      $ 6,456,216     $ 14,943,121      $ 21,484,187  

Accrued discounts/premiums

     —         —                              

Realized gain/(loss)

     —         —                7,859,065              7,859,065  

Change in unrealized appreciation/(depreciation)

     —         —                (6,450,836     82        (6,450,754

Purchases

     —         —                      163,105        163,105  

Sales

     —         —                (7,864,445            (7,864,445

Net transfer into Level 3

     —         —                              

Net transfer out of Level 3

     —         —                              

Ending Balance as of July 31, 2023

   $ —^      $ —^      $ 84,850      $     $ 15,106,308      $ 15,191,158  

Change in unrealized gains/(losses) included in earnings related to securities still held at reporting date

   $ —       $ —       $      $     $ 82      $ 82  
                                                    

 

^

Amount is less than $1.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

31


LOGO

 

The following table summarizes the quantitative inputs and assumptions used for items categorized as recurring Level 3 assets as of July 31, 2023. The following disclosures also include information on the sensitivity of the fair value measurements to changes in the significant unobservable inputs.

The unobservable inputs used to determine fair value of recurring Level 3 assets may have similar or diverging impacts on valuation. Significant increases and decreases in these inputs in isolation and interrelationships between those inputs could result in significantly higher or lower fair value measurement.

 

   Category     

Market Value
at

July 31, 2023

    Valuation
Technique
     Unobservable
Inputs
    

Range

Input Value(s)
(Average Input Value)

  

            

Common Stock

     $   15,106,308     Residual equity value      Equity multiple      1   

Municipal Bonds

       84,850     Estimated liquidation value      Liquidation value      $0.01   

Amounts designated as “—” are $0 or have been rounded to $0.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Financial Statements.

See “Glossary” for abbreviations.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

32


LOGO

 

SECTOR WEIGHTINGS (Unaudited)†

 

LOGO

† Percentages are based on total investments.

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS — 40.7%

 

Communication Services — 3.2%

     

ANGI Group

     

3.875%, 08/15/28 (A)

   $ 2,000,000       $    1,679,591  

LCPR Senior Secured Financing DAC

     

6.750%, 10/15/27 (A)

     900,000        841,761  

T-Mobile USA

     

3.500%, 04/15/31

     3,000,000        2,637,103  
     

 

 

 
        5,158,455  
     

 

 

 

Consumer Discretionary — 14.1%

 

Airswift Global

     

13.842%, U.S. SOFR + 8.900%, 05/12/25 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        2,070,000  

APX Group

     

5.750%, 07/15/29 (A)

     3,000,000        2,604,347  

Beazer Homes USA

     

7.250%, 10/15/29 (A)

     1,000,000        982,808  

Bloomin’ Brands

     

5.125%, 04/15/29 (A)

     2,500,000        2,269,014  

Choice Hotels International

     

3.700%, 12/01/29

     2,000,000        1,774,869  

Dillard’s

     

7.000%, 12/01/28

     500,000        506,866  

Empire Resorts

     

7.750%, 11/01/26 (A)

     1,800,000        1,445,574  

Imperial Brands Finance

     

6.125%, 07/27/27 (A)

     500,000        503,193  

MajorDrive Holdings IV

     

6.375%, 06/01/29 (A)

     3,000,000        2,454,165  

NES Fircroft Bondco

     

11.750%, 09/29/26 (A)

     500,000        508,272  

Scientific Games International

     

8.625%, 07/01/25 (A)

     2,000,000        2,041,725  

STL Holding

     

7.500%, 02/15/26 (A)

     2,000,000        1,850,000  

Tractor Supply

     

5.250%, 05/15/33

     500,000        494,336  

Upbound Group

     

6.375%, 02/15/29 (A)

     1,000,000        917,510  

VistaJet Malta Finance

     

7.875%, 05/01/27 (A)

     2,500,000        2,318,044  
     

 

 

 
        22,740,723  
     

 

 

 
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Consumer Staples — 1.2%

     

Philip Morris International

     

5.125%, 02/15/30

   $ 2,000,000       $    1,987,278  
     

 

 

 

Energy — 2.4%

 

Colonial Pipeline

     

8.375%, 11/01/30 (A)

     1,500,000        1,714,774  

Murphy Oil

     

5.750%, 08/15/25

     424,000        417,536  

Tiger Holdco Pte

     

13.000% PIK, 09/10/23 (A)

     1,680,474        1,705,681  
     

 

 

 
        3,837,991  
     

 

 

 

Financials — 5.0%

 

Athene Holding

     

6.150%, 04/03/30

     500,000        506,748  

Charles Schwab

     

4.000%, H15T10Y + 3.079%, 03/01/72 (B)

     1,500,000        1,174,858  

Deutsche Bank

     

7.146%, U.S. SOFR + 2.520%, 07/13/27 (B)

     1,000,000        1,019,868  

Royal Bank of Canada MTN

     

5.200%, 01/31/33

     1,000,000        950,602  

UBS

     

5.125%, 05/15/24

     1,500,000        1,477,185  

UBS Group

     

6.373%, U.S. SOFR + 3.340%, 07/15/26 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        1,000,937  

US Bancorp

 

     

5.836%, U.S. SOFR + 2.260%, 06/12/34 (B)

     1,000,000        1,013,975  

Westpac Banking

     

2.894%, H15T5Y + 1.350%, 02/04/30 (B)

     1,000,000        939,341  
     

 

 

 
        8,083,514  
     

 

 

 

Industrials — 7.6%

 

Boeing

     

5.150%, 05/01/30

     2,000,000        1,983,033  

2.196%, 02/04/26

     1,000,000        922,868  

Brundage-Bone Concrete Pumping Holdings

     

6.000%, 02/01/26 (A)

     2,500,000        2,401,275  

Flowserve

     

3.500%, 10/01/30

     2,000,000        1,719,967  

Icahn Enterprises

     

4.750%, 09/15/24

     1,000,000        967,405  

Lockheed Martin

     

5.250%, 01/15/33

     1,500,000        1,548,295  

Masco

     

7.750%, 08/01/29

     1,088,000        1,197,223  

nVent Finance Sarl

     

5.650%, 05/15/33

     1,000,000        981,201  

Regal Rexnord

     

6.300%, 02/15/30 (A)

     500,000        499,180  
     

 

 

 
        12,220,447  
     

 

 

 

Information Technology — 4.2%

 

Apple

     

3.850%, 05/04/43

     2,000,000        1,776,477  

Consensus Cloud Solutions

     

6.000%, 10/15/26 (A)

     1,000,000        924,687  

Kyndryl Holdings

     

4.100%, 10/15/41

     3,829,000        2,532,061  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

33


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Sprint

     

7.875%, 09/15/23

   $ 1,500,000       $    1,501,245  
     

 

 

 
        6,734,470  
     

 

 

 

Materials — 0.3%

     

Mineral Resources

     

8.125%, 05/01/27 (A)

     420,000        420,370  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate — 2.2%

     

GLP Capital

     

3.250%, 01/15/32 ‡

     2,500,000        2,040,999  

Sabra Health Care

     

3.200%, 12/01/31 ‡

     2,000,000        1,524,659  
     

 

 

 
        3,565,658  
     

 

 

 

Utilities — 0.5%

     

Pacific Gas and Electric

     

4.500%, 07/01/40

     1,000,000        786,959  
     

 

 

 

Total Corporate Obligations
(Cost $69,342,750)

        65,535,865  
     

 

 

 

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES — 27.0%

 

Automotive — 12.7%

     

ACC Auto Trust, Ser 2021-A, Cl D

     

6.100%, 06/15/29 (A)

     1,000,000        963,861  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-1, Cl F

     

4.870%, 11/13/28 (A)

     2,600,000        2,201,417  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-2, Cl D

     

6.470%, 08/13/29 (A)

     1,000,000        989,546  

Avid Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2019-1, Cl E

     

6.760%, 05/17/27 (A)

     1,000,000        992,905  

Avid Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-1, Cl F

     

5.160%, 10/16/28 (A)

     2,000,000        1,808,563  

CarNow Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-2A, Cl E

     

4.450%, 02/15/28 (A)

     1,000,000        904,973  

Carvana Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-N2, Cl E

     

2.900%, 03/10/28 (A)

     2,000,000        1,804,481  

CIG Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-1A, Cl E

     

4.450%, 05/12/28 (A)

     1,590,000        1,458,820  

CPS Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2019-B, Cl F

     

7.480%, 06/15/26 (A)

     500,000        498,496  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2019-4A, Cl E

     

3.930%, 10/15/26 (A)

     2,000,000        1,960,207  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020-3A, Cl E

     

3.620%, 10/15/27 (A)

     1,500,000        1,435,488  

Exeter Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-2A, Cl E

     

6.340%, 10/15/29 (A)

     1,443,000        1,300,924  

Foursight Capital Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-1, Cl E

     

4.690%, 08/15/29 (A)

     1,000,000        876,080  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2021-4A, Cl E

     

4.430%, 10/16/28 (A)

   $ 1,500,000       $    1,359,560  

Tricolor Auto Securitization Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl F

     

9.800%, 07/16/29 (A)

     1,000,000        959,502  

Tricolor Auto Securitization Trust, Ser 2023-1A, Cl F

     

16.000%, 06/17/30 (A)

     1,000,000        993,312  
     

 

 

 
        20,508,135  
     

 

 

 

Credit Card — 1.2%

     

Mercury Financial Credit Card Master Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl C

     

5.200%, 09/21/26 (A)

     2,000,000        1,904,188  
     

 

 

 

Other Asset-Backed Securities — 13.1%

 

Amur Equipment Finance Receivables X, Ser 2022-1A, Cl E

     

5.020%, 12/20/28 (A)

     1,348,000        1,193,444  

Audax Senior Debt 6, Ser 2021-6A, Cl B

     

7.538%, TSFR3M + 2.212%, 10/20/33 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        937,562  

BHG Securitization Trust, Ser 2022-B, Cl D

     

6.690%, 06/18/35 (A)

     998,895        916,966  

CIFC Funding, Ser 2018-1A, Cl C

     

7.322%, TSFR3M + 2.012%, 04/18/31 (A)(B)

     500,000        490,014  

CP EF Asset Securitization I, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

5.960%, 04/15/30 (A)

     583,783        574,268  

Credibly Asset Securitization II, Ser 2021-1A, Cl B

     

3.380%, 04/15/26 (A)

     524,000        496,300  

Harley Marine Financing, Ser 2018-1A, Cl A2

     

6.682%, 05/15/43 (A)(C)

     1,678,945        1,655,178  

Kapitus Asset Securitization, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

3.382%, 07/10/28 (A)

     1,500,000        1,406,620  

LCM XXII, Ser 2018-22A, Cl BR

     

7.588%, TSFR3M + 2.262%, 10/20/28 (A)(B)

     1,500,000        1,450,604  

Libra Solutions, Ser 2023-1A, Cl B

     

10.250%, 02/15/35 (A)

     814,481        815,736  

Mosaic Solar Loans, Ser 2017-2A, Cl B

     

4.770%, 06/22/43 (A)

     190,944        171,108  

NMEF Funding, Ser 2021-A, Cl D

     

5.780%, 12/15/27 (A)

     1,300,000        1,249,375  

OZLM Funding IV, Ser 2017-4A, Cl BR

     

7.807%, TSFR3M + 2.462%, 10/22/30 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,964,386  

Pawneee Equipment Receivables, Ser 2021-1, Cl E

     

5.210%, 05/15/28 (A)

     353,000        317,187  

Pawneee Equipment Receivables, Ser 2022-1, Cl C

     

6.010%, 07/17/28 (A)

     1,000,000        954,398  

PRET, Ser 2021-NPL3, Cl A2

     

3.721%, 07/25/51 (A)(C)

     500,000        404,721  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

34


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

PRET, Ser 2021-RN3, Cl A1

     

1.843%, 09/25/51 (A)(C)

   $ 744,575       $      676,921  

PRET, Ser 2021-RN4, Cl A2

     

5.194%, 10/25/51 (A)(B)

     1,850,000        1,616,207  

Pretium Mortgage Credit Partners I, Ser 2021-NPL1, Cl A2

     

4.213%, 09/27/60 (A)(C)

     1,000,000        876,247  

Sapphire Aviation Finance I, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

5.926%, 03/15/40 (A)

     285,963        143,539  

SCF Equipment Leasing, Ser 2021-1A, Cl D

     

1.930%, 09/20/30 (A)

     1,500,000        1,331,401  

Stack Infrastructure Issuer, Ser 2019-1A, Cl A2

     

4.540%, 02/25/44 (A)

     701,459        691,954  

VOLT, Ser 2021-CF2, Cl A2

     

5.316%, 11/27/51 (A)(C)

     1,000,000        836,684  
     

 

 

 
        21,170,820  
     

 

 

 

Total Asset-Backed Securities
(Cost $46,680,981)

        43,583,143  
     

 

 

 

COLLATERALIZED LOAN OBLIGATIONS — 22.6%

 

Apidos CLO XI, Ser 2021-11A, Cl ER3

     

12.140%, TSFR3M + 6.832%, 04/17/34 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        938,239  

BCC Middle Market, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

8.588%, TSFR3M + 3.000%, 10/20/30 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        968,546  

Benefit Street Partners CLO III, Ser 2017-IIIA, Cl DR

     

12.188%, TSFR3M + 6.862%, 07/20/29 (A)(B)

     2,500,000        2,325,155  

Benefit Street Partners III, Ser 2017-IIIA, Cl CR

     

9.488%, TSFR3M + 4.162%, 07/20/29 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,992,286  

BlueMountain XXX, Ser 2022-30A, Cl ER

     

12.008%, TSFR3M + 6.700%, 04/15/35 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,742,996  

Carlyle Global Market Strategies, Ser 2018-1A, Cl CR2

     

7.370%, TSFR3M + 2.062%, 04/17/31 (A)(B)

     1,250,000        1,204,237  

CARLYLE US, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

7.438%, TSFR3M + 2.112%, 04/20/31 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,928,242  

Chenango Park, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

7.420%, TSFR3M + 2.112%, 04/15/30 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        970,615  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017-17A, Cl BR

     

8.513%, TSFR3M + 3.162%, 10/25/30 (A)(B)

     1,500,000        1,450,758  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017-21A, Cl CR

     

8.063%, TSFR3M + 2.712%, 01/25/31 (A)(B)

     3,000,000        2,861,121  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017-22A, Cl CR

     

7.438%, TSFR3M + 2.112%, 01/20/31 (A)(B)

   $ 1,500,000       $    1,448,642  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017-23A, Cl BR

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.812%, 01/20/31 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        973,348  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017-23A, Cl CR

     

7.388%, TSFR3M + 2.062%, 01/20/31 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,949,870  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2017-24A, Cl DR

     

9.226%, TSFR3M + 3.900%, 11/05/29 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,855,470  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2018-26A, Cl BR

     

7.138%, TSFR3M + 1.812%, 04/20/31 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        982,199  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2018-36A, Cl B

     

6.976%, TSFR3M + 1.650%, 02/05/31 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,941,170  

Golub Capital Partners, Ser 2018-36A, Cl C

     

7.426%, TSFR3M + 2.100%, 02/05/31 (A)(B)

     1,500,000        1,417,239  

Jay Park, Ser 2018-1A, Cl BR

     

7.588%, TSFR3M + 2.262%, 10/20/27 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        983,146  

MCF VIII, Ser 2018-1A, Cl B

     

7.322%, TSFR3M + 1.750%, 07/18/30 (A)(B)

     3,000,000        2,904,324  

Race Point IX, Ser 2017-9A, Cl BR

     

7.720%, TSFR3M + 2.412%, 10/15/30 (A)(B)

     4,000,000        3,838,564  

Race Point IX, Ser 2017-9A, Cl DR

     

12.470%, TSFR3M + 7.162%, 10/15/30 (A)(B)

     2,000,000        1,700,264  
     

 

 

 

Total Collateralized Loan Obligations
(Cost $38,090,942)

        36,376,431  
     

 

 

 

MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES — 4.8%

 

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Obligation — 3.7%

 

Benchmark Mortgage Trust, Ser 2020-B21, Cl D

     

2.000%, 12/17/53 (A)

     1,000,000        500,431  

BXMT, Ser 2020-FL2, Cl A

     

6.236%, TSFR1M + 1.014%, 02/15/38 (A)(B)

     766,488        732,110  

Cold Storage Trust, Ser 2020-ICE5, Cl E

     

8.102%, TSFR1M + 2.880%, 11/15/37 (A)(B)

     982,991        970,355  

Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2014-UBS6, Cl C

     

4.434%, 12/10/47 (B)

     1,000,000        826,309  

Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2015-DC1, Cl D

     

4.295%, 02/10/48 (A)(B)

     1,517,000        1,157,672  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

35


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

FREMF Mortgage Trust, Ser 2016-K54, Cl C

     

4.053%, 04/25/48 (A)(B)

   $ 1,000,000       $      948,856  

WFRBS Commercial Mortgage Trust, Ser 2014-C25, Cl D

     

3.803%, 11/15/47 (A)(B)

     1,000,000        824,441  
     

 

 

 
        5,960,174  
     

 

 

 

Non-Agency Residential Mortgage-Backed Obligation — 1.1%

 

PRPM, Ser 2021-10, Cl A2

     

4.826%, 10/25/26 (A)(C)

     1,000,000        882,566  

RCO VI Mortgage, Ser 2022-1, Cl A2

     

5.250%, 01/25/27 (A)(C)

     1,000,000        939,341  
     

 

 

 
        1,821,907  
     

 

 

 

Total Mortgage-Backed Securities
(Cost $8,614,982)

        7,782,081  
     

 

 

 
     Shares         

COMMON STOCK — 0.0%

 

Industrials — 0.0%

     

Erickson *(D)

     3,761        6,837  
     

 

 

 

Total Common Stock
(Cost $1,829,567)

        6,837  
     

 

 

 

PREFERRED STOCK — 0.0%

 

Communication Services — 0.0%

     

MYT Holding LLC

     

10.000%, 06/07/29 (A)

     64,528        46,460  
     

 

 

 

Total Preferred Stock
(Cost $64,528)

        46,460  
     

 

 

 
     Face Amount         

REPURCHASE AGREEMENT(E) — 3.7%

 

Santander U.S. Capital Markets 5.150%, dated 07/31/23, to be repurchased on 08/01/23, repurchase price $6,000,858 (collateralized by various Government Obligations, ranging in par value $2 - $25,970,500, 0.000% - 8.250%, 01/28/2026 - 01/09/2038, with a total market value of $6,096,411)

     6,000,000        6,000,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Repurchase Agreement
(Cost $6,000,000)

        6,000,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments — 98.8%
(Cost $170,623,750)

       $ 159,330,817  
     

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $ 161,253,842.

*

Non-income producing security.

Real Estate Investment Trust

(A)

Securities sold within terms of a private placement memorandum, exempt from registration under Section 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may be sold only to dealers in that program or other “accredited investors.” The total value of such securities at July 31, 2023 was $118,114,714 and represents 73.2% of Net Assets.

(B)

Variable or floating rate security. The rate shown is the effective interest rate as of period end. The rates on certain securities are not based on published reference rates and spreads and are either determined by the issuer or agent based on current market conditions; by using a formula based on the rates of underlying loans; or by adjusting periodically based on prevailing interest rates.

(C)

Step Bonds — The rate reflected on the Schedule of Investments is the effective yield on July 31, 2023. The coupon on a step bond changes on a specific date.

(D)

Level 3 security in accordance with fair value hierarchy.

(E)

Tri-Party Repurchase Agreement.

The following is a summary of the level of inputs used as of July 31, 2023, in valuing the Fund’s investments carried at value:

 

Investments in

 Securities

  Level 1     Level 2     Level 3(1)     Total  

Corporate Obligations

  $     $ 65,535,865     $     $ 65,535,865  

Asset-Backed

       

Securities

          43,583,143             43,583,143  

Collateralized Loan

       

Obligations

          36,376,431             36,376,431  

Mortgage-Backed

       

Securities

          7,782,081             7,782,081  

Common Stock

                6,837       6,837  

Preferred Stock

          46,460             46,460  

Repurchase

       

Agreement

          6,000,000             6,000,000  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

   $       —      $  159,323,980      $      6,837      $  159,330,817  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

(1) A reconciliation of Level 3 investments is presented when the fund has significant amount of Level 3 investments at the end of the period in relation to the net assets. Management has concluded that Level 3 investments are not significant in relation to net assets.

Amounts designated as “—” are $0 or have been rounded to $0.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2—Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Financial Statements.

See “Glossary” for abbreviations.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

36


LOGO

 

SECTOR WEIGHTINGS (Unaudited)†

 

LOGO

† Percentages are based on total investments.

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

ASSET-BACKED SECURITIES — 42.9%

 

  

Automotive — 23.4%

     

ACC Auto Trust, Ser 2021-A, Cl A

     

1.080%, 04/15/27 (A)

   $ 6,234       $        6,223  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-2, Cl C

     

4.410%, 06/13/28 (A)

     5,450,000        5,348,490  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-4, Cl B

     

6.750%, 10/13/26 (A)

     2,000,000        2,002,873  

American Credit Acceptance Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-1, Cl C

     

5.590%, 04/12/29 (A)

     1,000,000        981,510  

Arivo Acceptance Auto Loan Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-1A, Cl A

     

1.190%, 01/15/27 (A)

     276,513        270,198  

Arivo Acceptance Auto Loan Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

3.930%, 05/15/28 (A)

     495,979        483,987  

Avid Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-1, Cl D

     

1.990%, 04/17/28 (A)

     1,300,000        1,208,176  

Carmax Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2022-4, Cl C

     

6.490%, 07/17/28

     3,500,000        3,553,300  

Carmax Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2022-4, Cl D

     

8.080%, 04/16/29

     1,500,000        1,547,674  

Credit Acceptance Auto Loan Trust, Ser 2021-3A, Cl C

     

1.630%, 09/16/30 (A)

     1,700,000        1,577,120  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2020-3A, Cl C

     

1.470%, 06/15/26 (A)

     870,313        852,638  

DT Auto Owner Trust, Ser 2022-2A, Cl D

     

5.460%, 03/15/28 (A)

     4,000,000        3,886,462  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Flagship Credit Auto Trust, Ser 2022-4, Cl B

     

6.780%, 10/15/27 (A)

   $ 1,500,000       $    1,515,499  

Foursight Capital Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-2, Cl D

     

1.920%, 09/15/27 (A)

     5,500,000        5,095,963  

Foursight Capital Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-1, Cl D

     

3.070%, 05/15/28 (A)

     4,780,000        4,402,656  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2021-2A, Cl D

     

1.420%, 04/15/27 (A)

     1,020,000        950,166  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2021-3A, Cl D

     

1.480%, 07/15/27 (A)

     3,000,000        2,751,260  

GLS Auto Receivables Issuer Trust, Ser 2021-4A, Cl A

     

0.840%, 07/15/25 (A)

     123,446        122,929  

Prestige Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-1A, Cl D

     

2.080%, 02/15/28 (A)

     4,000,000        3,604,765  

Prestige Auto Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-1A, Cl B

     

5.550%, 04/15/27 (A)

     8,000,000        7,905,528  

Tricolor Auto Securitization Trust, Ser 2023-1A, Cl B

     

6.840%, 11/16/26 (A)

     3,500,000        3,491,036  

United Auto Credit Securitization Trust, Ser 2022-2, Cl D

     

6.840%, 01/10/28 (A)

     3,000,000        2,961,434  

United Auto Credit Securitization Trust, Ser 2023-1, Cl C

     

6.280%, 07/10/28 (A)

     4,326,000        4,283,542  

Westlake Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-2A, Cl D

     

2.760%, 01/15/26 (A)

     4,472,405        4,413,031  

Westlake Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2020-3A, Cl C

     

1.240%, 11/17/25 (A)

     532,355        526,709  

Westlake Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2022-3A, Cl D

     

6.680%, 04/17/28 (A)

     7,000,000        6,961,525  

Westlake Automobile Receivables Trust, Ser 2023-2A, Cl D

     

7.010%, 11/15/28 (A)

     3,000,000        2,997,102  

World Omni Select Auto Trust, Ser 2023-A, Cl A2A

     

5.920%, 03/15/27

     5,000,000        4,993,542  
     

 

 

 
        78,695,338  
     

 

 

 

Credit Card — 7.7%

     

Avant Credit Card Master Trust, Ser 2021-1A, Cl A

     

1.370%, 04/15/27 (A)

     1,220,000        1,117,191  

CARDS II Trust, Ser 2021-1A, Cl B

     

0.931%, 04/15/27 (A)

     7,250,000        6,966,926  

Continental Finance Credit Card ABS Master Trust, Ser 2021-A, Cl A

     

2.550%, 12/17/29 (A)

     5,000,000        4,608,394  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

37


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Genesis Sales Finance Master Trust, Ser 2021-AA, Cl A

     

1.200%, 12/21/26 (A)

   $ 2,000,000       $    1,889,851  

Synchrony Card Funding, Ser 2022-A2, Cl A

     

3.860%, 07/15/28

     5,500,000        5,342,894  

Trillium Credit Card Trust II, Ser 2021-1A, Cl B

     

2.026%, 10/26/29 (A)

     6,500,000        5,769,851  
     

 

 

 
        25,695,107  
     

 

 

 

Other Asset-Backed Securities — 11.7%

 

Amur Equipment Finance Receivables X, Ser 2022-1A, Cl D

     

2.910%, 08/21/28 (A)

     2,000,000        1,787,849  

Aqua Finance Trust, Ser 2021-A, Cl B

     

2.400%, 07/17/46 (A)

     1,000,000        818,608  

BHG Securitization Trust, Ser 2021-B, Cl A

     

0.900%, 10/17/34 (A)

     760,249        728,284  

BHG Securitization Trust, Ser 2022-B, Cl A

     

3.750%, 06/18/35 (A)

     402,492        397,277  

BXG Receivables Note Trust, Ser 2023-A, Cl A

     

5.770%, 11/15/38 (A)

     4,620,489        4,565,593  

CLI Funding VI, Ser 2020-1A, Cl A

     

2.080%, 09/18/45 (A)

     1,771,250        1,540,936  

CP EF Asset Securitization I, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

5.960%, 04/15/30 (A)

     2,335,133        2,297,071  

Diamond Resorts Owner Trust, Ser 2019-1A, Cl A

     

2.890%, 02/20/32 (A)

     312,500        296,174  

Marlette Funding Trust, Ser 2021-2A, Cl C

     

1.500%, 09/15/31 (A)

     2,000,000        1,911,639  

Mosaic Solar Loan Trust, Ser 2021-3A, Cl B

     

1.920%, 06/20/52 (A)

     747,305        537,794  

Mosaic Solar Loans, Ser 2017-1A, Cl A

     

4.450%, 06/20/42 (A)

     190,937        179,901  

New Economy Assets Phase 1 Sponsor, Ser 2021-1, Cl A1

     

1.910%, 10/20/61 (A)

     2,000,000        1,714,753  

Octane Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-1A, Cl A

     

0.930%, 03/22/27 (A)

     515,277        501,479  

Octane Receivables Trust, Ser 2021-2A, Cl A

     

1.210%, 09/20/28 (A)

     659,077        634,657  

Oportun Issuance Trust, Ser 2021-B, Cl A

     

1.470%, 05/08/31 (A)

     1,750,000        1,584,603  

Oportun Issuance Trust, Ser 2022-A, Cl C

     

7.400%, 06/09/31 (A)

     2,030,000        1,927,372  

Pawnee Equipment Receivables, Ser 2020-1, Cl A

     

1.370%, 11/17/25 (A)

     4,921        4,915  
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Pawneee Equipment Receivables, Ser 2022-1, Cl C

     

6.010%, 07/17/28 (A)

   $ 5,000,000       $    4,771,990  

Verizon Master Trust, Ser 2023-4, Cl C

     

5.650%, 06/20/29

     9,700,000        9,669,253  

VFI ABS, Ser 2022-1A, Cl A

     

2.230%, 03/24/28 (A)

     1,053,956        1,025,191  

Westgate Resorts, Ser 2022-1A, Cl C

     

2.488%, 08/20/36 (A)

     2,392,537        2,244,100  
     

 

 

 
        39,139,439  
     

 

 

 

Student Loan — 0.1%

 

  

Commonbond Student Loan Trust, Ser 2017-AGS, Cl A1

     

2.550%, 05/25/41 (A)

     446,628        412,914  
     

 

 

 

Total Asset-Backed Securities
(Cost $149,803,822)

        143,942,798  
     

 

 

 

U.S. TREASURY OBLIGATIONS — 23.4%

 

U.S. Treasury Note

     

3.875%, 03/31/25

     45,000,000        44,135,156  

3.750%, 04/15/26

     35,000,000        34,250,782  
     

 

 

 

Total U.S. Treasury Obligations
(Cost $80,157,023)

        78,385,938  
     

 

 

 

CORPORATE OBLIGATIONS — 22.2%

 

Consumer Discretionary — 1.5%

 

AutoZone

     

4.500%, 02/01/28

     5,000,000        4,869,982  
     

 

 

 

Financials — 9.6%

 

  

Capital One Financial

     

4.200%, 10/29/25

     10,000,000        9,627,478  

Charles Schwab

     

5.643%, U.S. SOFR + 2.210%, 05/19/29 (B)

     5,000,000        5,043,743  

Deutsche Bank

     

2.222%, U.S. SOFR + 2.159%, 09/18/24 (B)

     2,000,000        1,986,189  

Fifth Third Bancorp

     

6.361%, SOFRINDX + 2.192%, 10/27/28 (B)

     8,000,000        8,123,088  

Synchrony Financial

     

4.375%, 03/19/24

     7,354,000        7,246,785  
     

 

 

 
        32,027,283  
     

 

 

 

Health Care — 1.5%

 

  

Amgen

     

5.250%, 03/02/25

     5,000,000        4,986,079  
     

 

 

 

Industrials — 4.0%

 

  

AerCap Ireland Capital DAC

     

1.750%, 01/30/26

     5,000,000        4,517,163  

1.750%, 10/29/24

     1,000,000        945,543  

Delta Air Lines

     

7.000%, 05/01/25 (A)

     5,000,000        5,115,746  

Penske Truck Leasing

     

5.750%, 05/24/26 (A)

     3,000,000        2,985,039  
     

 

 

 
        13,563,491  
     

 

 

 

Information Technology — 4.8%

 

  

Kyndryl Holdings

     

2.050%, 10/15/26

     8,000,000        6,968,741  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

38


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Molex Electronic Technologies

     

3.900%, 04/15/25 (A)

   $ 9,675,000       $    9,233,275  
     

 

 

 
        16,202,016  
     

 

 

 

Real Estate — 0.8%

     

Corporate Office Properties

     

2.250%, 03/15/26 ‡

     3,000,000        2,670,690  
     

 

 

 

Total Corporate Obligations
(Cost $77,266,026)

        74,319,541  
     

 

 

 

U.S. GOVERNMENT AGENCY OBLIGATIONS — 7.6%

 

FFCB

     

5.480%, 10/25/27

     5,000,000        4,937,267  

FHLMC

     

5.375%, 11/15/24

     5,000,000        4,963,360  

5.150%, 10/17/24

     3,800,000        3,766,876  

5.000%, 07/26/24

     5,000,000        4,961,798  

FNMA

     

5.030%, 04/10/24

     7,000,000        6,961,040  
     

 

 

 

Total U.S. Government Agency Obligations
(Cost $25,800,000)

 

     25,590,341  
     

 

 

 

MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES — 1.9%

 

Commercial Mortgage-Backed Obligation — 1.9%

 

Benchmark Mortgage Trust, Ser 2020-B19, Cl A2

     

1.691%, 09/15/53

     1,305,000        1,167,197  

Cold Storage Trust, Ser 2020-ICE5, Cl A

     

6.236%, TSFR1M + 1.014%, 11/15/37 (A)(B)

     5,406,448        5,345,423  
     

 

 

 

Total Mortgage-Backed Securities
(Cost $6,747,920)

        6,512,620  
     

 

 

 

REPURCHASE AGREEMENT(C) — 1.2%

 

Santander U.S. Capital Markets 5.150%, dated 07/31/23, to be repurchased on 08/01/23, repurchase price $4,000,572 (collateralized by various Government Obligations, ranging in par value $269,654 - $1,311,000, 4.250% - 8.250%, 01/28/2026 - 01/09/2038, with a total market value of $4,056,357)

     4,000,000        4,000,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Repurchase Agreement
(Cost $4,000,000)

        4,000,000  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments — 99.2%
(Cost $343,774,791)

       $ 332,751,238  
     

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $ 335,511,293.

Real Estate Investment Trust

(A)

Securities sold within terms of a private placement memorandum, exempt from registration under Section 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may be sold only to dealers in that program or other “accredited investors.” The total value of such securities at July 31, 2023 was $141,515,618 and represents 42.2% of Net Assets.

(B)

Variable or floating rate security. The rate shown is the effective interest rate as of period end. The rates on certain securities are not based on published reference rates and spreads and are either determined by the issuer or agent based on current market conditions; by using a formula based on the rates of underlying loans; or by adjusting periodically based on prevailing interest rates.

(C)

Tri-Party Repurchase Agreement.

As of July 31, 2023, all of the Fund’s investments in securities were considered Level 2, in accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Financial Statements.

See “Glossary” for abbreviations.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

39


 

LOGO

 

SECTOR WEIGHTINGS (Unaudited)†

 

LOGO

† Percentages are based on total investments.

 

                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

MUNICIPAL BONDS — 98.3%

 

California — 2.8%

     

California State, Municipal Finance Authority, Ser A, RB

     

5.000%, 03/01/25(A)

   $ 410,000       $ 405,822  

California State, School Finance Authority, RB

     

5.350%, 08/01/24(A)

     195,000        195,891  

Mount Diablo Unified School District, Ser A, GO

     

4.000%, 08/01/31

     100,000        108,469  
     

 

 

 
        710,182  
     

 

 

 

Colorado — 4.2%

     

El Paso County, School District No. 49 Falcon, Ser A, COP

     

5.000%, 12/15/24

     525,000        536,741  

El Paso County, School District No. 49 Falcon, Ser B, COP

     

5.000%, 12/15/26

     500,000        530,819  
     

 

 

 
        1,067,560
     

 

 

 

Florida — 2.3%

     

City of Fort Lauderdale Florida, GO

     

5.000%, 07/01/35

     500,000        586,299  
     

 

 

 

Idaho — 1.2%

     

Idaho State, Housing & Finance Association, RB

     

4.000%, 07/01/26(A)

     320,000        315,824  
     

 

 

 

Illinois — 3.0%

     

Lee & Ogle Counties, School District No. 170 Dixon, GO, BAM

     

4.000%, 01/30/25

     760,000        765,406  
     

 

 

 

Kansas — 4.1%

     

Geary County, GO

     

5.000%, 09/01/25

     1,000,000        1,034,327  
     

 

 

 

Michigan — 4.0%

     

Taylor, Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, RB, NATL

     

4.000%, 05/01/28

     1,000,000        1,006,447  
     

 

 

 
                                                   
     
Description    Face Amount      Value  

Minnesota — 0.7%

     

Minnesota State, Housing Finance Agency, Ser A, RB, GNMA

     

2.600%, 09/01/42

   $ 196,077       $ 168,937  
     

 

 

 

Ohio — 0.6%

     

City of Medina Ohio, GO

     

4.000%, 12/01/32

     140,000        151,110  
     

 

 

 

Oklahoma — 4.1%

     

University of Oklahoma, Ser C, RB

     

5.000%, 07/01/35

     1,000,000        1,026,330  
     

 

 

 

South Carolina — 5.5%

     

Hilton Head Island, Ser C, GO, ST AID WITHHLDG

     

2.250%, 03/01/33

     530,000        480,377  

2.125%, 03/01/32

     520,000        468,883  

2.000%, 03/01/30

     495,000        451,328  
     

 

 

 
        1,400,588  
     

 

 

 

Texas — 65.8%

     

Azle Independent School District, GO, PSF-GTD

     

4.000%, 02/15/47

     500,000        487,820  

Board of Regents of the University of Texas System, Ser A, RB

     

2.000%, 08/15/36

     1,000,000        773,461  

Bruceville-Eddy Independent School District, GO, PSF-GTD

     

4.000%, 08/15/31

     500,000        502,260  

Central Texas Turnpike System, Sub-Ser C, RB

     

5.000%, 08/15/42

     1,000,000        1,006,608  

City of Longview Texas, GO

     

4.000%, 09/01/35

     500,000        508,627  

Clifton, Higher Education Finance, RB, PSF-GTD

     

5.000%, 08/15/25

     700,000        709,189  

Clifton, Higher Education Finance, Ser A, RB

     

3.375%, 12/01/24

     530,000        519,964  

Clifton, Higher Education Finance, Ser B, RB

     

5.000%, 08/15/25

     460,000        468,853  

4.000%, 08/15/23

     500,000        499,974  

Crandall Independent School District, GO, PSF-GTD

     

4.000%, 08/15/48

     500,000        478,721  

Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District, Ser A, GO, PSF-GTD

     

5.000%, 02/15/30

     1,000,000        1,113,849  

El Paso County, Hospital District, GO

     

5.000%, 08/15/25

     1,070,000        1,088,917  

Georgetown Independent School District, Ser B-REMK, GO, PSF-GTD

     

2.000%, 08/01/41(B)

     500,000        500,000  

La Vernia, Higher Education Finance, Ser A, RB

     

4.200%, 08/15/25(A)(C)

     325,000        327,340  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

40


LOGO

 

                                                   
     
Description   

Face

Amount

     Value  

Liberty Hill Independent School District, GO, PSF-GTD

     

5.000%, 02/01/49

   $ 700,000       $ 725,481  

Liberty Hill Independent School District, Ser A, GO, PSF-GTD

     

5.000%, 02/01/41

     500,000        549,624  

Lower Colorado River Authority, RB

     

5.000%, 05/15/39

     1,000,000        1,078,794  

Main Street Market Square Redevelopment Authority, TA, BAM

     

5.000%, 09/01/25

     1,000,000        1,026,412  

Main Street Market Square Redevelopment Authority, TA, BAM

     

5.000%, 09/01/29

     1,000,000        1,042,514  

New Braunfels Independent School District, Ser B, GO, PSF-GTD

     

4.375%, 02/01/40

     500,000        505,465  

Plainview Independent School District, Ser A, GO, PSF-GTD

     

5.000%, 02/15/46

     525,000        568,111  

Pottsboro Independent School District, GO, PSF-GTD

     

5.000%, 02/15/47

     500,000        545,494  

Seminole, Hospital District, GO

     

4.000%, 02/15/31

     545,000        521,129  

Texas A&M University, Permanent

     

University Fund, Ser B, RB

     

5.000%, 07/01/34

     1,000,000        1,030,634  
     

 

 

 
        16,579,241  
     

 

 

 

Total Municipal Bonds
(Cost $25,333,071)

        24,812,251  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments — 98.3%
(Cost $25,333,071)

       $ 24,812,251  
     

 

 

 
Percentages are based on Net Assets of $25,228,663.

 

(A)

Securities sold within terms of a private placement memorandum, exempt from registration under Section 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may be sold only to dealers in that program or other “accredited investors.” The total value of such securities at July 31, 2023 was $1,244,877 and represents 4.9% of Net Assets.

(B)

Variable or floating rate security. The rate shown is the effective interest rate as of period end. The rates on certain securities are not based on published reference rates and spreads and are either determined by the issuer or agent based on current market conditions; by using a formula based on the rates of underlying loans; or by adjusting periodically based on prevailing interest rates.

(C)

Escrowed to Maturity

As of July 31, 2023, all of the Fund’s investments in securities were considered Level 2, in accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Financial Statements.

See “Glossary” for abbreviations.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

41


LOGO

 

Portfolio Abbreviations

ABS — Asset-Backed Security

BAM — Build America Mutual

Cl — Class

CLO — Collateralized Loan Obligation

COP — Certificate of Participation

FHLB — Federal Home Loan Bank

FHLMC — Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation

FNMA — Federal National Mortgage Association

GNMA — Government National Mortgage Association

GO — General Obligation

ICE — Intercontinental Exchange

IO — Interest Only - face amount represents notional amount

LLC — Limited Liability Company

MTN — Medium Term Note

NATL — National Public Finance Guaranty Corporation

PIK — Payment-in-Kind

PSF-GTD — Texas Public School Fund Guarantee

RB — Revenue Bond

RFUCCT1Y — Refinitiv US IBOR Consumer Cash Fallback 1 Year

Ser — Series

SOFR — Secured Overnight Financing Rate

STRIPS — Separately Traded Registered Interest and Principal Securities

TA — Tax Allocation

Currency Abbreviations

USD — U.S. Dollar

 

 

42


LOGO

 

                                                                             
     Growth Equity
Fund
   Total Return  Bond
Fund
  Credit Fund

Assets:

       

Investments at Value

   $ 314,776,606      $ 2,707,587,146     $ 153,330,817  

Repurchase Agreements at Value

            20,000,000       6,000,000  

Cash

     683,303        1,014,442       497,559  

Dividends and Interest Receivable

     50,606        23,586,558       1,396,457  

Receivable for Capital Shares Sold

     20,962        3,158,533       270,462  

Foreign Tax Reclaim Receivable

     8,196               

Receivable for Investment Securities Sold

            305,500        

Cash Collateral on Futures Contracts

            39,637        

Prepaid Expenses

     24,607        78,927       34,880  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Assets

     315,564,280        2,755,770,743       161,530,175  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

       

Payable Due to Investment Adviser

     131,720        810,345       68,124  

Payable Due to Administrator

     19,181        168,558       9,919  

Payable Due to Distributor - Investor Class Shares

     11,266              6,185  

Payable Due to Distributor - A Class Shares

     N/A              276  

Shareholder Servicing Fees Payable - A Class Shares

     N/A        1,159       85  

Payable for Capital Shares Redeemed

     141,085        1,926,998       104,860  

Professional Fees Payable

     36,290        108,823       59,482  

Transfer Agent Fees Payable

     8,692        60,238       8,768  

Payable Due to Trustees

     3,655        32,680       1,927  

Chief Compliance Officer Fees Payable

     1,021        9,133       539  

Pricing Fees Payable

     264        30,768       10,933  

Payable for Investment Securities Purchased

            9,835,435        

Income Distribution Payable

            47        

Other Accrued Expenses

     9,504        138,840       5,235  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     362,678        13,123,024       276,333  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

   $ 315,201,602      $ 2,742,647,719     $ 161,253,842  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS:

       

Paid-in Capital

   $ 92,884,010      $ 3,117,879,252     $ 178,757,996  

Total Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Loss)

     222,317,592        (375,231,533     (17,504,154
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

   $ 315,201,602      $ 2,742,647,719     $ 161,253,842  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional Class Shares:

       

Net Assets

   $ 260,597,136      $ 2,474,473,110     $ 128,832,665  

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest
(unlimited authorization - no par value)

     16,547,031        264,278,960       14,268,488  

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

   $ 15.75      $ 9.36     $ 9.03  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investor Class Shares:

       

Net Assets

   $ 54,604,466      $ 262,100,204     $ 31,395,711  

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest
(unlimited authorization - no par value)

     3,573,774        28,005,363       3,483,498  

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

   $ 15.28      $ 9.36     $ 9.01  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Class Shares:

       

Net Assets

     N/A      $ 6,074,405     $ 1,025,466  

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest
(unlimited authorization - no par value)

     N/A        649,606       113,837  

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

     N/A      $ 9.35     $ 9.01  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maximum Offering Price Per Share – Class A

     N/A      $ 9.67     $ 9.22  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of Investments

   $ 127,839,102      $ 2,827,938,013     $ 164,623,750  

Cost of Repurchased Agreements

   $      $ 20,000,000     $ 6,000,000  

“N/A” designates that the Fund does not offer this class.

Amounts designated as “–” are $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

 

43


LOGO

 

         Low Duration    
Bond Fund
  Municipal Bond
Fund
 

                         

Assets:

      

Investments at Value

   $ 328,751,238     $ 24,812,251    

Repurchase Agreements at Value

     4,000,000          

Cash

     694,529       81,165    

Dividends and Interest Receivable

     2,543,388       374,149    

Receivable for Capital Shares Sold

     22,708       188    

Prepaid Expenses

     28,337       21,797    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Assets

     336,040,200       25,289,550    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Liabilities:

      

Payable Due to Investment Adviser

     86,379       5,561    

Payable Due to Administrator

     20,963       1,620    

Payable Due to Distributor - Investor Class Shares

     3,458       1,013    

Payable for Capital Shares Redeemed

     343,242       4,772    

Professional Fees Payable

     44,170       40,883    

Transfer Agent Fees Payable

     9,590       4,641    

Pricing Fees Payable

     5,247       1,140    

Payable Due to Trustees

     4,090       324    

Chief Compliance Officer Fees Payable

     1,143       90    

Other Accrued Expenses

     10,625       843    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Liabilities

     528,907       60,887    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

   $     335,511,293     $     25,228,663    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

NET ASSETS:

      

Paid-in Capital

   $ 363,858,486     $ 25,656,913    

Total Distributable Earnings (Accumulated Loss)

     (28,347,193     (428,250  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Assets

   $ 335,511,293     $ 25,228,663    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Institutional Class Shares:

      

Net Assets

   $ 317,976,292     $ 20,120,293    

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest
(unlimited authorization - no par value)

     33,041,319       2,142,225    

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

   $ 9.62     $ 9.39    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Investor Class Shares:

      

Net Assets

   $ 17,535,001     $ 5,108,370    

Outstanding Shares of Beneficial Interest
(unlimited authorization - no par value)

     1,821,445       543,729    

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share

   $ 9.63     $ 9.40    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cost of Investments

   $ 339,774,791     $ 25,333,071    

Cost of Repurchased Agreements

   $ 4,000,000     $    

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

44


LOGO

 

       Growth Equity  
Fund
    Total Return  
Bond Fund
      Credit Fund    

Investment Income:

      

Dividend Income

   $ 2,232,989     $     $  

Interest Income

     255,601       164,894,816       10,542,567  

Foreign Taxes Withheld

     (4,601            
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

     2,483,989       164,894,816       10,542,567  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

      

Investment Advisory Fees

     1,478,611       9,520,185       793,367  

Administration Fees

     215,279       1,980,052       115,503  

Distribution Fees - Investor Class Shares

     123,309       699,470       66,577  

Distribution Fees - A Class Shares

     N/A       20,564       2,625  

Trustees’ Fees

     12,178       112,416       6,558  

Chief Compliance Officer Fees

     2,277       12,624       1,667  

Shareholder Servicing Fees

     N/A       8,226       N/A  

Transfer Agent Fees

     52,798       392,559       52,645  

Registration Fees

     42,845       140,164       61,031  

Professional Fees

     42,207       188,388       64,890  

Printing Fees

     11,345       64,780       7,717  

Custodian Fees

     5,067       46,179       3,853  

Pricing Fees

     1,502       130,506       45,232  

Insurance and Other Expenses

     12,243       108,724       6,355  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     1,999,661       13,424,837       1,228,020  

Less: Fees Paid Indirectly

     (3,988     (62,402     (1,597
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Expenses

     1,995,673       13,362,435       1,226,423  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

     488,316       151,532,381       9,316,144  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain/(Loss) on:

      

Investments

     37,210,782       (74,285,237     (4,241,160

Foreign Currency Transactions

           (29      
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain/(Loss)

     37,210,782       (74,285,266     (4,241,160
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

     1,539,349       (25,176,519     2,947,524  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)

     38,750,131       (99,461,785     (1,293,636
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ 39,238,447     $ 52,070,596     $ 8,022,508  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

“N/A” designates that the Fund does not offer this class.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

45


LOGO

 

       Low Duration  
Bond Fund
  Municipal Bond
Fund
                          

Investment Income:

      

Interest Income

   $ 12,560,835     $ 999,593    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Investment Income

     12,560,835       999,593    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expenses:

      

Investment Advisory Fees

     1,107,135       77,182    

Administration Fees

     268,666       22,474    

Distribution Fees - Investor Class Shares

     50,408       12,490    

Trustees’ Fees

     14,948       1,261    

Chief Compliance Officer Fees

     2,481       1,104    

Transfer Agent Fees

     60,160       28,020    

Professional Fees

     53,095       43,020    

Registration Fees

     47,664       35,609    

Pricing Fees

     23,514       4,680    

Printing Fees

     9,762       1,992    

Custodian Fees

     5,097       917    

Insurance and Other Expenses

     14,702       1,192    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total Expenses

     1,657,632       229,941    

Less: Fees Paid Indirectly

     (3,919     (280  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Expenses

     1,653,713       229,661    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Investment Income

     10,907,122       769,932    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized Gain/(Loss)

     (14,850,217     (24,052  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

     7,337,971       (650,812  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Realized and Unrealized Loss

     (7,512,246     (674,864  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Increase in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

   $ 3,394,876     $ 95,068    
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

46


 

 

This page is intentionally left blank.

 


LOGO

 

     Growth Equity Fund
     Year ended
July 31, 2023
   Year ended
    July 31, 2022    
 

Operations:

     

Net Investment Income (Loss)

   $ 488,316       $ (589,941)  

Net Realized Gain (Loss)

     37,210,782         36,046,103   

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

     1,539,349         (98,478,039)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

     39,238,447         (63,021,877)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Distributions:

     

Institutional Class Shares

     (25,062,988)        (44,836,558)  

Investor Class Shares

     (5,184,354)        (7,846,870)  

A Class Shares

     N/A         N/A   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total Distributions

     (30,247,342)        (52,683,428)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Capital Share Transactions:

     

Institutional Class Shares:

     

Issued

     26,307,969         42,685,728   

Reinvestment of Dividends

     15,845,096         24,012,627   

Redeemed

     (75,806,336)        (69,831,829)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Institutional Class Share Transactions

     (33,653,271)        (3,133,474)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Investor Class Shares:

     

Issued

     5,567,063         880,190   

Reinvestment of Dividends

     5,123,670         7,758,710   

Redeemed

     (9,031,507)        (10,104,500)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Investor Class Share Transactions

     1,659,226         (1,465,600)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

A Class Shares:

     

Issued

     N/A         N/A   

Reinvestment of Dividends

     N/A         N/A   

Redeemed

     N/A         N/A   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from A Class Share Transactions

     N/A         N/A   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets from Capital Share Transactions

     (31,994,045)        (4,599,074)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total Decrease in Net Assets

     (23,002,940)        (120,304,379)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net assets:

     

Beginning of Year

     338,204,542         458,508,921   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

End of Year

   $     315,201,602       $ 338,204,542   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Share Transactions:

     

Institutional Class Shares:

     

Issued

     1,937,979         2,438,721   

Reinvestment of Dividends

     1,317,132         1,272,529   

Redeemed

     (5,535,671)        (4,074,144)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Institutional Class Shares

     (2,280,560)        (362,894)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Investor Class Shares:

     

Issued

     428,340         48,411   

Reinvestment of Dividends

     438,295         420,754   

Redeemed

     (672,721)        (576,318)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in Investor Class Shares

     193,914         (107,153)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

A Class Shares:

     

Issued

     N/A         N/A   

Reinvestment of Dividends

     N/A         N/A   

Redeemed

     N/A         N/A   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Total Increase (Decrease) in A Class Shares

     N/A         N/A   
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Net Increase (Decrease) in Shares Outstanding

     (2,086,646)        (470,047)  
  

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Amounts designated as “—” are $0.

“N/A” designates that the Fund does not offer this class.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

48


LOGO

 

Total Return Bond Fund     Credit Fund     Low Duration Bond Fund     Municipal Bond Fund  
Year ended
July 31, 2023
    Year ended
July 31, 2022
    Year ended
July 31, 2023
    Year ended
July 31, 2022
    Year ended
July 31, 2023
    Year ended
July 31, 2022
    Year ended
July 31, 2023
    Year ended
July 31, 2022
 
$ 151,532,381      $ 101,723,516      $ 9,316,144      $ 7,813,684      $ 10,907,122      $ 5,890,696      $ 769,932      $ 876,554   
  (74,285,266)       (61,048,913)       (4,241,160)       (580,860)       (14,850,217)       (1,967,170)       (24,052)       112,898   
  (25,176,519)       (142,001,416)       2,947,524        (18,917,925)       7,337,971        (25,064,673)       (650,812)       (2,136,422)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  52,070,596        (101,326,813)       8,022,508        (11,685,101)       3,394,876        (21,141,147)       95,068        (1,146,970)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (135,856,999)       (93,368,220)       (7,842,548)       (6,874,062)       (10,290,434)       (8,213,030)       (683,261)       (1,193,045)  
  (14,822,377)       (11,375,372)       (1,580,341)       (690,389)       (544,640)       (431,178)       (121,275)       (157,580)  
  (418,200)       (310,051)       (60,742)       (42,801)       N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (151,097,576)       (105,053,643)       (9,483,631)       (7,607,252)       (10,835,074)       (8,644,208)       (804,536)       (1,350,625)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  694,114,920        652,329,306        23,057,562        45,092,599        44,457,662        67,975,328        5,674,456        398,216   
  85,757,986        57,492,586        1,912,894        1,676,647        4,042,044        3,629,847        349,476        511,571   
  (654,551,611)       (831,756,112)       (38,516,083)       (52,649,156)       (99,116,471)       (122,630,214)       (13,643,381)       (8,955,357)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  125,321,295        (121,934,220)       (13,545,627)       (5,879,910)       (50,616,765)       (51,025,039)       (7,619,449)       (8,045,570)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  30,835,131        47,876,640        19,113,606        21,299,555        3,282,996        2,222,002        665,868        300,500   
  12,781,790        9,922,322        1,486,602        654,197        529,792        421,707        121,157        156,933   
  (73,975,113)       (99,950,717)       (7,565,369)       (10,840,645)       (8,037,414)       (8,286,282)       (218,347)       (312,071)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (30,358,192)       (42,151,755)       13,034,839        11,113,107        (4,224,626)       (5,642,573)       568,678        145,362   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  16,572        4,268,849        9,749        199,112        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   
  118,459        84,110        54,870        39,020        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   
  (3,829,280)       (510,005)       (119,436)       (57,956)       N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (3,694,249)       3,842,954        (54,817)       180,176        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  91,268,854        (160,243,021)       (565,605)       5,413,373        (54,841,391)       (56,667,612)       (7,050,771)       (7,900,208)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (7,758,126)       (366,623,477)       (2,026,728)       (13,878,980)       (62,281,589)       (86,452,967)       (7,760,239)       (10,397,803)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  2,750,405,845        3,117,029,322        163,280,570        177,159,550        397,792,882        484,245,849        32,988,902        43,386,705   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
$ 2,742,647,719      $ 2,750,405,845      $ 161,253,842      $ 163,280,570      $ 335,511,293      $ 397,792,882      $ 25,228,663      $ 32,988,902   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  73,420,239        64,727,831        2,559,576        4,600,178        4,599,869        6,676,854        600,696        40,142   
  9,133,154        5,724,269        214,658        174,370        419,978        356,621        37,162        51,490   
  (69,472,918)       (82,723,646)       (4,290,379)       (5,474,140)       (10,274,821)       (12,149,876)       (1,449,385)       (904,837)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  13,080,475        (12,271,546)       (1,516,145)       (699,592)       (5,254,974)       (5,116,401)       (811,527)       (813,205)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  3,255,523        4,699,888        2,144,445        2,155,974        339,169        216,281        71,414        30,242   
  1,361,230        987,750        167,199        68,359        55,020        41,460        12,882        15,808   
  (7,840,462)       (9,918,343)       (848,978)       (1,127,125)       (833,198)       (815,055)       (22,924)       (31,812)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (3,223,709)       (4,230,705)       1,462,666        1,097,208        (439,009)       (557,314)       61,372        14,238   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  1,783        419,645        1,093        20,687        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   
  12,631        8,382        6,173        4,055        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   
  (404,890)       (51,056)       (13,361)       (5,953)       N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  (390,476)       376,971        (6,095)       18,789        N/A        N/A        N/A        N/A   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
  9,466,290        (16,125,280)       (59,574)       416,405        (5,693,983)       (5,673,715)       (750,155)       (798,967)  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

49


LOGO

 

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year

For the Years Ended July 31,

 

                             
    

Net
Asset Value,
Beginning

of Period

 

Net

Investment
Income

(Loss)(1)

  Net Realized
and Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
  Total from
Operations
  Dividends
from Net
Investment
Income
  Distribution
from Realized
Gains
 

Total
Dividends

&

Distributions

  Net
Asset Value,
End of
Period
  Total
Return†
 

Net

Assets

End of

Period

(000)

  Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
  Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(Excluding
Waivers and
Fees Paid
Indirectly)
  Ratio of Net
Investment
Income (Loss)
to Average Net
Assets
  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

Growth Equity Fund

                   

Institutional Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 15.29     $ 0.03     $ 1.87     $ 1.90     $ —         $ (1.44   $ (1.44   $ 15.75       15.34     260,597       0.63     0.63     0.21     12
2022     20.28       (0.02     (2.56     (2.58     —           (2.41     (2.41     15.29       (14.97     287,799       0.63       0.63       (0.11     7  
2021     15.95       (0.01     4.96       4.95       (0.01     (0.61     (0.62     20.28       31.83       389,166       0.63       0.63       (0.06     17  
2020     13.82       0.03       3.53       3.56       (0.04     (1.39     (1.43     15.95       27.91       339,542       0.64       0.64       0.20       17  
2019     14.49       0.05       1.09       1.14       (0.04     (1.77     (1.81     13.82       10.34       290,773       0.63       0.63       0.34       25  

Investor Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 14.91     $ (0.01   $ 1.82     $ 1.81     $ —         $ (1.44   $ (1.44   $ 15.28       15.11     54,604       0.88     0.88     (0.05 )%      12
2022     19.89       (0.06     (2.51     (2.57     —           (2.41     (2.41     14.91       (15.24     50,405       0.88       0.88       (0.36     7  
2021     15.68       (0.05     4.87       4.82       —           (0.61     (0.61     19.89       31.52       69,343       0.88       0.88       (0.31     17  
2020     13.61       (0.01     3.48       3.47       (0.01     (1.39     (1.40     15.68       27.62       56,812       0.89       0.89       (0.05     17  
2019     14.30       0.01       1.08       1.09       (0.01     (1.77     (1.78     13.61       10.05       47,111       0.88       0.88       0.09       25  

Total Return Bond Fund

                   

Institutional Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.70     $ 0.53     $ (0.34   $ 0.19     $ (0.53   $ —         $ (0.53   $ 9.36       2.05     2,474,473       0.46     0.47     5.60     64
2022     10.40       0.35       (0.69     (0.34     (0.36     —           (0.36     9.70       (3.30     2,437,441       0.47       0.47       3.46       73  
2021     10.07       0.30       0.38       0.68       (0.35     —           (0.35     10.40       6.85       2,741,353       0.46       0.46       2.93       38  
2020     10.42       0.38       (0.32     0.06       (0.41     —           (0.41     10.07       0.60       2,834,690       0.47       0.47       3.74       48  
2019     10.28       0.39       0.13       0.52       (0.38     —           (0.38     10.42       5.19       3,191,392       0.47       0.48       3.77       40  

Investor Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.70     $ 0.50     $ (0.34   $ 0.16     $ (0.50   $ —         $ (0.50   $ 9.36       1.79     262,100       0.71     0.72     5.34     64
2022     10.40       0.32       (0.68     (0.36     (0.34     —           (0.34     9.70       (3.55     302,887       0.72       0.72       3.20       73  
2021     10.07       0.27       0.38       0.65       (0.32     —           (0.32     10.40       6.59       368,782       0.71       0.71       2.67       38  
2020     10.41       0.35       (0.31     0.04       (0.38     —           (0.38     10.07       0.44       429,079       0.72       0.72       3.47       48  
2019     10.28       0.36       0.13       0.49       (0.36     —           (0.36     10.41       4.83       520,291       0.72       0.73       3.51       40  

A Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.69     $ 0.49     $ (0.34   $ 0.15     $ (0.49   $ —         $ (0.49   $ 9.35       1.69     6,075       0.81     0.82     5.23     64
2022     10.40       0.32       (0.69     (0.37     (0.34     —           (0.34     9.69       (3.63     10,078       0.79       0.79       3.19       73  
2021     10.06       0.28       0.39       0.67       (0.33     —           (0.33     10.40       6.71       6,894       0.72       0.72       2.69       38  
2020     10.41       0.35       (0.32     0.03       (0.38     —           (0.38     10.06       0.34       1,788       0.72       0.72       3.47       48  
2019     10.28       0.36       0.11       0.47       (0.34     —           (0.34     10.41       4.69       998       0.82       0.83       3.49       40  

 

Total Return is for the period indicated and has not been annualized. The return shown does not reflect the

 

deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares and

 

does not reflect the applicable sales charge, if applicable.

(1)

Per share data calculated using average shares method.

Amounts designated as “—” are either $0 or have been rounded to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

50


LOGO

 

                             
    

Net
Asset Value,
Beginning

of Period

 

Net

Investment
Income(1)

  Net Realized
and Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
  Total from
Operations
  Dividends
from Net
Investment
Income
  Distribution
from Realized
Gains
 

Total
Dividends

&

Distributions

  Net
Asset Value,
End of
Period
  Total
Return†
 

Net

Assets

End of

Period

(000)

  Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
  Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(Excluding
Waivers and
Fees Paid
Indirectly)
  Ratio of Net
Investment
Income to
Average Net
Assets
  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

Credit Fund

                   

Institutional Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.11     $ 0.53     $ (0.07   $ 0.46     $ (0.54   $ —         $ (0.54   $ 9.03       5.31     128,833       0.73     0.73     5.90     16
2022     10.12       0.42       (1.02     (0.60     (0.41     —^^       (0.41     9.11       (6.05     143,810       0.71       0.71       4.36       29  
2021     9.47       0.37       0.67       1.04       (0.39     —           (0.39     10.12       11.12       166,805       0.71       0.71       3.78       21  
2020     9.72       0.41       (0.25     0.16       (0.41     —           (0.41     9.47       1.79       194,182       0.71       0.71       4.35       35  
2019     9.78       0.40       0.06       0.46       (0.49     (0.03     (0.52     9.72       4.88       199,800       0.70       0.70       4.18       19  

Investor Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.10     $ 0.51     $ (0.08   $ 0.43     $ (0.52   $ —         $ (0.52   $ 9.01       4.94     31,396       0.98     0.98     5.72     16
2022     10.10       0.40       (1.01     (0.61     (0.39     —^^       (0.39     9.10       (6.19     18,380       0.96       0.96       4.18       29  
2021     9.46       0.35       0.65       1.00       (0.36     —           (0.36     10.10       10.74       9,333       0.96       0.96       3.52       21  
2020     9.71       0.39       (0.25     0.14       (0.39     —           (0.39     9.46       1.53       10,815       0.96       0.96       4.11       35  
2019     9.77       0.38       0.05       0.43       (0.46     (0.03     (0.49     9.71       4.62       13,366       0.95       0.95       3.93       19  

A Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.09     $ 0.51     $ (0.07   $ 0.44     $ (0.52   $ —         $ (0.52   $ 9.01       5.06     1,025       0.98     0.98     5.66     16
2022     10.10       0.40       (1.02     (0.62     (0.39     —^^       (0.39     9.09       (6.30     1,090       0.96       0.96       4.12       29  
2021     9.45       0.35       0.66       1.01       (0.36     —           (0.36     10.10       10.87       1,022       0.96       0.96       3.51       21  
2020     9.71       0.38       (0.25     0.13       (0.39     —           (0.39     9.45       1.44       638       0.96       0.96       4.06       35  
2019     9.76       0.37       0.06       0.43       (0.45     (0.03     (0.48     9.71       4.60       390       1.05       1.05       3.83       19  

 

Total Return is for the period indicated and has not been annualized. The return shown does not reflect the

 

deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares and

 

does not reflect the applicable sales charge, if applicable.

^^

Amount is less than $0.005 per share.

(1)

Per share data calculated using average shares method.

Amounts designated as “—” are either $0 or have been rounded to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

51


LOGO

 

For a Share Outstanding Throughout Each Year

For the Years Ended July 31,

 

                             
    

Net
Asset Value,
Beginning

of Period

 

Net

Investment
Income(1)

  Net Realized
and Unrealized
Gain (Loss)
  Total from
Operations
  Dividends
from Net
Investment
Income
  Distribution
from Realized
Gains
 

Total
Dividends

&

Distributions

  Net
Asset Value,
End of
Period
  Total
Return†
 

Net

Assets

End of

Period

(000)

  Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
  Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
(Excluding
Waivers and
Fees Paid
Indirectly)
  Ratio of Net
Investment
Income to
Average Net
Assets
  Portfolio
Turnover
Rate

Low Duration Bond Fund

                   

Institutional Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.81     $ 0.29     $ (0.19   $ 0.10     $ (0.29   $ —         $ (0.29   $ 9.62       1.05     317,976       0.43     0.44     2.97     81
2022     10.47       0.13       (0.60     (0.47     (0.13     (0.06     (0.19     9.81       (4.49     375,615       0.43       0.43       1.32       36  
2021     10.47       0.16       0.03       0.19       (0.17     (0.02     (0.19     10.47       1.82       454,723       0.43       0.43       1.50       49  
2020     10.28       0.20       0.19       0.39       (0.20     —           (0.20     10.47       3.86       402,977       0.44       0.44       1.96       71  
2019     10.14       0.22       0.13       0.35       (0.21     —           (0.21     10.28       3.52       318,215       0.43       0.43       2.16       23  

Investor Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.81     $ 0.26     $ (0.18   $ 0.08     $ (0.26   $ —         $ (0.26   $ 9.63       0.90     17,535       0.68     0.69     2.72     81
2022     10.48       0.11       (0.61     (0.50     (0.11     (0.06     (0.17     9.81       (4.83     22,178       0.68       0.68       1.07       36  
2021     10.48       0.13       0.03       0.16       (0.14     (0.02     (0.16     10.48       1.56       29,523       0.68       0.68       1.25       49  
2020     10.28       0.18       0.20       0.38       (0.18     —           (0.18     10.48       3.70       27,415       0.69       0.69       1.72       71  
2019     10.14       0.19       0.14       0.33       (0.19     —           (0.19     10.28       3.26       25,467       0.68       0.68       1.90       23  

Municipal Bond Fund

                   

Institutional Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.60     $ 0.24     $ (0.20   $ 0.04     $ (0.24   $ (0.01   $ (0.25   $ 9.39       0.46     20,120       0.70     0.70     2.53     17
2022     10.24       0.23       (0.51     (0.28     (0.21     (0.15     (0.36     9.60       (2.84     28,357       0.64       0.64       2.35       8  
2021     10.61       0.26       0.02       0.28       (0.26     (0.39     (0.65     10.24       2.77 ††      38,590       0.56       0.59       2.49       0  
2020     10.51       0.23       0.14       0.37       (0.27     —^^         (0.27     10.61       3.56 ††      55,286       0.46       0.56       2.19       19  
2019     10.20       0.24       0.31       0.55       (0.24     —^^         (0.24     10.51       5.49 ††      155,224       0.41       0.51       2.31       9  

Investor Class Shares

                   
2023   $ 9.60     $ 0.22     $ (0.19   $ 0.03     $ (0.22   $ (0.01   $ (0.23   $ 9.40       0.31     5,108       0.96     0.96     2.29     17
2022     10.25       0.21       (0.53     (0.32     (0.18     (0.15     (0.33     9.60       (3.18     4,632       0.89       0.89       2.11       8  
2021     10.61       0.23       0.03       0.26       (0.23     (0.39     (0.62     10.25       2.61 ††      4,797       0.81       0.84       2.23       0  
2020     10.51       0.21       0.13       0.34       (0.24     —^^         (0.24     10.61       3.30 ††      4,729       0.73       0.83       1.96       19  
2019     10.20       0.21       0.31       0.52       (0.21     —^^         (0.21     10.51       5.21 ††      6,292       0.66       0.76       2.07       9  

 

Total Return is for the period indicated and has not been annualized. The return shown does not reflect the

 

deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares and

 

does not reflect the applicable sales charge, if applicable.

††

Total return would have been lower had certain expenses not been waived and assumed by the Adviser

 

during the period.

^^

Amount is less than $0.005 per share.

(1)

Per share data calculated using average shares method.

Amounts designated as “—” are either $0 or have been rounded to $0.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements.

 

52


LOGO

 

1.

 Organization:

The Frost Family of Funds (the “Trust”) is an open-end investment management company established under Delaware law as a Delaware statutory trust under a Declaration of Trust dated December 11, 2018. The Frost Family of Funds include the Frost Growth Equity Fund (the “Growth Equity Fund”), Frost Total Return Bond Fund (the “Total Return Bond Fund”), Frost Credit Fund (the “Credit Fund”), Frost Low Duration Bond Fund (the “Low Duration Bond Fund”), and Frost Municipal Bond Fund (the “Municipal Bond Fund”) (each a “Fund” and, collectively, the “Funds”). With the exception of the Growth Equity Fund, each fund is classified as a “diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act. Effective May 17, 2021, the Growth Equity Fund was reclassified from a “diversified” to a “non-diversified” investment company under the 1940 Act. The Growth Equity Fund seeks to achieve long- term capital appreciation. The Total Return Bond Fund and Low Duration Bond Fund seek to maximize total return, consisting of income and capital appreciation, consistent with the preservation of principal. The Credit Fund seeks to maximize total return, consisting of income and capital appreciation. The Municipal Bond Fund seeks to provide a consistent level of current income exempt from federal income tax with a secondary emphasis on maximizing total return through capital appreciation. The Funds may change their investment objective without shareholder approval. The assets of each Fund of the Trust are segregated, and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the Fund in which shares are held. Certain of the Funds currently offer Institutional Class Shares, Investor Class Shares and A Class Shares.

Each Fund is a successor to a corresponding predecessor mutual fund of the same name that was a series of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II (each, a “Predecessor Fund” and, collectively, the “Predecessor Funds”). Each Predecessor Fund was managed by Frost Investment Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser” or “Frost”) using substantially the same investment objectives, strategies, policies and restrictions as those used by its corresponding Fund. Each Predecessor Fund was reorganized into its corresponding Fund on June 24, 2019, in connection with each Fund’s commencement of operations (each, a “Reorganization”). Each Predecessor Fund is treated as the survivor of the relevant Reorganization for accounting and performance reporting purposes. Accordingly, all performance and other information shown for the Funds for periods prior to June 24, 2019, is that of the Predecessor Funds.

 

2.

 Significant Accounting Policies:

The following are significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in preparation of the financial statements of the Funds. The Funds are investment companies that apply the accounting and reporting guidance issued in Topic 946 by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material.

Security Valuation — Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on NASDAQ), including securities traded over the counter, are valued at the last quoted sale price on an exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded on the valuation date (or at approximately 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time if such exchange is normally open at that time), or, if there is no such reported sale on the valuation date, at the most recent quoted bid price. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. Debt securities are priced based upon valuations provided by independent, third-party pricing agents, if available. Such values generally reflect the last reported sales price if the security is actively traded. The third-party pricing agents may also value debt securities at an evaluated bid price by employing methodologies that utilize actual market transactions, broker-supplied valuations, or other methodologies designed to identify the market value for such securities. Such methodologies generally consider such factors as security prices, yields, maturities, call features, ratings and developments relating to specific securities in arriving at valuations. On the first day a new debt security purchase is recorded, if a price is not available on the automated pricing feeds from the primary and secondary pricing vendors nor is it available from an independent broker, the security may be valued at its purchase price. Each day thereafter, the debt security will be valued according to the Trust’s fair value procedures until an independent source can be secured. Debt obligations with remaining maturities of sixty days or less may be valued at their amortized cost, which approximates market value provided that it is determined the amortized cost continues to approximate fair value. Should

 

 

53


LOGO

 

existing credit, liquidity or interest rate conditions in the relevant markets and issuer specific circumstances suggest that amortized cost does not approximate fair value, then the amortized cost method may not be used. The prices for foreign securities are reported in local currency and converted to U.S. dollars using currency exchange rates.

Exchange-traded registered investment companies are valued at the closing price from the primary exchange. Open-end investment companies held in the Funds’ portfolios are valued at the published net asset value.

Securities for which market prices are not “readily available” are required to be fair valued in good faith under the 1940 Act.

In December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, establishing requirements to determine fair value in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act. The rule permits fund boards to designate a fund’s investment adviser to perform fair-value determinations, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions. The rule also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of the 1940 Act and requires a fund to fair value a portfolio investment when a market quotation is not readily available. The SEC also adopted new Rule 31a-4 under the 1940 Act, which sets forth recordkeeping requirements associated with fair-value determinations. The compliance date for Rule 2a-5 and Rule 31a-4 was September 8, 2022.

Effective September 8, 2022, and pursuant to the requirements of Rule 2a-5, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) designated the Adviser as the Board’s valuation designee to perform fair-value determinations for the Funds through a Fair Value Committee (the “Committee”) established by the Adviser and approved new Adviser Fair Value Procedures for the Funds. Prior to September 8, 2022, fair-value determinations were performed in accordance with the Trust’s Fair Value Procedures established by the Funds’ Board and were implemented through the Committee designated by the Board.

Some of the more common reasons that may necessitate that a security be valued using fair value procedures include: the security’s trading has been halted or suspended; the security has been de-listed from a national exchange; the security’s primary trading market is temporarily closed at a time when under normal conditions it would be open; or the security’s primary pricing source is not able or willing to provide a price. When a security is valued in accordance with the fair value procedures, the Committee will determine the value after taking into consideration relevant information reasonably available to the Committee.

For securities that principally trade on a foreign market or exchange, a significant gap in time can exist between the time of a particular security’s last trade and the time at which a Fund calculates its net asset value. The closing prices of such securities may no longer reflect their market value at the time a Fund calculates net asset value if an event that could materially affect the value of those securities (a “Significant Event”) has occurred between the time of the security’s last close and the time that a Fund calculates net asset value. A Significant Event may relate to a single issuer or to an entire market sector. If the Adviser becomes aware of a Significant Event that has occurred with respect to a security or group of securities after the closing of the exchange or market on which the security or securities principally trade, but before the time at which a Fund calculates net asset value, it may request that a Committee meeting be called. In addition, SEI Investments Global Funds Services (the “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of SEI Investments Company, monitors price movements among certain selected indices, securities and/or baskets of securities that may be an indicator that the closing prices received earlier from foreign exchanges or markets may not reflect market value at the time a Fund calculates net asset value. If price movements in a monitored index or security exceed levels established by the Administrator, the Administrator notifies the Adviser if a Fund is holding a relevant security that such limits have been exceeded. In such event, the Adviser makes the determination whether a Committee meeting should be called based on the information provided.

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP, the Funds disclose fair value of their investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit

 

54


LOGO

 

price). Accordingly, the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3).

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

 

   

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities that the Funds have the ability to access at the measurement date;

 

   

Level 2 — Quoted prices which are not active, or inputs that are observable (either directly or indirectly) for substantially the full term of the asset or liability; and

 

   

Level 3 — Prices, inputs or exotic modeling techniques which are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

Investments are classified within the level of the lowest significant input considered in determining fair value. Investments classified within Level 3 whose fair value measurement considers several inputs may include Level 1 or Level 2 inputs as components of the overall fair value measurement.

Federal Income Taxes — It is each Fund’s intention to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under Sub-chapter M of the Internal Revenue Code and to distribute substantially all of its taxable income. Accordingly, no provision for Federal income taxes has been made in the financial statements.

The Funds evaluate tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Funds’ tax returns to determine whether it is “more-likely-than-not” (i.e., greater than 50-percent) that each tax position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority based on the technical merits of the position. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. The Funds did not record any tax provision in the current period. However, management’s conclusions regarding tax positions taken may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, examination by tax authorities (i.e., the last 3 tax year ends, as applicable), on-going analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

As of and during the year ended July 31, 2023, the Funds did not have liabilities for any unrecognized tax benefits. The Funds recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense on the Statement of Operations. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Funds did not incur any interest or penalties.

The Funds may also be subject to taxes imposed by governments of countries in which they invest. Such taxes are generally based on either income or gains earned or repatriated. The Funds accrue and apply such taxes to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized gains as income and/or capital gains are earned. In some cases, the Funds may be entitled to reclaim all or a portion of such taxes, and such reclaim amounts, if any, are reflected as an asset on the Funds’ books. In many cases, however, the Funds may not receive such amounts for an extended period of time, depending on the country of investment. Upon the Fund’s receipt of reclaims, the reclaims are recorded as a reduction to foreign taxes withheld.

Security Transactions and Investment Income — Security transactions are accounted for on trade date for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in determining realized gains and losses on the sales of investment securities are based on the specific identification method. Dividend income is recognized on the ex-dividend date, interest income is recognized on an accrual basis and includes the amortization of premiums and the accretion of discount. Realized gains (losses) on paydowns of mortgage-backed and asset- backed securities are recorded as an adjustment to interest income. Litigation income received during the year is recorded as realized gains by the Fund when such information becomes known. Gains of this type are infrequent to the Fund and are not expected to reoccur on a consistent basis.

Repurchase Agreements — In connection with transactions involving repurchase agreements, a third party custodian bank takes possession of the underlying securities (“collateral”), the value of which exceeds the principal amount of the repurchase transaction, including accrued interest. Such collateral will be cash, debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, securities that at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into are rated in the highest category

 

55


LOGO

 

by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or unrated category by an NRSRO, as determined by the Adviser. In the event of default on the obligation to repurchase, the Funds have the right to liquidate the collateral and apply the proceeds in satisfaction of the obligation. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the counterparty to the agreement, realization and/or retention of the collateral or proceeds may be subject to legal proceedings.

Futures Contracts — To the extent consistent with its investment objective and strategies, the Fund may use futures contracts for tactical hedging purposes as well as to enhance the Fund’s returns. The Fund’s investments in futures contracts are designed to enable the Fund to more closely approximate the performance of its benchmark indices. Initial margin deposits of cash or securities are made upon entering into futures contracts. The contracts are marked-to-market daily and the resulting changes in value are accounted for as unrealized gains and losses. Variation margin payments are paid or received, depending upon whether unrealized gains or losses are incurred. When contracts are closed, the Fund records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the proceeds from (or cost of) the closing transaction and the amount invested in the contract. Risks of entering into futures contracts include the possibility that there will be an imperfect price correlation between the futures and the underlying securities. Second, it is possible that a lack of liquidity for futures contracts could exist in the secondary market, resulting in an inability to close a position prior to its maturity date. Finally, futures contracts involve the risk that a Fund could lose more than the original margin deposit required to initiate a futures transaction.

There were no significant futures held by the Funds during the year ended and no futures held as of July 31, 2023.

Expenses — Expenses of the Trust that can be directly attributed to a particular fund are borne by that fund. Expenses which cannot be directly attributed to a fund are apportioned among the funds of the Trust based on the number of funds and/or relative net assets.

Classes — Class specific expenses are borne by the specific class of shares. Income, realized and unrealized gain (loss), and non-class specific expenses are allocated to the respective class on the basis of relative daily net assets.

Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders — The Growth Equity Fund distributes its net investment income and makes distributions of its net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually. The Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, and Municipal Bond Fund each distribute their net investment income monthly, as available, and make distributions of their net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually.

Interfund Lending — The SEC has granted an exemption that permits the Funds to participate in an interfund lending program (the “Interfund Lending Program”) whereby the Funds may lend money to, and borrow money from, each other for temporary or emergency purposes, subject to certain terms and conditions. Participation in the Interfund Lending Program is voluntary for both borrowing and lending Funds. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Funds did not participate in the Interfund Lending Program.

 

3.

 Transactions with Affiliates:

Certain officers and a trustee of the Trust are also employees of the Administrator, and/or SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”). Such officers and the trustee are paid no fees by the Trust for serving as officers and trustee of the Trust. A portion of the services provided by the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) and his staff, whom are the employees of the Administrator, are paid for by the Trust as incurred. The services include regulatory oversight of the Trust’s advisers and service providers as required by SEC regulations. The CCO’s services have been approved by and are reviewed by the Board.

 

4.

 Administration, Distribution, Shareholder Servicing, Transfer Agent and Custodian Agreements:

The Funds and the Administrator are parties to an Administration Agreement under which the Administrator provides administrative services to the Fund. For these services, the Administrator is paid an asset-based fee, which will vary depending on the number of share classes and the average daily net assets of the Funds. For the year ended July 31, 2023, the Funds

 

56


LOGO

 

were charged as follows for these services: $215,279 in the Growth Equity Fund, $1,980,052 in the Total Return Bond Fund, $115,503 in the Credit Fund, $268,666 in the Low Duration Bond Fund, and $22,474 in the Municipal Bond Fund.

The Funds have adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for the Investor Class Shares and A Class Shares. Under the Plan, the Distributor, or third parties that enter into agreements with the Distributor, may receive up to 0.25% of each Fund’s average net assets attributable to the Investor Class Shares and A Class Shares as compensation for distribution services.

The Funds have adopted a shareholder servicing plan that provides that the Funds may pay financial intermediaries for shareholder services in an annual amount not to exceed 0.15% based on the average daily net assets of the Funds’ A Class Shares. The services for which financial intermediaries are compensated may include record-keeping, transaction processing for shareholders’ accounts and other shareholder services. For the year ended July 31, 2023, Total Return Bond Fund paid $8,226 for shareholder services.

SS&C GIDS, Inc. serves as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Funds under a transfer agency agreement with the Trust. The Funds may earn cash management credits which can be used to offset transfer agent expenses. These credit amounts are listed as “Fees Paid Indirectly” on the Statements of Operations.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. serves as Custodian for the Funds. The Custodian plays no role in determining the investment policies of the Funds or which securities are to be purchased or sold by the Funds.

 

5.

 Investment Advisory Agreement:

The Adviser serves as the investment adviser to the Funds. The Adviser is a wholly owned non-banking subsidiary of Cullen/ Frost Bankers, Inc. (“Frost Bank”). For its services, the Adviser is entitled to a fee, which is calculated daily and paid monthly, at the following annual rates based on the average daily net assets of each Fund. The Adviser has contractually agreed to reduce its fees and/or reimburse expenses for certain Funds to the extent necessary to keep total annual Fund operating expenses from exceeding certain levels as set forth below until June 24, 2024 (the “Contractual Expense Limitation”) for the Growth Equity Fund, Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund and Low Duration Bond Fund. The Adviser is entitled to the same fee for its services to each Predecessor Fund as it is for each Predecessor Fund’s corresponding Fund. In addition, the Adviser agreed to the same Contractual Expense Limitation and Voluntary Expense Limitation, as applicable, for each Predecessor Fund as with its corresponding Fund.

The table below shows the rate of each Fund’s investment advisory fee and the Adviser’s Contractual Expense Limitation for each Fund:

 Fund   

Advisory Fee

Before

Contractual Fee

Reduction

 

Institutional

Class Shares

Contractual Expense

Limitation

 

Investor Class Shares

Contractual Expense

Limitation*

 

A Class Shares

 Contractual Expense 

Limitation**

 Growth Equity Fund

   0.50%   1.25%   1.50%   N/A

 Total Return Bond Fund

   0.35%   0.95%   1.20%   1.35%

 Credit Fund

   0.50%   1.00%   1.25%   1.40%

 Low Duration Bond Fund

   0.30%   0.95%   1.20%   N/A

 Municipal Bond Fund

   0.25%   N/A   N/A   N/A

 

Prior to September 1, 2017, the investment advisory fee was 0.65%.

††

Prior to September 1, 2017, the investment advisory fee was 0.60%.

†††

Prior to November 28, 2020, the investment advisory fee was 0.35%.

* The Rate includes the distribution amount of 0.25%.

** The Rate includes the distribution amount of 0.25% and the servicing amount of 0.15%.

Prior to November 28, 2020, the Adviser had contractually agreed to waive the advisory fee for the Municipal Bond Fund (which was 0.35% at the time) by 0.01% (the “contractual fee reduction”) and had voluntarily agreed to reduce the advisory fee by an additional 0.09% (the “voluntary fee reduction”).

 

57


LOGO

 

In addition, the Adviser has voluntarily agreed to reduce its fees and/or reimburse expenses of the Frost Municipal Bond Fund to the extent necessary to keep total annual Fund operating expenses (not including excluded expenses) for Institutional Class Shares and Investor Class Shares from exceeding 1.05% (the “voluntary expense limitation”). The Adviser intends to continue this voluntary expense limitation until further notice, but may discontinue all or part of these fee reductions or expense reimbursements at any time. At July 31, 2023, there were no amounts available for recapture.

If at any point it becomes unnecessary for the Adviser to make Expense Limitation reimbursements, the Adviser may retain the difference between the “Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses” and the aforementioned Expense Limitations to recapture all or a portion of its prior Expense Limitation reimbursements made during the preceding three year period up to the expense cap in place at the time the expenses were waived. The Adviser, however, will not be permitted to recapture any amount that is attributable to its Voluntary Fee Reduction. During the year ended July 31, 2023, the Adviser did not recapture previously waived/reimbursed fees for the Funds.

 

6.

 Investment Transactions:

The cost of security purchases and the proceeds from the sales and maturities of securities, other than short-term investments, for the year ended July 31, 2023, were as follows:

 

      U.S. Government   Other   Total

Growth Equity Fund

      

Purchases

   $      $ 34,798,532      $ 34,798,532   

Sales

           85,592,346       85,592,346  

Total Return Bond Fund

      

Purchases

      1,444,714,052        281,962,673        1,726,676,725  

Sales

     1,301,949,263       312,578,397       1,614,527,660  

Credit Fund

      

Purchases

           22,439,665       22,439,665  

Sales

           35,591,526       35,591,526  

Low Duration Bond Fund

      

Purchases

     169,751,953       103,660,623       273,412,576  

Sales

     172,213,164       186,848,901       359,062,065  

Municipal Bond Fund

      

Purchases

           4,477,833       4,477,833  

Sales

           7,292,089       7,292,089  

 

7.

 Federal Tax Information:

The timing and characterization of certain income and capital gains distributions are determined annually in accordance with federal tax regulations which may differ from U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. As a result, net investment income (loss) and net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions for a reporting period may differ significantly from distributions during such period. These book/tax differences may be temporary or permanent in nature. The permanent differences primarily consist of reclassification of long term capital gain distribution on REITs (Real Estate Investment Trust), market discount adjustment, amortization adjustment on premium bond sold, gains and losses on paydowns of mortgage and asset-backed securities for tax purposes, defaulted bond adjustment, perpetual bond adjustment, and distribution reclassification. There are no permanent differences that are credited or charged to Paid-in Capital and Distributable Earnings as of July 31, 2023.

 

58


LOGO

 

The tax character of dividends and distributions declared during the years ended July 31, 2023 and July 31, 2022, were as follows:

 

      Tax Exempt      Ordinary Income    Long-Term Capital
Gains
  Return of Capital   Total

Growth Equity Fund

            

  2023

   $      $       $   30,247,342      $        –      $ 30,247,342   

  2022

            5,186,358        47,497,070             52,683,428  

Total Return Bond Fund

            

  2023

              151,097,576                     151,097,576

  2022

            105,053,643                    105,053,643  

Credit Fund

            

  2023

            9,483,631                    9,483,631  

  2022

            7,577,237        30,015             7,607,252  

Low Duration Bond Fund

            

  2023

            10,835,074                    10,835,074  

  2022

            5,723,402        2,920,806             8,644,208  

Municipal Bond Fund

            

  2023

          673,991        95,158        35,387             804,536  

  2022

     762,747        6,053        581,825             1,350,625  

As of July 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings (accumulated losses) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

     Undistributed
Ordinary Income
  Undistributed Tax-
Exempt Income
  Undistributed
Long-Term
Capital Gains
  Post October
Losses
  Capital Loss
Carryforwards
  Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation) on
Investments and
Foreign Currency
  Late Year Loss
Deferral
  Other Temporary
Differences
  Total Distributable
Earnings
(Accumulated
Losses)
Growth Equity Fund   $ 224,942      $        –       $ 35,183,872     $      –      $      $  186,908,777      $     –      $       1      $ 222,317,592   
Total Return Bond Fund     1,480,958                          (238,970,420     (137,742,087           16       (375,231,533
Credit Fund     75,242                         (5,522,628     (12,056,768                 (17,504,154
Low Duration Bond Fund     110,885                         (17,434,534     (11,023,553           9       (28,347,193
Municipal Bond Fund     –        105,448                   (24,052     (509,644           (2     (428,250

Post-October capital losses represent capital losses realized on investment transactions from November 1, 2022, through July 31, 2023, that, in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, the Funds may elect to defer and treat as having arisen in the following fiscal year.

Deferred late-year losses represent ordinary losses realized on investment transactions from January 1, 2023, through July 31, 2023, and specified losses realized on investment transactions from November 1, 2022, through July 31, 2023, that, in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, the Funds may elect to defer and treat as having arisen in the following fiscal year. For the year ended July 31, 2023, there were no deferred Post-October capital losses or late-year losses.

The Fund have capital losses carried forward as follows:

 

      Short-Term
Loss
     Long-Term
Loss
     Total  

Total Return Bond Fund

   $  58,216,735       $  180,753,685       $  238,970,420   

Credit Fund

     782,932         4,739,696         5,522,628   

Low Duration Bond Fund

     3,233,714         14,200,820         17,434,534   

Municipal Bond Fund

     –         24,052         24,052   

 

59


LOGO

 

The aggregate cost of investments for federal income tax purposes at July 31, 2023, is different from book purposes primarily due to wash sales loss deferrals, market discount adjustment, perpetual bond adjustment and the difference due premium amortization on callable securities. The Federal tax cost and aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on investments held by the Funds at July 31, 2023, were as follows:

 

       Federal Tax Cost        Aggregated  
Gross Unrealized  
Appreciation  
      Aggregated  
Gross Unrealized  
Depreciation  
     Net Unrealized  
Appreciation  
(Depreciation)  
 

Growth Equity Fund

     $127,867,829        $187,286,102        $(377,325)        $186,908,777  

Total Return Bond Fund

     2,865,329,233        47,547,137        (185,289,224      (137,742,087

Credit Fund

     171,387,585        1,788,006        (13,844,774      (12,056,768

Low Duration Bond Fund

     343,774,791        210,815        (11,234,368      (11,023,553

Municipal Bond Fund

     25,321,895        204,777        (714,421      (509,644

 

8.

 Risks:

Asset-Backed and Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund): Payment of principal and interest on asset-backed securities is dependent largely on the cash flows generated by the assets backing the securities, and asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets, which raises the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities. Asset-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations. To lessen the effect of failures by obligors on underlying assets to make payments, the entity administering the pool of assets may agree to ensure the receipt of payments on the underlying pool occurs in a timely fashion (“liquidity protection”). In addition, asset-backed securities may obtain insurance, such as guarantees, policies or letters of credit obtained by the issuer or sponsor from third parties, for some or all of the assets in the pool (“credit support”). Delinquency or loss more than that anticipated or failure of the credit support could adversely affect the return on an investment in such a security.

In addition, certain asset-backed securities may not have the benefit of any security interest in the related assets, which raises the possibility that recoveries on repossessed collateral may not be available to support payments on these securities. For example, credit card receivables are generally unsecured and the debtors are entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer credit laws, many of which allow debtors to reduce their balances by offsetting certain amounts owed on the credit cards. Most issuers of asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables permit the servicers of such receivables to retain possession of the underlying obligations. If the servicer were to sell these obligations to another party, there is a risk that the purchaser would acquire an interest superior to that of the holders of the related asset-backed securities. Due to the quantity of vehicles involved and requirements under state laws, asset-backed securities backed by automobile receivables may not have a proper security interest in all of the obligations backing such receivables.

Mortgage-backed securities are affected by, among other things, interest rate changes and the possibility of prepayment of the underlying mortgage loans. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to the risk that underlying borrowers will be unable to meet their obligations. In addition, a variety of economic, geographic, social and other factors, such as the sale of the underlying property, refinancing or foreclosure, can cause investors to repay the loans underlying a mortgage-backed security sooner than expected. If the prepayment rates increase, the Fund may have to reinvest its principal at a rate of interest that is lower than the rate on existing mortgage-backed securities.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk (Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Total Return Bond Fund): Collateralized loan obligations are investment vehicles typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. Collateralized loan obligations are subject to the risks of substantial losses due to actual defaults by borrowers of the loans underlying the collateralized loan obligations, which will be greater during periods of economic or financial stress. Collateralized loan obligations may also lose value due to collateral defaults and disappearance of subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults, and investor aversion to collateralized loan obligation securities as a class. The Fund may invest in collateralized loan obligations that hold loans of uncreditworthy borrowers or in subordinate tranches of a collateralized loan obligation, which may absorb losses from underlying borrower defaults before senior tranches.

 

60


LOGO

 

Investments in such collateralized loan obligations present a greater risk of loss. In addition, collateralized loan obligations are subject to interest rate risk and credit risk.

Credit Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Municipal Bond Fund): The credit rating or financial condition of an issuer may affect the value of a debt security. Generally, the lower the quality rating of a security, the greater the risk that the issuer will fail to pay interest fully and return principal in a timely manner. If an issuer defaults or becomes unable to honor its financial obligations, the security may lose some or all of its value. The issuer of an investment-grade security is more likely to pay interest and repay principal than an issuer of a lower rated bond. Adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances, however, may weaken the capacity of the issuer to pay interest and repay principal.

U.S. government securities are not guaranteed against price movements due to changing interest rates. Obligations issued by some U.S. government agencies are backed by the U.S. Treasury, while others are backed solely by the ability of the agency to borrow from the U.S. Treasury or by the government sponsored agency’s own resources. As a result, investments in securities issued by government sponsored agencies that are not backed by the U.S. Treasury are subject to higher credit risk than those that are.

High yield, or “junk,” bonds are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller less credit worthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted) companies. Compared with investment-grade bonds, high yield bonds carry a greater degree of risk and are less likely to make payments of interest and principal. Market developments and the financial and business conditions of the corporation issuing these securities influences their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade debt securities. Insufficient liquidity in the junk bond market may make it more difficult to dispose of junk bonds and may cause the Fund to experience sudden and substantial price declines. A lack of reliable, objective data or market quotations may make it more difficult to value junk bonds accurately.

Equity Risk (Growth Equity Fund): Since they purchase equity securities, the Funds are subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of each Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day to day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is the principal risk of investing in each Fund.

Foreign Company Risk (Growth Equity Fund, Credit Fund): Investing in foreign companies, whether through investments made in foreign markets or made through the purchase of ADRs, which are traded on U.S. exchanges and represent an ownership in a foreign security, poses additional risks since political and economic events unique to a country or region will affect those markets and their issuers. These risks will not necessarily affect the U.S. economy or similar issuers located in the United States. In addition, investments in foreign companies are generally denominated in a foreign currency. As a result, changes in the value of those currencies compared to the U.S. dollar may affect (positively or negatively) the value of a Fund’s investments. These currency movements may occur separately from, and in response to, events that do not otherwise affect the value of the security in the issuer’s home country. Securities of foreign companies may not be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and foreign companies are generally not subject to the regulatory controls imposed on U.S. issuers and, as a consequence, there is generally less publically available information about foreign securities than is available about domestic securities. Income from foreign securities owned by a Fund may be reduced by a withholding tax at the source, which tax would reduce income received from the securities comprising the Fund’s portfolio. Foreign securities may also be more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers. While ADRs provide an alternative to directly purchasing the underlying foreign securities in their respective national markets and currencies, investments in ADRs continue to be subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign securities.

Growth Style Risk (Growth Equity Fund): The price of equity securities rises and falls in response to many factors, including the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer of the stock, the value of its assets, general economic conditions, interest rates, investor perceptions, and market liquidity. The Fund may invest in securities of companies that the Adviser believes have superior prospects for robust and sustainable growth of revenues and earnings. These may be companies with new, limited or cyclical product lines, markets or financial resources, and the management of such companies may be dependent

 

61


LOGO

 

upon one or a few key people. The stocks of such companies can therefore be subject to more abrupt or erratic market movements than stocks of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general.

High Yield Bond Risk (Municipal Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Total Return Bond Fund): High yield, or “junk,” bonds are highly speculative securities that are usually issued by smaller less credit worthy and/or highly leveraged (indebted) companies. Compared with investment-grade bonds, high yield bonds carry a greater degree of risk and are less likely to make payments of interest and principal. Market developments and the financial and business conditions of the corporation issuing these securities influences their price and liquidity more than changes in interest rates, when compared to investment-grade debt securities. Insufficient liquidity in the junk bond market may make it more difficult to dispose of junk bonds and may cause the Fund to experience sudden and substantial price declines. A lack of reliable, objective data or market quotations may make it more difficult to value junk bonds accurately.

Interest Rate Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Municipal Bond Fund): As with most funds that invest in debt securities, changes in interest rates are one of the most important factors that could affect the value of your investment. Rising interest rates tend to cause the prices of debt securities (especially those with longer maturities) and the Fund’s share price to fall. Risks associated with rising interest rates are heightened given that interest rates in the U.S. are at, or near, historic lows.

The concept of duration is useful in assessing the sensitivity of a fixed income fund to interest rate movements, which are usually the main source of risk for most fixed income funds. Duration measures price volatility by estimating the change in price of a debt security for a 1% change in its yield. For example, a duration of five years means the price of a debt security will change about 5% for every 1% change in its yield. Thus, the higher the duration, the more volatile the security.

Debt securities have a stated maturity date when the issuer must repay the principal amount of the bond. Some debt securities, known as callable bonds, may repay the principal earlier than the stated maturity date. Debt securities are most likely to be called when interest rates are falling because the issuer can refinance at a lower rate.

Rising interest rates may also cause investors to pay off mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities later than anticipated, forcing the Fund to keep its money invested at lower rates. Falling interest rates, however, generally cause investors to pay off mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities earlier than expected, forcing the Fund to reinvest the money at a lower interest rate.

Mutual funds that invest in debt securities have no real maturity. Instead, they calculate their weighted average maturity. This number is an average of the effective or anticipated maturity of each debt security held by the mutual fund, with the maturity of each security weighted by the percentage of its assets of the mutual fund it represents.

Issuer Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund): The risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer’s goods or services.

Leverage Risk (Credit Fund): The use of leverage can amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund’s share price and may also cause the Fund to liquidate portfolio positions when it would not be advantageous to do so in order to satisfy its obligations.

LIBOR Replacement Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Municipal Bond Fund): The U.K. Financial Conduct Authority stopped compelling or inducing banks to submit certain London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) rates effective June 30, 2023 and has continued to do so subsequent to this date. The elimination of LIBOR may adversely affect the interest rates on, and value of, certain Fund investments for which the value is tied to LIBOR. Alternatives to LIBOR are established or in development in most major currencies, including the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”), which is intended to replace U.S. dollar LIBOR. Markets are slowly developing in response to these new rates. Questions around liquidity impacted by these rates, and how to appropriately adjust these rates at the time of transition, remain a concern for the Fund. The Funds are still assessing the impact of the transition away from LIBOR and will continue to do so until new reference rates and fallbacks for both legacy and new products, instruments and contracts are commercially accepted.

Liquidity Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund): The risk that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that the Fund would like. The Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a

 

62


LOGO

 

security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance.

Management Risk (Each Fund): The risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by the Adviser will not produce the desired results and that legislative, regulatory, or tax developments may affect the investment techniques available to the Adviser and the individual portfolio manager in connection with managing each Fund. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of a Fund will be achieved.

Market Risk (Each Fund): The risk that the value of securities owned by the Fund may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets generally or particular industries. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund. In addition, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which a Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund. Global health events and pandemics, such as COVID-19, have the ability to affect — quickly, drastically and substantially the economies of many nations, states, individual companies and the markets in general and can cause disruptions that cannot necessarily be foreseen. The spread of COVID-19 around the world in 2020 resulted in a substantial number of nations implementing social distancing measures, quarantines, and the shutdown of non-essential businesses and governmental services. Further, it has caused significant volatility in U.S. and international markets. The impact of the outbreak may be short term or may last for an extended period of time.

Municipal Issuers Risk (Low Duration Bond Fund, Municipal Bond Fund, Total Return Bond Fund): There may be economic or political changes that impact the ability of municipal issuers to repay principal and to make interest payments on municipal securities. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of municipal issuers also may adversely affect the value of each Fund’s municipal securities. Constitutional or legislative limits on borrowing by municipal issuers may result in reduced supplies of municipal securities. Moreover, certain municipal securities are backed only by a municipal issuer’s ability to levy and collect taxes.

Prepayment and Extension Risk (Total Return Bond Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Municipal Bond Fund): Prepayment and extension risk is the risk that a loan, bond or other security might be called or otherwise converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity. This risk is primarily associated with corporate-backed, mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. If a security is converted, prepaid or redeemed before maturity, particularly during a time of declining interest rates or spreads, the Fund may not be able to invest the proceeds in securities providing as high a level of income, resulting in a reduced yield to the Fund. Conversely, as interest rates rise or spreads widen, the likelihood of prepayment decreases. The Fund may be unable to capitalize on securities with higher interest rates or wider spreads because the Fund’s investments are locked in at a lower rate for a longer period of time.

Repurchase Agreement Risk (Credit Bond Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Total Return Bond Fund): Under a repurchase agreement, the seller of a security to the Fund agrees to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price. If the seller in a repurchase agreement transaction defaults on its obligation under the agreement, the Fund may suffer delays and incur costs or lose money in exercising its rights under the agreement.

Sector Focus Risk (Growth Equity Fund, Credit Fund, Low Duration Bond Fund, Total Return Bond Fund): Because the Fund may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in particular sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those sectors. As a result, the Fund’s share price may fluctuate more widely than the value of shares of a mutual fund that invests in a broader range of sectors.

Small- and Mid-Capitalization Company Risk (Growth Equity Fund): The small- and mid-capitalization companies in which these Funds may invest may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these small- and mid-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity

 

 

63


LOGO

 

risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, small- and mid-capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

State-Specific Risk (Municipal Bond Fund): The Fund is subject to the risk that the economy of the states in which it invests, and the revenues underlying state municipal bonds, may decline. Investing primarily in a single state means that the Fund is more exposed to negative political or economic factors in that state than a fund that invests more widely.

Structured Note Risk (Credit Fund): The Fund may invest in fixed income linked structured notes. Structured notes are typically privately negotiated transactions between two or more parties. The fees associated with a structured note may lead to increased tracking error. The Fund also bears the risk that the issuer of the structured note will default. The Fund bears the risk of loss of its principal investment and periodic payments expected to be received for the duration of its investment. In addition, a liquid market may not exist for the structured notes. The lack of a liquid market may make it difficult to sell the structured notes at an acceptable price or to accurately value them.

Zero Coupon, Deferred Interest and Pay-In-Kind Bond Risk (Credit Fund): These bonds are issued at a discount from their face value because interest payments are typically postponed until maturity. Pay-in-kind securities are securities that have interest payable by the delivery of additional securities. The market prices of these securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of interest-bearing securities and are likely to respond to a greater degree to changes in interest rates than interest- bearing securities having similar maturities and credit quality.

 

64


LOGO

 

 

9.

Other:

On July 31, 2023, the number of shareholders below held the following percentage of the outstanding shares of the Funds:

 

     

# of

Shareholders

  

% of Outstanding

Shares

 Growth Equity Fund

     

 Institutional Class Shares

   3    59%

 Investor Class Shares

   2    83%

 Total Return Bond Fund

     

 Institutional Class Shares

   3    50%

 Investor Class Shares

   1    19%

 A Class Shares

   2    34%

 Credit Fund

     

 Institutional Class Shares

   2    72%

 Investor Class Shares

   2    79%

 A Class Shares

   1    27%

 Low Duration Bond Fund

     

 Institutional Class Shares

   2    50%

 Investor Class Shares

   1    73%

 Municipal Bond Fund

     

 Institutional Class Shares

   4    65%

 Investor Class Shares

   2    82%

These shareholders are comprised of omnibus accounts, which are held on behalf of various individual shareholders.

 

10.

Indemnifications:

In the normal course of business, the Funds enter into contracts that provide general indemnifications. The Funds’ maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Funds and, therefore, cannot be established; however, based on experience, the risk of loss from such claims is considered remote.

 

11.

Subsequent Events:

The Funds have evaluated the need for additional disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued. Based on this evaluation, no additional disclosures and/or adjustments were required to the financial statements as of July 31, 2023.

 

65


LOGO

 

 

To the Shareholders and the Board of Trustees of Frost Family of Funds

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities of Frost Family of Funds (the “Trust”) (comprising the Frost Credit Fund, Frost Growth Equity Fund, Frost Low Duration Bond Fund, Frost Municipal Bond Fund, and Frost Total Return Bond Fund (collectively referred to as the “Funds”)), including the schedules of investments, as of July 31, 2023, and the related statements of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of each of the Funds comprising Frost Family of Funds at July 31, 2023, the results of their operations for the year then ended, the changes in their net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended and their financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on each of the Funds’ financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Trust in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of July 31, 2023, by correspondence with the custodian, brokers, and others; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

LOGO

We have served as the auditor of one or more Frost investment companies since 2008.

San Antonio, Texas

September 28, 2023

 

66


 

This page is intentionally left blank.


LOGO

 

 

Set forth below are the names, years of birth, positions with the Trust, length of term of office, and the principal occupations for the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as Trustees and Officers of the Trust. Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each Trustee is SEI Investments Company, 1 Freedom Valley Drive, Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456. Trustees who are deemed not to be “interested persons” of the Trust are referred to as “Independent Trustees.”

 

Name and    Position with Trust and Length of Time    Principal Occupation
Year of Birth    Served1    in the Past Five Years

INTERESTED TRUSTEES2,3

         

Robert Nesher

(Born: 1946)

  

Chairman of the Board of Trustees

(since 2019)

   SEI employee 1974 to present; currently performs various services on behalf of SEI Investments for which Mr. Nesher is compensated.

Mace McCain

(Born: 1958)

  

Trustee

(since 2021)

   President, Chief Investment Officer and Manager of Frost Investment Advisors LLC since 2021. Executive Vice President, Statewide Portfolio Management Team Leader of Frost Bank – Financial Services, 2017 to 2021. Managing Director and Regional Portfolio Manager of Frost Investment Advisors LLC, 2009 to 2016.
INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES2,3          

Joseph T. Grause, Jr

(Born: 1952)

  

Trustee and Lead Independent Trustee

(since 2019)

   Self-Employed Consultant since 2012. Director of Endowments and Foundations, Morningstar Investment Management, Morningstar, Inc., 2010 to 2011. Director of International Consulting and Chief Executive Officer of Morningstar Associates Europe Limited, Morningstar, Inc., 2007 to 2010. Country Manager – Morningstar UK Limited, Morningstar, Inc., 2005 to 2007.

 

1

Each Trustee shall hold office during the lifetime of this Trust until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, or is removed in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.

 

2

Denotes Trustees who may be deemed to be “interested” persons of the Fund as that term is defined in the 1940 Act by virtue of their affiliation with the Distributor, the Adviser and/or their affiliates.

 

3

Trustees oversee 5 funds in the Frost Family of Funds.

 

68


LOGO

 

 

Mr. Nesher is a Trustee who may be deemed to be an “interested” person, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, of the Trust by virtue of his affiliation with the Distributor and/or its affiliates. Mr. McCain is a Trustee who may be deemed to be an “interested” person, as that term is defined in the 1940 Act, of the Trust by virtue of his affiliation with the Adviser and/or its affiliate. The Trust’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) includes additional information about the Trustees and Officers. The SAI may be obtained without charge by calling 1-877-71-FROST. The following chart lists Trustees and Officers as of July 31, 2023:

 

     Other Directorships     
      Held in the Past Five Years4      
           
Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund, The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, The KP Funds, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust, Adviser Managed Trust, New Covenant Funds, SEI Insurance Products Trust and SEI Catholic Values Trust. Director of SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP, SEI Global Master Fund plc, SEI Global Assets Fund plc, SEI Global Investments Fund plc, SEI Investments-Global Funds Services, Limited, SEI Investments Global, Limited, SEI Investments (Europe) Ltd., SEI Investments-Unit Trust Management (UK) Limited, SEI Multi-Strategy Funds PLC and SEI Global Nominee Ltd. Former Directorships: Trustee of SEI Liquid Asset Trust to 2016.

None.

         
           

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund, The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds and The KP Funds. Director of RQSI GAA Systematic Global Macro Fund, Ltd.

Former Directorships: Director of The Korea Fund, Inc. to 2019.

    

 

4

Directorships of Companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies under the 1940 Act.

 

69


LOGO

 

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with Trust

and Length of

Time Served1

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES3

         

Bruce R. Speca

(Born: 1956)

  

Trustee

(Since 2019)

  

Global Head of Asset Allocation, Manulife Asset Management (subsidiary of Manulife Financial), 2010 to 2011. Executive Vice President – Investment Management Services, John Hancock Financial Services (subsidiary of Manulife Financial), 2003 to 2010.

 

Robert Mulhall

(Born: 1958)

  

Trustee

(since 2019)

   Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, from 1998 to 2018.

OFFICERS

         

Michael Beattie

(Born: 1965)

  

President

(since 2019)

   Director of Client Service, SEI Investments, since 2004.

James Bernstein

(Born: 1962)

  

Vice President and Assistant

Secretary

(since 2019)

   Attorney, SEI Investments, since 2017. Prior Positions: Self-employed consultant, 2017. Associate General Counsel & Vice President, Nationwide Funds Group and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, from 2002 to 2016. Assistant General Counsel & Vice President, Market Street Funds and Provident Mutual Insurance Company, from 1999 to 2002.

John Bourgeois

(Born: 1973)

  

Assistant

Treasurer

(since 2019)

   Fund Accounting Manager, SEI Investments, since 2000.

Andrew Metzger

(Born: 1980)

  

Treasurer, Controller and Chief

Financial

Officer

(since 2021)

   Director of Fund Accounting, SEI Investments, since 2020. Senior Director, Embark, from 2019 to 2020. Senior Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, from 2002 to 2019.

 

70


LOGO

 

 

 

Other Directorships Held

in the Past Five Years4

 

    

 

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund, The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds and The KP Funds.

Director of Stone Harbor Investments Funds, Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund (closed-end fund) and Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Total Income Fund (closed-end fund).

 

 

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, The KP Funds.

 

 

    

 

None.

 

 

None.

 

 

None.

 

 

None.

 

 

 

 

71


LOGO

 

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with Trust

and Length of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

OFFICERS

         

Russell Emery

(Born: 1962)

  

Chief Compliance

Officer

(since 2019)

   Chief Compliance Officer of SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP since 2007. Chief Compliance Officer of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund, The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, The KP Funds, The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III, Gallery Trust, Schroder Series Trust, Schroder Global Series Trust, Frost Family of Funds, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust, Adviser Managed Trust, New Covenant Funds, SEI Insurance Products Trust and SEI Catholic Values Trust. Chief Compliance Officer of O’Connor EQUUS (closed-end investment company) to 2016. Chief Compliance Officer of SEI Liquid Asset Trust to 2016. Chief Compliance Officer of Winton Series Trust to 2017. Chief Compliance Officer of Winton Diversified Opportunities Fund (closed-end investment company) to 2018.

Matthew M. Maher

(Born: 1975)

  

Vice President

and Secretary

(since 2019)

  

Counsel at SEI Investments since 2018. Attorney, Blank Rome LLP, from 2015 to 2018. Assistant Counsel & Vice President, Bank of New York Mellon, from 2013 to 2014. Attorney, Dilworth Paxson LLP, from 2006 to 2013.

 

Eric C. Griffith

(Born: 1969)

  

Vice President

and Assistant Secretary

(since 2019)

   Counsel at SEI Investments since 2019. Vice President, JPMorgan Chase & Co., from 2012 to 2018.

 

72


LOGO

 

 

Other Directorships

Held in the Past Five Years

 

 

 

None.

 

 

None.

 

 

None.

 

 

 

73


LOGO

 

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with Trust

and Length of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

     
OFFICERS (continued)            

Robert Morrow

(Born: 1968)

  

Vice President

(since 2019)

   Account Manager, SEI Investments, since 2007.

Alexander F. Smith

(Born: 1977)

  

Vice President and Assistant

Secretary

(since 2020)

   Counsel at SEI Investments since 2020. Associate Counsel & Manager, Vanguard, 2012 to 2020. Attorney, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 2008 to 2012.
     

         

Donald Duncan

(Born: 1964)

  

Anti-Money Laundering

Compliance Officer and Privacy

Officer

(since 2023)

  

Chief Compliance Officer and Global Head of Anti-Money Laundering Strategy of SEI Investments Company since January 2023. Head of Global Anti-Money Laundering Program for Hamilton Lane Advisors, LLC from August 2021 until December 2022. Senior VP and Supervising Principal of Hamilton Lane Securities, LLC from June 2016 to August 2021. Senior Director at AXA-Equitable from June 2011 until May 2016. Senior Director at PRUCO Securities, a subsidiary of Prudential Financial, Inc. from October 2005 until December 2009.

 

 

 

74


LOGO

 

Other Directorships

Held in the Past Five Years

 

 

 

None.

 

 

None.

 

 

 

 

None.

 

 

 

75


LOGO

 

All mutual funds have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a fund, your investment is affected by these ongoing costs, which include (among others) costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports like this one. It is important for you to understand the impact of these costs on your investment returns.

Operating expenses such as these are deducted from a fund’s gross income and directly reduce its final investment return. These expenses are expressed as a percentage of a fund’s average net assets; this percentage is known as a fund’s expense ratio.

The following examples use the expense ratio and are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The expenses shown in the table below do not include any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees, if applicable. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period shown and held for the entire period (February 1, 2023, to July 31, 2023).

The table on the next page illustrates your Fund’s costs in two ways:

Actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses after fee waivers that your Fund incurred over the period. The “Expenses Paid During Period” column shows the actual dollar expense cost incurred by a $1,000 investment in the Fund, and the “Ending Account Value” number is derived from deducting that expense cost from the Fund’s gross investment return.

You can use this information, together with the actual amount you invested in the Fund, to estimate the expenses you paid over that period. Simply divide your actual starting account value by $1,000 to arrive at a ratio (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply that ratio by the number shown for your Fund under “Expenses Paid During Period.”

Hypothetical 5% return. This section helps you compare your Fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the Fund had an annual 5% return before expenses during the year, but that the expense ratio (Column 3) is unchanged. This example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to make this 5% calculation. You can assess your Fund’s comparative cost by comparing the hypothetical result for your Fund in the “Expenses Paid During Period” column with those that appear in the same charts in the shareholder reports for other funds.

NOTE: Because the return is set at 5% for comparison purposes — NOT your Fund’s actual return — the account values shown do not apply to your specific investment.

 

76


LOGO

 

 

   

Beginning 

Account Value 

2/1/2023 

   

Ending 

Account Value 

7/31/2023 

   

Annualized

Expense Ratios

   

Expenses Paid

During Period*

 
Growth Equity Fund

 

 
Actual Fund Return

 

       
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,243.10       0.63%       $3.50  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,242.30       0.88%       $4.89  
Hypothetical 5% Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,021.67       0.63%       $3.16  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,020.43       0.88%       $4.41  
Total Return Bond Fund

 

       
Actual Fund Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,012.80       0.46%       $2.30  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,011.50       0.71%       $3.54  
A Class     $1,000.00       $1,011.00       0.81%       $4.04  
Hypothetical 5% Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,022.51       0.46%       $2.31  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,021.27       0.71%       $3.56  
A Class     $1,000.00       $1,020.78       0.81%       $4.06  
Credit Fund

 

       
Actual Fund Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,033.90       0.74%       $3.73  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,031.60       0.99%       $4.99  
A Class     $1,000.00       $1,032.70       0.99%       $4.99  
Hypothetical 5% Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,021.13       0.74%       $3.71  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,019.89       0.99%       $4.96  
A Class     $1,000.00       $1,019.89       0.99%       $4.96  
   

Beginning 

Account Value 

2/1/2023 

   

Ending 

Account Value 

7/31/2023 

   

Annualized

Expense Ratios

   

Expenses Paid

During Period*

 
Low Duration Bond Fund

 

       
Actual Fund Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,011.00       0.43%       $2.14  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,010.80       0.68%       $3.39  
Hypothetical 5% Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,022.66       0.43%       $2.16  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,021.42       0.68%       $3.41  
Municipal Bond Fund

 

       
Actual Fund Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $997.20       0.74%       $3.66  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $996.00       1.00%       $4.95  
Hypothetical 5% Return

 

 
Institutional Class     $1,000.00       $1,021.13       0.74%       $3.71  
Investor Class     $1,000.00       $1,019.84       1.00%       $5.01  
 

 

 

*

Unless otherwise indicated, expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the account period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

77


LOGO

 

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Funds’ investment adviser has adopted, and the Board has approved, a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) to govern the Funds’ approach to managing liquidity risk. The Program is overseen by the Funds’ Liquidity Risk Management Program Administrator (the “Program Administrator”), and the Program’s principal objectives include assessing, managing and periodically reviewing each Fund’s liquidity risk, based on factors specific to the circumstances of the Funds.

At a meeting of the Board held on May 24, 2023, the Trustees received a report from the Program Administrator addressing the operations of the Program and assessing its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation for the period from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022. Among other things, the Program Administrator’s report noted that:

 

   

the Program Administrator had determined that the Program is reasonably designed to assess and manage each Fund’s liquidity risk and has operated adequately and effectively to manage each Fund’s liquidity risk during the period covered by the report.

 

   

during the period covered by the report, there were no liquidity events that impacted the Funds or their ability to timely meet redemptions without dilution to existing shareholders.

 

   

no material changes have been made to the Program during the period covered by the report.

 

   

none of the Frost Credit Fund, Frost Low Duration Bond Fund, Frost Municipal Bond Fund and Frost Total Return Bond Fund experienced a shortfall of its respective highly liquid investment minimum during the period covered by the report.

There can be no assurance that the Program will achieve its objectives in the future. Please refer to the prospectus for more information regarding the Funds’ exposure to liquidity risk and other principal risks to which an investment in the Funds may be subject.

 

78


LOGO

 

For shareholders who do not have a July 31, 2023 taxable year end, this notice is for informational purposes only. For share-holders with a July 31, 2023 taxable year end, please consult your tax adviser as to the pertinence of this notice. For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, the Funds are designating the following items with regard to distributions paid during the year.

 

     

Return of

 

Capital

   

Long Term

 

Capital Gains

 

Distributions

 

(Tax Basis)

   

Ordinary

 

Income

 

Distributions

 

(Tax Basis)

   

Tax Exempt

 

Income

 

Distribution

 

(Tax Basis)

   

Total

 

Distributions

 

(Tax Basis)

 

Growth Equity Fund

     0     100     0     0     100

Total Return Bond Fund

     0     0     100     0     100

Credit Fund

     0     0     100     0     100

Low Duration Bond Fund

     0     0     100     0     100

Municipal Bond Fund

     0     4     12     84     100
     

Dividends

 

Qualifying

 

for Corporate

 

Dividends Rec.

 

Deduction(1)

   

Qualifying

 

Dividend

 

Income (15%

 

Tax Rate for

 

QDI)(2)

   

U.S. Government

 

Interest(3)

   

Interest Related

 

Dividends(4)

   

Qualified

 

Short-Term

 

Capital Gain(5)

 

Growth Equity Fund

     0     0     0     0     0

Total Return Bond Fund

     0     0     21     95     0

Credit Fund

     0     0     0     98     0

Low Duration Bond Fund

     0     0     25     99     0

Municipal Bond Fund(6)

     0     0     0     0     0

 

(1)

Qualifying dividends represent dividends which qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction and is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distributions (the total of short-term capital gain and net investment income distributions).

 

(2)

The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Qualifying Dividend Income” as created by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 and is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distributions (the total of short-term capital gain and net investment income distributions). It is the intention of each of the aforementioned funds to designate the maximum amount permitted by law.

 

(3)

“U.S. Government Interest” represents the amount of interest that was derived from direct U.S. Government obligations and distributed during the fiscal year. This amount is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income. Generally, interest from direct U.S. Government obligations is exempt from state income tax. However, for shareholders who are residents of California, Connecticut and New York, the statutory threshold requirements were not satisfied to permit exemption of these amounts from state income.

 

(4)

The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Qualifying Interest Income” and is reflected as a percentage of net investment income distributions that is exempt from U.S withholding tax when paid to foreign investors.

 

(5)

The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Qualifying Short-Term Capital Gain” and is reflected as a percentage of short-term capital gain distributions that is exempt from U.S withholding tax when paid to foreign investors.

 

(6)

For California income tax purposes, for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2023, Municipal Bond Fund, designated 5.17% of their distributions paid from net investment income as exempt-interest dividends under Section 17145 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code.

 

Please consult your tax advisor for proper treatment of this information. This notification should be kept with you permanent tax papers.

 

79


 

This page is intentionally left blank.

 


 

This page is intentionally left blank.

 

 


FROST FAMILY OF FUNDS

Investment Adviser

Frost Investment Advisors, LLC

111 West Houston Street

P.O. Box 2509

San Antonio, Texas 78299-2509

Distributor

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456

Administrator

SEI Investments Global Fund Services

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, Pennsylvania 19456

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Ernst & Young LLP

111 West Houston St., Suite 1901

San Antonio, Texas 78205

Legal Counsel

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

1701 Market Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

 

This information must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus for the Funds.

 

FIA-AR-001-1600


(b)  Not applicable.

Item 2. Code of Ethics.

The Registrant has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, controller or principal accounting officer, and any person who performs a similar function. There have been no amendments to or waivers granted to this code of ethics.

Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.

(a)(1) The Registrant’s board of trustees has determined that the Registrant has at least one audit committee financial expert serving on the audit committee.

(a) (2) The audit committee financial expert is Robert Mulhall, and is considered to be “independent,” as that term is defined in Form N-CSR Item 3(a)(2).

Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

Fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP (“E&Y”) relate to the Frost Family of Funds (the “Trust”).

E&Y billed the Trust aggregate fees for services rendered to the Trust for the last two fiscal years as follows:

 

     

FYE July 31, 2023

 

  

FYE July 31, 2022

 

           

All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were

pre-

approved

  

All fees and
services to
service
affiliates that
were pre-

approved

  

All other fees
and services

to service
affiliates that

did not

require pre-

approval

  

All fees and
services to

the Trust that
were pre-

approved

  

All fees and
services to

service

affiliates that
were pre-

approved

  

All other fees
and services

to service

affiliates that

did not

require pre-

approval

(a) 

  

Audit

Fees(1)

 

   $272,400    None    None    $242,000    None    None

(b) 

  

Audit-

Related

Fees

   None    None    None    None    None    None

(c) 

  

Tax

Fees

 

   None    None    None    None    None    None

(d) 

  

All

Other

Fees

   None    None    None    None    None    None

Notes:

  (1)

Audit fees include amounts related to the audit of the Trust’s annual financial statements and services normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings.

 

2


(e)(1) The Trust’s Audit Committee has adopted and the Board of Trustees has ratified an Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy (the “Policy”), which sets forth the procedures and the conditions pursuant to which services proposed to be performed by the independent auditor of the Funds may be pre-approved.

The Policy provides that all requests or applications for proposed services to be provided by the independent auditor must be submitted to the Registrant’s Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and must include a detailed description of the services proposed to be rendered. The CFO will determine whether these services:

 

  1.

require specific pre-approval;

 

  2.

are included within the list of services that have received the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee pursuant to the Policy; or

 

  3.

have been previously pre-approved in connection with the independent auditor’s annual engagement letter for the applicable year or otherwise. In any instance where services require pre-approval, the Audit Committee will consider whether these services are consistent with SEC’s rules and whether the provision of these services would impair the auditor’s independence.

Requests or applications to provide services that require specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee will be submitted to the Audit Committee by the CFO. The Audit Committee will be informed by the CFO on a quarterly basis of all services rendered by the independent auditor. The Audit Committee has delegated specific pre-approval authority to either the Audit Committee Chair or financial expert, provided that the estimated fee for any said proposed pre-approved service does not exceed $100,000 and any pre-approval decisions are reported to the Audit Committee at the Audit Committee’s next regularly-scheduled meeting.

Services that have received the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee are identified and described in the Policy. In addition, the Policy sets forth a maximum fee per engagement with respect to each identified service that has received general pre-approval.

All services to be provided by the independent auditor shall be provided pursuant to a signed written engagement letter with the Registrant, the investment adviser, or applicable control affiliate (except that matters as to which an engagement letter would be impractical because of timing issues or because the matter is small may not be the subject of an engagement letter) that sets forth both the services to be provided by the independent auditor and the total fees to be paid to the independent auditor for those services.

In addition, the Audit Committee has determined to take additional measures on an annual basis to meet the audit Committee’s responsibility to oversee the work of the independent auditor and to assure the auditor’s independence from the Registrant, such as (a) reviewing a formal written statement from the independent auditor delineating all relationships between the independent auditor and the Registrant, and (b) discussing with the independent auditor the independent auditor’s methods and procedures for ensuring independence.

 

(e)(2)

Percentage of fees billed by E&Y applicable to non-audit services pursuant to the “de minimis” exception of Rule 2-01(c)(7)(i)(C) were as follows:

 

      FYE July 31, 2023    FYE July 31, 2022

Audit-Related Fees

 

   None    None

Tax Fees

 

   None    None

All Other Fees

 

 

 

   None    None

 

(f)

Not applicable.

 

3


(g)  The aggregate non-audit fees and services billed by E&Y for services rendered to the Registrant, and rendered to the Registrant’s investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant for the last two fiscal-years-ended July 31st were $14,500 and $12,500 for 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(h)  During the past fiscal year, all non-audit services provided by Registrant’s principal accountant to either Registrant’s investment adviser or to any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with Registrant’s investment adviser that provides ongoing services to Registrant were pre-approved by the Audit Committee of Registrant’s Board of Trustees. Included in the Audit Committee’s pre-approval of these non-audit service were the review and consideration as to whether the provision of these non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence

(i)  Not applicable. The Registrant has not retained, for the preparation of the audit report on the financial statements included in the Form N-CSR, a registered public accounting firm that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) has determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction.

(j)  Not applicable. The Registrant is not a “foreign issuer,” as defined in 17 CFR 240.3b-4.

Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

Item 6. Schedule of Investments

Schedule of Investments is included as part of the Report to Shareholders filed under Item 1 of this form.

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

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

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

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies. Effective for closed-end management investment companies for fiscal-years-ending on or after December 31, 2005.

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

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

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

There have been no changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrant’s Board of Trustees during the period covered by this report.

 

4


Item 11. Controls and Procedures.

(a) The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-3(c)), as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report, are effective based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act, as amended (17 CFR § 270.30a-15(b) or § 240.15d-15(b)).

(b) There has been no change in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.3a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Item 12.  Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

Item 13. Exhibits.

(a)(1) A copy of the Registrant’s Code of Ethics, as required by Item 2 of this Form, accompanies this filing as an exhibit.

(a)(2) A separate certification for the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer of the Registrant, as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-2(a)), is filed herewith.

(b) Officer certifications, as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-2(b)), also accompany this filing as an exhibit.

 

5


 

SIGNATURES

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.

 

(Registrant)

  

Frost Family of Funds

By (Signature and Title)

  

/s/ Michael Beattie

  

Michael Beattie

  

President

Date: October 6, 2023

  

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 (Signature and Title)

  

/s/ Michael Beattie

  

Michael Beattie

  

President

Date: October 6, 2023

  

By (Signature and Title)

  

/s/ Andrew Metzger

  

Andrew Metzger

  

Treasurer, Controller, and CFO

Date: October 6, 2023

  

 

6