485APOS 1 d152403d485apos.htm WASATCH FUNDS TRUST Wasatch Funds Trust

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30, 2021

Securities Act Registration No. 033-10451

Investment Company Act Registration No. 811-04920

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933                            X

Post-Effective Amendment No. 115    X

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940    X

Amendment No. 117                        X

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

WASATCH FUNDS TRUST

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Registrant’s Telephone Number, including Area Code: (801) 533-0777

 

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)    Copy to:

Eric S. Bergeson

Wasatch Advisors, Inc.

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

  

Eric F. Fess

Chapman and Cutler LLP

111 West Monroe Street

Chicago, IL 60603

Approximate Date of Proposed Public Offering: As soon as practicable following effectiveness.

 

It is proposed that this filing will become effective:

 

(    )

immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

(    )

on ________ pursuant to paragraph (b)

(    )

60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

(    )

on _________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

( X )

75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

(    )

on __________ pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

(    ) this Post-Effective Amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed Post-Effective Amendment.


Subject To Completion Preliminary Prospectus dated June 30, 2021

WASATCH FUNDS

PROSPECTUS

[September 13], 2021

 

    

Investor Class                

  

Institutional Class

Wasatch Long/Short Alpha FundTM

  

[Ticker]

  

[Ticker]

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS PROSPECTUS IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

As with all mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has not approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any statement to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Summary—

     1  

Wasatch Long/Short Alpha Fund

  

Additional Information about the Fund

     9  

Management

     14  

Shareholder’s Guide

     15  

Account Policies

     18  

Dividends, Capital Gain Distributions and Taxes

     28  

Financial Highlights

     30  

Privacy Policy

     31  

How to Contact Wasatch

     32  

 


Wasatch Long/Short Alpha Fund — Summary

Investment Objective

The Fund’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, sell or hold shares of the Fund.

 

Shareholder Fees (Fees paid directly from your investment.)    Investor
Class
Shares
  Institutional
Class Shares

Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price)

   None   None

Redemption Fee (as a % of amount redeemed on shares held 60 days or less)

   2.00%   2.00%

Exchange Fee

   None   None

Maximum Account Fee

   None   None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment.)
   Investor
Class
Shares
  Institutional
Class
Shares

Management Fee

   1.25%   1.25%

Other Expenses1

   [___]%   [___]%

Dividend Expense on Short Sales/Interest Expense2

   [___]%   [___]%

Enhanced Custody Expense3

   [___]%   [___]%

Remainder of Other Expenses

   [___]%   [___]%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

   [___]%   [___]%

Expense Reimbursement

   [___]%   [___]%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement4

   1.75%   1.50%

 

1    Other Expenses are based on estimates for the current fiscal year.
2    Dividends on short sales are the dividends paid to the lenders of borrowed securities. The expenses related to dividends on short sales are estimated and will vary depending on whether the securities the Fund sells short pay dividends and on the amount of any such dividends.
3    Enhanced Custody expenses include borrowing costs, financing fees and other charges paid in connection with borrowing the security to be sold short, and maintaining related margin collateral. These costs may vary by security.
4    Wasatch Advisors, Inc., doing business as Wasatch Global Investors (Advisor), the Fund’s investment advisor, has contractually agreed to reimburse the Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund for Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses in excess of 1.75% and 1.50%, respectively, of average daily net assets until at least January 31, 2023, excluding fees and expenses incurred in borrowing securities and selling portfolio securities short including the enhanced custody fees (which include borrowing costs, financing fees and other charges paid in connection with borrowing the security to be sold short and maintaining related margin collateral) and dividend expense on short sales/interest expense, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, other investment related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business. The Fund may only make repayments to the Advisor for amounts reimbursed if such repayment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio, after the repayment is taken into account, to exceed both (i) the expense cap in place at the time such amounts were waived; and (ii) the Fund’s current expense cap. The Board of Trustees is the only party that can terminate the contractual limitation prior to the contract’s expiration. The Advisor can rescind the contractual limitation on expenses at any time after its expiration date. Shareholder expenses will increase if the Advisor does not renew the contractual expense cap after its expiration date.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invested $10,000 in the applicable class of the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeemed all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment had a 5% return each year and that operating expenses (as a percentage of net assets) of the Fund remained the same. This example reflects contractual fee waivers and reimbursements through January 31, 2023. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

      1 Year        3 Years    

Long/Short Alpha Fund — Investor Class

   $[____]    $[____]

 

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      1 Year        3 Years    

Long/Short Alpha Fund — Institutional Class

   $[____]    $[____]

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). Higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the Fund is newly organized, portfolio turnover is not available.

Principal Strategies

The Fund invests primarily in long equity positions and short equity positions. In pursuing its investment objective, the Fund employs a strategy intended to achieve investment returns that are favorable relative to the amount of risk taken by establishing long and short positions in equity securities, of companies of all market capitalizations. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stock, preferred stock, and depositary receipts, which are negotiable certificates typically issued by a bank representing stock owned in a foreign company.

When the Fund takes a long position in a security, it purchases the security outright. When the Fund takes a short position, it sells a security that the Fund does not own at the current market price and delivers to the buyer a security that the Fund has borrowed. The Fund is obligated to return the security to the lender, which is accomplished by a later purchase of the security by the Fund. Until the borrowed security is replaced, the Fund is required to pay to the lender amounts equal to any dividends or interest that accrue during the period of the loan. In addition, to borrow the security, the Fund may be required to pay a premium to the lender, and will pay fees in connection with the borrowing, including borrowing costs, financing fees and maintaining related margin collateral. The Fund will sell a security short if it expects that it will be able to purchase the security back at a lower price than the price at which it sold the security short. The use of both long and short positions allows the Advisor to invest based on both its positive and negative views on individual stocks. The Fund may use all or a portion of the proceeds of its short sales to purchase additional long positions. The Fund intends to generally maintain a net long exposure to the equity market (measured as the market value of the long positions minus the market value of the short positions) that is greater than the 0% exposure which a “market neutral” fund is designed to provide, but less than 100% exposure provided by a fund that invests only in long positions. Short positions are expected to not exceed 60% of the value of a Fund’s net assets under normal market conditions. The goal is to allow the Fund to benefit from a rising market, although to a lesser extent than a “long-only” fund, while still affording some protection from a falling market because of the Fund’s short positions, which are designed to perform inversely to the market.

The Advisor will select securities using an investment process that combines quantitative and “bottom-up“ fundamental analysis, with the Advisor taking long positions in companies that it believes have above average revenue and earnings growth potential, and short positions in companies that it expects to underperform. Securities are generally added to the portfolio as long or short positions based upon security rankings provided by multi-factor quantitative models and on fundamental analysis of securities. The research analysis may include, among other things, prescreening potential investments using databases and industry contacts, analyzing companies’ annual reports and financial statements, making onsite visits, meeting with top management, evaluating the competitive environment, looking at distribution channels and identifying areas of potential growth. The Advisor may also utilize risk management techniques to establish constraints on the amount of exposure to individual securities, industries, countries and a variety of quantitative factors, such as quality, growth, value, momentum and leverage factors. The Advisor will generally sell a security if, among other things, the rankings provided by the quantitative models decline and/or research analysis reveals a deterioration of the company’s fundamentals.

The Fund is expected to invest across all market capitalization levels, ranging from micro capitalization stocks to larger capitalization stocks. However the Advisor expects under normal market conditions to invest a significant portion (greater than 35%) of the Fund‘s assets in small to mid-size companies with market capitalizations of greater than $2 billion at the time of purchase.

Under normal market conditions, the Advisor expects to invest the Fund’s assets primarily (greater than 65%) in companies domiciled in the U.S. or listed on a U.S. exchange. The Fund may invest a large percentage of its assets (greater than 5%) in a few sectors, including communications services, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, health care, industrials, information technology, materials, real estate, and utilities.

The Fund is classified as a non-diversified mutual fund, which means that the Fund may invest a larger percentage of its assets in the securities of a small number of issuers than a diversified fund.

 

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Principal Risks

All investments carry some degree of risk that will affect the value of the Fund, its investment performance and the price of its shares. As a result, you may lose money if you invest in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit of any bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.

The Fund is subject to the following principal investment risks:

Short Sales Risk. The Fund will incur a loss as a result of a short sale if the price of the security sold short increases in value between the date of the short sale and the date on which the Fund purchases the security to replace the borrowed security. In addition, the securities sold short may have to be returned to the lender on short notice, which may result in the Fund having to buy the securities sold short at an unfavorable price to close out a short position. If this occurs, any anticipated gain to the Fund may be reduced or eliminated or the short sale may result in a loss. In a rising stock market, the Fund’s short positions may significantly impact the Fund’s overall performance and cause the Fund to underperform traditional long-only equity funds or to sustain losses, particularly in a sharply rising market. Because losses on short sales arise from increases in the value of the security sold short, such losses are theoretically unlimited. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero. The use of short sales may also cause the Fund to have higher expenses than other funds. To the extent the Fund invests the proceeds received from selling securities short in additional long positions, the Fund is engaging in a form of leverage that may magnify gains or losses for the Fund. Leverage can result in losses to the Fund that exceed the amount originally invested and may accelerate the rate of losses. Leverage tends to magnify, sometimes significantly, the effect of any increase or decrease in the Fund’s exposure to an asset or class of assets and may cause the value of the Fund’s shares to be volatile and sensitive to market swings. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of short sales and any leverage will be successful.

Quantitative Model Risk. The Advisor uses quantitative models to help construct the Fund’s portfolio. The utilization of a quantitative models entails the risk that a model may be limited or incorrect, that the data on which a model relies may be incorrect or incomplete and that the Advisor may not be successful in selecting companies for investment or determining the weighting of particular stocks in the Fund’s portfolio. To the extent that a model is based upon incorrect or incomplete data, the Fund could be induced to buy certain investments at prices that are too high, to sell certain investments at prices that are too low, to sell short certain investments that do not experience the expected price declines, to miss favorable opportunities altogether, or to expose the Fund to more risk than intended. Any of these factors could cause the Fund to underperform funds with similar strategies that do not rely on quantitative analysis for portfolio construction. Furthermore, if at any time the market is not favoring the Fund’s quantitative investment style, the Fund’s gains may not be as big as, or its losses may be bigger than, those of other equity funds using different investment styles. There can be no assurance that the quantitative models used in managing the Fund will perform as anticipated or enable the Fund to achieve its objective.

Market Risk. Since the Fund has both a “long” and “short” portfolio, an investment in the Fund will involve market risks associated with different investment decisions than those made for a typical “long only” stock fund. The Fund’s results will suffer both when there is a general stock market advance and the Fund holds significant “short” equity positions or when there is a general stock market decline and the Fund holds significant “long” equity positions. The market value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably and for short or extended periods of time. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments due to short-term market movements or any longer periods during more prolonged market cycles. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the long positions held by the Fund, and therefore the Fund. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Such events also could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund’s shares and result in increased market volatility.

Global Pandemic Risk. The value of the Fund’s investments may be impacted by global health crises or other events, such as war, terrorism, and natural and environmental disasters. For example, an outbreak of respiratory disease designated as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and subsequently spread internationally. The transmission of COVID-19 and efforts to contain its spread have resulted in international, national and local border closings and other significant travel restrictions and disruptions, significant disruptions to business operations, supply chains and customer activity, event cancellations and restrictions, service cancellations, reductions and other changes, significant challenges in health care service preparation and delivery, and quarantines, as well as general concern and uncertainty that has negatively affected the economic environment. These impacts also have caused significant volatility and could result in the disruption of trading and the reduction of liquidity in many instruments. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and

 

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dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the value of a Fund’s investments.

Stock Market Risk. The Fund’s investments may decline in value due to movements in the overall stock market.

Stock Selection Risk. The Fund is actively managed, and its performance therefore will reflect, in part, the ability of the portfolio managers to select investments and to make investment decisions that are suited to achieving the Fund’s investment objective. Due to its active management, the Fund could underperform its benchmark index and/or other funds with a similar investment objective and/or strategy or may lose value even when the overall stock market is not in a general decline.

Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities represent ownership in a company. They may be traded (bought or sold) on a securities exchange or stock market. Stock markets are volatile. The price of equity securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of the Fund’s long positions in equity securities. The value of equity securities held in the Fund’s long portfolio could decline if the financial condition of the companies in which the Fund invests declines or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. The value of the Fund’s long positions in equity securities may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries such as labor shortages, an increase in production costs and changes in competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, the value of equity securities may decline due to general market conditions not specifically related to a company or industry such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates, changes in government regulations, or generally adverse investor sentiment. Conversely, the value of the Fund’s short positions may decline because of an increase in the equity market as a whole or because of increases in the prices of securities of a particular company, industry, or sector of the market. Certain equity securities may be less liquid, meaning that they may be difficult to sell or buy at a time or price that is desirable, than other types of securities, or they may be illiquid. Some securities exchanges or stock markets may also be less liquid or illiquid due to low trading volume.

Common Stock Risk. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include common stock. The value of an investment in common stock may fluctuate due to the many risks generally affecting equity securities described above. Accordingly, the value of common stock may fall due to, among other things, changes in the activities, performance and the financial condition relating to the particular companies whose securities the Fund owns; general market and economic trends; changes in the industries in which the issuers of the securities held by the Fund operate; regulatory changes; interest rate and currency changes; and investor perceptions. In addition, common stock holds the lowest priority in the capital structure of a company and therefore takes the largest share of the company’s risk and its accompanying volatility. The rights of common stockholders generally are subordinate to all other claims on a company’s assets, including preferred stockholders and debt holders with respect to the payment of dividends and upon the liquidation or bankruptcy of the issuing company. The common stock of a company that experiences financial distress may lose significant value or become worthless, and therefore the Fund could lose money if a company in which it invests becomes financially distressed.

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts. A depositary receipt is issued by a bank or trust company to evidence its ownership of securities of a non-local corporation. The Fund may invest in both sponsored and unsponsored depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). ADRs are receipts or shares typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation and are alternatives to purchasing the underlying securities directly in their national markets and currencies. EDRs are receipts in bearer form traded in the European securities markets that evidence a similar ownership arrangement, and GDRs are receipts issued throughout the world that also evidence a similar ownership arrangement. Investments in depositary receipts may be subject to many of the same risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies, such as currency, political, liquidity, regulatory, economic and market risks because their values depend on the performance of non-dollar denominated underlying foreign securities. Foreign securities underlying depositary receipts may trade in foreign markets, and may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than domestic markets. There also may be less government supervision and regulation on the foreign stock exchanges, brokers, custodians and listed companies than in the U.S. The depositary receipts may also involve higher expenses and may trade at a discount (or premium) to the underlying security and their values may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. In addition, the currency of a depositary receipt may be different than the currency of the underlying securities into which they may be converted. Movements in the exchange rate between the local currency of the foreign security and the currency in which the depositary receipt is denominated may adversely affect the value of the depositary receipt even if the price of the foreign security does not change on its market. Even if the depositary receipt is denominated in U.S. currency, the depositary receipts are subject to currency risk if the underlying security is denominated in a foreign currency. The Fund also may invest in sponsored or unsponsored depositary receipts. A sponsored depositary receipt is issued by a depositary that has a relationship with the issuer of the underlying security. Unsponsored depositary receipts are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities. As a result, the holder of an unsponsored depositary receipt may have limited voting rights and may not receive as much information or as current of information as would a holder of a sponsored depositary receipt since the issuer is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from

 

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the underlying issuer or to pass through voting rights to the holders of unsponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored receipts may also involve higher expenses, be less liquid and have more volatile prices.

Preferred Stock Risk. The equity securities in which the Fund may invest include preferred stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, may offer a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative, non-cumulative, participating or auction rate. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on a preferred stock may be less attractive, causing the price of the preferred stock to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline affecting the stock’s price. Preferred stocks generally are subordinate to bonds and other debt instruments in the company’s capital structure and therefore are subject to greater credit risk. Further, holders of preferred stocks generally have no voting rights subject to exceptions when preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods.

Small- and Mid-Cap Company Stock Risk. Small- and mid-cap stocks may be very sensitive to changing economic conditions and market downturns because the issuers often have narrow markets for their products or services, fewer product lines, and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger issuers. The stocks of small- and mid-cap companies may therefore be more volatile and the ability to sell these stocks at a desirable time or price may be more limited.

Growth Stock Risk. Growth stock prices may be more sensitive to changes in companies’ current or expected earnings than the prices of other stocks, and growth stock prices may fall or may not appreciate in step with the broader securities markets. Growth companies may be newer or smaller companies and may retain a large part of their earnings for research, development or investment in capital assets.

Liquidity Risk. The trading market for a particular security or type of security in which the Fund invests may be significantly less liquid than developed or even emerging markets, and there may be little or no trading volume for a period of time for a particular security. Reduced liquidity will have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to sell such securities quickly at a desired price when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event, or to buy securities to cover short positions. It may be difficult at times to buy or sell such securities at any price, which could impact not only the daily net asset value (NAV) of the Fund, but also the composition of the portfolio if other securities must be sold to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or cover short positions. Additionally, market quotations for such securities may be volatile affecting the daily NAV of the Fund.

Sector and Industry Weightings Risk. To the extent the Fund emphasizes, from time to time, long or short positions in a particular sector, the Fund will be subject to a greater degree to the risks particular to that sector, including the sectors described below. Market conditions, interest rates, and economic, regulatory, or financial developments could significantly affect all the securities in a single sector. If the Fund invests in a few sectors, it may have increased exposure to the price movements of securities in those sectors. The Fund may also from time to time make significant long or short investments of companies in an industry or industries within a particular sector, making the Fund more vulnerable to developments affecting such sectors or industries. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events. Adverse conditions in such industry or industries could have a correspondingly adverse effect on the financial condition of issuers. These conditions may cause the value of the Fund’s shares to fluctuate more than the values of shares of funds that invest in a greater variety of investments.

Communication Services Sector Risk. The communication services sector includes diversified telecommunication services companies, wireless telecommunication services companies, and media and entertainment companies. The communication services sector is subject to government regulation and can be significantly affected by intense competition and technology changes, which may make the products and services of certain companies obsolete. Wireless telecommunication services companies can be significantly affected by failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, financing or regulatory approval, intense competition, product incompatibility, changing consumer preferences, rapid obsolescence, significant capital expenditures, and heavy debt burdens. Media and entertainment companies can be significantly affected by technological advances and government regulation.

Consumer Discretionary Sector Risk. The consumer discretionary sector includes companies in industries such as consumer services, household durables, leisure products, textiles, apparel and luxury goods, hotels, restaurants, retailing, e-commerce, and automobiles. Companies in the consumer discretionary sector may be significantly impacted by the performance of the overall domestic and global economy and interest rates. The consumer discretionary sector relies heavily on disposable household income and spending. Companies in this sector may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their respective profitability. The retail industry can be significantly affected by changes in demographics and consumer tastes, which can also affect the demand for, and success of, consumer products and services in the marketplace. The automotive industry is highly cyclical and can be significantly affected by labor relations and fluctuating component prices.

Consumer Staples Sector Risk. The consumer staples sector includes companies in the food and staples retailing, food, beverage and tobacco, and household and personal products industry groups. Companies in the consumer

 

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staples sector may be affected by demographics and product trends, competitive pricing, food fads, marketing campaigns, environmental factors, changes in consumer demands, the performance of the overall domestic and global economy, interest rates, consumer confidence and spending, and changes in commodity prices. Consumer staples companies may be subject to government regulations that may affect the permissibility of using various food additives and production methods. Tobacco companies may be adversely affected by regulation, legislation and/or litigation.

Energy Sector Risk. The energy sector includes companies in the energy equipment and services, and oil, gas and consumable fuels industry groups. The value of companies in these industry groups is particularly vulnerable to developments in the energy sector, which may include swift fluctuations in the price and supply of energy fuels caused by events relating to international politics, energy conservation initiatives, the success of exploration projects, the supply of, and demand for, specific energy-related products or services, and tax and other governmental regulatory policies. Oil and gas companies develop and produce crude oil and natural gas and provide related resources such as production- and distribution-related services. Stock prices for oil and gas companies in particular are affected by supply and demand both for companies’ specific products or services and for energy products in general. The performance of these companies will likewise be affected by the price of oil and gas, exploration and production spending, government regulation, world events and economic conditions. Weak demand for energy companies’ products or services or for energy products and services in general, as well as negative developments in these other areas, would adversely impact the energy stocks in which the Fund invests and the Fund’s performance. Oil and gas exploration and production companies can be significantly affected by natural disasters as well as changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates, government regulation, world events and economic conditions, and the companies may be at risk for environmental damage claims.

Financials Sector Risk. The financials sector includes companies in the banks, diversified financials, and insurance industry groups. Companies in the financials sector are subject to extensive government regulation, can be subject to relatively rapid change due to increasingly blurred distinctions between service segments, and can be significantly affected by the availability and cost of capital funds, changes in interest rates, the rate of corporate and consumer debt defaults, and price competition. Banking companies, including thrifts and mortgage finance and consumer finance companies, may be affected by extensive government regulation, which may limit both the amounts and types of loans and other financial commitments they can make, the interest rates and fees they can charge, and the amount of capital they must maintain. Profitability is largely dependent on the availability and cost of capital funds, and can fluctuate significantly when interest rates change. Credit losses resulting from financial difficulties of borrowers can negatively affect banking companies. Banking companies may also be subject to severe price competition. Competition is high among banking companies and failure to maintain or increase market share may result in lost market value. Capital markets, a sub-industry of diversified financials, may be affected by extensive government regulation as well as economic and other financial events that could cause fluctuations in the stock market, impacting the overall value of investments. The insurance industry may be affected by extensive government regulation and can be significantly affected by interest rates, general economic conditions, and price and marketing competition. Different segments of the insurance industry can be significantly affected by natural disasters, mortality and morbidity rates, and environmental clean-up.

Health Care Sector Risk. The health care sector includes companies in the health care equipment and services, and pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences industry groups. Health care companies are strongly affected by worldwide scientific or technological developments. Their products may rapidly become obsolete. Many health care companies are also subject to significant government regulation and may be affected by changes in government policies. Companies in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and life sciences industry group in particular are heavily dependent on patent protection, and the expiration of patents may adversely affect the profitability of such companies. These companies are also subject to extensive litigation based on product liability and other similar claims. Many new products are subject to government approval and the process of obtaining government approval can be long and costly, and even approved products are susceptible to obsolescence. These companies are also subject to competitive forces that may make it difficult to increase prices, or that may lead to price reductions.

Industrials Sector Risk. The industrials sector includes companies in the capital goods, commercial and professional services and transportation industry groups, including companies engaged in the business of human capital management, business research and consulting, air freight and logistics, airlines, maritime shipping and transportation, railroads and trucking, transportation infrastructure, and aerospace and defense. Companies in the industrials sector can be significantly affected by general economic trends, including such factors as employment and economic growth, interest rate changes, changes in consumer spending, legislative and government regulation and spending, import controls, commodity prices, and worldwide competition. Changes in the economy, fuel prices, labor agreements, and insurance costs may result in occasional sharp price movements in transportation securities. Aerospace and defense companies rely, to a significant extent, on government demand for their products and services. The financial condition of, and investor interest in, aerospace and defense companies are heavily influenced by government defense spending policies.

 

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Information Technology Sector Risk. The information technology sector includes companies in the software and services, technology hardware and equipment, and semiconductors and semiconductor equipment industry groups. Companies in the information technology sector are subject to rapid obsolescence of existing technology, short product cycles, falling prices and profits, competition from new market entrants, and general economic conditions. Stocks of companies in the information technology sector, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Technological developments, fixed rate pricing, and the ability to retain skilled employees can significantly affect the industries in the information technology sector. Additionally, success in the internet services and infrastructure industry is subject to continued demand for internet services.

Materials Sector Risk. The materials sector includes companies in the chemicals, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, and paper and forest products industries. Changes in world events, political, environmental and economic conditions, energy conservation, environmental policies, commodity price volatility, changes in currency exchange rates, imposition of import and export controls, increased competition, and labor relations may adversely affect companies engaged in the production and distribution of materials. Other risks may include liabilities for environmental damage, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control. Companies in the chemicals industry may be subject to risks associated with the production, handling and disposal of hazardous components. Metals and mining companies could be affected by supply and demand and operational costs.

Real Estate Sector Risk. The real estate sector includes companies involved in real estate management and development and issuers of equity real estate investment trusts (REITs). Securities of companies in the real estate sector may be adversely affected by, among other things, rental income fluctuation, depreciation, property tax value changes, differences in real estate market values, overbuilding and extended vacancies, increased competition, costs of materials, operating expenses or zoning laws, costs of environmental clean-up or damages from natural disasters, cash flow fluctuations, and defaults by borrowers and tenants.

Utilities Sector Risk. The utilities sector includes electric utilities, gas utilities, water utilities, multi-utilities (electric, gas and water), and independent power and renewable electricity producers. Companies in the utilities sector are affected by supply and demand, consumer incentives, operating costs, government regulation, environmental factors, liabilities for environmental damage and general civil liabilities, and rate caps or rate changes. The value of regulated utility company stocks may have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Also, certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years, which may permit them to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. Conversely, companies that remain heavily regulated may be at a competitive disadvantage, making them less profitable. In addition, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, government intervention or other factors may render a utility company’s equipment unusable and may have an adverse impact on profitability. Utility companies are subject to the high cost of borrowing to finance capital construction during inflationary periods, restrictions on operations and increased costs and delays associated with compliance with environmental and nuclear safety regulations, and the difficulties involved in obtaining natural gas for resale or fuel for generating electricity at reasonable prices. Other risks include those related to the construction and operation of nuclear power plants, the effects of energy conservation, and the effects of regulatory changes.

Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund can invest a larger portion of its assets in the stocks of a limited number of companies than a diversified fund, which means it may have more exposure to the price movements of a single security or small group of securities than funds that diversify their investments among many companies.

Historical Performance

Ordinarily, this section of the prospectus contains information that would allow you to evaluate the Fund’s performance using several different measures such as yearly changes in performance, best and worst quarterly returns and average annual total returns before and after taxes compared to a relevant benchmark. However, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and as such does not have a full calendar year of performance.

Portfolio Management

Investment Advisor

Wasatch Advisors, Inc. d/b/a Wasatch Global Investors

Portfolio Manager

Mick Rasmussen, CFA

Lead Portfolio Manager

Since Inception

 

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Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Investment Minimums    Investor Class    Institutional Class    

New Accounts

   $2,000    $100,000

New Accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan

   $1,000   

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)

   $2,000   

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts

   $1,000   

 

Subsequent Purchases    Investor Class    Institutional Class    

Regular Accounts and IRAs

   $100    $5,000

Automatic Investment Plan

   $50 per month
and/or $100 per quarter
  

 

   

Institutional Class shares are offered to all types of investors, provided that the investor meets the minimum investment threshold for Institutional Class shares.

   

Account minimums are waived for accounts held in qualified retirement or profit sharing plans opened through a third party service provider or record keeper, and may be waived for omnibus accounts established by financial intermediaries where the investment in the Fund is expected to meet the minimum investment amount within a reasonable time period as determined by the Advisor. Investors and/or registered investment advisors (RIAs) and broker-dealers may generally meet the minimum investment amount by aggregating multiple accounts with common ownership or discretionary control within the Fund.

   

You may purchase, sell (redeem) or exchange Fund shares on any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.

   

To open a new account directly with Wasatch Funds or to purchase shares for an existing account, go online at wasatchglobal.com. For a new account, complete and electronically submit the online application. Accounts for third parties, trusts, corporations, partnerships and other entities may not be opened online and are not eligible for online transactions. By telephone, complete the appropriate application and call a shareholder services representative at 800.551.1700 for instructions on how to open or add to an account via wire. To open a new account by mail, complete and mail the application and any other materials (such as a corporate resolution for corporate accounts) and a check. To add to an existing account, complete the additional investment form from your statement or write a note that includes the Fund name and Class of shares (i.e., Investor Class or Institutional Class), name(s) of investor(s) on the account and the account number. Send materials to: Wasatch Funds, P.O. Box 2172, Milwaukee, WI 53201-2172 or via overnight delivery to: Wasatch Funds, 235 W. Galena St., Milwaukee, WI 53212.

   

To sell shares purchased directly from Wasatch Funds, go online at wasatchglobal.com, or call a shareholder services representative at 800.551.1700 if you did not decline the telephone redemption privilege when establishing your account. Redemption requests may be sent by mail or overnight delivery to the appropriate address shown above. Include your name, Fund name, Class of shares (i.e., Investor Class or Institutional Class), account number, dollar amount of shares to be sold, your daytime telephone number, signature(s) of account owners (sign exactly as the account is registered) and Medallion signature guarantee (if required). For IRA accounts, please obtain an IRA Distribution Form online from wasatchglobal.com or by calling a shareholder services representative.

   

Fund shares may be bought or sold through banks or investment professionals, including brokers that may have agreements with the Fund’s Distributor to offer shares when acting as an agent for the investor. An investor transacting in the Fund’s shares in these programs may be required to pay a commission and/or other forms of compensation to the bank, investment professional or broker.

Tax Information

The Fund intends to make distributions. You will generally have to pay federal income taxes, and any applicable state or local taxes, on the distributions you receive from the Fund as ordinary income or capital gains unless you are investing through a tax exempt account such as a qualified retirement plan. Distributions on investments made through tax-deferred vehicles, such as 401(k) plans or IRAs, may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from those plans or accounts.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Advisor or its affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary or your individual financial advisor to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your individual financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

8


Wasatch Funds — Additional Information about the Fund

Please see the section entitled “Principal Strategies” in the Fund Summary for a more complete discussion of the Fund’s principal investment strategies. Principal strategies are strategies Wasatch Advisors, Inc. doing business as Wasatch Global Investors (the “Advisor”) believes are most likely to be important in trying to achieve the Fund’s investment objective.

Investment Process

Securities for the Fund are recommended by an experienced in-house research team. The Fund’s portfolio manager seeks to ensure that investments are compatible with the Fund’s investment objective(s) and strategies.

The Advisor will select securities using an investment process that combines proprietary quantitative techniques and fundamental analysis, taking long positions in companies that the Advisor believes has the potential for above average revenue and earnings growth and short positions in companies that it expects to underperform. Securities generally are added to the portfolio as long or short positions based both on security rankings provided by multi-factor quantitative models and on fundamental analysis of the securities. As part of its research process, the research team uses “bottom-up” fundamental analysis to identify companies for the Fund’s long and short portfolio as described below. The Advisor may also utilize risk management techniques to establish constraints on the amount of exposure to individual securities, industries, countries and/or a variety of specific quantitative factors, such as quality, growth, value, momentum and leverage factors. The research process may include, among other things, prescreening potential investments using databases and industry contacts, analyzing companies’ annual reports and financial statements, making onsite visits, meeting with top management, evaluating the competitive environment, looking at distribution channels and identifying areas of potential growth.

Buying Securities

Decisions to buy securities are based on the best judgment of the Fund’s portfolio manager in a continuing effort to enhance long-term performance. Below are some of the factors that are considered by the portfolio manager when purchasing securities for the Fund.

The initial valuation review for securities to be purchased or sold short in the Fund may include:

 

 

Evaluations of the management team and market competition.

 

Modified earnings models with sensitivity analysis for changes to revenue growth rates, operating margins, outstanding share counts, and earnings multiples.

 

Fundamentals of the companies, including, but not limited to, price-to-sales, price-to-book, price-to-earnings, enterprise value-to-EBITDA and price/earnings-to-growth ratios.

 

Stock rankings provided by quantitative models that utilize quality, valuation and momentum factors that seek to identify stable, cash flow generating businesses with strong fundamental and technical momentum at reasonable prices.

 

Risk factors such as the extent of exposure to particular securities or industries, or short interest in a particular stock.

 

Changing sector and company specific outlooks due to subjective factors, including globalization of capital, labor and process knowledge, as well as increasing information and price transparency.

Short Selling Securities

Decisions to short sell securities are based on the best judgment of the Fund’s portfolio manager in a continuing effort to enhance long-term risk adjusted performance. In general, the Advisor may sell a short security when the Advisor believes:

 

   

A security can be used as an effective hedge against the risk exposures resulting from our long portfolio.

   

The rankings of the security provided by the multi-factor quantitative models have fallen.

   

The fundamentals of the security have deteriorated or the investment potential has diminished.

   

The Fund can borrow the required shares at a reasonable interest rate.

Selling Securities

Decisions to sell securities are based on the best judgment of the Fund’s portfolio manager in a continuing effort to enhance long-term performance. In general, the Advisor may sell a security when the Advisor believes:

 

   

The rankings of the security provided by the multi-factor quantitative models are poor or have fallen.

   

The fundamentals of the security have deteriorated or the investment potential has diminished.

   

The rationale used to buy the security is no longer valid.

   

The security becomes overpriced.

   

Another security has better investment potential.

In general, the Advisor may decide to close out a short position in a security when the Advisor considers, among other things:

 

9


   

That the price of the security has fallen to a point where the Fund will recognize a gain.

   

That the price of the security sold short has risen to a point where the Advisor believes capital is unreasonably at risk, regardless of how the Advisor evaluates the security.

   

That the fundamentals or investment potential of the security have improved.

   

The rankings of the security provided by the quantitative models have improved.

Additional Information about Investment Strategies and Risks

The following supplements the information for principal strategies of the Fund (as identified in the Summary) as well as provides additional information for the Fund using certain types of investments as non-principal strategies.

Foreign Securities Risk. The Fund may invest directly in securities issued by foreign companies listed on foreign exchanges, but it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to do so. It is a principal investment strategy of the Fund to invest in foreign companies indirectly through sponsored or un-sponsored American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or European Depositary Receipts. Investments in depositary receipts may be subject to many of the same risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not typically associated with U.S. investments.

Foreign Market Risk. Foreign securities markets may be less liquid and their prices may be more volatile than domestic markets. There also may be less government supervision and regulation of foreign stock exchanges, brokers, custodians and listed companies than in the U.S. Certain markets may require payment for securities before delivery and delays may be encountered in settling securities transactions. In some foreign markets, there may not be protection against failure by other parties to complete transactions. There may be limited legal recourse against an issuer in the event of a default on a debt instrument. The risks of investing in foreign markets may be magnified when investing in emerging or frontier markets.

Currency Risk. The U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets invested in foreign countries will be affected by foreign currency exchange rates and may be affected by exchange control regulations. A change in the value of any foreign currency will change the U.S. dollar value of the Fund’s assets that are denominated or traded in that country. In addition, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversions between various currencies. While the Wasatch Funds have the ability to hedge against fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, they have no present intention to do so. A risk of not hedging currencies is that if the U.S. dollar strengthens, returns from foreign markets will be less when converted into U.S. dollars. Additionally, certain countries may utilize formal or informal currency-exchange controls or “capital controls.” Capital controls may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investments or income. Such capital controls can also have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s holdings.

Political and Economic Risk. Foreign investments may be subject to heightened political and economic risks, particularly in countries with emerging economies and securities markets, which may have relatively unstable governments and economies based on only a few industries. In some countries, there is the risk that the government could seize or nationalize companies, impose additional withholding taxes on dividends or interest income payable on securities, impose exchange controls or adopt other restrictions that could affect the Fund’s investments.

Regulatory Risk. Foreign companies not publicly traded in the U.S. are not subject to accounting and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those U.S. companies must meet. In addition, there may be less information publicly available about such companies.

De-Listing Risk. Securities of certain foreign companies may be listed on a U.S. stock exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. Congress passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which could cause the securities of foreign issuers to be de-listed from U.S. stock exchanges if those companies do not permit U.S. oversight of the auditing of their financial information. To the extent the Fund invests in securities of such companies listed in the U.S., delisting could impact the Fund‘s ability to transact in such securities and could significantly impact their liquidity and market price. In addition, the Fund would have to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities which would also increase the Fund’s costs.

Foreign Tax Risk. The Fund’s income from foreign issuers may be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes. The Fund may also be subject to taxes on trading profits or on transfers of securities in some countries. To the extent foreign income taxes are paid by the Fund, shareholders may be entitled to a credit or deduction for U.S. tax purposes.

Transaction Costs. The costs of buying and selling foreign securities, including brokerage, tax and custody costs, are generally higher than those for domestic transactions.

Country/Region Risk. Social, political and economic conditions and changes in regulatory, tax, or economic policies in a country or region could significantly affect the markets in that country or region. In addition, global economies and financial markets are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact the issuers of securities in different countries or regions. From time to time, a small number of companies and industries may represent a large portion of the market in a particular country or

 

10


region, and these companies and industries can be sensitive to adverse social, political, economic, or regulatory developments.

Short Sales Risk. The Fund may engage in “short sales” and therefore participating in short sales is a principal risk of the Fund. Short sales involve the sale of a security the Fund has borrowed, with the expectation that the security will underperform the market. Short sales expose the Fund to the risk that it will be required to buy the security sold short (also known as “covering” the short position) at a time when the security appreciated in value, thus resulting in a loss to the Fund. For instance, the lender of the borrowed security may recall the security, in which case a Fund would have to either borrow the security from another lender or buy the security and deliver it to the lender. The Fund may not always be able to locate another lender, and thus the Fund may be required to cover the short position at a disadvantageous price. If this occurs, any anticipated gain to the Fund may be reduced or eliminated or the short sale may result in a loss. Although the gain is limited by the price at which the security was sold short, the potential loss on a short sale is theoretically unlimited because there is no upper limit on the price a borrowed security can attain. By contrast, a loss on a long position arises from decreases in the value of the security and is limited by the fact that a security’s value cannot go below zero. In a rising stock market, the Fund’s short positions may significantly impact the Fund’s overall performance and cause the Fund to underperform traditional long-only equity funds or to sustain losses, particularly in a sharply rising market. Short positions are more volatile than long positions due to risks inherent to short selling, including incorrect determinations of equity security valuations and/or the directional movement of stock market averages.

The Advisor’s use of short sales in combination with long positions in the Fund’s portfolio in an attempt to improve performance or reduce overall portfolio risk may not be successful and may result in greater losses or lower positive returns than if the Fund held only long positions. It is possible that the Fund’s long securities positions will decline in value at the same time that the value of its short securities positions increase, thereby increasing potential losses to the Fund. In addition, the Fund’s short selling strategies may limit its ability to fully benefit from increases in the equity markets. The use of short sales can result in significant losses for the Fund.

To facilitate the Fund’s short sale strategy, the Fund borrows the securities through an enhanced custody program offered by the Fund’s custodian, and sells short those borrowed securities. The Fund may utilize various ways to collateralize its obligation to return the borrowed securities, including by pledging securities or cash held in the Fund’s segregated custodial account. As a result, the Fund may maintain high levels of cash or other liquid assets, which may limit the Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities. The Fund pays the custodian a securities borrowing fee, a financing charge and a collateral management fee on borrowed securities. The Fund also is required to pay to the lender certain borrowing fees and amounts equal to any dividends paid during the period of the loan. There is no assurance that the custodian will be able to locate securities to be borrowed by the Fund or that other lenders of such securities will be available. Additionally, the custodian may require the Fund to close-out short positions sooner than anticipated. Furthermore, short positions typically involve increased liquidity risk and the risk that the third party to the short sale may fail to honor its contract terms. To the extent the Fund invests the proceeds received from selling securities short in additional long positions, the Fund is engaging in a form of leverage. The use of leverage may increase such Fund’s exposure to long positions and make any change in the Fund’s net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns.

In the past, in response to market events, regulatory authorities in various countries, including the United States, enacted temporary rules prohibiting the short-selling of certain stocks. If regulatory authorities were to reinstitute such rules or otherwise restrict short-selling, the Fund might not be able to fully implement its short-selling strategy.

Convertible Securities Risk. The Fund may invest in convertible securities, but it is a non-principal strategy of the Fund and is not considered a principal risk. Convertible securities are preferred stocks or debt obligations that are convertible into common stock. Generally, convertible securities offer lower interest or dividend yields than non-convertible securities of similar quality and have less potential for gains or capital appreciation in a rising stock market than other equity securities. They tend to be more volatile than other fixed-income securities, and the markets for convertible securities may be less liquid than the markets for common stocks or bonds. Convertible securities have both equity and fixed-income risk characteristics. Like all fixed-income securities, the value of convertible securities tends to decline as interest rates increase. If, however, the market price of the common stock underlying a convertible security approaches or exceeds the conversion price of the convertible security, then the convertible security tends to reflect the market price of the underlying common stock and may lose much or all of its value if the value of the underlying common stock then falls below the conversion price of the security. Additionally, an issuer may have the right to buy back certain convertible securities at a time and price that would be unfavorable to a Fund.

Cybersecurity Breach Risk. The Fund could be vulnerable, through its investments or otherwise, to cybersecurity breaches. Intentional cybersecurity breaches include: unauthorized access to systems, networks or devices (such as through “hacking” activity); infection from computer viruses or other malicious software code; and attacks that shut down, disable, slow, or otherwise disrupt operations, business processes, or website access or functionality. In addition, unintentional cybersecurity breaches can occur, such as the inadvertent release of confidential information. A cybersecurity breach could result in the loss or theft of customer data or funds, the inability to access electronic systems (“denial of services”), loss or theft of proprietary

 

11


information or corporate data, physical damage to a computer or network system, costs associated with system repairs and the inability to calculate net asset value, transact business, process transactions on behalf of shareholders or safeguard data. Such incidents could affect the business and reputation of companies in which a Fund invests, causing the Fund’s investments to lose value.

Early Stage Companies Risk. The Fund may invest in early stage companies from time to time, but investing in early stage companies is not considered a principal strategy of the Fund and is therefore not considered a principal risk of the Fund. Early stage companies may never obtain necessary financing, may rely on untested business plans, may not be successful in developing markets for their products or services, and may remain an insignificant part of their industry, and as such may never be profitable. Stocks of early stage companies may be illiquid, privately traded, and more volatile and speculative than the securities of larger companies.

Participatory Notes Risk. The Fund may invest in participatory notes, but it is not considered a principal risk of the Fund. “Participatory Notes,” commonly known as P-Notes, are contracts or similar instruments evidencing the indirect ownership of an underlying basket of securities held by banks or other parties, and used to obtain exposure to an equity investment, including common stocks and warrants in a local market where direct ownership is not permitted. The purchase of Participatory Notes involves risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the instrument (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer) is unable or refuses to perform under the terms of the instrument. Such instruments are not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid. There can be no assurance that the trading price or value of a Participatory Note will equal the value of the underlying equity security to which it is linked.

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Risk. The Fund may invest in ETFs, but it is a non-principal strategy of the Fund and is not considered a principal risk. The Fund may invest in ETFs in excess of the limits imposed under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (“the 1940 Act”) pursuant to exemptive orders obtained by certain ETFs and their sponsors from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). ETFs are investment companies, the shares of which are bought and sold on a securities exchange. The market price of a share of an ETF may fluctuate due to the supply of, and demand for, the ETF’s shares on the exchange upon which its shares are traded. An ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value. When the Fund invests in an ETF, it will bear additional expenses based on its pro rata share of the ETF’s operating expenses. Because of the ETF’s expenses, it may be more costly to own the ETF than to own the underlying securities directly. In addition, the Fund will incur brokerage costs when purchasing and selling shares of ETFs. The risk of owning an ETF generally reflects the risks of the underlying securities held by the ETF and the investment strategies employed by such funds (such as the use of leverage). As shares of ETFs trade on an exchange, they are subject to the risks of any exchange-traded instrument, including: (i) an active market for its shares may not develop or be maintained, (ii) market makers or authorized participants may decide to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of market stress, (iii) trading of its shares may be halted by the exchange, and (iv) its shares may be delisted from the exchange.

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) Risk. The Fund may invest in IPOs from time to time, but investing in IPOs is a non-principal strategy and is therefore not considered a principal risk of the Fund. IPOs involve a higher degree of risk not normally associated with offerings of more seasoned companies. Companies involved in IPOs generally have limited operating histories and their prospects for future profitability are uncertain. Prices of IPOs may also be unstable due to such factors as the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading and limited investor information. Shares purchased in IPOs may be difficult to sell at a time or price that is desirable.

Liquidity Risk. From time to time, the trading market for a particular security or securities or a type of security in which the Fund invests may become less liquid or even illiquid, particularly with respect to emerging-market and frontier-market securities, IPOs and early stage companies. Reduced liquidity will have an adverse impact on the Fund’s ability to sell such securities when necessary to meet the Fund’s liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event. Market price quotations for such securities may be volatile.

Derivatives Risk. The Fund may invest in derivatives, including put and call options on securities, options on futures, and foreign currency exchange contracts for hedging and speculative purposes, but it is a non-principal strategy of the Fund and is not considered a principal risk. A derivative is a financial contract whose value is based on (or “derived from”) a traditional security (such as a stock or bond), an asset (such as a commodity like gold), or a market index (such as the S&P 500). The Fund may use derivatives for hedging purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held or to be purchased for the Fund’s portfolio and to facilitate the sale of existing portfolio securities. The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. The risks of using derivatives include market risk, credit risk, management risk, liquidity risk and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative held by the Fund will not correlate with the asset, index or rate underlying the derivative contract. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. These instruments may entail investment exposures that are greater than their cost would suggest. As a result, a small investment in derivatives can result in losses that greatly exceed the original investment (unlike a long position in which the risk of loss may be limited to the notional amount of the instrument). Adverse movements in the price or value of the underlying asset or index can lead to losses from the use of

 

12


derivatives, which may be magnified by certain features of the contract. Short positions in derivatives may involve greater risks than long positions, as the risk of loss on short positions is theoretically unlimited. A derivative transaction also involves the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the contract to fulfill its obligations.

The potential benefits to be derived from an options, futures and derivatives strategy are dependent upon the ability of the portfolio manager(s) to assess the potential effect of market or economic developments on the underlying asset, index or rate, and the derivative itself. This requires different skills and techniques than attempting to predict changes in the price of individual equity or debt securities, and there can be no assurance that the use of this strategy will be successful.

Preferred Stock Risk. Investing in preferred stock is a non-principal strategy of the Fund and is not considered a principal risk of the Fund. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, may offer a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative, non-cumulative, participating or auction rate. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline affecting the stock’s price. Preferred securities generally are subordinate to bonds and other debt instruments in the company’s capital structure and therefore are subject to greater credit risk. Further, preferred securities holders generally have no voting rights subject to exceptions when preferred dividends have been in arrears for a specified number of periods.

Warrants and Rights Risk. Investing in warrants and rights is a non-principal strategy of the Fund and is not considered a principal risk of the Fund. A warrant gives the Fund the right to buy a specified amount of an underlying stock at a predetermined “exercise” price on the date the warrant expires. The Fund has no obligation to exercise the warrant and buy the stock, and a warrant will only have value if the Fund is able to exercise it or sell it before it expires. If the price of the underlying stock does not rise above the exercise price before the warrant expires, typically the warrant will expire without any value and the Fund will lose any amount it paid for the warrant. Similarly, a stock right entitles the Fund to purchase new shares issued by a corporation at a predetermined price (normally at a discount to the stock’s current market price) in proportion to the number of shares already owned. Issued rights are only exercisable for a short period of time, after which they expire. The Fund has no obligation to exercise a right and buy the newly issued stock, and a right will only have value if the Fund is able to exercise the right or sell it before it expires.

Cash/Temporary Defensive Positions

The Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in an attempt to respond to adverse market, economic, political, or other conditions.

For example, the Fund may temporarily increase its cash position or invest a larger portion of its assets in money market instruments or repurchase agreements. The Fund reserves the right to invest all of its assets in temporary defensive positions.

When the Fund takes temporary defensive positions, it may not participate in market advances or declines to the same extent that it would if the Fund remained more fully invested in stocks. In addition, the Fund may not achieve its investment objective(s).

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. Because the sub-adviser may adjust the Fund’s long and short positions from time to time in an attempt to maintain the desired exposure to the stock market, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate may exceed 100%.

To a lesser extent, the Fund may purchase securities in anticipation of relatively short-term price gains. Increased portfolio turnover may result in higher costs for brokerage commissions and dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs and may also result in taxable capital gains.

Other Investment Strategies

The Fund may invest in other instruments which are considered non-principal strategies. For information about these non-principal strategies and their risks, see “Investment Strategies and Their Risks” in the Statement of Additional Information (SAI).

Investment Objectives and other Policies

The investment objective of the Fund can be changed without shareholder approval. Shareholders will be given at least 60 days’ notice prior to any change to the Fund’s investment objective. Certain policies of the Fund also cannot be changed without a shareholder vote. These policies are described in the SAI.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings

The Fund’s portfolio securities disclosure policy is described in the SAI.

 

13


Wasatch Funds — Management

Investment Advisor

The investment advisor for the Fund is Wasatch Advisors, Inc., doing business as Wasatch Global Investors (i.e., the Advisor). The Advisor and Wasatch Funds are located at 505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108. The Advisor has been in the investment advisory business since 1975. As of June 30, 2021, the Advisor had approximately $[____] billion in assets under management.

The Advisor is responsible for investing the Fund’s assets, placing orders to buy and sell securities and negotiating brokerage commissions on portfolio transactions. In addition, the Advisor provides certain administrative services and manages the Fund’s business affairs.

Management Fees and Expense Limitations

The Fund pays the Advisor a monthly management fee that is a percentage of the Fund’s average daily net assets as reflected in the table below.

 

Wasatch Fund

 

 

Annual Management
Fees, Net of
Reimbursements

 

Long/Short Alpha Fund

  1.25%

Information regarding the basis for the Board of Trustees’ approval of the investment advisory agreement for the Fund will be available in the Fund’s next semi-annual report dated March 31st.

The Advisor has contractually agreed to limit the expenses for the Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares of the Fund at least through January 31, 2023 to a certain percentage of average net assets computed on a daily basis, subject to the following: the Advisor will pay all expenses, excluding fees and expenses incurred in borrowing securities and selling portfolio securities short including the enhanced custody fees (which include borrowing costs, financing fees and other charges paid in connection with borrowing the security to be sold short, and maintaining related margin collateral), interest, dividend expense on short sales/interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, other investment related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business in excess of such limitations. Expense limits are shown in the following chart. The Fund may only make repayments to the Advisor for amounts reimbursed if such repayment does not cause the Fund’s expense ratio, after the repayment is taken into account, to exceed both (i) the expense cap in place at the time such amounts were waived; and (ii) the Fund’s current expense cap. The Board of Trustees is the only party that can terminate the contractual limitation prior to the contract’s expiration. The Advisor can rescind the contractual limitation on expenses any time after January 31, 2023. Shareholder expenses may increase if the Advisor does not renew the contractual expense cap after its expiration date.

Management fees and net expenses for the Fund are higher than those paid by most mutual funds.

 

Wasatch Fund   

Investor Class

Shares

Expense

Limitation

  

Institutional Class

Shares

Expense

Limitation

Long/Short Alpha Fund

   1.75%    1.50%

Portfolio Managers

All Wasatch Funds are managed by a research team consisting of portfolio managers and securities analysts. The lead portfolio managers, portfolio managers and associate portfolio managers are responsible for making investment decisions for their respective funds in accordance with each fund’s investment objective(s) and strategies. The lead portfolio managers are ultimately responsible for managing their respective funds in accordance with the fund’s investment objective(s) and strategies. The Fund is managed using a team approach. The research team is responsible for analyzing securities and making investment recommendations. The portfolio manager listed in the table below is primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund.

 

Name of Fund

 

  

Portfolio Manager(s)

 

  

Long/Short Alpha Fund

  

Mick Rasmussen, CFA

  

 

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Mick Rasmussen, CFA has been the Lead Portfolio Manager of the Long/Short Alpha Fund since [______, 2021]. Mr. Rasmussen joined the Advisor in 2014 as a Quantitative Analyst on the U.S. small cap and global research teams. Prior to joining Wasatch, Mr. Rasmussen studied at the University of Southern California, earning a Bachelor of Science in Finance. While in college, he held various internships with companies including eBay, Cincinnati Financial Corporation and Moreton & Company. Along with studying business, he earned a degree in Music Production and worked as a DJ in the Los Angeles area. He is also a CFA charterholder.

The SAI provides additional information about portfolio manager compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio manager’s ownership of securities in the Fund.

Service Providers

Investment Advisor

Wasatch Advisors, Inc., d/b/a Wasatch Global Investors

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Administrator and Fund Accountant

State Street Bank and Trust Company

801 Pennsylvania Avenue

Kansas City, MO 64105

Distributor

ALPS Distributors, Inc.

1290 Broadway, Suite 1100

Denver, CO 80203

Transfer Agent

UMB Fund Services, Inc.

235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, WI 53212

Custodian

State Street Bank and Trust Company

801 Pennsylvania Avenue

Kansas City, MO 64105

Legal Counsel to Wasatch Funds

and Independent Trustees

Chapman and Cutler LLP

111 West Monroe Street

Chicago, IL 60603

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

[name]

Wasatch Funds — Shareholder’s Guide

 

Investment Minimums

     Investor

Class

   Institutional

Class

New Accounts

   $2,000    $100,000

New Accounts with an Automatic Investment Plan

   $1,000   

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)

   $2,000   

Coverdell Education Savings Accounts

   $1,000   
Other than the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, the minimum for subsequent purchases in regular and IRA accounts is $100 for Investor Class shares. The minimum for subsequent purchases via the automatic investment plan is $50 monthly and/or $100 quarterly for Investor Class shares.
Make checks payable to Wasatch Funds

 

15


Investment Minimums — Institutional Class

Institutional Class shares are offered to all types of investors, provided that the investor meets the minimum investment threshold for Institutional Class shares. Other than the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, there is a $5,000 minimum for subsequent purchases of Institutional Class shares. Wasatch Funds reserves the right to reduce or waive the investment minimums for any reason, including omnibus accounts established by financial intermediaries where such financial intermediary can demonstrate to the satisfaction of a Fund officer or authorized Advisor employee at the time the account is opened that its investment in a Fund is expected to meet the stated investment minimum within a reasonable time period. Investors and/or Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and Broker-Dealers may generally meet the minimum investment amount at the time an account is opened by aggregating multiple accounts with common ownership or discretionary control within a Fund. Requests for waivers may be made to a fund officer or authorized Advisor employee through the Fund’s transfer agent. Institutional Class shares are also available for purchase, with no minimum initial investment, by current and former trustees/directors and officers of any Wasatch Fund, and their immediate family members (as defined in the SAI), current officers and current and former directors of the Advisor and its affiliates, and their immediate family members, and full-time and retired employees of the Advisor and its affiliates, and their immediate family members, and for accounts opened by qualified retirement or profit sharing plans held through third party service providers or record keepers.

How to Contact Wasatch

Online

wasatchglobal.com

or via email at

shareholderservice@wasatchfunds.com

Telephone

800.551.1700

Shareholder services representatives are available Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time. You can also reach our automated system 24 hours a day for daily share prices and account information.

Wasatch Funds shareholders who have combined account balances of $100,000 or more held directly with the Funds have access to an exclusive toll free telephone number. See “Premier Services” in the Account Policies section of this prospectus for more information, or contact shareholder services at 800.551.1700 or email shareholderservice@wasatchfunds.com.

Mail

Regular Mail Delivery

Wasatch Funds

P.O. Box 2172

Milwaukee, WI 53201-2172

Overnight Delivery

Wasatch Funds

235 West Galena Street

Milwaukee, WI 53212

Open a New Account Directly with Wasatch Funds

For policies governing the following transactions and services, please see “Account Policies.”

New accounts are subject to acceptance by Wasatch Funds. To open a retirement or education savings account, you will also need the appropriate information kit and application.

Online

Visit Wasatch Funds’ website at wasatchglobal.com, complete and electronically submit the online application. You may also sign up to invest automatically by filling out the Account Privileges Change Form.

Accounts for third parties, trusts, corporations, partnerships and other entities may not be opened online and are not eligible for online transactions.

Telephone

Complete the appropriate application and call for instructions on how to open an account via wire.

Mail

 

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Complete the application for the type of account you are opening. Mail the application, any other materials (such as a corporate resolution for corporate accounts) and a check made payable to Wasatch Funds.

Purchase Shares Directly from Wasatch Funds for an Existing Account

Online

If you have previously provided bank information for an existing account, you may purchase Investor Class shares for your account in amounts of $100 or more and Institutional Class shares in amounts of $5,000 or more.

Telephone

You may add to your account via electronic funds transfer in amounts of $100 up to $100,000 (for individual and corporate accounts) for Investor Class shares and in amounts of $5,000 up to $100,000 for Institutional Class shares (for individual and corporate accounts). If an electronic funds transfer cannot be processed for any reason, your account will be charged a service fee (currently $20.00).

Mail

Complete the additional investment form from your statement or write a note that includes the name and Class of the Fund (i.e., Investor Class or Institutional Class), name(s) of investor(s) on the account and the account number. Mail the form or a note and a check made payable to Wasatch Funds.

Wire

Have your bank send your investment to:

 

• 

  

UMB Bank, N.A.

  

ABA Number 101000695

For credit to Wasatch Funds

• 

  

Account Number 987-060-9800

For further credit to:

  

Wasatch (name and Class of Fund)

• 

  

Your Wasatch account number

  

Name(s) of investor(s)

  

Social Security or tax ID number

Automatically

For Investor Class only

Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) — Complete and mail the Account Privileges Change Form and any other required materials. The Form can be obtained from our website or by calling a shareholder services representative.

The minimum for subsequent automatic investments is $50 per month and/or $100 per quarter for Investor Class shares.

Sell (Redeem) Shares Purchased Directly from Wasatch Funds

General

 

 

Redemption requests for over $100,000 (in individual and corporate accounts) must be made in writing (a Medallion

signature guarantee is required).

 

Checks will be mailed to the address on your account.

 

Redemption requests made within 30 days of an address change must be made in writing and require a Medallion

signature guarantee.

Online

You may sell shares in amounts of $500 up to $100,000 for Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares.

Telephone

 

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You may sell shares in your account in amounts of $500 up to $100,000 for Investor Class shares (for individual and corporate accounts) and for Institutional Class shares (for individual and corporate accounts) by calling Wasatch Funds if you did not decline the telephone redemption privilege when establishing your account.

Mail

Send Wasatch Funds a Letter that Includes:

 

 

Your name

 

The name and Class of the Fund

 

Your account number(s)

 

The dollar amount or number of shares to be redeemed

 

Your daytime telephone number

 

Signature(s) of account owners (sign exactly as the account is registered)

 

Medallion signature guarantee (if required)

For IRA accounts, please obtain an IRA Distribution Form from our website wasatchglobal.com or by calling a shareholder services representative. If no withholding instructions are given, Wasatch Funds is required to withhold 10%.

Automatically

Investor Class and Institutional Class

Systematic Withdrawal Plan — Complete and mail the Account Privileges Change Form and any other required materials. The Form can be obtained from our website wasatchglobal.com or by calling a shareholder services representative.

This plan allows you to make monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual redemptions of $50 or more.

Wasatch Funds — Account Policies

Why Wasatch Closes or Reopens Funds

The Advisor or the Fund may take action to periodically close (“hard close”) or limit inflows into (“soft close”) the Fund to protect the integrity of the Fund’s investment strategy or objective. Hard closing or soft closing funds can be an important component of portfolio management, particularly for funds that primarily invest in smaller companies. We believe that closing funds or restricting inflows through some or all channels from time to time may be in the best interest of our shareholders. Conversely, when the assets of a closed or restricted Fund are at a level that we believe additional assets could be invested without impairing the Fund, we may reopen the Fund. We retain the right to make exceptions to any action taken to close or limit inflows into a Fund.

The SAI provides more detailed information about why and when the Fund may be hard or soft closed.

How Wasatch Closes or Reopens Funds

Fund closings or reopenings will be posted on Wasatch Funds’ website at wasatchglobal.com. The Advisor will seek to post information related to fund closings at least two weeks prior to the effective date of the closing.

You may sign up on Wasatch Funds’ website to receive electronic notification of fund closings and openings. You can also request information about a Fund’s open or closed status from a shareholder services representative by calling our toll-free number at 800.551.1700.

Each change in the Fund’s status also will be filed electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Policies to Prevent Market Timing

Short-term trading or “market timing” involves frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares and may present risks for long-term shareholders of the fund including among other things, dilution in the value of fund shares held by long-term shareholders, interference in the efficient management of the fund’s portfolio, increased brokerage and administrative costs and forcing the fund to hold excess levels of cash. One form of market timing is called “time zone arbitrage.” This occurs when shareholders of a fund that primarily invests in securities that are listed on foreign exchanges take advantage of time zone differences between the close of the foreign markets on which the fund’s securities trade and the close of the U.S. markets, which is when the fund’s share price is calculated. Arbitrage opportunities may also occur in funds that do not invest in foreign securities. For example, if trading in a security held by a fund is halted and does not resume prior to the time the fund’s share price is calculated, such “stale pricing” presents an opportunity for investors to take advantage of the pricing discrepancy.

 

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Similarly, funds that hold thinly-traded securities, such as certain micro- or small-capitalization securities, may be exposed to varying levels of pricing arbitrage.

Wasatch Funds are intended as long-term investments. Therefore, the Fund’s Board of Trustees (Board) has adopted policies and procedures designed to prohibit short-term trading, excessive exchanges and other market timing activities. Steps Wasatch Funds has taken include: periodically reviewing individual shareholder trading activity to identify shareholders who are making excessive transactions or otherwise trading the Fund inappropriately, imposing a 2.00% redemption fee on shares held 60 days or less (subject to certain exceptions) and revising or terminating the exchange privilege, limiting the amount of any exchange, or rejecting an exchange or purchase, at any time, for any reason.

The redemption fee may be waived for certain wrap accounts and for certain omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries whose systems are unable to assess the redemption fee and for certain employer-sponsored retirement accounts (including certain 401(k) and other types of defined contribution or employee benefit plans).

The redemption fee may be waived by the Fund’s officers in any case where the nature of the transaction or circumstances do not pose the risks that the Board’s policies and procedures to prevent market timing are designed to mitigate. All waivers provided by the Fund’s officers will be disclosed to the Board at its next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. See “Redemption Fee” below for additional information regarding the fee.

The Fund cannot always know about or reasonably detect excessive trading by shareholders who purchase shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries. Intermediaries generally maintain omnibus accounts with the Fund, which do not allow access to individual shareholders’ account information. In compliance with federal securities laws, the Fund executes agreements with intermediaries that obligate them to provide certain shareholder data upon request so that the Fund may be able to detect excessive trading and market timing by underlying shareholders. Shareholders who have purchased shares of the Fund through financial intermediaries that do not execute the information sharing agreements may be restricted from purchasing additional shares of the Fund (other than an automatic reinvestment of dividends) through an omnibus account with such financial intermediary.

Required Information

Federal regulations may require the Fund to obtain your name, your date of birth, your residential address or principal place of business and mailing address as well as your taxpayer identification number at the time you open your account. Applications without this information may not be accepted. To the extent permitted by law, the Fund reserves the right to place limits on transactions in your account until your identity has been verified.

Investment Minimums — Investor Class

•If you purchase shares directly from Wasatch Funds, the minimum initial investment for a regular account is $2,000 unless otherwise noted on the application.

•The minimum initial investment for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) is $2,000. For regular accounts opened with an automatic investment plan, it is $1,000.

•Other than the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, the minimum for subsequent purchases in regular and IRA accounts is $100. The minimum for subsequent purchases via the automatic investment plan is $50 monthly and/or $100 quarterly.

•Wasatch Funds reserves the right to reduce or waive the investment minimums for any reason, including for accounts opened by qualified retirement or profit sharing plans held through third party service providers or record keepers, and/or omnibus accounts established by financial intermediaries where such financial intermediary can demonstrate to the satisfaction of a Fund officer or authorized Advisor employee at the time the account is opened that its investment in a Fund is expected to meet the stated investment minimum within a reasonable time period. Investors, registered investment advisors (RIAs) and broker-dealers may generally meet the minimum investment amount at the time an account is opened by aggregating multiple accounts with common ownership or discretionary control within a Fund. Requests for waivers may be made to a fund officer or authorized Advisor employee through the Funds’ transfer agent.

•Accounts opened through third parties such as brokers or banks may be subject to different minimums for initial and subsequent purchases. An investor transacting in the Investor Class shares may be required to pay a commission to a broker or other financial intermediary.

Investment Minimums — Institutional Class

The minimum initial investment for Institutional Class shares is $100,000. Other than the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, there is a $5,000 minimum for subsequent purchases of Institutional Class Shares.

•Wasatch Funds reserves the right to reduce or waive the investment minimums for any reason, including for omnibus accounts established by financial intermediaries where such financial intermediary can demonstrate to the satisfaction of a Fund officer or authorized Advisor employee at the time the account is opened that its investment in a Fund is expected to meet the stated investment minimum within a reasonable time period. Investors, Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and

 

19


Broker-Dealers may generally meet the minimum investment amount at the time an account is opened by aggregating multiple accounts with common ownership or discretionary control within a Fund. Requests for waivers may be made to a fund officer or authorized Advisor employee through the Funds’ transfer agent.

•Accounts opened through third parties such as brokers or banks may be subject to different minimums for initial and subsequent purchases.

Types of Regular Accounts

•Individual or Joint Ownership

•Gift to Minor

•Corporation, Partnership, Trust or Other Entity

Types of Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) — Investor Class

•Traditional IRA

•Rollover IRA

•Roth IRA

•SEP-IRA

•SIMPLE IRA

•Section 403(b)(7) Plan

There is an annual pass through IRA maintenance fee of $12.50 that is charged by the IRA custodian on a per-account basis. The fee is capped at $25.00 per Social Security number, per account type.

Types of Education Savings Plans — Investor Class

•Coverdell Education Savings Account

Premier Services

Shareholders who purchase shares directly through Wasatch Funds and maintain account balances above certain thresholds may qualify for additional benefits and services as members of Wasatch Premier Services.

Benefits start at combined account balances of $100,000, improve at a level of $250,000 and reach the highest at a level of $500,000 or more. Some of the benefits may include:

•Use of an exclusive toll-free number for direct access to an experienced shareholder services team member.

•Exemptions for certain account and maintenance fees.

•Priority notification of new or reopened Wasatch Funds.

•Access to quarterly comments from Wasatch portfolio managers.

•Choice of monthly or quarterly statements.

•Access to closed funds.

Accounts that drop below a minimum service model threshold may no longer be eligible for that level of Premier Services. The Fund reserves the right to modify the Premier Services offering, eligibility requirements, benefits or services at any time. For questions regarding Premier Services please contact shareholder services at 800.551.1700 or email shareholderservice@wasatchfunds.com.

No Cancellations

Please place your transactions with care. The Fund will not cancel any transaction once it has been initiated and, if applicable, a reference or confirmation number has been assigned.

Purchasing Shares

•There are no sales charges to purchase shares of the Fund.

•The purchase price of your shares will be determined the next time the Fund’s share price is calculated after the transfer agent has received your request in good order prior to the close of regular trading on a day on which the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is open. A purchase request is in “good order” when the Fund’s transfer agent has received all the information and documentation it deems necessary to effect your request, which would typically mean that it has received federal funds, a wire, a check or Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) transaction, together with a completed account application, or, if you are an existing shareholder, a completed additional investment form (or written or verbal instructions, which include your name, account number, name and class of shares of the Fund and investment amount). Please refer to the Shareholder’s Guide for more detailed instructions on purchasing shares of the Funds.

•Purchases must be made in U.S. dollars.

 

20


•Wasatch Funds does not accept cash, money orders, third party checks, travelers checks, credit card checks, checks drawn on banks outside the U.S. or other checks deemed to be high risk.

•Purchase requests may not be made via fax or email.

•The Fund reserves the right to stop selling shares at any time or to reject specific purchase requests, including purchases by exchange from another Wasatch Fund or the Federated Prime Cash Obligations Fund (Ticker: PTAXX) (the “Money Market Fund”).

•Institutional Class shares are also available for purchase, with no minimum initial investment, by current and former trustees/directors and officers of any Wasatch Fund, and their immediate family members (as defined in the statement of additional information), current officers and current and former directors of the Advisor and its affiliates, and their immediate family members, and full-time and retired employees of the Advisor and its affiliates, and their immediate family members.

•Purchase requests sent to Wasatch Funds’ headquarters in Salt Lake City will be forwarded to the transfer agent in Milwaukee, but the effective date of the purchase will be delayed until the request has been received in good order by the transfer agent.

•Purchase requests made by telephone will only be accepted for accounts that have previously established bank information to allow electronic funds transfer from the Automated Clearing House (ACH).

•When you make an initial purchase of shares online, the purchase amount will be withdrawn from your bank after the transfer agent has received your online application in good order. You will receive a reference number for your transaction when you submit your application or subsequent purchase. A verification of your request will also be sent to your email address and we will mail a transaction confirmation to you when we have processed your online application. Please double check that the bank information you provide is correct. You will be held liable for losses incurred by the Fund due to incorrect bank information.

•A $20.00 fee will be assessed if your purchase cannot be made for any reason. See also “Insufficient Funds Policy.”

Selling (Redeeming) Shares

•You may request that the Fund redeems all or a portion of your shares.

•The price of shares you redeem will be determined the next time the Fund’s share price is calculated after the transfer agent has received your request in good order.

•Most new accounts automatically have the telephone redemption privilege, unless it is specifically declined. Some accounts such as corporate accounts do not receive the redemption privilege unless they complete and return the Redemption and Exchange Privileges Form.

•You may redeem shares in your account in amounts of $500 up to $100,000 (including for corporate accounts) for Investor Class shares and for Institutional Class shares online or by telephone.

•Redemption requests for over $100,000 (in individual and corporate accounts) must be made in writing and a Medallion signature guarantee is required.

•Wasatch Funds does not accept redemption requests made via fax or email.

•The Fund will mail a check to the address on your account within seven days after the transfer agent has received your request in good order.

•Redemption proceeds can also be sent by wire ($15.00 fee) or electronic funds transfer to your preauthorized bank account. The Fund’s transfer agent will increase the redemption request by the additional number of shares or partial shares needed to cover the wire transfer fee and will pay that fee to the processing bank.

•Payment may be delayed for up to seven days on redemption requests for recent purchases made by check or electronic funds transfer to ensure that the payment has cleared.

•Redemption requests sent to Wasatch Funds’ headquarters in Salt Lake City will be forwarded to the transfer agent in Milwaukee, but the effective date of the redemption will be delayed until the request has been received in good order by the transfer agent.

•The Fund typically expects to pay redemption proceeds to redeeming shareholders within one business day following a request received in good order by the transfer agent. Receipt of redemption proceeds may take longer for wire transfers and ACH transactions, depending on your bank’s processing times. Receipt of redemption proceeds may also take longer if shares of the Fund are purchased through an intermediary.

•The Fund can delay payment of redemption proceeds for up to seven days at any time if it is deemed to be in the best interests of the Fund to do so.

•To meet redemption requests, the Fund typically expects to use cash reserves held in the Fund’s portfolio and/or the proceeds from sales of portfolio securities effected shortly after the redemption request. The Fund may also meet redemption requests by borrowing under a line of credit or through overdrafts with its custodian. The Fund more likely will employ these additional methods to meet larger redemption requests or during times of market stress.

•The Fund generally pays redemptions in cash, and have filed a notice with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of their intent to pay redemptions up to certain amounts in cash; however, the Fund reserves the right to redeem all or a portion of a redemption request with securities or other Fund assets, if it is determined to be in the best interests of the Fund to do so. Although generally unlikely, if the Fund does redeem shares in-kind, you will likely have to pay brokerage commissions to sell the securities or other assets delivered to you as well as any taxes on any capital gains incurred upon the sale. In addition, the securities or other assets distributed to you will continue to be subject to market risk until they are sold.

 

21


•Redemption requests from corporations, executors, administrators, trustees and guardians may require additional documentation and a Medallion signature guarantee.

•If the account is worth less than the amount requested, the entire value of the account will be redeemed.

•The Fund can suspend redemptions and/or delay payment of redemption proceeds for more than seven days after a redemption request has been received under the following unusual circumstances: (i) for any period (a) during which the NYSE is closed other than customary weekend and holiday closings; or (b) during which trading on the NYSE is restricted; (ii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which (a) disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not reasonably practicable; or (b) it is not reasonably practicable for such Fund fairly to determine the value of its net assets; or (iii) for such other periods as the SEC may by order permit for the protection of security holders of the Fund.

•The Fund reserves the right to reject or delay a redemption on certain legal grounds. See “Emergency Circumstances.”

•Redeeming shares may result in a taxable capital gain or loss.

•Due to money movement between Wasatch Funds and the Money Market Fund, requests made on the business day prior to a bank holiday will be processed on the following business day (subject to exception for redemptions of shares of the Money Market Fund during any period in which there is a temporary suspension of redemptions). This applies to the Fund being redeemed and the Fund being purchased. Bank holidays include Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day. Bank holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.

Redemption Fee

•The Fund will deduct a fee of 2.00% from redemption proceeds on Fund shares held 60 days or less, except as noted below.

•Exchanges on shares held 60 days or less will, subject to certain exceptions, trigger the redemption fee. Exchanges out of the Money Market Fund will not trigger the redemption fee.

•The redemption fee is paid directly to the Fund and is designed to offset brokerage commissions, market impact and other costs associated with fluctuations in Fund asset levels and cash flow caused by short-term shareholder trading.

•If you bought shares on different days, the shares you held longest will be redeemed first for the purpose of determining whether the redemption fee applies.

•Shares transferred from one shareholder to another shareholder retain their original purchase date in the hands of the transferee for the application of the redemption fee.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares acquired through reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gains.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed through a systematic withdrawal plan.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed from shareholder accounts liquidated for failure to meet the minimum investment requirement.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed from a shareholder account for which the identity of the shareholder, for purposes of complying with anti-money laundering laws, could not be determined within a reasonable time after the account was opened.

•The redemption fee does not apply in the event of any involuntary redemption and/or exchange transactions, including, for example, those required by law or regulation, a regulatory agency, a court order, or as a result of the liquidation of the Fund by its Board of Trustees.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed through an automatic, non-discretionary rebalancing or asset allocation program.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed due to a disability as defined by the IRS requirements.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed due to death for shares transferred from a decedent’s account to a beneficiary’s account.

•The redemption fee does not apply in the event of a back office correction made to an account to provide the shareholder with the intended transaction.

•The redemption fee does not apply to a distribution due to hardship as defined by the IRS.

•The redemption fee does not apply in the event of the following transactions: a distribution from a defined contribution terminated employee account, a plan distribution of non-vested participant balance in a defined contribution account, a distribution from a defined contribution plan to provide a participant with a loan against the account, or an amount contributed to a defined contribution plan exceeding the maximum annual contribution limit.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares gifted from one shareholder account to another shareholder account, assuming the age of the gifted shares is greater than 60 days.

•The redemption fee may be waived for certain wrap accounts and for certain omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries whose systems are unable to assess the redemption fee and certain employer-sponsored retirement accounts (including certain 401(k) and other types of defined contribution or employee benefit plans).

•The redemption fee may be waived by Wasatch Funds’ officers in any case where the nature of the transaction or circumstances do not pose the risks that the Board’s policies and procedures to prevent market timing are designed to mitigate. All waivers provided by Wasatch Funds’ officers will be disclosed to the Fund’s Board at its next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. The Fund reserves the right to modify or eliminate the redemption fee or waivers at any time.

•The redemption fee assessed by certain financial intermediaries that have omnibus accounts in the Fund, including employer-sponsored retirement accounts, may be calculated using methodologies that differ from those utilized by Wasatch Funds’ transfer agent. Such differences are typically attributable to system design differences and are unrelated to the investment in the Fund. These system differences are not intended or expected to facilitate market timing or frequent trading.

 

22


How the Fund’s Shares are Priced

•The Fund’s share prices change daily, so the price of shares you wish to purchase or redeem will be determined the next time the Fund’s share price is calculated after the transfer agent has received your request in good order.

•The Fund’s share price, or net asset value (NAV), is calculated by dividing the value of all securities and other assets owned by the class of the Fund, less the liabilities charged to the class of the Fund, by the number of class shares outstanding.

•The Fund’s share price is calculated as of the regular close of trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (normally 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time) every day the NYSE is open.

•The Fund’s NAV will not be calculated on days the NYSE is closed (scheduled or unscheduled) or on holidays the NYSE observes, including New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The NYSE may close early on the day before each observed holiday and the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. NYSE holiday schedules are subject to change without notice.

•The Fund’s investments are primarily valued using market quotations. Debt securities (other than short-term instruments) are valued at prices furnished by a pricing service, subject to review and possible revision by the Advisor. Debt securities with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less at the time of purchase generally shall be valued by the amortized cost method unless it is determined that the amortized cost method would not represent fair value, in which case the securities would be marked to market. To the extent the Fund invests in registered open-end investment companies (other than exchange-traded funds), such investments are valued based on the NAV of such funds. The prospectuses of such funds will explain the circumstances under which these companies will use fair value pricing and the effects of using fair value pricing.

•If market quotations are not readily available for the Fund’s investments in securities such as restricted securities, private placements, securities for which trading has been halted or other illiquid securities, these investments will be valued at fair value by the Pricing Committee of the Advisor with oversight by the Fund’s Board, in accordance with Board-approved Pricing Policies and Procedures.

•The Fund’s investments will be valued at fair value by the Pricing Committee of the Advisor with oversight by the Fund’s Board if the Advisor determines that an event impacting the value of an investment occurred after the close of the security’s primary exchange or market (i.e., a foreign exchange or market) and before the time the Fund’s share price is calculated. In addition, the Fund may adjust the closing prices of certain foreign securities traded on markets that have closed prior to the U.S. equity markets (principally, overseas markets), using fair value factors provided by an independent pricing agent, on any business day a change in the value of the U.S. equity markets (as represented by a benchmark index approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees) exceeds a certain threshold. The prices will not be adjusted for securities traded on markets that are open at the same time the U.S. equity markets are open, or when a reliable fair value factor is unavailable.

•Despite best efforts, there is an inherent risk that the fair value of an investment may be higher or lower than the value the Fund would have received if it had sold the investment.

•The Fund may hold portfolio securities, such as those traded on foreign exchanges, that trade on weekends or other days when the Fund’s share price is not calculated. Therefore, the value of the Fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem shares.

Medallion Signature Guarantee

A Medallion signature guarantee assures that a signature is genuine. It is intended to protect shareholders and the Fund against fraudulent transactions by unauthorized persons.

Medallion signature guarantees are required by Wasatch Funds in the following cases:

•To change your designated bank account or bank address.

•To add bank information to an existing account.

•To request a redemption (must be made in writing) in excess of $100,000 for any individual or corporate account.

•To request a wire or ACH transfer of redemption proceeds to a bank account other than the bank account of record.

•Requests for redemption proceeds to be mailed to an address other than the address of record.

•Redemptions made within 30 days of an address change.

•Certain transactions on accounts involving executors, administrators, trustees or guardians.

•On the IRA Transfer Form if transferring your Wasatch Funds IRA to another fund family.

•To change registered account holders.

•To change the name on an account due to divorce or marriage (or you can provide a certified copy of the legal documents showing the name change).

•To add telephone privileges.

The Fund reserves the right to require a Medallion signature guarantee under other circumstances.

How to Obtain a Medallion Signature Guarantee

 

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Medallion signature guarantees must be obtained from a participant in one of the Medallion signature guarantee programs. The best sources for obtaining a Medallion guarantee are banks, savings and loan associations, brokerage firms or credit unions with which you do business. Call your financial institution to see if it participates in a Medallion program.

A Medallion signature guarantee may not be provided by a notary public.

Automatic Investment Plan (AIP) — Investor Class

•Online, the AIP may be referred to as a pre-authorized draft or PAD.

•Automatic purchases of Investor Class shares can be made for as little as $50 per month and/or $100 per quarter.

The Funds do not currently charge a fee for this service.

•You may elect to have your automatic purchase made on the 5th and/or the 20th day of each month. If these dates fall on a weekend or holiday, purchases will be made on the next business day.

•Your signed Account Privileges Change Form and an unsigned, voided check or deposit slip must be received at least 14 days prior to your first automatic purchase.

•Your financial institution must be a member of the Automated Clearing House (ACH).

•When your AIP has been established, the bank or financial institution you designate can begin debiting a preauthorized amount from your account on a specified date to purchase Investor Class shares for your Fund account.

•A $20 fee will be assessed if your automatic purchase cannot be made for any reason.

•Instructions to change your AIP must be received at least five days prior to your regularly scheduled purchase.

•If you redeem an account with an AIP to a zero balance, the plan will be discontinued.

Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP) — Investor Class and Institutional Class

•You may arrange to make monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual redemptions of $50 or more. There is no charge to shareholders for using this plan.

•Your Fund account balance must be at least $5,000 at the time you begin participation in the plan.

•You may choose either the 5th and/or the 20th of the month to have systematic withdrawals distributed to you. If the day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, the distribution will be made on the next business day.

•You may terminate the SWP at any time without charge or penalty.

•The Fund may terminate or modify the plan after 60 days’ written notice to shareholders.

•The redemption fee does not apply to shares redeemed through the plan.

•If your balance is below the systematic withdrawal amount, the entire balance will be distributed and the plan will be discontinued.

Exchanging Shares

•Fund shares may be exchanged for shares of the same class (i.e., Investor Class or Institutional Class) of other Wasatch Funds. Shares of a class held by any shareholder who is eligible to hold shares of another class of the same or another Wasatch Fund may be exchanged upon the shareholder’s request on the basis of the relative NAV of the class held and the class to be purchased. Shares may be exchanged on days the NYSE is open for business.

•The price of shares being exchanged will be determined the next time the Fund’s share price is calculated after the transfer agent has received your exchange request in good order.

•Excessive exchanges may result in the termination of a shareholder’s exchange privileges. For more information please see “Policies to Prevent Market Timing.”

•Exchanges for shares in Funds closed to new investors may only be made by shareholders with existing accounts in those Funds.

•Exchanges may not be made for shares of Funds closed to new investors and existing shareholders.

•You may open a new account or purchase additional shares by exchanging shares from an existing Fund account holding the same class of shares.

•A new account opened by exchange will have the same registration as the existing account and is subject to the minimum initial investment requirements for the class of shares being purchased.

•Additional exchanges may be made for $500 or more for Investor Class shares and $5,000 or more for Institutional Class shares.

•Additional documentation and a Medallion signature guarantee may be required for exchange requests from existing accounts if the shares are registered in the name of a corporation, partnership or fiduciary.

•To add telephone exchange privileges to an existing corporate account, complete and return the Redemption and Exchange Privileges Form. The Form can be obtained from Wasatch Funds’ website or by calling a shareholder services representative.

•Exchanges on shares held 60 days or less will trigger the redemption fee, subject to certain exceptions as noted above.

•New accounts automatically have the telephone exchange privilege, unless it has been specifically declined.

•Wasatch Funds does not accept exchange requests made via fax or email.

•Exchange requests may be subject to other limitations, including those relating to frequency, that Wasatch Funds may establish to ensure that exchanges do not disadvantage shareholders or the Fund.

 

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•Exchanging shares between Funds may result in a taxable capital gain or loss.

•The Advisor reserves the right to revise or terminate the exchange privilege, limit the amount of any exchange, or reject an exchange, at any time, for any reason.

Exchanges between Wasatch Funds and the Federated Prime Cash Obligations Fund (A Money Market Fund)

•You may exchange all or a portion of your investment in a Fund for Automated Class shares of the Money Market Fund (the Federated Prime Cash Obligations Fund; Ticker: PTAXX). The Money Market Fund is made available to shareholders of Wasatch Funds who maintain direct accounts with Wasatch Funds and who meet the eligibility requirements and investment minimum for Automated Class shares of the Money Market Fund. The Money Market Fund is only available to accounts beneficially owned by natural persons as described in its prospectus. The Money Market Fund is managed by Federated Investment Management Company (and not by the Advisor), and invests in a diversified portfolio of money market instruments. The Money Market Fund and Federated Investment Management Company are not affiliated with Wasatch Funds or the Advisor. SHARES OF THE MONEY MARKET FUND ARE NOT OFFERED BY THIS PROSPECTUS AND THE MONEY MARKET FUND IS NOT OVERSEEN BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF WASATCH FUNDS.

•You should note that the Money Market Fund has adopted policies and procedures to impose liquidity fees on redemptions and/or temporary redemption gates in the event that the Money Market Fund’s weekly liquid assets were to fall below a designated threshold, if the Money Market Fund’s board determines that such liquidity fees or redemption gates are in the best interest of the Money Market Fund. Any liquidation fee will reduce the amount you receive upon the redemption of your Money Market Fund shares and will decrease the amount of any capital gain or increase the amount of any capital loss you will recognize from such redemption. If redemptions are temporarily suspended, the Money Market Fund will not accept redemptions or exchange orders, including into a Wasatch Fund, until the Money Market Fund has notified its shareholders that the redemption gate has been lifted, at which time a new redemption or exchange request must be submitted. Please refer to the prospectus of the Money Market Fund to review the investment strategies, fees and expenses, and risks, including the risk of liquidity fees and redemption gates, of the Money Market Fund before investing in or exchanging into shares of the Money Market Fund.

•Exchanges are subject to the minimum purchase and redemption amounts set forth in the applicable fund’s prospectus unless otherwise noted on the application.

•Shareholders may exchange Money Market Fund shares to purchase shares of the Wasatch Funds, but not for shares of Wasatch Funds that are closed to new investors and existing shareholders.

•The automatic exchange plan allows you to make automatic monthly investments in Investor Class shares of the Wasatch Funds by exchanging shares from your Money Market Fund account. There is no fee for this service.

•Any changes to the automatic exchange plan must be made 10 business days prior to the transaction.

•Exchange requests will be effective the day the transfer agent receives them in good order by 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, or market close on days the Fund’s shares are priced, unless it is the business day prior to a bank holiday or the Money Market Fund has temporarily suspended its redemptions as noted below. Requests made on the business day prior to a bank holiday will be processed the following business day. This applies to the Fund being redeemed and the Fund being purchased. Bank holidays include Columbus Day and Veteran’s Day. Bank holiday schedules are subject to change without notice. In addition, requests to exchange from the Money Market Fund into a Wasatch Fund made during any period in which the Money Market Fund has temporarily suspended redemptions will not be accepted. Shareholders wishing to exchange shares of the Money Market Fund for shares of a Wasatch Fund once the redemption gate has been lifted will need to submit a new request.

•You will begin accruing income from the Money Market Fund on the first business day following the exchange provided it is not a bank holiday.

•Dividends earned in the Money Market Fund are payable at the time of full liquidation or at the end of the month if a balance remains in the account.

•Shareholders should read the prospectus for the Money Market Fund prior to exchanging into it.

Conversion of Shares

Shares of the Institutional Class of a Wasatch Fund held by any shareholder who is no longer eligible to hold such shares may be converted, at the discretion of the Fund, to shares of a class, such as the Investor Class, in which the shareholder is eligible. Shares will be converted on the basis of the relative NAV of the class held and the conversion class without the imposition of any sales load, fee or other charge. Affected shareholders will be notified prior to any such conversion. A conversion between share classes of the same Fund is generally a non-taxable event.

Eligible Investments into Closed Funds

Information about eligible purchases of closed Wasatch Funds can be found in the SAI or by calling a shareholder services representative.

Purchasing and Selling Shares Through Third Parties Such as Brokers or Banks

•You may buy or sell shares of the Fund through banks or investment professionals, including brokers, and they may charge you a transaction fee for this service.

 

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•Certain features offered by Wasatch Funds, such as Premier Services, minimum initial investment or subsequent investment amounts, may be modified or may not be available through other institutions.

•Once you have established an account through an institution or investment professional, any subsequent transactions for, or questions about,that account must be made through them.

•Wasatch Funds and/or the Advisor may enter into agreements with various intermediaries pursuant to which such firms may accept orders on behalf of the Fund and provide administrative services with respect to customers who are beneficial owners of shares of the Fund.

•The Advisor may compensate certain financial intermediaries (which may include broker-dealers, banks, third-party recordkeepers, and other industry professionals) to provide certain recordkeeping services to the Fund and the Fund’s shareholders in lieu of the Fund’s transfer agent (including account maintenance and shareholder servicing; “Sub-TA services”), and for the sale and/or distribution of the Fund’s shares. Depending on the share class, the Fund may reimburse the Advisor for the amounts paid for Sub-TA services. To the extent the Advisor pays for sales or distribution of Fund shares, it does so out of its profits derived from the Advisor’s management fee. The Advisor’s compensation out of its profits is referred to as “revenue sharing.” Examples of revenue sharing payments include, but are not limited to, payment to financial intermediaries for “shelf space” or access to a third party platform or fund offering list or other marketing programs, including but not limited to, inclusion of the Fund on preferred or recommended sales lists, mutual fund “supermarket” platforms and other formal sales programs; granting the Advisor access to the financial intermediary’s sales force; granting the Advisor access to the financial intermediary’s conferences and meetings; and obtaining other forms of marketing support. The level of revenue sharing payments made to financial intermediaries may be a fixed fee or based on one or more of the following factors: gross sales, current assets and/or number of accounts of the Fund attributable to the financial intermediary, or other factors as agreed to by the Advisor and the financial intermediary or any combination thereof. The amount of these revenue sharing payments is determined at the discretion of the Advisor, by agreement with the financial intermediary, from time to time. The revenue sharing payments may be substantial, and may differ among financial intermediaries. Such payments may provide an incentive for the financial intermediary to make shares of the Fund available to its customers and may allow the Fund greater access to the financial intermediary’s customers. The SAI contains additional information about these payments, including the names of firms to which payments are made.

•If one mutual fund sponsor provides greater financial assistance than another, your financial advisor may have an incentive to recommend one mutual fund complex over another. Please speak with your financial advisor to learn more about the total amounts paid to your financial advisor and his or her firm by Wasatch Funds and/or the Advisor and by sponsors of other mutual funds he or she may recommend to you. You should also review disclosures made by your financial advisor at the time of purchase.

Shareholder Reports

Annual and semi-annual reports will be made available on the Funds’ website. Shareholders will be notified by mail with a website link to each report when it has been posted, along with instructions on how to request paper copies of shareholder reports.

Annual reports are dated September 30th, the close of the Fund’s fiscal year, and contain important information about the Fund, including the market conditions and investment strategies that affected performance during the period, portfolio holdings and audited financial statements. Semi-annual reports are dated March 31 and contain information about the Fund’s performance and portfolio holdings as well as unaudited financial statements.

To help reduce Fund expenses, we generally send a single copy of a prospectus or shareholder report to shareholders of the same household. If your household currently receives a single copy of a prospectus or shareholder report and you would prefer to receive multiple copies, please call Shareholder Services at 800.551.1700. We will begin sending you individual copies within 30 days after receiving your request.

Additional copies of shareholder reports are available by downloading them from our website or by calling a shareholder services representative.

Account Statements

Account statements will be mailed quarterly, or you may receive quarterly statements via email if you consent to electronic document delivery on our website. We will send you a confirmation statement after every transaction that affects your account balance or your account registration. If you invest through an automatic investment plan, you will receive confirmation of your purchases quarterly.

We may consolidate statements for accounts with the same address and Social Security number. If you would like to receive individual account statements, please call or write to Wasatch Funds. We will begin sending you individual account statements within 30 days after receiving your request.

Establishing a Household Relationship

You may also establish a Household Relationship for your current accounts or add accounts to your existing relationship by completing the Household Relationship Form. Our householding service combines all of your account statements and

 

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confirmations into a single envelope. It also combines financial reports and prospectuses for everyone in your “household” into one mailing. Establishing a Household Relationship will not affect the ownership status of the accounts in your Household Relationship. All accounts added to a Household Relationship must have the same address. The following types of accounts are ineligible for inclusion in a Household Relationship: Corporate, Fiduciary, Estate, Investment Club, Club, Lodge or Association.

If you would like to discontinue your Household Relationship and receive individual account statements, please call or write to Wasatch Funds. We will begin sending you individual account statements 30 days after receiving your request.

Verification of Account Statements

You must contact Wasatch Funds in writing regarding any errors or discrepancies within 60 days after the date of the statement confirming a transaction. We may deny your ability to refute a transaction if we do not hear from you within 60 days after the confirmation statement date.

Cost Basis Tax Reporting

For securities defined as “covered” under current Internal Revenue Service (IRS) cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Fund is responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis information for tax reporting purposes. The Fund is not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for those securities that are not “covered.” The Fund and its service providers do not provide tax advice. You should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions you may make with respect to choosing a cost basis method.

As of January 1, 2012, federal law requires that mutual fund companies report their shareholders’ cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the IRS on each shareholder’s Consolidated Form 1099 when “covered” securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012.

The Fund has chosen average cost as its standing (default) cost basis method for all shareholders. A cost basis method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing net asset values, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund’s standing cost basis method is the method covered shares will be reported on your Consolidated Form 1099 if you do not select a specific cost basis method. You may choose a method different than the Fund’s standing method and will be able to do so at the time of your purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Changes from or to the default method or alternate method chosen by the shareholder must be made in writing and cannot be made over the telephone. Please refer to the appropriate IRS regulations or consult your tax advisor with regard to your personal circumstances.

Inactive Account Notice

Certain states require the Fund to notify shareholders that the assets held in their account(s) may be transferred to the appropriate state if there is no account activity within the time specified by state law. Contact a shareholder services representative for additional information.

Involuntary Redemption

In addition to the right to convert shares held by any shareholder who is no longer eligible to hold such shares, the Fund reserves the right to redeem the shares held in any account if the account balance falls below $500 for Investor Class shares (unless the account has an automatic investment plan) and $100,000 for Institutional Class shares. Your account will not be closed if the drop is due to share price fluctuations. You will be given at least 60 days’ written notice before an involuntary redemption is made. You can prevent an involuntary redemption by restoring the account to the minimum investment amount during the 60 days.

Emergency Circumstances

Wasatch Funds or its agents may, in case of emergency, temporarily suspend telephone transactions and other shareholder services. It may be difficult to reach Wasatch Funds by telephone during periods of substantial economic or market change or in emergency situations. Under these circumstances, you may wish to consider purchasing, redeeming or exchanging shares by mail, overnight express delivery or online. The Fund can suspend redemptions and/or delay payments of redemption proceeds for any period (a) during which the NYSE is closed other than customary weekend and holiday closings; (b) during which trading on the NYSE is restricted; or (c) when an emergency exists or during such other periods, as determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the protection of shareholders.

Responsibility for Fraud

Wasatch Funds and its agents will not be responsible for any losses resulting from unauthorized transactions provided reasonable procedures to prevent fraudulent transactions have been followed. Procedures to reasonably assure that instructions are genuine include requesting verification of various pieces of personal and account information, recording telephone transactions, confirming transactions in writing or online and restricting transmittal of redemption proceeds to preauthorized destinations.

 

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Insufficient Funds Policy

The Fund reserves the right to cancel a purchase if a check or electronic funds transfer does not clear your bank. The Fund will charge your account a $20.00 fee and you will be responsible for any losses or fees imposed by your bank and any losses that may be incurred by the Fund as a result of the canceled purchase. If you are already a shareholder in the Fund, Wasatch Funds may redeem shares in your account(s) to cover losses due to share price fluctuations.

Third Party Checks

To guard against check fraud, Wasatch Funds will not accept checks made payable to third parties.

Changes to Bank Information

Requests to change the bank information on your account must be made in writing, signed by all account holders and accompanied by a Medallion signature guarantee.

Registration Changes

To change the name on an account, the shares are generally transferred to a new account. A new application, legal documentation and a Medallion signature guarantee is required.

Address Changes

To change the address on your account, visit our website, call a shareholder services representative or send a written request signed by all account owners. Include the name and Class of your Fund(s), the account number(s), the name(s) on the account and both the old and new addresses. Certain options, including redemptions, may be suspended for 30 days following an address change unless a Medallion signature guarantee is provided.

About the Money Market Fund

The Money Market Fund (the Federated Prime Cash Obligations Fund; Ticker: PTAXX) is managed by Federated Investment Management Company, not by the Advisor. Federated Investment Management Company is not an affiliate of the Advisor or Wasatch Funds. Federated Securities Corp. is the distributor of the Money Market Fund. The Money Market Fund is made available to Wasatch Funds shareholders maintaining direct accounts and who meet the eligibility and investment minimums of the Automated Class shares of the Money Market Fund pursuant to agreements between the Funds’ investment advisor, the Funds’ transfer agent and Federated Investment Management Company, any of which may be terminated without notice to Wasatch Funds shareholders.

Neither Wasatch Funds nor the Advisor makes any representation with respect to the suitability of the Money Market Fund for any shareholder. Please read the separate prospectus for the Money Market Fund carefully before investing in it to understand the Fund’s objectives, strategies, risks and historical performance.

Wasatch Funds — Dividends, Capital Gain Distributions and Taxes

In addition to any increase in the value of shares the Fund may achieve, you may receive dividend and capital gain distributions from the Fund.

Dividends

Dividends from stocks and interest earned from other investments are the Fund’s main sources of investment income. It is intended that substantially all of the Fund’s net investment income (income less expenses), if any, will be distributed at least annually as dividends to shareholders. As noted below, the Fund expects that, as a result of its objectives and strategies, distributions (if any) will consist primarily of capital gains.

Capital Gains

When the Fund sells portfolio securities it may realize a capital gain or loss, depending on whether the security is sold for more or less than its adjusted cost basis. Net realized capital gains, if any, will be distributed at least annually.

Buying a Dividend

Purchasing shares of the Fund shortly before it makes dividend or capital gain distributions will have the effect of reducing the share price by the amount of the distribution. This is sometimes referred to as “buying a dividend” because, although the distribution is in effect a return of a portion of the purchase price, it is taxable.

Unless you are investing in a tax-deferred account like an IRA, you may want to consider waiting to invest until after the Fund makes a distribution.

Reinvestment of Dividend and Capital Gain Distributions

Dividend and capital gain distributions made by the Fund are automatically applied to purchase additional shares of the Fund at the share price on the payable date unless you elect to have distributions paid to you in cash. You may change whether

 

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distributions are reinvested or paid in cash at any time by writing to the transfer agent. Changes will be effective for distributions with a record date on or after the date the transfer agent receives your request in good order.

Federal Income Taxes

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of this prospectus. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe your situation if you are a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker/dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe your state, local or foreign tax consequences.

This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Fund. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to, the federal income tax treatment of the assets to be deposited in the Fund. This summary may not be sufficient for you to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

As with any investment, you should seek advice based on your individual circumstances from your own tax advisor.

The Fund intends to qualify as a “regulated investment company” under federal tax laws. If the Fund qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income as required by tax law, the Fund generally will not pay federal income taxes. Dividends paid from the Fund’s net investment income and net short-term capital gains generally will be taxable as ordinary income, whether paid in cash or reinvested as additional shares. It is possible that a portion of the dividends paid from the net investment income of the Fund will constitute “qualified dividends” generally eligible for the maximum marginal stated federal tax rate of 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable incomes below certain thresholds). In certain cases (e.g., as with some capital gains attributable to real estate investment trust [REIT] shares) a higher rate applies. The Fund will inform its shareholders of the portion of its dividends (if any) that constitutes “qualified dividends.” In addition, some portion of the dividends on your shares that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from REIT shares may be designated by the Fund as eligible for a deduction for qualified business income, provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied.

Distributions paid from the Fund’s long-term capital gains and properly reported by the Fund as capital gain distributions generally are taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of the length of time you held your shares. An election may be available to you to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements. The Fund expects that, as a result of its objectives and strategies, distributions (if any) will consist primarily of capital gains.

The tax status of your distributions from the Fund is not affected by whether you reinvest your distributions in additional shares or receive them in cash. Tax laws may require you to treat distributions made to you in January as if you had received them on December 31 of the previous year.

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax.” This tax generally applies to your net investment income if your adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

The following information applies to the Fund to the extent that it invests in REITs. The REITs in which the Fund invests may generate significant non-cash deductions, such as depreciation on real estate holdings, while having greater cash flow to distribute to their shareholders. If a REIT distributes more cash than its current or accumulated earnings and profits, a return of capital results. Similarly, the Fund may pay a return of capital distribution to you by distributing more cash than its current or accumulated earnings and profits. The cost basis of your shares will be decreased by the amount of returned capital (but not below zero), which may result in a larger capital gain or smaller capital loss when you sell your shares. To the extent such a distribution exceeds your cost basis in your shares, you generally will be treated as realizing a taxable gain from the sale or exchange of your shares. The actual composition for tax reporting purposes will depend on the year-end tax characterizations of dividends paid by certain securities held by the Fund and on tax regulations.

Gain or loss upon the sale of shares of the Fund generally will be treated as a capital gain or loss, provided that (as is usually the case) the shares represented a capital asset in the hands of the shareholder. The gain or loss will be considered long-term if the shareholder has held the shares for more than one year. The gain or loss on shares held for one year or less will be considered short-term and taxed at the same rates as ordinary income. If you receive a capital gain distribution from your Fund and sell your shares at a loss after holding them for six months or less, the loss will be recharacterized as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain distribution received.

The Fund is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a percentage of dividend payments, capital gain distributions, and redemption proceeds at a rate set forth in applicable IRS Rules and Regulations for certain shareholders who have not certified that the Social Security number or taxpayer identification number they have supplied is correct and that they are not

 

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subject to backup withholding because of previous underreporting to the IRS. This backup withholding requirement generally does not apply to shareholders that are corporations or certain tax-exempt organizations.

The following information is particularly important for investors in the Fund, which may invest significant assets in foreign countries. To the extent the Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be required to pay withholding and other taxes imposed by foreign countries. If the Fund has more than 50% of its total assets invested in securities of foreign corporations at the end of its taxable year, it may make an election that will result in the dividends being taxed to you, including your share of taxes paid to other countries, which may permit you either to claim a foreign tax credit with respect to foreign taxes paid by the Fund or to deduct those amounts as an itemized deduction on your tax return. If the Fund makes this election, you will be notified and provided with sufficient information to calculate your foreign tax credit or the amount you may deduct as foreign taxes paid.

If you are a foreign investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident, or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), you should be aware that, generally, subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will be characterized as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes (other than dividends which the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends) and will be subject to U.S. income taxes, including withholding taxes, subject to certain exceptions. However, distributions received by a foreign investor from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

A distribution from the Fund that is properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund, or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund, may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain foreign investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

Distributions to, and the gross proceeds from dispositions of shares by, (i) certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not entered into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose certain information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury and (ii) certain other non-U.S. entities that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners, may be subject to a U.S. withholding tax of 30%. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions.

When You will Receive Tax Information

After the end of each calendar year, you will be sent information on redemptions, and dividend and long-term capital gain distributions for tax purposes, including information as to the portion taxable as ordinary income, the portion (if any) taxable as “qualified dividends,” and the portion taxable as long-term capital gains.

Account tax information will also be sent to the IRS.

Wasatch Funds — Financial Highlights

The Long/Short Alpha Fund has not commenced operations as of the date of this prospectus, therefore no financial highlights are shown for the Fund.

 

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Wasatch Funds — Privacy Policy

The personal information we collect or disclose is handled with the utmost respect for your privacy and is motivated by our desire to serve you better.

•We will not disclose your personal information to anyone unless it is necessary to provide you with our services, at your direction, or required by law.

•We do not allow individuals or companies that provide services to Wasatch Funds to use your personal information for their own marketing purposes.

•We maintain contracts with individuals or companies providing services to Wasatch Funds’ shareholders that require them to protect the confidentiality of your personal information.

•We afford the same protection of personal information to prospective and former shareholders that we do to current shareholders.

•We consider all the information we have about you to be confidential, including the fact that you are a Wasatch Funds shareholder (unless you tell us otherwise).

•We restrict access to your personal information to employees who service your accounts.

•We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards that comply with federal standards for maintaining the confidentiality of your information.

Information We May Collect

Most of the personal information we collect comes directly from you. The ways we gather it may include:

•Account applications. When you open an account the information we collect may include your name, address, phone number, email address and Social Security number.

•Transactions. To manage your account and provide information to you such as account statements, we maintain current and historical records of each of your transactions and accounts with Wasatch Funds.

•Website. We collect some information on our website through the use of “cookies.” For example, we may identify the web pages your browser requests or visits. On the website, we can only identify you if you choose to identify yourself, for example, if you open an account or make transactions online. For more information please read our online privacy policy at wasatchglobal.com.

Information We May Disclose

We disclose information about current and former shareholders to parties outside of Wasatch for the following purposes:

•To service your account and process your transactions. For example, the transfer agent collects and stores account and transaction data.

•To do as you request. For example, you may direct us to send your statements and confirmations to a third party.

•To print and mail materials to you. Companies that provide printing and mailing services are prohibited from using your information in any way other than the purpose for which it was provided.

•To comply with laws or regulations. We may disclose or report personal information as required by law, for example, to respond to a subpoena, court order or regulatory demand made by the proper authorities.

•To the extent permitted by law. For example, the law permits us to respond to a request for information from a consumer reporting agency.

 

31


Wasatch Funds — How to Contact Wasatch

General

This prospectus is for Investor Class and Institutional Class shares of the Fund. If you have any questions about Wasatch Funds or would like more information, please contact Wasatch Funds.

Online

wasatchglobal.com

or via email at

shareholderservice@wasatchfunds.com

Telephone

800.551.1700

Shareholder services representatives are available Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time.

Mail

Wasatch Funds

P.O. Box 2172

Milwaukee, WI 53201-2172

 

32


WASATCH FUNDS

Prospectus

wasatchglobal.com    800.551.1700

You may obtain a free copy of the Fund’s SAI, annual or semi-annual reports, or quarter-end portfolio holdings on the Fund’s website at wasatchglobal.com or by contacting Wasatch at the telephone number listed above. You may make inquiries to the Funds via mail at Wasatch Funds, P.O. Box 2172, Milwaukee, WI 53201-2172, via email at shareholderservice@wasatchfunds.com or by calling the telephone number listed above. Shareholder representatives are available Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Central Time.

The SAI provides more details about the Fund and its policies. The SAI is incorporated into the prospectus by reference and is, therefore, legally part of this prospectus. Additional information about the Fund’s investments will be available in the Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders. The reports contain discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Fund’s performance for the most recent six- or 12-month period, as applicable. You can go the EDGAR database on the SEC’s website (http://www.sec.gov) to view these and other documents that Wasatch Funds has filed electronically with the SEC. Copies of this information also may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by making an electronic request at the following email address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

Investment Company Act File Number: 811-4920

 

35


Subject To Completion Statement of Additional Information dated June 30, 2021

 

LOGO

STATEMENT OF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

WASATCH FUNDS TRUST

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

 

     Investor Class    Institutional Class
Wasatch Long/Short Alpha FundTM    [_________]    [________]

[September 13, 2021]

WASATCH FUNDS TRUST (“Wasatch Funds” or the “Trust”) is an open-end management investment company issuing shares in 19 separate series, each of which is publicly offered and one of which is described herein: Wasatch Long/Short Alpha FundTM (the “Long/Short Alpha Fund” or the “Fund” and together with the other series, the “Funds”).

This Statement of Additional Information (the “SAI”) relates to the Institutional Class and Investor Class shares of the Fund. This is not a Prospectus but contains information in addition to, and more detailed than, that set forth in the Prospectus for the Institutional Class and the Investor Class shares of the Fund and should be read in conjunction with the Prospectus. The Prospectus may be obtained by downloading it from Wasatch Funds’ website at wasatchglobal.com or without charge by calling 800.551.1700 or writing to Wasatch Funds at P.O. Box 2172, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201-2172. The SAI and the related Prospectus are both dated [September 13, 2021]. Capitalized terms used herein and not defined have the same meanings as those used in the Prospectus.

P.O. Box 2172 Milwaukee, WI 53201-2172 ● wasatchglobal.com

Phone: 800.551.1700

Wasatch Funds are distributed by ALPS Distributors, Inc.

THE INFORMATION IN THIS SAI IS NOT COMPLETE AND MAY BE CHANGED. WE MAY NOT SELL THESE SECURITIES UNTIL THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION IS EFFECTIVE. THIS SAI IS NOT AN OFFER TO SELL THESE SECURITIES AND IS NOT SOLICITING AN OFFER TO BUY THESE SECURITIES IN ANY STATE WHERE THE OFFER OR SALE IS NOT PERMITTED.

 

1


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY

     3  

FUND INVESTMENTS

     3  

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

     3  

FUND RESTRICTIONS AND POLICIES

     28  

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

     31  

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

     38  

INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

     39  

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

     41  

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

     43  

OTHER INFORMATION

     44  

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SECURITIES BEING OFFERED

     47  

FEDERAL TAX STATUS

     51  

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

     56  

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

     56  

APPENDIX A

     57  

APPENDIX B

     60  

 

2


GENERAL INFORMATION AND HISTORY

Wasatch Funds was incorporated under Utah law on November 18, 1986 and reincorporated as a Minnesota corporation in January 1998 and reorganized into a Massachusetts business trust on March 31, 2010. The Long/Short Alpha Fund will commence operations on [September 13, 2021].

The Fund is advised by Wasatch Advisors, Inc. doing business as Wasatch Global Investors (the “Advisor”).

Open/Closed Status of Funds. The Fund is open to investors.

FUND INVESTMENTS

Wasatch Funds is a registered open-end management investment company currently offering 19 separate Funds, one of which is described herein. The Long/Short Alpha Fund is a non-diversified fund, which means that the Fund is permitted to invest its assets in a more limited number of issuers than other diversified investment companies.

The Fund intends to diversify its assets to the extent necessary to qualify for tax treatment as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). To so qualify (i) not more than 25% of the total value of the Fund’s assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and the securities of other regulated investment companies) or of any two or more issuers controlled by the Fund, which, pursuant to the regulations under the Code, may be deemed to be engaged in the same, similar, or related trades or businesses, and (ii) with respect to 50% of the total value of the Fund’s assets (a) not more than 5% of its total assets may be invested in the securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and the securities of other regulated investment companies) and (b) the Fund may not own more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer (other than U.S. government securities and the securities of other regulated investment companies).

The Prospectus has a description concerning the investment objective and policies of the Fund. The investment policies of the Fund, unless specifically designated as fundamental, are non-fundamental policies and may be changed by the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board” or the “Board of Trustees”) without the authorization of the Fund’s shareholders. There can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its objective or goal.

INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AND RISKS

The Fund’s principal investment strategies and the risks associated with those strategies are described in the Prospectus. The following section describes in greater detail than the Prospectus, the Fund’s investment strategies and the associated risks. Unless noted otherwise, the investment strategies and risks described in this section are non-principal.

Borrowing to Purchase Securities (Leveraging). The Fund may use leverage, that is, borrow money to purchase securities. Leverage increases both investment opportunity and investment risk. If the investment gains on securities purchased with borrowed money exceed the borrowing costs (including interest), the net asset value (“NAV”) of the Fund will rise. On the other hand, if the investment gains fail to cover the borrowing costs or if there are losses, the NAV of the Fund will decrease.

The 1940 Act requires borrowings to have 300% net asset coverage, which means, in effect, that the Fund would be permitted to borrow up to an amount equal to one-third of the value of its total assets. If the Fund fails to meet this asset coverage test for any reason including adverse market conditions, it will be required to reduce borrowings within three business days to the extent necessary to meet the test. This requirement may make it necessary to sell a portion of the Fund’s securities at a time when it is disadvantageous to do so. The amount the Fund can borrow may also be limited by applicable margin limitations of the Federal Reserve Board. Briefly, these provide that banks subject to the Federal Reserve Act may not make loans for the purpose of buying or carrying margin stocks if the loan is secured directly or indirectly by a margin stock, to the extent that the loan is greater than the maximum loan value of the collateral securing the loan.

Despite the potential risks of leveraging, the Advisor believes there may be times when it may be advantageous to the Fund to borrow to make investments. For example, when a portfolio manager perceives unusual opportunities in the market or in a particular sector, the portfolio manager may want to be more than 100% invested. Borrowing may also be considered when stock prices and trading volume are not favorable for securities a portfolio manager wants to sell, but stock prices and

 

3


trading volume are favorable for securities the portfolio manager wants to buy. In these situations, which arise infrequently, borrowing may allow a portfolio manager to take advantage of favorable opportunities to purchase desired securities without having to sell securities at unfavorable prices.

Convertible Securities. The Fund may invest in convertible securities, but it is a non-principal strategy of the Fund and not considered a principal risk. These are generally bonds or preferred stocks that are convertible into a corporation’s common stock at a predetermined price. Convertible securities entitle the holder to receive interest paid or accrued on debt or the dividend paid on preferred stock until the convertible securities mature or are redeemed, converted or exchanged. Prior to conversion, convertible securities have characteristics similar to ordinary debt securities or preferred stocks in that they normally provide a stable stream of income with generally higher yields than those of common stock of the same or similar issuers. Convertible securities rank senior to common stock in a corporation’s capital structure and therefore generally entail less risk of loss of principal than the corporation’s common stock.

In selecting convertible securities for the Fund, the Advisor will consider, among other factors, its evaluation of the creditworthiness of the issuers of the securities; the interest or dividend income generated by the securities; the potential for capital appreciation of the securities and the underlying common stocks; the prices of the securities relative to other comparable securities and to the underlying common stocks; whether the securities are entitled to the benefits of sinking funds or other protective conditions; diversification of the Fund’s portfolio as to issuers; and whether the securities are rated by a rating agency and, if so, the ratings assigned.

The value of convertible securities is a function of their investment value (determined by yield in comparison with the yields of other securities of comparable maturity and quality that do not have a conversion privilege) and their conversion value (their worth, at market value, if converted into the underlying common stock). The investment value of convertible securities is influenced by changes in interest rates, with investment value declining as interest rates increase and increasing as interest rates decline, and by the credit standing of the issuer and other factors. The conversion value of convertible securities is determined by the market price of the underlying common stock. If the conversion value is low relative to the investment value, the price of the convertible securities is governed principally by their investment value. To the extent the market price of the underlying common stock approaches or exceeds the conversion price, the price of the convertible securities will be increasingly influenced by their conversion value. In addition, convertible securities generally sell at a premium over their conversion value determined by the extent to which investors place value on the right to acquire the underlying common stock while holding fixed income securities.

Capital appreciation for the Fund may result from an improvement in the credit standing of an issuer whose securities are held in the Fund or from a general lowering of interest rates, or a combination of both. Conversely, a reduction in the credit standing of an issuer whose securities are held by the Fund or a general increase in interest rates may be expected to result in capital depreciation to the Fund. Convertible securities may have mandatory sinking fund provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline.

Refer to Appendix A for a description of preferred stock and long- and short-term debt ratings.

Corporate Bonds. The Fund may invest in corporate bonds that are rated, at the time of purchase, in the four highest categories by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), S&P Global Ratings, a division of McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“S&P”), or other nationally recognized statistical rating organizations (“NRSRO”) or unrated securities deemed by the Advisor to be of comparable quality. These high rated bonds are also known as “investment grade debt securities.” The Fund may also invest in corporate bonds that are lower rated (Moody’s Ba or lower or S&P BB or lower). These lower rated bonds are also known as “non-investment grade debt securities” or “junk bonds.” Investments in corporate bonds are subject to, among other things, interest rate risk and credit risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that a debt security’s value will decline due to changes in market interest rates. When interest rates change, the values of longer-duration debt securities usually change more than the values of shorter-duration debt securities. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a debt security will fail to repay principal and interest on the security when due. Credit risk is affected by the issuer’s credit status and is generally higher for non-investment grade securities. See “Non-Investment Grade Securities” below for additional information regarding these securities and their risks. See also Appendix A for a description of ratings on investment grade and non-investment grade debt securities.

Derivatives. The Fund may use derivatives, such as futures, options, options on futures, and forward foreign currency exchange contracts but it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in derivatives. A derivative is a financial contract

 

4


whose value is based on (or “derived from”) a traditional security (such as a stock or bond), an asset (such as a commodity like gold), or a market index (such as the S&P 500). A derivative contract will obligate or entitle the Fund to deliver or receive an asset or cash payment based on the change in one or more securities, currencies, indices or other assets. The Fund may use derivatives for hedging purposes, including to attempt to protect against possible changes in the market value of securities held or to be purchased for the Fund’s portfolio resulting from securities markets, currency exchange rate or interest rate fluctuations (i.e., to hedge); protect the Fund’s unrealized gains reflected in the value of its portfolio securities; facilitate the sale of such securities for investment purposes; and as a substitute for buying or selling securities, securities indices or currencies. The Fund may also use derivatives for non-hedging (speculative) purposes including to enhance the Fund’s returns. The Fund may use any or all of these investment techniques and different types of derivative securities may be purchased at any time and in any combination. There is no particular strategy that dictates the use of one technique rather than another, as use of derivatives is a function of numerous variables, including market conditions.

The use of derivatives presents risks different from, and possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in traditional securities. Among the risks presented are market risk, credit risk, management risk and liquidity risk. The primary risk with many derivatives is that they can amplify a gain or loss, potentially earning or losing substantially more money than the actual cost of the derivative instrument. These risks are heightened when the management team uses derivatives to enhance the Fund’s return or as a substitute for a position or security, rather than solely to hedge (or offset) the risk of a position or security held by the Fund. In addition, certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited losses regardless of the size of the initial investment. Derivatives also involve the risk of mispricing or improper valuations (particularly, for non-standardized contracts) and the risk that changes in the value of the derivative may not correlate perfectly with the relevant assets, rates and indices. Derivatives may also be less liquid and may be difficult or impossible to sell or terminate at a desirable time or price. Derivatives may also involve credit risk which is the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. The counterparty risk for exchange-traded derivatives is generally less than for privately-negotiated or over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives, since generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately-negotiated instruments, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. Use of derivatives may also increase the amount and affect the timing and character of taxes payable by shareholders. The Fund may lose money on derivatives or may not fully benefit from the use of derivatives if changes in their value do not correspond accurately to changes in the value of the Fund’s holdings. The Fund’s ability to benefit from derivatives is largely dependent on the Advisor’s ability to use such strategies successfully. For more information about the various types of derivatives, see the sections in this SAI discussing such securities including Futures Contracts; Put and Call Options and Options and Futures Relating to Foreign Currencies.

Futures Contracts. The Fund may enter into futures contracts. Futures contracts are standardized, exchange-traded contracts that require delivery of the underlying financial instrument (such as a bond, currency or stock index) at a specified price, on a specified future date. The buyer of the futures contract agrees to buy the underlying financial instruments from the seller at a fixed purchase price upon the expiration of the contract. The seller of the futures contract agrees to sell the underlying financial instrument to the buyer at expiration at the fixed sales price. In most cases, delivery never takes place. Instead, both the buyer and the seller, acting independently of each other, usually liquidate their positions before the contract expires; the buyer sells futures and the seller buys futures.

The value of a futures contract tends to increase and decrease in tandem with the value of its underlying instrument. Therefore, purchasing futures contracts will tend to increase the Fund’s exposure to positive and negative price fluctuations in the underlying instrument, much as if it had purchased the underlying instrument directly. When the Fund sells a futures contract, by contrast, the value of its futures position will tend to move in a direction contrary to the market. Selling futures contracts, therefore, will tend to offset both positive and negative market price changes, much as if the underlying instrument had been sold.

Futures may be used for hedging (i.e., to protect against adverse future price movements in the Fund’s portfolio securities, or in securities the Fund intends to purchase). For example, if the portfolio manager thinks that the stock market might decline, the portfolio manager could sell stock index futures to safeguard the Fund’s portfolio. If the market declines as anticipated, the value of stocks in the Fund’s portfolio would decrease, but the value of the Fund’s futures contracts would increase. The Fund may also use futures contracts to speculate on the market. For example, the portfolio manager might buy stock index futures on the expectation that the value of a particular index will rise, even though the stocks comprising the index are unrelated to stocks held or intended to be purchased by the Fund. Using futures for speculation, however, involves significant risk since futures contracts are highly

 

5


leveraged instruments. When a portfolio manager enters into a futures contract, the manager needs to put up only a small fraction of the value of the underlying contract as collateral, yet gains or losses will be based on the full value of the contract.

The use of futures contracts would expose the Fund to additional investment risks and transaction costs. Risks include: the risk that securities prices will not move in the direction that the Advisor anticipates; an imperfect correlation between the price of the futures contract and movements in the prices of any securities being hedged; the possible absence of a liquid secondary market for any particular futures contract and possible exchange-imposed price fluctuation limits; and leverage risk, which is the risk that adverse price movements in a futures contract can result in a loss substantially greater than the Fund’s initial investment in that contract. A relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in an immediate and substantial loss (or gain) to the Fund.

Futures Margin Payments. The purchaser or seller of a futures contract is not required to deliver or pay for the underlying instrument unless the contract is held until the delivery date. However, both the purchaser and seller are required to deposit “initial margin” with a futures broker, known as a futures commission merchant (FCM), when the contract (or written options thereon) is entered into. Initial margin deposits are typically equal to a percentage of the contract’s value. If the value of either party’s position declines, that party will be required to make additional “variation margin” payments to settle the change in value on a daily basis. The party that has a gain may be entitled to receive all or a portion of this amount. Initial and variation margin payments do not constitute purchasing securities on margin for purposes of the investment limitations of the Fund. In the event of the bankruptcy of an FCM that holds margin on behalf of the Fund, the Fund may be entitled to a return of the margin owed only in proportion to the amount received by the FCM’s other customers, potentially resulting in losses to the Fund. Because of the low margin deposits required, futures trading involves an extremely high degree of leverage. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in a substantial loss (or gain), to an investor.

Options and Futures Relating to Foreign Currencies. The Fund may engage in options and futures transactions related to foreign currencies. Currency futures contracts are similar to forward currency exchange contracts, except that they are traded on exchanges (and have margin requirements) and are standardized as to contract size and delivery date. Most currency futures contracts call for payment or delivery in U.S. dollars. The underlying instrument of a currency option may be a foreign currency, which generally is purchased or delivered in exchange for U.S. dollars, or may be a futures contract. The purchaser of a currency call obtains the right to purchase the underlying currency. The purchaser of a currency put obtains the right to sell the underlying currency.

The uses and risks of currency options and futures are similar to options and futures relating to securities or indices, as discussed above. The Fund may purchase and sell currency futures and may purchase and write currency options to increase or decrease exposure to different foreign currencies. The Fund may also purchase and write currency options in conjunction with each other or with currency futures or forward contracts. Currency futures and options values can be expected to correlate with exchange rates, but may not reflect other factors that affect the value of the Fund’s investments. A currency hedge, for example, should protect a yen-denominated security from a decline in the yen, but will not protect the Fund against a price decline resulting from deterioration in the issuer’s creditworthiness. Because the value of the Fund’s foreign-denominated investments changes in response to many factors other than exchange rates, it may not be possible to match the amount of currency options and futures to the value of the Fund’s investments exactly over time.

Asset Coverage for Futures and Options Positions. The Fund will comply with guidelines established by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) with respect to coverage of options and futures strategies by mutual funds, and, if the guidelines so require, will set aside appropriate liquid assets in a segregated custodial account in the amount prescribed. Securities held in a segregated account cannot be sold while the futures or options strategy is outstanding, unless they are replaced with other suitable assets. As a result, there is a possibility that segregation of a large percentage of the Fund’s assets could impede portfolio management or the Fund’s ability to meet redemption requests or other current obligations. The SEC, however, recently adopted new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act which, among other things, imposes limits on the amount of derivatives a Fund can enter into and will replace the asset segregation framework previously applied to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act. To the extent a Fund’s transactions fall within the scope of the new rule, such Fund will seek to comply with the conditions of the new rule upon the SEC’s compliance date in 2022.

 

6


Limitations on Futures and Commodity Options Transactions. The Advisor has filed a notice of eligibility to exclude the Fund from being defined as a “commodity pool operator” with the National Futures Association and are therefore not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under the Commodity Exchange Act. The Fund intends to comply with the exclusion eligibility requirements of Section 4.5 of the regulations under the Commodity Exchange Act.

The Fund’s investments in futures contracts, commodity options and swaps, and the Fund’s policies regarding futures contracts, options and swaps discussed elsewhere in this SAI may be changed as regulatory agencies permit. With respect to positions in commodity futures, commodity options contracts or swaps which do not come within the meaning and intent of bona fide hedging in the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) rules, the aggregate initial margin and premiums required to establish such positions will not exceed 5% of the liquidation value of the qualifying entity’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such contracts it has entered into; and, provided further, that in the case of an option that is in-the-money at the time of purchase, the in-the-money amount as defined by CFTC Rule 190.01(x) may be excluded in computing such 5%.

The aggregate net notional value of commodity futures, commodity options contracts or swap positions not used solely for bona fide hedging within the meaning of the applicable CFTC Rules and determined at the time the most recent position was established, does not exceed 100% of the liquidation value of the pool’s portfolio, after taking into account unrealized profits and unrealized losses on any such positions the Fund has entered into.

On February 8, 2012, the CFTC adopted certain regulatory changes that will subject a mutual fund to regulation by the CFTC if the fund invests more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in futures and certain other instruments, or if the fund markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. As a result, the Fund may be subject to CFTC registration requirements, and the Fund’s disclosure and operations would need to comply with all applicable regulations governing commodity pools. The Fund’s Advisor may also be subject to CFTC regulation if the Fund is deemed to be a commodity pool. If the CFTC or other regulatory authorities adopt different (including less stringent) or additional restrictions in the future that are applicable to the Fund, the Fund would seek to comply with such new restrictions.

Put and Call Options. The Fund may purchase and write put and call options. Such options may relate to particular securities, indices or futures contracts, may or may not be listed on a domestic or non-U.S. securities exchange and may or may not be issued by the Options Clearing Corporation. A put option gives the purchaser the right to sell a security or other instrument to the writer of the option at a stated price during the term of the option. A call option gives the purchaser the right to purchase a security or other instrument from the writer of the option at a stated price during the term of the option. The Fund may use put and call options for a variety of purposes. For example, if the portfolio manager wishes to hedge a security owned by the Fund against a decline in price, the portfolio manager may purchase a put option on the underlying security; i.e., purchase the right to sell the security to a third party at a stated price. If the underlying security then declines in price, the portfolio manager can exercise the put option, thus limiting the amount of loss resulting from the decline in price. Similarly, if the portfolio manager intends to purchase a security at some date in the future, the portfolio manager may purchase a call option on the security today in order to hedge against an increase in its price before the intended purchase date. Put and call options also can be used for speculative purposes for the Fund. For example, if a portfolio manager believes that the price of stocks generally is going to rise, the manager may purchase a call option on a stock index, the components of which are unrelated to the stocks held or intended to be purchased.

Purchasing Put and Call Options. The Fund may purchase put and call options. By purchasing a put option, the Fund obtains the right (but not the obligation) to sell the option’s underlying instrument at a fixed strike price. In return for this right, the Fund pays the current market price for the option (known as the option premium). Options have various types of underlying instruments, including specific securities, indexes of securities prices and futures contracts. The Fund may terminate its position in a put option it has purchased by allowing it to expire, by exercising the option or if able, by selling the option. If the option is allowed to expire, the Fund will lose the entire premium it paid. If the Fund exercises the option, it completes the sale of the underlying instrument at the strike price. The Fund may also terminate a put option position by closing it out in the secondary market at its current price, if a liquid secondary market exists.

 

7


The buyer of a typical put option can expect to realize a gain if a security’s price falls substantially. However, if the underlying instrument’s price does not fall enough to offset the cost of purchasing the option, a put buyer can expect to suffer a loss (limited to the amount of the premium paid, plus related transaction costs).

The features of call options are essentially the same as those of put options, except that the purchaser of a call option obtains the right to purchase, rather than sell, the underlying instrument at the option’s strike price. A call buyer typically attempts to participate in potential price increases of the underlying instrument with risk limited to the cost of the option if the security’s price falls. At the same time, the buyer can expect to suffer a loss if the security’s price does not rise sufficiently to offset the cost of the option.

The Fund will not invest more than 10% of the value of its net assets in purchased options.

Writing Put and Call Options. The Fund may write (i.e., sell) put and call options. When the Fund writes a put option, it takes the opposite side of the transaction from the option’s purchaser. In return for receipt of the premium, the Fund assumes the obligation to pay the strike price for the option’s underlying instrument if the other party to the option chooses to exercise it. When writing an option on a futures contract the Fund would be required to make margin payments to an FCM as described above for futures contracts. The Fund may seek to terminate its position in put options it writes before exercise by closing out the option in the secondary market at its current price. If the secondary market is not liquid for put options the Fund has written, however, the Fund must continue to be prepared to pay the strike price while the option is outstanding, regardless of price changes, and must continue to set aside assets to cover its position. If the underlying security’s price rises, however, a put writer would generally expect to profit, although its gain would be limited to the amount of the premium it received.

If the security’s price remains the same over time, it is likely that the put writer will also profit, because it should be able to close out the option at a lower price. If the security’s price falls, the put writer would expect to suffer a loss. This loss should be less than the loss from purchasing the underlying instrument directly, however, because the premium received for writing the option should mitigate the effects of the decline.

Writing a call option obligates the Fund to sell or deliver the option’s underlying instrument, in return for the strike price, upon exercise of the option. The characteristics of writing call options are similar to those of writing put options, except that writing calls generally is a profitable strategy if prices remain the same or fall. Through receipt of the option premium, a call writer mitigates the effects of a price decline. At the same time, because a call writer must be prepared to deliver the underlying instrument in return for the strike price, even if its current value is greater, a call writer gives up some ability to participate in the security’s price increase.

The Fund will write only “covered” put and call options.

A call option written by the Fund is “covered” if the Fund: (a) owns the underlying security covered by the call or has an absolute and immediate right to acquire that security without additional cash consideration upon conversion or exchange of other securities held in its portfolio; or (b) meets the asset coverage requirements described under “Asset Coverage for Futures and Options Positions” above.

A put option written by the Fund is “covered” if the Fund: (a) holds a put on the same security having the same principal amount as the put option it has written and the exercise price of the put held is equal to or greater than the exercise price of the put written; or (b) meets the asset coverage requirements described under “Asset Coverage for Futures and Options Positions” above.

If options are “covered” by the Fund meeting the asset coverage requirements, the Fund’s economic exposure is not limited as it would be if the options are “covered” as described in paragraphs (a) above.

OTC Options. The Fund may engage in OTC options transactions. Unlike exchange-traded options, which are standardized with respect to the underlying instrument, expiration date, contract size, and strike price, the terms of OTC options (options not traded on exchanges) generally are established through negotiation with the other party to the option contract. While this type of arrangement allows the Fund greater flexibility to tailor options to its needs, OTC options generally involve greater credit and default risk than exchange-traded options, which are guaranteed by the clearing organization of the exchanges where they are traded.

 

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Additional Risks of Options and Futures Contracts.

Market Risk. Market risk is the risk that the value of the underlying assets may go up or down. Adverse movements in the value of an underlying asset can expose the Fund to losses. Market risk is the primary risk associated with derivative transactions, such as futures and options. Derivative instruments may include elements of leverage and, accordingly, fluctuations in the value of the derivative instrument in relation to the underlying asset may be magnified. The successful use of futures and options depends upon a variety of factors, particularly the portfolio manager’s ability to predict movements of the securities, currencies and commodities markets, which may require different skills than predicting changes in the prices of individual securities. There can be no assurance that any particular strategy adopted will succeed.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that a loss may be sustained as a result of the failure of a counterparty to comply with the terms of a derivative instrument. The counterparty risk for exchange-traded derivatives is generally less than for privately-negotiated or OTC derivatives, since generally a clearing agency, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded instrument, provides a guarantee of performance. For privately-negotiated instruments, there is no similar clearing agency guarantee. In all transactions, the Fund will bear the risk that the counterparty will default, and this could result in a loss of the expected benefit of the derivative transactions and possibly other losses to the Fund.

Lack of Correlation of Price Changes. Because there are a limited number of types of exchange-traded options and futures contracts, it is likely that the standardized contracts available will not match the Fund’s current or anticipated investments exactly. The Fund may invest in options and futures contracts based on securities with different issuers, maturities, or other characteristics from the securities in which they typically invest, which involve a risk that the Fund’s options or futures positions will not track the performance of the Fund’s other investments.

Options and futures prices can also diverge from the prices of their underlying instruments, even if the underlying instruments match the Fund’s investments well. Options and futures prices are affected by such factors as current and anticipated short-term interest rates, changes in volatility of the underlying instrument, and the time remaining until expiration of the contract, which may not affect a security’s price the same way. Imperfect correlation may also result from differing levels of demand in the options and futures markets and the securities markets, from structural differences in how options, futures and securities are traded, or from imposition of daily price fluctuation limits or trading halts. The Fund may purchase or sell options and futures contracts with a greater or lesser value than the securities they wish to hedge or intend to purchase in order to attempt to compensate for differences in volatility between the contract and the securities, although this may not be successful in all cases. If price changes in the Fund’s options or futures positions are poorly correlated with other investments, the positions may fail to produce anticipated gains or result in losses that are not offset by gains in other investments.

Liquidity of Options and Futures Contracts. There is no assurance that a liquid secondary market will exist for any particular option or futures contract at any particular time. Options may have relatively low trading volume and liquidity if their strike prices are not close to the underlying instrument’s current price. In addition, exchanges may establish daily price fluctuation limits for options and futures contracts, and may halt trading if a contract’s price moves upward or downward more than the limit in a given day. On volatile trading days when the price fluctuation limit is reached or a trading halt is imposed, it may be impossible for the Fund to enter into new positions or close out existing positions. In addition, if unable to close a future position, in the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments in order to maintain its required margin and/or might be required by applicable regulatory requirements to maintain assets as “cover”. In such situation, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell other portfolio securities at an inopportune time to meet daily margin requirements. If the secondary market for a contract is not liquid because of price fluctuation limits or otherwise, it could prevent prompt liquidation of unfavorable positions, and potentially could require the applicable Fund to continue to hold a position or maintain assets in a segregated account until delivery or expiration regardless of changes in its value. As a result, the Fund’s access to other assets held to cover options or futures positions could also be impaired. There is no assurance that any derivative position can be sold or closed out at a time and price that is favorable to the Fund.

 

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Systematic or “Interconnection Risk”. Systematic or interconnection risk is the risk that a disruption in the financial markets will cause difficulties for all market participants. In other words, a disruption in one market will spill over into other markets, perhaps creating a chain reaction. Much of the OTC derivatives market takes place among the OTC dealers themselves, thus creating a large interconnected web of financial obligations. This interconnectedness raises the possibility that a default by one large dealer could create losses for other dealers and destabilize the entire market for OTC derivative instruments.

Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”). The Fund may invest in ETFs. ETFs are investment companies, the shares of which are bought and sold on a securities exchange but it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in ETFs. The securities of an ETF are redeemable only in larger aggregation of a specified number of shares and generally on an in-kind basis. Generally, certain ETFs may represent a portfolio of securities designed to track the composition and/or performance of specific indexes or portfolio of specific indexes, while other ETFs may be actively managed that do not track an index (generally referred to as actively-managed ETFs). The market prices of ETF investments will fluctuate in accordance with both changes in the underlying portfolio securities of the investment company and also due to supply and demand of the investment company’s shares on the exchange upon which its shares are traded. The market price of an ETF may trade at a premium or discount to its net asset value. Index-based investments may not replicate or otherwise match the composition or performance of their specified index due to transaction costs, among other things. Examples of ETFs include: SPDRs®, Select Sector SPDRs®, DIAMONDSSM, NASDAQ 100 Shares and iShares.

There are many reasons why the Fund would purchase an ETF. For example, the Fund could purchase an ETF to temporarily gain exposure to a portion of the U.S. market or a foreign market while awaiting an opportunity to purchase securities directly. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities in which the ETF invests and the investment strategies of the ETF. However, lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in it being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. In addition, ETFs have operating expenses, including management fees that increase their costs versus the costs of owning the underlying securities directly. As the shares of the ETFs trade on an exchange, they are subject to the risks of any exchange-listed security, including: (i) an active market for its shares may not develop or be maintained, (ii) market makers or authorized participants may decide to reduce their role or step away from these activities in times of stress, (iii) trading of its shares may be halted by the exchange, and (iv) its shares may be delisted from the exchange. The Fund may purchase ETFs to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, rules thereunder or as described below, to the extent permitted by exemptive orders granted to the various ETFs by the SEC. (See also the description of “Securities of Other Investment Companies”).

Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) Risk. The Fund may invest in IPOs from time to time, but investing in IPOs is a non-principal strategy and is therefore not considered a principal risk of the Fund. IPOs involve a higher degree of risk not normally associated with offerings of more seasoned companies. Companies involved in IPOs generally have limited operating histories and their prospects for future profitability are uncertain. Prices of IPOs may also be unstable due to such factors as the absence of a prior public market, the small number of shares available for trading and limited investor information. Shares purchased in IPOs may be difficult to sell at a time or price that is desirable.

Foreign Currency Transactions. The Fund may hold foreign currency deposits from time to time and may convert dollars and foreign currencies in the foreign exchange markets primarily for the purpose of effecting foreign securities transactions. Because each foreign security transaction involves a foreign currency transaction, if investments in foreign securities are a principal investment strategy of the Fund, then foreign currency transactions will be part of executing this principal strategy of the Fund. Currency conversion may involve dealer spreads and other costs, although commissions usually are not charged. Additionally, certain countries may utilize formal or informal currency-exchange controls or “capital controls.” Capital controls may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investments or income. Such capital controls can also have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s holdings or cash held in the foreign jurisdiction. Currencies may be exchanged on a spot (i.e., cash) basis, or by entering into forward contracts to purchase or sell foreign currencies at a future date and price. Forward contracts generally are traded on an interbank market conducted directly between currency traders (usually large commercial banks) and their customers. The parties to a forward contract may agree to offset or terminate the contract before its maturity, or may hold the contract to maturity and complete the contemplated currency exchange.

The Fund may use currency forward contracts to manage currency risks and to facilitate transactions in foreign securities. The following discussion summarizes the principal currency management strategies involving forward contracts that could be used by the Fund.

 

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In connection with purchases and sales of securities denominated in foreign currencies, the Fund may enter into currency forward contracts to fix a definite price for the purchase or sale in advance of the trade’s settlement date. This technique is sometimes referred to as a “settlement hedge” or “transaction hedge.” The Advisor with respect to the Fund expects to enter into settlement hedges in the normal course of managing the Fund’s foreign investments. The Fund could also enter into forward contracts to purchase or sell a foreign currency in anticipation of future purchases or sales of securities denominated in foreign currency, even if the specific investments have not yet been selected by the Advisor.

The Fund may also use forward contracts to hedge against a decline in the value of existing investments denominated in a foreign currency. For example, if the Fund owned securities denominated in pounds sterling, it could enter into a forward contract to sell pounds sterling in return for U.S. dollars to hedge against possible declines in the pound’s value. Such a hedge, sometimes referred to as a “position hedge,” would tend to offset both positive and negative currency fluctuations but would not offset changes in security values caused by other factors. The Fund could also hedge the position by selling another currency expected to perform similarly to the pound sterling—for example, by entering into a forward contract to sell European Currency Units in return for U.S. dollars. This type of hedge, sometimes referred to as a “proxy hedge,” could offer advantages in terms of cost, yield, or efficiency, but generally would not hedge currency exposure as effectively as a simple hedge into U.S. dollars. Proxy hedges may result in losses if the currency used to hedge does not perform similarly to the currency in which the hedged securities are denominated.

SEC guidelines require mutual funds to set aside appropriate liquid assets in a segregated custodial account to cover forward currency contracts.

Successful use of forward currency contracts will depend on the Advisor’s skill in analyzing and predicting currency values. Forward contracts may substantially change the Fund’s investment exposure to changes in currency exchange rates, and could result in losses to the Fund if currencies do not perform as the Advisor anticipates. For example, if a currency’s value rose at a time when the Advisor had hedged the Fund by selling that currency in exchange for U.S. dollars, the Fund would be unable to participate in the currency’s appreciation. If the Advisor hedges currency exposure through proxy hedges, the Fund could realize currency losses from the hedge and the security position at the same time if the two currencies do not move in tandem. Similarly, if the Advisor increases the Fund’s exposure to a foreign currency, and that currency’s value declines, the Fund will realize a loss. There is no assurance that the Advisor’s use of forward currency contracts will be advantageous to the Fund or that it will hedge at an appropriate time. The policies related to foreign currency transactions described in this section are non-fundamental policies of the Fund.

Foreign Securities. The Fund may invest directly in securities issued by foreign companies listed on foreign exchanges, but it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to do so. It is a principal investment strategy of the Fund to invest in foreign companies indirectly through sponsored or un-sponsored American Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts or European Depositary Receipts. Investments in depositary receipts may be subject to many of the same risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies. Investments in foreign securities involve certain risks not typically associated with U.S. investments.

Additional Risks of Foreign Securities.

Foreign Securities Markets. Trading volume on foreign country and, in particular, emerging and frontier market stock exchanges is substantially less than that on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). Further, securities of some foreign and, in particular, emerging and frontier market companies are less liquid and more volatile than securities of comparable U.S. companies. Fixed commissions on foreign exchanges are generally higher than negotiated commissions on U.S. exchanges. The Fund endeavors to achieve the most favorable net results on its portfolio transactions and may be able to purchase securities on other stock exchanges where commissions are negotiable. Foreign stock exchanges, brokers, custodians and listed companies may be subject to less government supervision and regulation than in the United States. The customary settlement time for foreign securities may be longer than the customary two day settlement time for U.S. securities.

Companies in foreign countries are not generally subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards, practices and disclosure requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies. Consequently, there may be less publicly available information about a foreign company than about a U.S. company. Certain markets may require payment for securities before delivery and delays may be encountered in settling securities

 

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transactions. In some foreign markets, there may not be protection against failure by other parties to complete transactions. There may be limited legal recourse against an issuer in the event of a default on a debt instrument.

Currency Risk. The value of the assets of the Fund, as measured in U.S. dollars may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in foreign currency exchange rates and exchange control regulations. A change in the value of any foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar may cause a corresponding change in the dollar value of the Fund’s assets that are denominated or traded in that country. In addition, the Fund may incur costs in connection with conversion between various currencies. Additionally, certain countries may utilize formal or informal currency-exchange controls or “capital controls.” Capital controls may impose restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investments or income. Such capital controls can also have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s holdings.

Political and Economic Risk. Foreign investments may be subject to heightened political and economic risks, particularly in underdeveloped or developing countries which may have relatively unstable governments and economies based on only a few industries. In some countries, there is the risk that the government could seize or nationalize companies, could impose additional withholding taxes on dividends or interest income payable on securities, could impose exchange controls or adopt other restrictions that could affect the Fund’s investments.

Regulatory Risk. Foreign companies not publicly traded in the U.S. are not subject to the regulatory requirements of U.S. companies. There may be less publicly available information about such companies. Foreign companies are not subject to accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards and requirements comparable to those applicable to U.S. companies.

De-Listing Risk. Securities of certain foreign companies may be listed on a U.S. stock exchange. On December 2, 2020, the U.S. Congress passed the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, which could cause the securities of foreign issuers to be de-listed from U.S. stock exchanges if those companies do not permit U.S. oversight of the auditing of their financial information. To the extent a Fund invests in securities of such companies listed in the U.S., delisting could impact the Fund’s ability to transact in such securities and could significantly impact their liquidity and market price. In addition, a Fund would have to seek other markets in which to transact in such securities which would also increase the Fund’s costs.

Foreign Tax Risk. The Fund’s income from foreign issuers may be subject to non-U.S. withholding taxes. The Fund may also be subject to taxes on trading profits or on transfers of securities in some countries. To the extent foreign income taxes are paid by the Fund, shareholders may be entitled to a credit or deduction for U.S. tax purposes.

Transaction Costs. Transaction costs of buying and selling foreign securities, including brokerage, tax and custody charges, are generally higher than those of domestic transactions.

Emerging and Frontier Markets. The Fund may invest in securities issued by companies domiciled or economically tied to countries in emerging markets and frontier markets as a non-principal strategy. Investing in securities of issuers domiciled in emerging or frontier markets entail greater risks than investing in securities of issuers domiciled in countries with more mature securities markets. These risks may include (i) less social, political and economic stability; (ii) small current size of markets for such securities and low or nonexistent trading volume, which result in lack of liquidity and greater price volatility; (iii) certain national policies which may restrict the Fund’s investment opportunities, including restrictions on investments in issuers or industries deemed sensitive to national interests; (iv) foreign taxation; (v) inaccurate, incomplete or misleading financial information of companies in which the Fund invests; and (vi) the absence of developed structures governing private or foreign investment or allowing for judicial redress for injury to private property.

Many emerging and frontier market countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Sudden changes in governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors, such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize “sovereign” assets. Certain emerging and frontier market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private

 

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property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.

Many developing countries in which the Fund may invest lack the social, political and economic stability characteristics of the U.S. Political instability in these developing countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social unrest, labor strikes, civil wars and religious oppression. Economic instability in market countries may take the form of (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.

Currencies of emerging and frontier market countries are subject to significantly greater risks than currencies of developed countries. Many of these developing countries have experienced steady declines or even sudden devaluations of their currencies relative to the U.S. dollar. Some emerging and frontier market currencies may not be internationally traded or may be subject to strict controls by local governments, resulting in undervalued or overvalued currencies. Some emerging market countries have experienced balance of payment deficits and shortages in foreign exchange reserves. Governments have responded by restricting currency conversions. Restrictive exchange controls could prevent or restrict a company’s ability to make dividend or interest payments in the original currency of the obligation (usually U.S. dollars). In addition, even though the currencies of some of these developing countries may be convertible into U.S. dollars, the conversion rates may be artificial to their actual market values. Additionally, certain countries, including China, may utilize formal or informal currency-exchange controls or “capital controls.” Capital controls may impose temporary or long-term restrictions on the Fund’s ability to repatriate investments or income. Such capital controls can also have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s holdings.

In the past, governments within developing countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs which cause huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have become too overwhelming for the governments to meet, representing a large percentage of total gross domestic product. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled in foreign countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future.

Stock exchanges in developing markets have in the past experienced substantial fluctuations in the prices of their listed securities. They have also experienced problems such as temporary exchange closures, broker defaults, settlement delays and broker strikes that, if they occur again, could affect the market price and liquidity of the securities in which the Fund invests. In addition, the governing bodies of certain stock exchanges have from time to time imposed restrictions on trading in certain securities, limitations on price movements and margin requirements. Disputes have also occurred from time to time among listed companies, the stock exchanges and other regulatory bodies, and in some cases those disputes have had a negative effect on overall market sentiment. There have been delays and errors in share allotments relating to initial public offerings, which in turn affect overall market sentiment and lead to fluctuations in the market prices of the securities of those companies and others in which the Fund may invest.

Small emerging and frontier countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets than traditional emerging market countries, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets described above are magnified for small emerging market and frontier countries.

Share Blocking. In addition, investing in emerging and frontier markets includes the risk of share blocking. Share blocking refers to a practice, in certain foreign markets, where voting rights related to an issuer’s securities are predicated on these securities being blocked from trading at the custodian or sub-custodian level, for a period of time around a shareholder meeting. These restrictions have the effect of prohibiting securities to potentially be voted (or having been voted), from trading within a specified number of days before, and in certain instances, after the shareholder meeting.

 

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Share blocking may prevent the Fund from buying or selling securities for a period of time. During the time that shares are blocked, trades in such securities will not settle. The specific practices may vary by market and the blocking period can last from a day to several weeks, typically terminating on a date established at the discretion of the issuer. Once blocked, the only manner in which to remove the block would be to withdraw a previously cast vote, or to abstain from voting altogether. The process for having a blocking restriction lifted can be very difficult, with the particular requirements varying widely by country. In certain countries, the block cannot be removed at all.

Share blocking may present operational challenges for the Fund, including the effect that an imposed block would have on pending trades. Pending trades may be caused to fail and could potentially remain unsettled for an extended period of time. Fails may also expose the transfer agent and the Fund to “buy in” situations, where, if unable to deliver shares after a certain period of time, a counterparty has the right to go to market, purchase a security at the current market price and have any additional expense borne by the Fund or the transfer agent.

Investments in India and the India Region. The Fund may invest in securities of companies tied economically to India (the “India region”), but it is not considered a principal risk of the Fund as of the date of this SAI. In addition to the risks incurred in investing in foreign and emerging markets, risks associated with investing in India include the following. Foreign investment in the securities of issuers in India is usually restricted or controlled to some degree. In India, “Foreign Portfolio Investors” (“FPIs”) may predominately invest in exchange-traded securities (and securities to be listed, or those approved on the OTC market of India) subject to the conditions specified in Indian guidelines and regulations (the “Guidelines”). FPIs are required to apply for registration through a designated depository participant, which facilitates the registration with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”). The Guidelines require SEBI to review the professional experience and reputation of the FPI and custodian arrangements for Indian securities. Although the Trust is a registered FPI, it must still seek renewal of this status periodically and any corporate changes to the Trust or the Fund must be reviewed and accepted by SEBI. There can be no guarantee that regulatory approval will be granted to continue the Trust’s FPI status and the Fund’s ability to buy or sell Indian securities may be impaired if the Fund’s ability to transact is denied, delayed, suspended or not renewed by local regulators. FPIs are required to observe certain investment restrictions, including limiting the aggregate ownership of any of any one company by an FPI and its investors to less than 10% of the company’s total paid-up equity capital. In addition, the shareholdings of all registered FPIs may not exceed 24% of the issued share capital of most companies. It is expected that this limit will automatically change from 24% to the relevant applicable limit established for certain sectors, such as telecommunications or banking have restrictions that limit foreign investment above a specified percentage (or requires regulatory approval to exceed that percentage). It is possible that this restriction could be raised or potentially lifted, subject to that company’s approval. Under normal circumstances, income, gains and initial capital with respect to such investments are freely repatriable, subject to payment or withholding of applicable Indian taxes. Please see the section entitled “Matters Related to India” in this SAI. There can be no assurance that these investment control regimes will not change in a way that makes it more difficult or impossible for the Fund to reach its investment objectives or repatriate its income, gains and initial capital from India.

A high proportion of the shares of many Indian issuers are held by a limited number of persons or entities, which may limit the number of shares available for investment by the Fund. In addition, further issuances (or the perception that such issuances may occur) of securities by Indian issuers in which the Fund has invested could dilute the earnings per share of the Fund’s investment and could adversely affect the market price of such securities. Sales of securities by such issuer’s major shareholders, or the perception that such sales may occur, may also significantly and adversely affect the market price of such securities and, in turn, the Fund’s investment. A limited number of issuers represent a disproportionately large percentage of market capitalization and trading value. The limited liquidity of the Indian securities markets may also affect the Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time that it desires.

The ability of the Fund to invest in Indian securities, exchange Indian rupees into U.S. dollars and repatriate investment income, capital and proceeds of sales realized from its investments in Indian securities is subject to the Indian Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999, and the rules, regulations and notifications issued thereunder. There can be no assurance that the Indian government in the future, whether for purposes of managing its balance of payments or for other reasons, will not impose restrictions on foreign capital remittances abroad or otherwise modify the exchange control regime applicable to foreign institutional investors in such a way that may adversely affect the ability of the Fund to repatriate its income and capital. Such conditions or modifications may prompt the Board of Trustees to suspend redemptions of the Fund’s shares to the extent permissible under the 1940 Act, which is seven days, except in certain limited circumstances.

 

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If for any reason the Fund is unable, through borrowing or otherwise, to distribute an amount equal to substantially all of its investment company taxable income (as defined for U.S. tax purposes, without regard to the deduction for dividends paid) within the applicable time periods, the Fund would cease to qualify for the favorable tax treatment afforded to regulated investment companies under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

Religious and border disputes persist in India. Moreover, India has from time to time experienced civil unrest and hostilities with neighboring countries such as Pakistan. Both India and Pakistan have tested nuclear arms, and the threat of deployment of such weapons could hinder development of the Indian economy. Escalating tensions between India and Pakistan could impact the broader region. The Indian government has confronted separatist movements in several Indian states. The longstanding dispute with Pakistan over the bordering Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, a majority of whose population is Muslim, remains unresolved. Attacks by terrorists believed to be based in Pakistan against India have further damaged relations between the two countries. If the Indian government is unable to control the violence and disruption associated with these tensions, the results could destabilize the economy and, consequently, adversely affect the Fund’s investments.

India has less developed clearance and settlement procedures, and there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities and have been significantly delayed. The Indian stock exchanges have in the past been subject to closure, broker defaults and broker strikes, and there can be no certainty that this will not recur. In addition, significant delays are common in registering transfers of securities and the Fund may be unable to sell securities until the registration process is completed and may experience delays in receiving dividends and other entitlements. In addition, India has takeover regulations containing provisions that may discourage or prevent a third-party from taking control of an Indian company, including if it was beneficial to the Fund or for a price that is at a premium to the market price.

Depositary Receipts Risk. The Fund may invest in securities of foreign issuers in the form of depositary receipts. A depositary receipt is issued by a bank or trust company to evidence its ownership of securities of a non-local corporation. The Fund may invest in both sponsored and unsponsored depositary receipts, including American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”), and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”). ADRs are receipts or shares typically issued by an American bank or trust company that evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a foreign corporation and are alternatives to purchasing the underlying securities directly in their national markets and currencies. EDRs are receipts in bearer form traded in the European securities markets that evidence a similar ownership arrangement, and GDRs are receipts issued throughout the world that also evidence a similar ownership arrangement. Investments in depositary receipts may be subject to many of the same risks associated with direct investments in the securities of foreign companies, such as currency, political, liquidity, regulatory, economic and market risks because their values depend on the performance of non-dollar denominated underlying foreign securities. The depositary receipts may also involve higher expenses and may trade at a discount (or premium) to the underlying security and their values may change materially at times when the U.S. markets are not open for trading. In addition, the currency of a depositary receipt may be different than the currency of the underlying securities into which they may be converted. Movements in the exchange rate between the local currency of the foreign security and the currency in which the depositary receipt is denominated may adversely affect the value of the depositary receipt even if the price of the foreign security does not change on its market. Even if the depositary receipt is denominated in U.S. currency, the depositary receipts are subject to currency risk if the underlying security is denominated in a foreign currency. The Fund also may invest in sponsored or unsponsored depositary receipts. A sponsored depositary receipt is issued by a depositary that has a relationship with the issuer of the underlying security. Unsponsored depositary receipts are organized independently and without the cooperation of the issuer of the underlying securities. As a result, the holder of an unsponsored depositary receipt may have limited voting rights and may not receive as much information or as current of information as would a holder of a sponsored depositary receipt since the issuer is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the underlying issuer or to pass through voting rights to the holders of unsponsored depositary receipts. Unsponsored receipts may also involve higher expenses, be less liquid and have more volatile prices.

Illiquid Securities. The Fund may invest up to 15% of its net assets in “illiquid securities” which are generally defined under SEC rules as any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquid securities may include a wide variety of instruments including, but are not limited to, certain restricted securities (securities the disposition of which is restricted under the federal securities laws). However, each Fund will not acquire illiquid securities if, immediately after the acquisition, such Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets. The Board of Trustees, or its delegate, has the ultimate authority to determine,

 

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to the extent permissible under the federal securities laws, which securities are liquid or illiquid for purposes of the 15% limitation. The Advisor, as administrator to the Fund’s liquidity risk management program, shall monitor the Fund’s portfolio to determine if the aggregate percentage of the Fund’s assets considered illiquid exceeds the 15% net asset limit. If the Advisor determines that the Fund holds more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments that are assets, the Advisor will report such event to the Board with an explanation of the extent and causes of the occurrence and how the Fund plans to bring its illiquid investments that are assets to or below the 15% threshold within a reasonable period of time. If the amount of the Fund’s illiquid investments that are assets is still above 15% of its net assets 30 days from the occurrence (and at each consecutive 30-day period thereafter), the Fund’s Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees, will assess whether the plan to reduce the illiquid securities continues to be in the best interests of the Fund.    Illiquid securities will be priced at fair value as determined by the Pricing Committee of the Advisor with oversight by the Board of Trustees in accordance with Board-approved Pricing Policies and Procedures. Given the inherent uncertainties of estimating fair market value, there can be no assurance that the value placed on a security will be appropriate in terms of how the security may be ultimately valued on the public market. These securities may never be publicly traded and the Funds may have difficulty selling such securities over an indefinite period of time.    The Fund may not be able to sell the illiquid securities when the Advisor considers it desirable to do so or may have to sell such securities at a price that is lower than the price that could be obtained if the securities were more liquid. In addition, the sale of illiquid securities also may require more time and may result in higher dealer discounts and other selling expenses than does the sale of securities that are not illiquid. Depreciation in the prices of the illiquid securities may cause the net asset value of the Fund to decline.

Restricted Securities. The Fund may invest in restricted securities. Restricted securities may be sold only in privately negotiated transactions or in a public offering with respect to which a registration statement is in effect under the Securities Act of 1933. Where registration is required, the Fund may be obligated to pay all or part of the registration expenses and a considerable period may elapse between the time of the decision to sell and the time the Fund may be permitted to sell a security under an effective registration statement. If, during such a period, adverse market conditions were to develop, the Fund might obtain a less favorable price than that which prevailed when it decided to sell.

The securities in which the Fund may invest include securities issued by corporations without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, such as securities issued in reliance on the so-called “private placement” exemption from registration which is afforded by Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (“Section 4(2) securities”). Section 4(2) securities are restricted as to disposition under the Federal securities laws, and generally are sold to institutional investors such as the Fund who agree that it is purchasing the securities for investment and not with a view to public distribution. The resales of these securities may also have to be made in an exempt transaction.

The Fund may also purchase securities which, while privately placed, are eligible for purchase and sale under Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933. This rule permits certain qualified institutional buyers, such as the Fund, to trade privately placed securities even though such securities are not registered under the Securities Act of 1933. The Board has delegated to the Advisor the responsibility to determine the liquidity of Rule 144A restricted securities. If these securities are determined to be liquid, such securities would be excluded from the 15% illiquid securities limit.

Lending of Portfolio Securities. Consistent with applicable regulatory requirements, the Fund may lend its portfolio securities to brokers, dealers and financial institutions, provided that outstanding loans do not exceed in the aggregate 33 13% of the value of the Fund’s total assets and provided that such loans are callable at any time by the Fund and are at all times secured by cash or equivalent collateral that is at least equal to the market value, determined daily, of the loaned securities. The advantage of such loans is that the Fund continues to receive interest and dividends from the loaned securities, while at the same time earning interest either directly from the borrower or on the collateral which will be invested in short-term obligations. It is not a principal strategy of the Fund to lend its portfolio securities.

A loan may be terminated by the borrower on one business day’s notice or by the Fund at any time. If the borrower fails to maintain the requisite amount of collateral, the loan automatically terminates, and the Fund could use the collateral to replace the securities while holding the borrower liable for any excess of replacement cost over collateral. As with any extensions of credit, there are risks of delay in recovery and in some cases loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. However, these loans of portfolio securities will only be made to firms determined to be creditworthy pursuant to procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. On termination of the loan, the borrower is required to return the securities to the Fund and any gain or loss in the market price during the loan would be borne by the Fund.

 

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Since voting or consent rights which accompany loaned securities pass to the borrower, the Fund will follow the policy of calling the loan, in whole or in part as may be appropriate, to permit the exercise of such rights if the matters involved would have a material effect on the Fund’s investment in the securities which are the subject of the loan. The Fund will pay reasonable finders, administrative and custodial fees in connection with loans of securities or may share the interest earned on collateral with the borrower.

The primary risk in securities lending is default by the borrower as the value of the borrowed security rises, resulting in a deficiency in the collateral posted by the borrower. The Fund seeks to minimize this risk by computing the value of the security loaned on a daily basis and requiring additional collateral if necessary.

Market Risk. Since the Fund has both a “long” and “short” portfolio, an investment in the Fund will involve market risks associated with different investment decisions than those made for a typical “long only” stock fund. The Fund’s results will suffer both when there is a general stock market advance and the Fund holds significant “short” equity positions or when there is a general stock market decline and the Fund holds significant “long” equity positions. The market value of the Fund’s investments may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably and for short or extended periods of time. Securities are subject to market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic, political, regulatory or market developments, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in securities prices. Shares of the Fund could decline in value or underperform other investments due to market movements over the short-term or longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. In addition, local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, spread of infectious diseases or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant negative impact on the long positions of the Fund and its investments and therefore the Fund. Such events may affect certain geographic regions, countries, sectors and industries more significantly than others. Such events could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the Fund’s portfolio securities or other instruments and could result in disruptions in the trading markets. Any of such circumstances could have a materially negative impact on the value of the Fund’s long positions and result in increased market volatility. Conversely, the value of the Fund’s short positions may decline because of an increase in the equity market as a whole or because of increases in the prices of securities of a particular company, industry, or sector of the market.

Health crises caused by the outbreak of infectious diseases or other public health issues, may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social, economic, market and financial risks. The impact of any such events, could negatively affect the global economy as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies, sectors and industries, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. The impact of such infectious diseases in developing or emerging market countries may be greater due to less established healthcare systems. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests and negatively impact the Fund’s investment return.

For example, an outbreak of respiratory disease designated as COVID-19 was first detected in China in December 2019 and subsequently spread internationally. The transmission of COVID-19 and efforts to contain its spread have resulted in international, national and local border closings and other significant travel restrictions and disruptions, significant disruptions to business operations, supply chains and customer activity, event cancellations and restrictions, service cancellations, reductions and other changes, significant challenges in healthcare service preparation and delivery, and quarantines, as well as general concern and uncertainty that has negatively affected the economic environment. These impacts also have caused significant volatility and could result in the disruption of trading, the reduction of liquidity in many instruments and losses to the Fund. Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world have in the past responded to major economic disruptions with a variety of significant fiscal and monetary policy changes, including but not limited to, direct capital infusions into companies, new monetary programs and dramatically lower interest rates. An unexpected or quick reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of these policies, could increase volatility in securities markets, which could adversely affect the value of a Fund’s investments.

In addition, the operations of the Fund, the Advisor and the Funds’ other service providers may be significantly impacted, or even temporarily or permanently halted, as a result of government quarantine measures, voluntary and precautionary restrictions on travel or meetings and other factors related to a public health emergency, including its potential adverse impact on the health of any such entity’s personnel.

Money Market Instruments. The Fund may invest in a variety of money market instruments for pending investments, to meet anticipated redemption requests and/or to retain the flexibility to respond promptly to changes in market, economic or political conditions, when the Advisor takes temporary defensive positions, including when the Advisor is unable to locate

 

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attractive investment opportunities, or when the Advisor considers market, economic or political conditions to be unfavorable for profitable investing. Money market instruments include, but are not limited to, the following instruments. Commercial paper represents short-term unsecured promissory notes issued in bearer form by banks or bank holding companies, corporations and finance companies. Issues of commercial paper normally have maturities of less than nine months and fixed rates of return. The Fund may purchase commercial paper consisting of issues rated at the time of purchase by one or more appropriate NRSRO (e.g., S&P’s and Moody’s) in one of the two highest rating categories for short-term debt obligations. The Fund may also invest in commercial paper that is not rated but that is determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality to instruments that are so rated by an NRSRO that is neither controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the issuer of, or any issuer, guarantor, or provider of credit support for, the instruments. Certificates of deposit are generally negotiable certificates issued against funds deposited in a commercial bank or a savings and loan association for a definite period of time and earning a specified return. Bankers’ acceptances are negotiable drafts or bills of exchange, normally drawn by an importer or exporter to pay for specific merchandise, which are “accepted” by a bank, meaning, in effect, that the bank unconditionally agrees to pay the face value of the instrument on maturity. Bankers’ acceptances invested in by the Fund will be those guaranteed by domestic and foreign banks having, at the time of investment, capital, surplus, and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 (as of the date of their most recently published financial statements). Fixed time deposits are bank obligations payable at a stated maturity date and bearing interest at a fixed rate. Fixed time deposits may be withdrawn on demand by the investor, but may be subject to early withdrawal penalties that vary depending upon market conditions and the remaining maturity of the obligation. There are no contractual restrictions on the right to transfer a beneficial interest in a fixed time deposit to a third party, although there is no market for such deposits. Bank notes and bankers’ acceptances rank junior to deposit liabilities of the bank and pari passu with other senior, unsecured obligations of the bank. Bank notes are classified as “other borrowings” on a bank’s balance sheet, while deposit notes and certificates of deposit are classified as deposits. Bank notes are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) or any other insurer. Deposit notes are insured by the FDIC only to the extent of $250,000 per depositor per bank. Certificates of deposit and demand and time deposits will be those of domestic banks and savings and loan associations, if (a) at the time of investment the depository institution has capital, surplus, and undivided profits in excess of $100,000,000 (as of the date of its most recently published financial statements), or (b) the principal amount of the instrument is insured in full by the FDIC.

Mortgage-Related Securities. The Fund may, consistent with its investment objectives and policies, invest in mortgage-related securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities or issued by nongovernmental entities. It is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in mortgage-related securities.

Mortgage-related securities, for purposes of the Prospectus and this SAI, represent pools of mortgage loans assembled for sale to investors by various governmental agencies such as the Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) and government-related organizations such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), as well as by nongovernmental issuers such as commercial banks, savings and loan institutions, mortgage bankers and private mortgage insurance companies. Although certain mortgage-related securities are guaranteed by a third party or otherwise similarly secured, the market value of the security, which may fluctuate, is not so secured. If the Fund purchases a mortgage-related security at a premium, that portion may be lost if there is a decline in the market value of the security whether resulting from changes in interest rates or prepayments in the underlying mortgage collateral. As with other interest-bearing securities, the prices of such securities are inversely affected by changes in interest rates. However, though the value of a mortgage-related security may decline when interest rates rise, the converse is not necessarily true, since in periods of declining interest rates the mortgages underlying the securities are prone to prepayment, thereby shortening the average life of the security and shortening the period of time over which income at the higher rate is received. Conversely, when interest rates are rising, the rate of prepayment tends to decrease, thereby lengthening the average life of the security and lengthening the period of time over which income at the lower rate is received. For these and other reasons, a mortgage-related security’s average maturity may be shortened or lengthened as a result of interest rate fluctuations and, therefore, it is not possible to predict accurately the security’s return to the Fund. In addition, regular payments received in respect of mortgage-related securities include both interest and principal. No assurance can be given as to the return the Fund will receive when these amounts are reinvested.

The Fund may also invest in mortgage-related securities which are collateralized mortgage obligations structured on pools of mortgage pass-through certificates or mortgage loans. Mortgage-related securities will be purchased only if rated in the three highest bond rating categories assigned by one or more appropriate NRSROs, or, if unrated, which the Advisor deems to be of comparable quality.

 

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There are a number of important differences among the agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that issue mortgage-related securities and among the securities that they issue. Mortgage-related securities issued by the GNMA include GNMA Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Ginnie Maes”) which are guaranteed as to the timely payment of principal and interest by GNMA and such guarantee is backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. GNMA is a wholly-owned U.S. Government corporation within the Department of Housing and Urban Development. GNMA certificates also are supported by the authority of GNMA to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to make payments under its guarantee. Mortgage-related securities issued by the FNMA include FNMA Guaranteed Mortgage Pass-Through Certificates (also known as “Fannie Maes”) which are solely the obligations of the FNMA and are not backed by or entitled to the full faith and credit of the United States. FNMA is a government-sponsored organization owned entirely by private stockholders. Fannie Maes are guaranteed as to timely payment of the principal and interest by FNMA. Mortgage-related securities issued by the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”) include FHLMC Mortgage Participation Certificates (also known as “Freddie Macs” or “PCs”). FHLMC is a corporate instrumentality of the United States, created pursuant to an Act of Congress, which is owned entirely by Federal Home Loan Banks. Freddie Macs are not guaranteed by the United States or by any Federal Home Loan Banks and do not constitute a debt or obligation of the United States or of any Federal Home Loan Bank. Freddie Macs entitle the holder to timely payment of interest, which is guaranteed by FHLMC. FHLMC guarantees either ultimate collection or timely payment of all principal payments on the underlying mortgage loans. When FHLMC does not guarantee timely payment of principal, FHLMC may remit the amount due on account of its guarantee of ultimate payment of principal at any time after default on an underlying mortgage, but in no event later than one year after it becomes payable. In September 2008, FNMA and FHLMC were placed into conservatorship overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”). As conservator, FHFA will succeed to the rights, titles, powers and privileges of the company and any stockholder, officer or director of such company with respect to the company and its assets and title to all books, records and assets of the company held by any other custodian or third party. The conservator is then charged with operating the company.

Municipal Obligations. The Fund may invest in taxable municipal securities or in municipal securities whose interest, in the opinion of the securities’ counsel, is exempt from federal income tax and/or from the federal alternative minimum tax, but it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in municipal obligations. The Advisor or the Fund does not guarantee that this opinion is correct, and there is no assurance that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) will agree with such counsel’s opinion. If certain types of investments the Fund buys as tax-exempt are later ruled to be taxable, a portion of the Fund’s income could be taxable. To the extent that the Fund invests in municipal securities from a given state or geographic region, its share price and performance could be affected by local, state and regional factors, including erosion of the tax base and changes in the economic climate. National governmental actions, such as the elimination of tax-exempt status, also could affect performance. The Fund may be more sensitive to adverse economic, business or political developments if it invests a substantial portion of its assets in municipal securities financing similar projects. A change that affects one project, such as proposed legislation on the financing of the project, a shortage of the materials needed for the project, or a declining need for the project, may affect similar projects and the overall municipal securities market.

Non-Investment Grade Securities. The Fund may invest in non-investment grade securities, but is not a principal investment strategy of the Fund to invest in non-investment grade securities. Such securities include high yield (junk) bonds, convertible bonds, preferred stocks and convertible preferred stocks.

Non-investment grade bonds are debt securities rated Ba or lower by Moody’s or BB or lower by S&P. They generally offer greater returns in the form of higher average yields than investment grade debt securities (rated Baa or higher by Moody’s or BBB or higher by S&P). Non-investment grade debt securities involve greater risks than investment grade debt securities including greater sensitivity to changes in interest rates, the economy, the issuer’s solvency and liquidity in the secondary trading market. See Appendix A for a description of corporate bond ratings.

Yields on non-investment grade debt securities will fluctuate over time. The prices of non-investment grade debt securities have been found to be less sensitive to interest rate changes than investment grade debt securities, but more sensitive to adverse economic changes or individual issuer developments. During an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, highly leveraged issuers may experience financial stress which would adversely affect their ability to pay principal and interest obligations, meet projected business goals and to obtain additional financing. If the issuer of a debt security held by the Fund defaulted, the Fund might incur additional expenses seeking to recover the issuer’s defaulted obligation. In addition, periods of economic uncertainty and changes can be expected to result in increased volatility of

 

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market prices of non-investment grade debt securities and the Fund’s NAV. Furthermore, the market prices of non-investment grade debt securities structured as zero coupon or payment-in-kind securities are affected to a greater extent by interest rate changes and tend to be more volatile than securities that pay interest periodically and in cash.

Non-investment grade debt securities present risks based on payment expectations. For example, they may contain redemption or call provisions. If an issuer exercises these provisions in a declining interest rate market, the Fund would have to replace the security with a lower-yielding security, resulting in a decreased return for investors. A high-yielding security’s value will decrease in a rising interest rate market and will result in a corresponding decrease in the value of the Fund’s assets. Unexpected net redemptions may force the Fund to sell securities including, but not limited to, non-investment grade debt securities, without regard to their investment merits, thereby decreasing the asset base upon which the Fund’s expenses can be spread and possibly reducing the rate of return.

To the extent that there is no established secondary market, there may be thin trading of non-investment grade securities, including high yield bonds, convertible bonds, preferred stocks and convertible preferred stocks held by the Fund. This may adversely affect the ability of the Pricing Committee of the Advisor or the Fund’s Board of Trustees to accurately value the Fund’s non-investment grade securities and the Fund’s assets and may also adversely affect the Fund’s ability to dispose of the securities. In the absence of an established secondary market, valuing securities becomes more difficult and judgment plays a greater role in valuation because there is less reliable, objective data available. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether or not based on fundamental analysis, may decrease the value and liquidity of non-investment grade securities, especially in a thinly traded market. Illiquid or restricted non-investment grade securities purchased by the Fund may involve special registration responsibilities, liabilities and costs, and liquidity and valuation difficulties.

Certain risks are associated with applying ratings as a method for evaluating non-investment grade securities. For example, credit ratings for bonds evaluate the safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of such securities. Credit rating agencies may fail to timely change credit ratings to reflect subsequent events. The Advisor continuously monitors the issuers of non-investment grade debt securities held by the Fund to determine if the issuers will have sufficient cash flow and profits to meet required principal and interest payments and to assure the securities’ liquidity. The Fund may be more dependent upon the Advisor’s own analysis of non-investment grade securities than is the case for investment grade securities. Also, the Fund may retain a portfolio security whose rating has been changed if the security otherwise meets the Fund’s investment criteria.

Credit Risk. Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a debt security will fail to make payments on the security when due. Securities rated non-investment grade are particularly subject to credit risk. These securities are predominantly speculative and are commonly referred to as “junk bonds.” To the extent the Fund purchases or holds convertible or other non-investment grade securities, the Fund may be exposed to greater risk that the issuer will not repay principal, or pay interest or dividends on such securities in a timely manner.

Ratings published by rating agencies seek to measure credit risk (Rating agencies’ descriptions of non-investment grade securities are contained in Appendix A of this SAI). The lower a bond issue is rated by an agency, the more credit risk it is considered to represent. Lower-rated bonds generally pay higher yields to compensate investors for the greater risk.

Interest Rate Risk. Interest rate risk is the risk that the value of a fixed-rate debt security will decline due to changes in market interest rates. Even though some interest-bearing securities are investments which offer a stable stream of income at relatively high current yield, the prices of such securities are affected by changes in interest rates and are therefore subject to market price fluctuations. The value of fixed income securities varies inversely with changes in market interest rates. When interest rates rise, the value of the Fund’s fixed income securities, and therefore its net asset value per share, generally will decline. In general, the value of fixed-rate debt securities with longer maturities is more sensitive to changes in market interest rates than the value of such securities with shorter maturities. Thus, if the Fund is invested in fixed income securities with longer weighted average maturities, the net asset value of the Fund should be expected to have greater volatility in periods of changing market interest rates.

Participatory Notes. The Fund may invest in “Participatory Notes,” which are contracts or similar instruments evidencing the indirect ownership of an underlying basket of securities held by banks or other parties, and are used by investors to obtain exposure to an equity investment, including common stocks and warrants, in a local market where direct ownership is not permitted, however, it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in participatory notes. In countries where direct ownership by a foreign investor is not allowed by local law (e.g., Saudi Arabia), an investor may gain exposure to the market

 

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through Participatory Notes, which derives their value from a basket of underlying equity securities. Such instruments are intended to reflect the performance of the underlying equity securities on a one-to-one basis so that investors will not normally gain more in absolute terms than they would have had the invested in the underlying securities directly, and will not normally lose more than they would have lost had they invested in the underlying securities directly.

In addition to otherwise providing access to otherwise closed markets, Participatory Notes can also act as a less expensive alternative to direct investment in markets where foreign ownership is permitted by reducing registration and transaction costs. It should not be assumed that Participatory Notes will lessen the liquidity risks of the Fund.

Participatory Notes are generally structured and sold by a local branch of a bank or broker-dealer that is permitted to purchase equity securities in the local market. Pursuant to the terms of the instrument created, the Fund may tender the instrument for cash payment in an amount that reflects the current market value of the underlying investments, less program expenses, such as trading costs, taxes and duties. The instruments represent unsecured, unsubordinated contractual rights of the issuer. They do not typically confer any right, title or interest in respect to the underlying equity securities or provide rights against the issuer of the underlying securities.

The purchase of Participatory Notes involves risks that are in addition to the risks normally associated with a direct investment in the underlying securities. The Fund is subject to the risk that the issuer of the instrument (i.e., the issuing bank or broker-dealer) is unable or refuses to perform under the terms of the instrument, also known as counter-party risk. While the holder of such instrument is entitled to receive from the issuer any dividends or other distributions paid on the underlying securities, the holder is not entitled to the same rights as an owner of the underlying securities, such as voting rights. Participatory Notes are also not traded on exchanges, are privately issued, and may be illiquid. There can be no assurance that the trading price or value of the instrument will equal the value of the underlying value of the equity securities to which they are linked.

Preferred Stock. The Fund may invest in preferred stock. Preferred stock, unlike common stock, may offer a stated dividend rate payable from the issuer’s earnings. Preferred stock dividends may be cumulative, non-cumulative, participating or auction rate. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive, causing the price of preferred stocks to decline. Preferred stock may have mandatory sinking fund provisions, as well as call/redemption provisions prior to maturity, a negative feature when interest rates decline. For a description of preferred stock ratings, see Appendix A. Because preferred securities are generally junior to most other forms of debt securities and other obligations of the issuer, deterioration in the credit quality of the issuer will cause greater changes in the value of a preferred securities than in a more senior debt security with similar stated yield characteristics.

Real Estate Securities. The Fund may invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). REITs pool investors’ funds for investment primarily in income producing real estate or real estate loans or interests. A REIT is not taxed on income distributed to shareholders if it complies with several requirements relating to its organization, ownership, assets, and income and a requirement that it distribute to its shareholders at least 95% of its taxable income (other than net capital gains) for each taxable year. While there are many types of REITs, all REITs can generally be classified as Equity REITs, Mortgage REITs and Hybrid REITs. Equity REITs, which invest the majority of their assets directly in real property, derive their income primarily from rents. Equity REITs can also realize capital gains by selling properties that have appreciated in value. Mortgage REITs, which invest the majority of their assets in real estate mortgages, derive their income primarily from interest payments. Hybrid REITs combine the characteristics of both Equity REITs and Mortgage REITs. The Fund will not invest in real estate directly, but only in securities issued by real estate companies. The risks of investing in REITs include declines in the value of real estate, risks related to general and local economic conditions, dependency on management skill, heavy cash flow dependency, possible lack of availability of mortgage funds, overbuilding, extended vacancies of properties, increased competition, increases in property taxes and operating expenses, changes in zoning laws, losses due to costs resulting from the clean-up of environmental problems, liability to third parties for damages resulting from environmental problems, casualty or condemnation losses, limitations on rents, changes in neighborhood values, the appeal of properties to tenants and changes in interest rates.

In addition to these risks, Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the trusts, while Mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Further, REITs are dependent upon management skills and generally may not be diversified. REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers and self-liquidation. In addition, REITs could possibly fail to qualify for the beneficial tax treatment available to REITs under the Code, or to maintain their exemptions from registration under the 1940 Act. The above factors may

 

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also adversely affect a borrower’s or a lessee’s ability to meet its obligations to the REIT. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, the REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting investments.

Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may agree to purchase securities from financial institutions (including clearing firms registered with the SEC that provide comparison, netting and settlement services to their members with respect to repurchase agreement transactions), and the corporate parents or affiliates of such financial institutions or clearing firms, subject to the seller’s agreement to repurchase them at a mutually agreed upon date and price (“repurchase agreements”). Although the underlying securities’ collateral related to a repurchase agreement may bear maturities exceeding one year, the term and settlement for the repurchase agreement security will never be more than one year and normally will be within a shorter period of time (often one business day). Underlying securities’ collateral related to repurchase agreements is held either by the Fund’s custodian or sub-custodian (if any). The seller, under a repurchase agreement, will be required to maintain the value of the securities subject to the agreement in an amount exceeding the repurchase price (including accrued interest). Repurchase agreements may be considered loans to the seller, collateralized by the underlying securities. The risk to the Fund includes the ability of the seller to pay the agreed upon sum on the repurchase date; in the event of default, the repurchase agreement provides that the Fund is entitled to sell the underlying securities’ collateral. If the value of the collateral declines after the agreement is entered into, however, and if the seller defaults under a repurchase agreement when the value of the underlying collateral is less than the repurchase price, the Fund could incur a loss of both principal and interest. The Fund’s custodian monitors the value of the collateral at the time the action is entered into and at all times during the term of the repurchase agreement. This is done in an effort to determine whether the value of the collateral always equals or exceeds the agreed upon repurchase price to be paid to the Fund. If the seller were to be subject to a federal bankruptcy proceeding, the ability of the Fund to liquidate the collateral could be delayed or impaired because of certain provisions of the bankruptcy laws.

In addition, the Fund may invest in repurchase agreements for pending investments, to meet anticipated redemption requests, to retain the flexibility to respond promptly to changes in market, economic or political conditions, and/or when the Advisor takes temporary defensive positions, and/or when the Advisor is unable to locate attractive investment opportunities, and/or when the Advisor considers market, economic or political conditions to be unfavorable for profitable investing.

Reverse Repurchase Agreements. The Fund may borrow funds by entering into reverse repurchase agreements in accordance with the Fund’s investment restrictions. Pursuant to such agreements, the Fund would sell portfolio securities to financial institutions such as banks and broker-dealers, and agree to repurchase the securities at a mutually agreed-upon date and price. The Fund intends to enter into reverse repurchase agreements only to avoid otherwise selling securities during unfavorable market conditions to meet redemptions. At the time the Fund enters into a reverse repurchase agreement, it will place in a segregated custodial account assets such as U.S. Government securities or other liquid securities consistent with the Fund’s investment restrictions having a value equal to the repurchase price (including accrued interest), and will subsequently continually monitor the account to ensure that such equivalent value is maintained at all times. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the risk that the market value of the securities sold by the Fund may decline below the price at which the Fund is obligated to repurchase the securities. Reverse repurchase agreements are considered to be borrowings by the Fund under the 1940 Act.

Securities of Other Investment Companies. The Fund may purchase the securities of other investment companies, including foreign and domestic registered and unregistered open-end funds, closed-end funds, unit investment trusts and ETFs if the purchase is in compliance with the 1940 Act, rules thereunder or any exemptive relief in which the Fund may rely. As a shareholder of another investment company, the Fund would bear its pro rata portion of the other investment company’s expenses, including advisory fees. These expenses would be in addition to the expenses the Fund bears directly in connection with its own operations. If the Fund invests in securities of other investment companies, the return on any such investment will be reduced by the operating expenses, including investment advisory and administrative fees, of such investment companies. (The Fund indirectly absorbs its pro rata share of the other investment companies’ expenses.) However, the Advisor believes that at times the return and liquidity features of these securities may be more beneficial than other types of securities. Shareholders would also be exposed not only to the risks associated with the Fund, but also the portfolio investments and investment strategies of the underlying investment companies.

Except as described in the following paragraph, the Fund currently intends to limit investments in securities issued by other investment companies so that, as determined immediately after a purchase of such securities is made: (i) not more than 5% of the value of the Fund’s total assets will be invested in the securities of any one investment company; (ii) not more than

 

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10% of the value of its total assets will be invested in the aggregate in securities of investment companies as a group; and (iii) not more than 3% of the outstanding voting stock of any one investment company will be owned by the Fund. These limitations do not apply to investments in investment companies through a master-feeder type arrangement. In addition, to the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund may invest its assets in securities of investment companies that are money market funds, including those advised by the Advisor or otherwise affiliated with the Advisor, in excess of the limits discussed above.

With respect to a Fund’s investments in ETFs, pursuant to certain specific exemptive orders issued by the SEC to several ETFs, and procedures approved by the Board, an Equity Fund may invest in certain ETFs in excess of the limits described above, provided that the Fund has described ETF investments in its Prospectus and otherwise complies with the conditions of the applicable SEC exemptive orders, each as may be amended, and any other applicable investment limitations. The SEC, however, recently adopted new Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act which permits registered investment companies to invest in other registered investment companies beyond the limitations described above and will rescind certain exemptive orders granting relief within the scope of the rule. Accordingly, to the extent a Fund’s investments in ETFs are within the scope of the new rule and the respective exemptive relief rescinded, the respective Fund will seek to comply with the terms of the new rule upon its compliance date in 2022.

Short Sales. Making short sale of securities is a principal strategy of the Fund. Short sales are transactions in which the Fund sells a security it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of that security. The Fund must borrow the security to deliver to the buyer upon the short sale. The Fund is then obligated to replace the borrowed security by purchasing it at a later date. A short sale provides a possible hedge against the market risk of the value of other investments and protects the Fund in a declining market.

Short sales are subject to the risk that the Fund will incur a loss if the price of a security sold short increases between the date of the short sale and the date the Fund closes the short sale. Any gain on a short sale will be decreased, and the amount of any loss increased, by the amount of the premium, dividends, interest or expenses the Fund may be required to pay in connection with a short sale. An increase in the value of a security sold short by the Fund over the price at which it was sold short will result in a loss to the Fund, and there can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to close out the position at any particular time or at an acceptable price. Except in the case of short sales “against the box,” the Fund’s market risk is unlimited in that the potential for increase in the market price of the security sold short is unlimited. Short sales “against the box” mean that the Fund owns securities identical to those sold short. To the extent the Fund invests the proceeds received from selling securities short in additional long positions, the Fund is engaging in a form of leverage. The use of leverage may increase such Fund’s exposure to long positions and make any change in the Fund’s net asset value greater than it would be without the use of leverage. This could result in increased volatility of returns and magnify significantly gains or losses for the Fund. There can be no assurance that the Fund’s use of short sales and any leverage will be successful.

When a short position is closed out, it may result in a short-term capital gain or loss for federal income tax purposes. In a generally rising market, if the Fund maintains short positions in securities rising with the market, the net asset value of the Fund would increase to a lesser extent than if it had not engaged in short sales.

The Advisor may consider short selling when the Advisor finds companies it believes are intrinsically overvalued. Short selling may also be considered in arbitrage and hedge situations, and short selling might also be used under certain circumstances to defer taxes.

The Fund may engage in short sales, as permitted by applicable law and any issuer limits imposed herein or under the 1940 Act. The SEC, recently adopted new Rule 18f-4 under the 1940 Act which, among other things, imposes limits on the amount of derivatives, including short sales, a fund can enter into and will replace the asset segregation framework previously applied to comply with Section 18 of the 1940 Act. To the extent the Fund’s short sale transactions fall within the scope of the new rule, the Fund will seek to comply with the conditions of the new rule upon the SEC’s compliance date in 2022. The asset segregation requirements under the new rule or any SEC guidance on the new rule may limit the ability of the Advisor to effectively execute the Fund‘s investment strategy. All short sales must be fully collateralized. The Fund maintains the collateral in a segregated account with its custodian. The collateral may include cash, U.S. Government securities or any other liquid securities equal to the market value of the securities at the time of the short sale. The Fund will thereafter maintain, on a daily basis, the collateral to ensure that it is equal to the current market value of the securities sold short. To facilitate the Fund’s short sale strategy, the Fund borrows the securities through the enhanced custody program offered by the Fund’s custodian, State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), and sells short those

 

23


borrowed securities. The Fund may utilize various ways to collateralize its obligation to return the borrowed securities, including by pledging securities or cash held in the Fund’s segregated custodial account. As a result, the Fund may maintain high levels of cash or other liquid assets, which may limit the Fund’s ability to pursue other opportunities. The Fund pays the custodian a securities borrowing fee and financing charge. The Fund also is required to pay to the lender certain borrowing fees and amounts equal to any dividends paid during the period of the loan. Participation in the enhanced custody program may entail the following risks: (a) counterparty risk - by borrowing securities from the custodian and providing collateral to the custodian to collateralize the securities loan, the Fund will be subject to the credit risk of the custodian to the extent that the value of the collateral provided to the custodian exceeds the value of the borrowed securities provided to the Fund. This risk may be heightened during periods of market stress and volatility; (b) changes in borrowing fees - the custodian is not required to notify the Fund and other borrowing clients of any change to the loan rates or of any amendment to a borrowing fee until after they are effective. Accordingly, the Fund may incur greater costs than originally anticipated when borrowing securities and will not be able to terminate the relevant securities loan until after these higher fees have been incurred for some period of time; (c) market risk – the custodian does not maintain an inventory of securities in order to meet the demand of its borrowing clients in the enhanced custody program. Instead, the custodian, acting as principal, borrows securities from third parties, including third party institutional clients participating in the custodian’s agency securities lending program, to lend securities to its borrowing clients. Accordingly, there may be circumstances under which the securities that the custodian believed would be available from these third-party sources to meet its sourcing requirements to a borrowing client are no longer available, whether due to market conditions or other reasons. In these and similar circumstances, the borrowing client would have to borrow the securities from a third party or, if the securities are not available to be borrowed from a third party, adjust its investment or other strategy to mitigate or avoid the need to borrow the relevant security; (d) lack of best execution- the custodian is not obligated to provide the Fund and other borrowing clients with “best execution” with respect to securities loans under the enhanced custody program. It is the responsibility of each borrowing client to assess the fee schedule and the loan rates quoted to it by the custodian in relation to each securities loan, as well as the other terms of the securities loan. The custodian acts as a principal counterparty to, and not as agent for, the borrowing client, with the intent of making a profit from a securities loan and any related activity, such as financing and (e) the custodian’s enhanced custody program involves the risk of processing mistakes and other administrative errors, including problems with trade settlements and errors in calculating the daily mark-to-market value of the borrowed securities and any collateral that borrowing clients deliver to the custodian.

In the past, in response to market events, regulatory authorities in various countries, including the United States, enacted temporary rules prohibiting the short-selling of certain stocks. If regulatory authorities were to reinstitute such rules or otherwise restrict short-selling, the Fund might not be able to fully implement its short-selling strategy.

Stripped Obligations. The Fund may purchase Treasury receipts and other “stripped” securities that evidence ownership in either the future interest payments or the future principal payments on U.S. Government obligations. These participations, which may be issued by the U.S. Government (or a U.S. Government agency or instrumentality) or by private issuers such as banks and other institutions, are issued at a discount from their “face value,” and may include stripped mortgage-backed securities (“SMBS”). Stripped securities, particularly SMBS, may exhibit greater price volatility than ordinary debt securities because of the manner in which their principal and interest are returned to investors.

SMBS are usually structured with two or more classes that receive different proportions of the interest and principal distributions from a pool of mortgage-backed obligations. A common type of SMBS will have one class receiving all of the interest, while the other class receives all of the principal. However, in some cases, one class will receive some of the interest and most of the principal while the other class will receive most of the interest and the remainder of the principal. If the underlying obligations experience greater than anticipated prepayments of principal the Fund may fail to fully recoup its initial investment. The market value of the class consisting entirely of principal payments can be extremely volatile in response to changes in interest rates. The yields on a class of SMBS that receives all or most of the interest are generally higher than prevailing market yields on other mortgage-backed obligations because their cash flow patterns are also volatile and there is a greater risk that the initial investment will not be fully recouped.

SMBS issued by the U.S. Government (or a U.S. Government agency or instrumentality) may be considered liquid under guidelines established by the Board of Trustees if they can be disposed of promptly in the ordinary course of business at a value reasonably close to that used in the calculation of the Fund’s per share net asset value.

The Treasury Department has facilitated transfers of ownership of zero coupon securities by accounting separately for the beneficial ownership of particular interest coupon and principal payments on Treasury securities through the Federal

 

24


Reserve book-entry record-keeping system. The Fund may purchase securities registered in the STRIPS program. Under the STRIPS program, the Fund will be able to have beneficial ownership of zero coupon securities recorded directly in the book-entry record-keeping system in lieu of having to hold certificates or other evidences of ownership of the underlying U.S. Treasury securities.

In addition, the Fund may acquire U.S. Government obligations and their unmatured interest coupons that have been separated (“stripped”) by their holder, typically a custodian bank or investment brokerage firm. Having separated the interest coupons from the underlying principal of the U.S. Government obligations, the holder will resell the stripped securities in custodial receipt programs with a number of different names, including “Treasury Income Growth Receipts” (“TIGRs”) and “Certificate of Accrual on Treasury Securities” (“CATS”). The stripped coupons are sold separately from the underlying principal, which is usually sold at a deep discount because the buyer receives only the right to receive a future fixed payment on the security and does not receive any rights to periodic interest (cash) payments. The underlying U.S. Treasury bonds and notes themselves are held in book-entry form at the Federal Reserve Bank or, in the case of bearer securities (i.e., unregistered securities which are ostensibly owned by the bearer or holder), in trust on behalf of the owners. Counsel to the underwriters of these certificates or other evidences of ownership of U.S. Treasury securities have stated that, in their opinion, purchasers of the stripped securities most likely will be deemed the beneficial holders of the underlying U.S. Government obligations for Federal tax purposes. The Advisor is unaware of any binding legislative, judicial or administrative authority on this issue.

Swap Agreements. The Fund may enter into credit default swaps, interest rate swaps and currency swaps. In a typical interest rate swap, one party agrees to make regular payments equal to a floating interest rate multiplied by a “notional principal amount,” in return for payments equal to fixed rate multiplied by the same amount, for a specified period of time. If a swap agreement provides for payments in different currencies, the parties might agree to exchange the notional principal amount as well. The credit default swap allows the Fund to manage credit risk through buying and selling credit protection on specific names or a basket of names. A “buyer” of credit protection agrees to pay a counterparty to assume the credit risk of an issuer upon the occurrence of certain events. The “seller” of credit protection receives a premium and agrees to assume the credit risk of an issuer upon the occurrence of certain events. The Fund will segregate the notional principal amount to cover the exposure created by the swap.

Swap agreements will tend to shift the Fund’s investment exposure from one type of investment to another. Depending on how they are used, swap agreements may increase or decrease the overall volatility of the Fund’s investments and its share price and yield.

The Fund may enter into swaps with members of the Federal Reserve System, members of the New York Stock Exchange or other entities determined by the Advisor to be creditworthy.

United States Government Securities. To the extent consistent with its investment objectives, the Fund may invest in a variety of U.S. Treasury obligations consisting of bills, notes and bonds, which principally differ only in their interest rates, maturities and time of issuance. The Fund may also invest in other securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities. Obligations of certain agencies and instrumentalities, such as GNMA, are supported by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury; others, such as those of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, are supported by the right of the issuer to borrow from the Treasury; others, such as those of FNMA, are supported by the discretionary authority of the U.S. Government to purchase the agency’s obligations; still others, such as those of the Student Loan Marketing Association (“SLMA”), are supported only by the credit of the instrumentalities. Obligations of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (also known as the World Bank) are supported by subscribed, but unpaid, commitments of its member countries. There is no assurance that these commitments will be undertaken or complied with in the future.

In addition, in September 2008 FNMA and FHLMC were placed into conservatorship overseen by the FHFA. As conservator, FHFA will succeed to the rights, titles, powers and privileges of each company and any stockholder, officer or director of such company with respect to the company and its assets and title to all books, records and assets of the company held by any other custodian or third party. The conservator is then charged with operating the company.

Securities guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government, its agencies or instrumentalities are deemed to include: (a) securities for which the payment of principal and interest is backed by an irrevocable letter of credit issued by the U.S. Government or an agency or instrumentality thereof; and (b) participations in loans made to foreign governments

 

25


or their agencies that are so guaranteed. The secondary market for certain of these participations is limited. Such participations will therefore be regarded as illiquid. No assurance can be given that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies or instrumentalities if it is not obligated to do so by law.

U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). The Fund may invest in TIPS. Inflation-protected securities are a type of marketable book-entry security issued by the United States Department of Treasury (“Treasury”) with a nominal return linked to the inflation rate in prices. The index used to measure inflation is the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (“CPI-U”).

The value of the principal is adjusted for inflation, and every six months the security pays interest, which is an amount equal to a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted value of the principal. The final payment of principal of the security will not be less than the original par amount of the security at issuance.

The principal of the inflation-protected security is indexed to the non-seasonally adjusted CPI-U. To calculate the inflation-adjusted principal value for a particular valuation date, the value of the principal at issuance is multiplied by the index ratio applicable to that valuation date. The index ratio for any date is the ratio of the reference Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) applicable to such date to the reference CPI applicable to the original issue date. Semi-annual coupon interest is determined by multiplying the inflation-adjusted principal amount by one-half of the stated rate of interest on each interest payment date.

Inflation-adjusted principal or the original par amount, whichever is larger, is paid on the maturity date as specified in the applicable offering announcement. If at maturity the inflation-adjusted principal is less than the original principal value of the security, an additional amount is paid at maturity so that the additional amount plus the inflation-adjusted principal equals the original principal amount. Some inflation-protected securities may be stripped into principal and interest components. In the case of a stripped security, the holder of the stripped principal component receives this additional amount. The final interest payment, however, is based on the final inflation-adjusted principal value, not the original par amount.

The reference CPI for the first day of any calendar month is the CPI-U for the third preceding calendar month. (For example, the reference CPI for December 1 is the CPI-U reported for September of the same year, which is released in October.) The reference CPI for any other day of the month is calculated by a linear interpolation between the reference CPI applicable to the first day of the month and the reference CPI applicable to the first day of the following month.

Any revisions the Bureau of Labor Statistics (or successor agency) makes to any CPI-U number that has been previously released will not be used in calculations of the value of outstanding inflation-protected securities. In the case that the CPI-U for a particular month is not reported by the last day of the following month, the Treasury will announce an index number based on the last year-over-year CPI-U inflation rate available. Any calculations of the Treasury’s payment obligations on the inflation-protected security that need that month’s CPI-U number will be based on the index number that the Treasury has announced. If the CPI-U is rebased to a different year, the Treasury will continue to use the CPI-U series based on the base reference period in effect when the security was first issued as long as that series continues to be published. If the CPI-U is discontinued during the period the inflation-protected security is outstanding, the Treasury will, in consultation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (or successor agency), determine an appropriate substitute index and methodology for linking the discontinued series with the new price index series. Determinations of the Secretary of the Treasury in this regard are final.

Inflation-protected securities are held and transferred in either of two book-entry systems: the commercial book-entry system (“TRADES”) and TREASURY DIRECT. The securities are maintained and transferred at their original par amount, i.e., not their inflation-adjusted value. The Federal Reserve program was established by the Treasury Department and is known as “STRIPS” or “Separate Trading of Registered Interest and Principal of Securities.” STRIPS components are maintained and transferred in TRADES at their value based on their original par amount of the fully constituted security.

Variable Amount Master Demand Notes. The Fund may invest in variable amount master demand notes, however, it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in variable amount master demand notes. Variable amount master demand notes are unsecured demand notes that permit the indebtedness thereunder to vary and provide for periodic adjustments in the interest rate according to the terms of the instrument. Because master demand notes are direct lending arrangements between the Fund and the issuer, they are not normally traded. Although there is no secondary market in the notes, the Fund

 

26


may demand payment of principal and accrued interest at any time within 30 days. While such notes are not typically rated by credit rating agencies, issuers of variable amount master demand notes (which are normally manufacturing, retail, financial and other business concerns), must satisfy, for purchase by the Fund, the same criteria for commercial paper for the Fund. The Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow, and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such notes and will continuously monitor their financial status and ability to meet payment on demand. In determining weighted average portfolio maturity, a variable amount master demand note will be deemed to have a maturity equal to the longer of the period of time remaining until the next interest rate adjustment or the period of time remaining until the principal amount can be recovered from the issuer through demand.

Variable and Floating Rate Securities. The Fund may acquire variable and floating rate securities, subject to the Fund’s investment objectives, policies and restrictions, however, it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in variable and floating rate securities. A variable rate security is one with terms providing for the adjustment of its interest rate on set dates and which, upon such adjustment, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. A floating rate security is one with terms providing for the adjustment of its interest rate whenever a specified interest rate changes and which, at any time, can reasonably be expected to have a market value that approximates its par value. Such securities are frequently not rated by credit rating agencies; however, unrated variable and floating rate securities purchased by the Fund will be determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality at the time of purchase to rated instruments eligible for purchase under the Fund’s investment policies. In making such determinations, the Advisor will consider the earning power, cash flow and other liquidity ratios of the issuers of such notes (such issuers include financial, merchandising, bank holding and other companies) and will continuously monitor their financial condition. Although there may be no active secondary market with respect to a particular variable or floating rate security purchased by the Fund, the Fund may resell the security at any time to a third party. The absence of an active secondary market, however, could make it difficult for the Fund to dispose of a variable or floating rate security in the event the issuer of the security defaulted on its payment obligations and the Fund could, as a result or for other reasons, suffer a loss to the extent of the default. To the extent that there exists no readily available market for such security and the Fund is not entitled to receive the principal amount of a note within seven days, such a security will be treated as illiquid for purposes of calculating the Fund’s limitation on investments in illiquid securities, as set forth in the Fund’s investment restrictions. Variable or floating rate securities may be secured by bank letters of credit.

Warrants. The Fund may invest in warrants to participate in an anticipated increase in the market value of the security. It is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in warrants. A warrant entitles the holder to buy a security at a set price during a set period of time. If such market value increases, the warrant may be exercised and sold at a gain. A loss will be incurred if the market value decreases or if the term of the warrant expires before it is exercised. Warrants convey no rights to dividends or voting.

When-Issued Securities. The Fund may purchase securities on a “when-issued” basis (i.e., for delivery beyond the normal settlement date at a stated price and yield), however, it is not a principal strategy of the Fund to invest in “when-issued” securities. When the Fund agrees to purchase securities on a “when-issued” basis, the Fund’s custodian will set aside cash or liquid portfolio securities equal to the amount of the commitment in a separate account. Normally, the Fund’s custodian will set aside portfolio securities to satisfy the purchase commitment, and in such a case, the Fund may be required subsequently to place additional assets in the separate account in order to assure that the value of the account remains equal to the amount of the Fund’s commitment. It may be expected that the Fund’s net assets will fluctuate to a greater degree when it sets aside portfolio securities to cover such purchase commitments than when it sets aside cash. In addition, because the Fund will set aside cash or liquid portfolio securities to satisfy its purchase commitments in the manner described above, the Fund’s liquidity and the ability of the Advisor to manage it might be affected in the event its commitments to purchase “when-issued” securities ever exceeded 25% of the value of its total assets. Under normal market conditions, however, the Fund’s commitment to purchase “when-issued” or “delayed-delivery” securities will not exceed 25% of the value of its total assets.

When the Fund engages in “when-issued” transactions, it relies on the seller to consummate the trade. Failure of the seller to do so may result in the Fund’s incurring a loss or missing the opportunity to obtain a price considered to be advantageous. The Fund will engage in “when-issued” delivery transactions only for the purpose of acquiring portfolio securities consistent with the Fund’s investment objectives and policies and not for investment leverage.

Calculation of Portfolio Turnover Rate. The portfolio turnover rate for the Fund is calculated by dividing the lesser of purchases or sales of portfolio investments for the reporting period by the monthly average value of the portfolio investments

 

27


owned during the reporting period. The calculation excludes all securities, including options, with maturities or expiration dates at the time of acquisition of one year or less. Portfolio turnover may vary greatly from year to year as well as within a particular year, and may be affected by cash requirements for redemption of shares. The Fund is not restricted by policy with regard to portfolio turnover and will make changes in investment portfolios from time to time as business and economic conditions as well as market prices may dictate.

FUND RESTRICTIONS AND POLICIES

The Trust has adopted the following restrictions and policies relating to the investment of assets of the Fund and its activities. These are fundamental policies that may not be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the outstanding voting shares of the Fund (which for this purpose and under the 1940 Act means the lesser of (i) 67% of the shares represented at a meeting at which more than 50% of the outstanding shares are represented or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares). A change in a fundamental policy affecting the Fund may be effected with the approval of a majority of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

The Fund may not:

 

  1.

Purchase or sell real estate, provided that the Fund may invest in securities secured by real estate or interests therein or issued by companies which invest in real estate or interests therein.

 

  2.

Purchase or sell physical commodities (including, by way of example and not by way of limitation, grains, oilseeds, livestock, meat, food, fiber, metals, petroleum, petroleum-based products or natural gas) or futures or options contracts with respect to physical commodities. This restriction shall not restrict the Fund from purchasing or selling any financial contracts or instruments which may be deemed commodities (including, by way of example and not by way of limitation, options, futures, and options on futures with respect, in each case, to interest rates, currencies, stock indexes, bond indexes or interest rate indexes) or any security which is collateralized or otherwise backed by physical commodities.

 

  3.

Make loans to other persons, except that the Fund may lend portfolio securities representing up to one-third of the value of its total assets. (The Fund, however, may purchase and hold debt instruments and enter into repurchase agreements in accordance with their investment objectives and policies.)

 

  4.

Underwrite securities of other issuers except insofar as the Fund may be deemed an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933 in selling portfolio securities.

 

  5.

Invest more than 25% of total assets (taken at market value at the time of each investment) in the securities of issuers in any particular industry*.

 

  6.

Borrow money, except as permitted under the 1940 Act as interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction.

 

  7.

Issue senior securities, except as permitted under the 1940 Act, as interpreted or modified from time to time by any regulatory authority having jurisdiction.

 

* “industry” means “a particular industry or group of industries.”

The following restrictions are non-fundamental and may be changed by the Trust’s Board of Trustees without shareholder vote.

The Fund will not:

 

  1.

Make investments for the purpose of exercising control or management.

 

  2.

Invest in other investment companies except to the extent permitted by 1940 Act, or any rules and regulations thereunder, and any exemptive relief granted by the SEC pursuant to which the Fund can rely.

 

28


  3.

Invest more than 15% of its net assets in all forms of illiquid investments, as determined pursuant to applicable SEC rules and interpretations.

 

  4.

Purchase or sell interests in oil, gas or other mineral exploration or development programs, although it may invest in the securities of issuers which invest in or sponsor such programs.

 

  5.

Invest more than 10% of its total assets (taken at market value at the time of each investment) in Special Situations, i.e., companies in the process of reorganization or buy-out).

 

  6.

Purchase securities on margin, except that the Fund may obtain such short-term credit as may be necessary for the clearance of transactions.

If any percentage restriction or requirement described above is satisfied at the time of investment, a later increase or decrease in such percentage resulting from a change in asset value will not constitute a violation of such restriction or requirement, except that any borrowing by the Fund that exceeds the investment restriction stated above must be reduced to meet such limitations within the period required by the 1940 Act (currently three days, excluding Sundays and holidays). However, should a change in net asset value or other external events cause the Fund’s investments in illiquid securities, repurchase agreements with maturities in excess of seven days and other instruments in the Fund which are not readily marketable to exceed the limit set forth in the Fund’s Prospectus or herein for its investment in illiquid securities, the Fund will act to cause the aggregate amount of such securities to come within such limit as soon as reasonably practicable.

Any investment restriction or limitation, fundamental or otherwise, appearing in the Prospectus or SAI, which involves a maximum percentage of securities or assets shall not be considered to be violated unless an excess over the percentage occurs immediately after an acquisition of securities or utilization of assets, and such excess results therefrom.

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings. The Board of Trustees has adopted the Policies on Releasing Portfolio Securities for the Funds (the “Disclosure Policies”) with respect to disclosure of information about the portfolio holdings of the Funds and the Advisor’s separately managed clients. The Disclosure Policies are intended to ensure compliance by the Advisor and the Funds with the applicable restrictions of the federal securities laws, including the 1940 Act. The Advisor and the Funds seek to prevent the selective disclosure of non-public information concerning the Funds. The Board and the Advisor considered each of the circumstances under which the Funds’ portfolio holdings may be disclosed to different categories of persons under the Disclosure Policies. The Advisor and the Board also considered actual and potential material conflicts that could arise in such circumstances between the interests of the Funds’ shareholders, on the one hand, and those of the Advisor and its affiliates, on the other hand. After giving due consideration to such matters and after the exercise of their fiduciary duties, the Advisor and the Board determined that the Funds have a legitimate business purpose for disclosing portfolio holdings to the persons described in each of the circumstances set forth in the Disclosure Policies. The Board exercises continuing oversight of the disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings by (i) reviewing, at least quarterly, the potential and actual material conflicts that could arise between the Funds’ shareholders and those of the Advisor for any waivers and exceptions made to these Disclosure Policies during the preceding quarter and determine if they were made in the best interests of Fund shareholders; (ii) reviewing, at least quarterly, any violation(s) of these Disclosure Policies during the preceding quarter; and (iii) reviewing these procedures from time to time for their continued appropriateness and amend or ratify these Disclosure Policies as it deems necessary. In addition, the Board of Trustees oversees the implementation and enforcement of the Disclosure Policies by the Chief Compliance Officer of the Funds and considers reports and recommendations by the Chief Compliance Officer concerning any material compliance matters (as defined in Rule 38a-1 under the 1940 Act) that may arise in connection with the Disclosure Policies. The Advisor and the Board reserve the right to amend the Disclosure Policies at any time and from time to time without prior notice in their sole discretion.

No compensation or other consideration is received by the Funds, the Advisor or any affiliated party in regard to this disclosure. “Consideration” includes any agreement to maintain assets in the Funds or in other investment companies or accounts managed by the Advisor or by any affiliated person of the Advisor.

General Policy. No information concerning the portfolio holdings of the Funds may be disclosed to any unaffiliated third party except as provided below. As investment advisor, the Advisor knows the portfolio holdings and it and the Funds do not disclose portfolio holdings to any other affiliated party, except as provided below.

 

29


 

Disclosure of Mutual Fund Holdings on a Lag. The Funds may publicly disclose all calendar quarter-end mutual fund holdings of all Funds for the most recent calendar quarter, including lists of top 10 holdings, after a 30-day delay. Upon the scheduled release of the most recent calendar quarter’s holdings, month-end holdings may also be made available for all prior periods, if requested. Disclosure to consultant databases, ratings agencies (such as Morningstar and Lipper), financial advisors and shareholder servicing representatives, will be subject to the delays set forth in the foregoing sentence. Shareholders may obtain a complete list of holdings by contacting a Wasatch Funds’ shareholder services representative by calling 800.551.1700 or emailing shareholderservice@wasatchfunds.com. Holdings are provided to Morningstar and Lipper quarterly after a 30 day delay.

 

 

Disclosure to Service Providers. Nothing contained in the Disclosure Policies is intended to prevent disclosure of portfolio holding information to the Advisor’s and Funds’ service providers who generally need access to such information in the performance of their contractual duties and responsibilities, such as custodians, fund accountants, administrators, independent registered public accounting firm, attorneys, writers (i.e., individuals who review and recommend edits to the Advisor to materials provided to Fund shareholders or the Advisor’s separately managed clients), data research service providers (e.g. FactSet), proxy voting services (e.g.RiskMetrics), trading software, and each of their respective affiliates, provided that they are subject to duties of confidentiality imposed by law and/or contract (the “Service Providers”). The Board recognized the legitimate business purposes for the Service Providers to have access to information regarding the Funds’ portfolio holdings in connection with their official duties and responsibilities. As of [September 13, 2021], the Funds’ service providers were the Advisor, Hoisington Investment Management Company (subadviser), State Street Bank and Trust Company (custodian, fund accountant and administrator), ALPS Distributors, Inc. (distributor), UMB Fund Services, Inc. (transfer agent), PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (independent registered public accounting firm), Chapman (independent counsel), Institutional Shareholder Services (pricing vendor) and Interactive Data Corporation (corporate actions processing vendor), Segal Marco Advisors, FactSet Research (data research provider), Bloomberg LP (data research provider), Institutional Shareholder Services, IDC Vantage, FundApps, William O’Neil, Seismic and StudiOLeary (writer). The frequency of disclosure to and between the Service Providers varies and may be as frequent as daily, with no lag.

 

 

Disclosure of Aggregate Portfolio Characteristics. Aggregate portfolio characteristics may be made available without a delay to any requesting party. Nonexclusive examples of aggregate portfolio characteristics about the Fund include (1) the allocation of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions among various asset classes, sectors, industries, and countries, (2) the characteristics of the stock and bond components of the Fund’s portfolio holdings and other investment positions, (3) the attribution of Fund returns by asset class, sector, industry, and country, and (4) the volatility characteristics of the Fund.

 

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings to Certain Analytic Companies. Certain analytic companies who calculate aggregate portfolio characteristics for consultants or who integrate the holdings into research services for use by the Advisor may receive quarterly holdings information without a delay; provided that (1) the recipient does not distribute the specific holdings information to third parties, other departments or persons before the expiration of the applicable delay period and public disclosure of such information and (2) the recipient signs a written non-disclosure (and non-use) agreement. The Disclosure Policies require that the recipient execute a written non-disclosure agreement in a form and substance acceptable to the Advisor’s compliance department, which includes, at a minimum, an obligation on the recipient to maintain the confidentiality of the portfolio holdings until such time as they have been publicly disclosed. Entities unwilling to execute an acceptable non-disclosure agreement may only receive portfolio holdings information that has otherwise been publicly disclosed in accordance with the Disclosure Policies. As of [September 13, 2021], the Funds’ complete portfolio holdings are disclosed to the following analytic companies as part of ongoing arrangements that serve legitimate business purposes: Segal Marco Advisors, William O’Neill, and Capital IQ.

 

 

Disclosure of Portfolio Holdings to Broker-Dealers to Facilitate Trading. The Advisor’s trading or research departments may periodically distribute without a delay lists of applicable investments held by the Funds for the purpose of facilitating efficient trading of such securities and receipt of relevant research. Such lists

 

30


 

shall not identify individual clients or individual client position sizes or show aggregate client position sizes. Since this disclosure does not involve the disclosure of complete portfolio holdings identified by client, this disclosure is not considered a waiver of the Disclosure Policies. The frequency of disclosure to broker-dealers for trading and research purposes is determined by the Advisor’s trading and research departments in connection with fulfilling their trading and research duties to the Funds. Such disclosure varies and may be as frequent as daily, with no delay.

 

 

Disclosure of Individual Portfolio Holdings. Certain research analysts and other senior officers or spokespersons of the Advisor or Funds may disclose or confirm the ownership of any individual portfolio holding position in materials prepared for Fund shareholders (such as “Manager’s Comments”), media interviews, due diligence meetings with management, shareholders, consultants and any party interested in the information; provided that (1) aggregate client position size is not disclosed. Research analysts may also disclose or confirm the ownership, including the aggregate position size, of any individual portfolio holding without a delay to management of the company owned, provided that management gives assurance that the information will be used for internal purposes only and not disclosed otherwise.

Disclosure as Required by Law. The Fund’s portfolio holdings (whether partial portfolio holdings or complete portfolio holdings) and other investment positions comprising the Fund shall be disclosed to any person as required by applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Examples of such required disclosure include, but are not limited to, disclosure of Fund portfolio holdings (1) in a filing or submission with the SEC or another regulatory body, (2) in connection with seeking recovery on defaulted bonds in a federal bankruptcy case, (3) in connection with a lawsuit, or (4) as required by court order. Disclosure of portfolio holdings or other investment positions by the Advisor or the Fund as required by applicable laws, rules and regulations must be authorized by the Fund officer or an officer of the Advisor.

Waivers or Exceptions of Disclosure Policies. The Disclosure Policies may not be waived, or exceptions made, without the consent of the Advisor’s Compliance Department (“Compliance Department”) and the execution of a written non-disclosure (and non-use) agreement in a form and substance acceptable to the Compliance Department. All waivers and exceptions will be disclosed to the Board of Trustees and/or the Audit Committee at their next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. The frequency with which complete portfolio holdings may be disclosed to a recipient pursuant to a waiver (the “Recipient”), and the length of the delay, if any, between the date of the information and the date on which the information is disclosed to the Recipient, is determined based on the facts and circumstances, including, without limitation, the nature of the portfolio holdings information to be disclosed, the risk of harm to the Funds and their shareholders and the Advisor’s separate account clients, and the legitimate business purposes served by such disclosure. The frequency of disclosure to a Recipient varies and may be as frequent as daily, with no delay.

MANAGEMENT OF THE TRUST

Management Information. The business affairs of Wasatch Funds are overseen by its Board of Trustees. The Board consists of four Independent Trustees. Each of the Independent Trustees will serve until their successors are qualified, appointed or elected in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust and By-Laws. Ms. Allison, Mr. Rinne and Ms. Fletcher were elected by shareholders.

The Trustees and executive officers of Wasatch Funds and their principal occupations for at least the last five years are set forth below. The Advisor retains proprietary rights to the Trust name.

 

Name, Address and Age   

Position(s)      

Held with

Wasatch

Funds

  

Term of Office1and    

Length of Time

Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)        

during Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in    

Fund

Complex

Overseen by
Trustee

  

Other

Directorships Held

by Trustees during

Past 5 Years2

Independent Trustees                         

Miriam M. Allison

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 73

   Trustee and Chair of the Board   

Indefinite

 

Served as Trustee since 2010

   Rancher since 2004. From 2001 to 2005, Chairman of UMB Fund Services, Inc.    19    Director, Northwestern Mutual Series Fund, Inc. (27 portfolios) since 2006.

 

31


Name, Address and Age   

Position(s)      
Held with

Wasatch

Funds

  

Term of Office1and    

Length of Time

Served

  

Principal Occupation(s)        

during Past 5 Years

  

Number of
Portfolios in    

Fund

Complex

Overseen by
Trustee

  

Other

Directorships Held

by Trustees during

Past 5 Years2

Heikki Rinne

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 68

   Trustee and Chair of the Governance and Nominating Committee   

Indefinite

 

Served as Trustee since October 2012

  

Chief Executive Officer of the Halton Group Ltd. (an indoor environmental control manufacturing and technology company), from 2002 to 2016; A Founder and Principal Owner of Sitoumus LLC (a training and consulting firm focusing on empowering organizational and individual engagement as well as general consulting), January 2017 to present.

 

   19    Director, Halton Group Ltd. since 2016.

Kristen M. Fletcher

505 Wakara Way

3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 67

   Trustee and Chair of the Audit Committee   

Indefinite

 

Served as Trustee since October 2014

   Director, Youth Sports Alliance since 2015; Trustee, Woodlands Commercial Bank (a/k/a Lehman Brothers Commercial Bank) 2009 – 2012; Chairman and CEO, ABN AMRO, Inc. and U.S. Country Representative, ABN AMRO Bank, NV from 2002-2004.    19   

Director, Youth Sports Alliance since 2015; Trustee, Woodlands Commercial Bank (a/k/a Lehman Brothers Commercial Bank) 2009 – 2012; Director Emeritus, Utah Symphony/Utah Opera since September 2017; and Director, Utah Symphony/Utah Opera from 2005-September 2017.

 

Mark Robinson3

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 61

   Trustee   

Indefinite

 

Served as Trustee since 2020

   Chief Financial Officer 2016 to 2019, Truckstop.com LLC; Chief Financial Officer SABA Software, Inc. from 2013 to 2015    19    Chairman 2014 to 2016, Vita Vis Nutrition, Inc.

 

1.

A Trustee may serve until his/her death, resignation, removal or retirement. Each Independent Trustee shall retire as Trustee at the end of the calendar year in which he/she attains the age of 75 years. The Board of Trustees reserves the right to permit continued service after the mandatory retirement age for any individual Trustee in its sole discretion.

2.

Directorships are those held by a Trustee in any company with a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or subject to the requirements of Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act or any company registered as an investment company under the 1940 Act.

3.

Effective April 1, 2020, Mr. Robinson was appointed a Trustee of the Trust.

 

Name, Address and Age           

Position(s) Held        

with Trust

  

Term of Office and        

Length

of Time Served

   Principal Occupation(s) during Past 5 Years

Officers

              

Eric S. Bergeson

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 53

   President   

Indefinite

 

Served as President since May 2018

   President for Wasatch Funds since May 2018; President of the Advisor since January 2017; and Vice President of Institutional Sales for the Advisor since June 1998.

 

32


Name, Address and Age           

Position (s) Held        

with Trust

  

Term of Office and        

Length
of Time Served

   Principal Occupation(s) during Past 5 Years

Russell L. Biles

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 52

   Chief Compliance Officer, Vice President and Secretary   

Indefinite

 

Served as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President since February 2007 and Secretary since November 2008

 

   Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President for Wasatch Funds since February 2007; Secretary for Wasatch Funds since November 2008; and Counsel for the Advisor since October 2006.

Michael K. Yeates

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 37

 

   Treasurer   

Indefinite

 

Served as Treasurer since May 2018

 

   Treasurer for Wasatch Funds since May 2018; and Chief Financial Officer of the Advisor since September 2007.

David Corbett

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 47

   Assistant Vice President   

Indefinite

 

Served as Assistant Vice President since August 2012

 

   Assistant Vice President for Wasatch Funds since August 2012; and Director of Mutual Fund Services for the Advisor since June 2007.

Cheryl Reich

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 36

   Assistant Secretary   

Indefinite

 

Served as Assistant Secretary since February 2017

 

   Assistant Secretary for Wasatch Funds since February 2017; Compliance Associate for the Advisor since September 2012.

Kara H. Becker

505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor

Salt Lake City, UT 84108

Age 36

 

   Assistant Treasurer   

Indefinite

 

Served as Assistant Treasurer since May 2018

 

   Assistant Treasurer for Wasatch Funds since May 2018; and Controller for the Advisor since January 2012.

Leadership Structure and the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees oversees the operations and management of the Funds, including the duties performed for the Funds by the Advisor and other service providers. The Board is currently composed of four Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Trust, as such term is defined in the 1940 Act. Like all mutual funds, the day-to-day responsibility for the management and operation of the Funds is the responsibility of various service providers to the Funds, such as the Funds’ Advisor, distributor, administrator, custodian, and transfer agent, each of which is discussed in greater detail in this SAI. The Board approves all significant agreements between the Trust, on behalf of the Funds, and its service providers, including the agreements with the Advisor, distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. The Board has appointed various officers of the Trust who also report to the Board on the Funds’ day-to-day operations. In conducting this oversight responsibility, the Board receives regular reports from these officers and service providers regarding the Trust’s operations. The Board has appointed the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”), who administers the Trust’s compliance program and regularly reports to the Board on compliance matters. These reports may be provided as part of the formal “Board Meetings” which are typically held quarterly, in person, and involve the Board’s review of recent Fund operations, or the Board may also hold special in-person and/or telephone meetings and informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may require action prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting. In conjunction with the regularly scheduled Board meetings and committee meetings, the Independent Trustees (who also comprise the Audit Committee) also meet in executive session periodically (but at least annually), and separately, with Trust officers, with personnel of the Service Providers, and with the Trust’s CCO. The Independent Trustees may also meet in executive session among themselves and periodically with independent legal counsel. In all cases, however, the role of the Board and of any individual Trustee is one of oversight and not of management of the day-to-day affairs of the Trust and its oversight role does not make the Board a guarantor of the Trust’s or Funds’ investments, operations or activities.

Board Leadership Structure

The Board has structured itself in a manner that it believes allows it to effectively perform its oversight function. In an effort to enhance the independence of the Board, the Board has a Chair that is an independent Trustee. The Board recognizes that the chair can perform an important role in setting the Board agenda, establishing the boardroom culture, serving as a

 

33


point person on behalf of the Board with fund management, facilitating communications among Trustees and with Service Providers, and reinforcing the Board’s focus on the long-term interests of shareholders. The Board also recognizes that a chair may be able to better perform these functions without any conflicts of interests arising from a position with fund management. Currently, Ms. Miriam Allison serves as the independent Chair of the Board. Under the Trust’s By-laws, the Chair (or, if the Chair is unable to attend any such meeting, the Chair’s designee) shall preside at all meetings of the Trustees and the shareholders.

Although the Board has direct responsibility over various matters (such as advisory contracts, underwriting contracts and Fund performance), the Board also exercises certain of its oversight responsibilities through its committees, the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee (the “Governance Committee”), standing committees that it has established which report back to the Board. The Audit Committee is comprised entirely of the Independent Trustees and operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. Accordingly, Messrs. Rinne and Robinson, Ms. Allison and Ms. Fletcher are each members of the Audit Committee with Ms. Fletcher serving as Chair. Under the charter, the primary purposes of the Audit Committee include to oversee the Funds’ accounting and financial reporting policies and practices, its internal controls and the internal controls of the Funds’ accounting, administration, transfer agency and custody service providers; to oversee the quality and integrity of the Funds’ financial statements and independent audit thereof; to assist the Board’s oversight of the Funds’ compliance with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting, internal control over financial reporting and independent audits; to act as a liaison between the Funds’ independent public accountants and the full Board of Trustees; to assist the Board oversight of the Funds’ internal audit function (if any); and to approve prior to appointment, the engagement of the Funds’ independent public accountants and, in connection therewith, to review and evaluate the qualifications, independence and performance of the Funds’ independent public accountants. To fulfill its oversight duties, the Audit Committee receives annual and semi-annual reports and has regular meetings with the external auditors for the Funds. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020.

In addition to the Audit Committee, the Board has also established the Governance Committee. The Governance Committee is comprised entirely of the Independent Trustees and operates under a written charter adopted and approved by the Board. Accordingly, Messrs. Rinne and Robinson, and Ms. Allison and Ms. Fletcher are each members of the Governance Committee with Mr. Rinne serving as Chair. Under the charter, the primary responsibilities of the Governance Committee include: determining matters of corporate governance (including the evaluation of Board and committee performance, committee processes, and trustee compensation); evaluating the composition of the Board and any constituent committees thereof and the process by which Board and committee chairs are selected; identification, consideration and nomination of candidates to become Board members; and other duties and responsibilities as may from time to time be delegated to the committee by the Board. The Committee will consider nominees recommended by shareholders. Recommendations should be submitted to the Governance and Nominating Committee in care of the Secretary of the Wasatch Funds, Attn: Russell Biles, 505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. The Governance Committee met five times during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020.

The Board believes that the committee structure is an effective means to permit Trustees to focus on particular operations or issues affecting the Funds. In addition to the standing committees, the Board may also from time to time create ad hoc committees or additional standing committees to focus on particular issues as the need arises.

The Board has determined that its leadership structure, including its committee structure permitting certain areas of responsibility to be allocated to the Independent Trustees together with its Independent Chair, is appropriate given the characteristics of the Trust and Funds.

Board Oversight of Risk Management

The Board’s oversight responsibilities extend also to risk oversight, including but not limited to, risks related to investments and operations. Because risk management is a broad concept comprised of many elements (including, for example, but not limited to, investment risks, issuer risks, compliance risks, valuation risks, counterparty risks, operational risks, business continuity risks, and legal, compliance and regulatory risks) the oversight of different types of risks is addressed through various risk management reports and assessments received from the relevant management personnel and service providers. Through its direct oversight role, and indirectly through its Audit Committee, the Board performs a risk oversight function for the Funds which may consist of, among other things, the following activities: (1) receiving and reviewing reports related to the performance and operations of the Funds, including but not limited to investment, compliance, liquidity, valuation

 

34


and operation risks; (2) reviewing and approving, as applicable, compliance policies and procedures of the Fund; (3) meeting with portfolio management teams to review investment strategies, techniques and processes and the investment risks associated therewith; (4) reviewing reports generated by and/or meeting with representatives of key service providers to review and discuss the risks associated with their activities for the Fund and any measures taken to mitigate those risks; (5) receiving written and/or oral reports of the CCO, meeting privately with the CCO, and receiving the annual report of the CCO regarding the operations of the Funds’ Compliance Program, the CCO’s evaluation of the service providers’ compliance programs (including material issues that have arisen with the effectiveness of service providers’ compliance programs and changes resulting thereof, and third-party evaluations of the effectiveness of service providers’ operational effectiveness, if any) as well as any recommendations for modifications thereto; and (6) the Audit Committee meeting with the Treasurer and the Trust’s independent public accounting firm to discuss, among other things, the internal control structure of the Trust’s financial reporting function.

The Board recognizes that not all risks that may affect the Fund can be identified, that it may not be practical or cost-effective to eliminate or mitigate certain risks, that it may be necessary to bear certain risks (such as investment-related risks) to achieve the Fund’s goals, and that the processes, procedures and controls employed to address certain risks may be limited in their effectiveness. Moreover, reports received by the Trustees as to risk management matters are typically summaries of the relevant information. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, the Board’s risk management oversight is subject to certain limitations.

Information about Each Trustee’s Qualification, Experience, Attributes or Skills

The Board believes that each Trustee’s experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees lead to the conclusion that the Board possesses the requisite attributes and skills. In addition to the information provided in the table above, listed below for each Trustee is additional information concerning the experiences, qualifications and attributes that led to the conclusion, as of the date of this SAI that each current Trustee should serve as a trustee. References to the qualifications, attributes and skills of trustees are pursuant to requirements of the SEC, do not constitute holding out of the Board or any Trustee as having any special expertise and shall not impose any greater responsibility or liability on any such person or on the Board by reason thereof.

Miriam M. Allison. Ms. Allison’s experience, skills and education qualify her to serve as a Trustee of the Trust. Ms. Allison, a disinterested Trustee of the Trust, has 30 years of experience in investment and financial management and in management of investment companies, businesses providing financial, accounting and other services to investment companies and serving on the board of investment companies. Ms. Allison has served as a Trustee of the Trust since February 2010 and Chairperson of the Trust since January 2020. In 1990, Ms. Allison founded Sunstone Financial Group (“Sunstone”), a private company and mutual fund administrator, fund accountant and transfer agent, and served as its chief executive officer and Chairperson of the Board. In 2001, UMB Financial Corporation, a public company, acquired Sunstone, and renamed it UMB Fund Services, and Ms. Allison remained with the company as chief executive officer until 2003 and Chairperson of the Board until 2005. Prior to founding Sunstone, Ms. Allison spent 5 years (from 1985 to 1990) as the business manager of Firstar Trust Company (“Firstar”), a registered investment adviser, and was responsible for overseeing the operations of the investment company for which Firstar served as investment advisor. In addition, from 1971 to 1985, Ms. Allison served as portfolio manager and financial planner of First Wisconsin Trust Company analyzing potential investments and financial and estate objectives of trust clients. Ms. Allison has served as a director for the board of Northwestern Mutual Fund Series, Inc. (representing 27 portfolios) since 2006, has served as lead independent director since February 2014 and served as chair of its audit committee from 2009 to February 2014. Ms. Allison received her bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Wisconsin Madison in 1971.

Heikki Rinne, Ph.D. Dr. Rinne has served as a disinterested Trustee of the Trust since October 1, 2012. Dr. Rinne’s experience, skills and education qualify him to serve as a Trustee of the Trust. From 2002-2016, Dr. Rinne served as the Chief Executive Officer of Halton Group, an indoor environmental control manufacturing and technology company, with multiple business areas, and operating in 32 countries. Halton Group is headquartered in Finland, with regional headquarters in the USA and Malaysia. Dr. Rinne first served on the Board of Halton Group from 1995 to 2001 and returned to serve on the Board beginning January 2016, was President of Halton Systems Division from 1995-1997, and was an independent consultant to Halton Group from 1982 to 1995. Additionally, Dr. Rinne served as the Dean of the College

 

35


of Business at the University of California, Chico, from 1999 to 2001, a Professor of Business and the Head of the Consumer Sciences department at Purdue University from 1997 to 1999, and a Professor of Business at Brigham Young University from 1984 to 1995. Dr. Rinne also served on the Board of Touchfon International from 1991 to 2009, and Infosto Group from 1993 to 2009. Dr. Rinne received his Bachelor of Science in business from Brigham Young University in 1975, his Master of Business Administration from the University of Oregon in 1976, and his doctorate in Business Administration and Marketing from Purdue University in 1981.

Kristen M. Fletcher. Ms. Fletcher’s experience, skills and education qualify her to serve as a Trustee of the Trust. Kristen M. Fletcher has served as a disinterested Trustee of the Trust since October 1, 2014, has over 35 years of experience in commercial and investment banking, and over five years of service on private and non-profit boards of directors. Since 2015, Ms. Fletcher has served on the Board of Trustees of the Youth Sports Alliance, a non-profit organization supporting winter sports activities, while promoting good sportsmanship and healthy lifestyles through participation, education and competition. Since 2017, Ms. Fletcher is an Emeritus member of the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera Board of Directors. From 2005-2017, Ms. Fletcher served on the Board of Directors of the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera and on the Governance, Finance and Strategic Planning Committees. From 2009-2012, Ms. Fletcher served as a Trustee of Woodlands Commercial Bank a.k.a. Lehman Brothers Commercial Bank, where she also served as Chairman of its Finance Committee, and a member of its Audit Committee and its Special Committee of independent Board members formed to negotiate settlement terms with the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy estate. From 2002-2004, Ms. Fletcher served as the Chairman and CEO of ABN AMRO, Inc., ABN AMRO Bank’s U.S. broker-dealer, and was the head of ABN AMRO North America Wholesale Client Services, which was accountable for regulatory relationships and local implementation of ABN AMRO strategy related to large corporate and institutional clients. From 2000 to 2004, Ms. Fletcher served as Corporate Managing Director/Executive Vice President for the Global Trade & Advisory Group of ABN AMRO Bank, NV, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. From 1993 to 1999, Ms. Fletcher served as Senior Vice President of the North American Trade Group of ABN AMRO Bank NV, where she was the Head of Structured Trade Finance, and subsequently all trade finance, for ABN AMRO North America, including LaSalle Bank. Prior to her tenure at ABN AMRO, Ms. Fletcher served in various capacities at First Interstate Bank, Ltd./Standard Chartered Bank, Export-Import Bank of the U.S., and Wells Fargo Bank. Ms. Fletcher received her Bachelor of Arts in government from Hamilton College (Kirkland College) in 1975, and her Master of Science in accounting from Georgetown University in 1984. Ms. Fletcher also served as an intern to the United States Senate in 1974 and to the United States Chamber of Commerce in 1976.

Mark Robinson. Mr. Robinson’s experience, skills and education qualify him to serve as a Trustee of the Trust. Mr. Robinson, a disinterested Trustee of the Trust, has over 20 years of leadership experience in cloud, software, hardware, professional services, manufacturing, transportation, consumer goods and medical device industries. Mr. Robinson has served as a Trustee of the Trust since April 2020. From 2016 to 2019, Mr. Robinson served as Chief Financial Officer of Truckstop.com LLC, a freight transportation cloud solution provider, where he drove strategy and planning to shift the company to a SaaS recurring revenue managed company, and closing the majority of the sale of the company in April 2019. Prior to his tenure at Truckstop.com, Mr. Robinson served as Chief Financial Officer from 2013 to 2015 helped restructure and turn around SABA Software, Inc., a NASDAQ traded multinational talent management cloud solutions company, which sold itself to a private venture capital group in April 2015. From 2008 to 2013, Mr. Robinson served as Chief Financial Officer for Calypso Technology, Inc., a multinational Fintech software and professional services company, and Discus Dental, a multinational medical device and consumer goods manufacturing company. From 2005 through 2007, Mr. Robinson served as the Chief Financial Officer of Q Comm International, a publicly traded point-of-sale distribution and activation company. From 1983 to 2004, Mr. Robinson served as Chief Financial Officer, Controller, and held other finance and business develop positions at Silicon Valley technology and communications companies. In addition, Mr. Robinson was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vita Vis Nutrition, Inc. from 2014 to 2016 and served a Director of Clickguard in 2001 and 2002. Mr. Robinson earned his Bachelors of Science, Finance and Marketing, from the University of Utah in 1983, and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Utah in 1988.

 

36


Trustees’ Fund Holdings as of December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, the Trustees owned shares of the series of the Trust as set forth in the table below and, as of the date of the SAI, shares of the Fund. The following are the ranges: none, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000 or over $100,000.

 

     

Dollar Range of Equity

Securities in the Fund

  

Aggregate Dollar Range of Equity

Securities in All Registered

Investment Companies Overseen by

Trustees in Family of Investment

Companies1

Independent Trustees

         

Miriam M. Allison

        Over $100,000

Long/Short Alpha Fund2

   None     

    

         

Heikki Rinne

        Over $100,000

Long/Short Alpha Fund2

   None     

    

         

Kristen M. Fletcher

        Over $100,000

Long/Short Alpha Fund2

   None     

    

         

Mark Robinson3

        None

Long/Short Alpha Fund2

   None     

1There are 19 separate series in the Trust.

2 As of the date of this SAI for the Long/Short Alpha Fund

3Effective April 1, 2020, Mr. Robinson was appointed a Trustee of the Trust.

Compensation. Beginning in the calendar year of 2021, the Funds’ method of compensating Trustees is to pay each Independent Trustee a retainer of $126,750 per year for services rendered and a fee of $25,350 for each regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting, including the executive session held with respect to the investment advisory contract renewal process for the Funds, whether attended in person or telephonically (including any committee meeting attended) (collectively, the “2021 Base Compensation”). Trustees will receive an additional $12,000 for in-person attendance of any special Board meeting or committee meeting (or any combination thereof), and $6,000 for telephonic attendance of any special Board meeting or committee meeting (or any combination thereof). In addition, the Chair of the Board would receive an additional 25% of the 2021 Base Compensation and the Chair of a Committee would receive an additional 15% of the 2021 Base Compensation. Accordingly, to implement this additional compensation for services as a Chair, the Chair of the Board receives an additional fee of $31,687.50 a year as Chair and $7,921.75 for attendance in person or telephonically at each regular Board meeting (four meetings per year). The Chair of the Audit Committee and the Chair of the Nominating Committee each receive an additional $19,012.50 per year as Chair and $4,753.13 for attendance in person or telephonically at each regular Board meeting (four meetings per year).

In the calendar year 2020, each Independent Trustee was paid a retainer of $125,000 per year for services rendered and a fee of $25,000 for each regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting, including the executive session held with respect to the investment advisory contract renewal process for the Funds, whether attended in person or telephonically (including any committee meeting attended) (collectively, the “2020 Base Compensation”). Trustees received an additional $12,000 for in-person attendance of any special Board meeting or committee meeting (or any combination thereof), and $6,000 for telephonic attendance of any special Board meeting or committee meeting (or any combination thereof). In addition, the Chair of the Board received an additional 25% of the 2020 Base Compensation and the Chair of a Committee received an additional 15% of the 2020 Base Compensation. Accordingly, to implement this additional compensation for services as a Chair, the Chair of the Board received an additional fee of $31,250 a year as Chair and $7,812.50 for attendance in person or telephonically at each regular Board meeting (four meetings per year). The Chair of the Audit Committee and the Chair of the Nominating Committee each received an additional $18,750 per year as Chair and $4,687.50 for attendance in person or telephonically at each regular Board meeting (four meetings per year).

In the calendar year 2019, each Independent Trustee was paid a retainer of $120,000 per year for services rendered and a fee of $24,000 for each regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting attended in person or telephonically (including any committee meeting attended). Trustees received an additional $12,000 for in-person attendance of any special Board meeting or committee meeting (or any combination thereof), and $6,000 for telephonic attendance of any special Board

 

37


meeting or committee meeting (or any combination thereof). In addition, each Independent Trustee received a fee of $24,000 for attendance at an executive session held with respect to the contract renewal process for the Funds. In addition, the Chair of the Board received an additional fee of $30,000 a year as Chair and $6,000 for attendance in person or telephonically at a Board meeting and the Chair of the Audit Committee and the Chair of the Nominating Committee each received an additional $18,000 per year as Chair and $3,600 for attendance in person or telephonically at a Board meeting.

The Funds also may reimburse the Independent Trustees for travel expenses incurred in order to attend meetings of the Board of Trustees and for continuing education expenses. Officers serve in that capacity without compensation from the Trust. The table below sets forth the compensation paid to the Trust’s Trustees during the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 (exclusive of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursed).

 



Name of Trustee
  

Aggregate Compensation

from Trust1

  

Pension or Retirement

Benefits Accrued as part of

Fund Expenses

  

Total Compensation from Trust

and Fund Complex paid to

Trustees

Independent Trustees

              

Miriam M. Allison

   $311,325    $0    $311,325

James U. Jensen2

   $272,250    $0    $272,250

Kristen M. Fletcher

   $280,875    $0    $280,875

Heikki Rinne

   $292,575    $0    $292,575

Mark Robinson3

   $118,500    $0    $118,500

1 There were 18 separate series in the Trust as of the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020. As of the date of the SAI, the Trust had 19 separate series.

2 .Effective December 31, 2020, Mr. Jensen retired as a Trustee of the Trust.

3Effective April 1, 2020, Mr. Robinson was appointed a Trustee of the Trust.

Code of Ethics. Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act is designed to prevent abuses that could occur as a result of conflicts of interest arising out of personal trading by persons involved with or with access to information about the Fund’s investment activities. The Funds and the Advisor have each adopted a Code of Ethics regarding personal investing by their personnel pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. The Codes of Ethics each require personnel who are “access persons” of any Fund within the meaning of Rule 17j-1 to comply with the Code of Ethics adopted pursuant to Rule17j-1, subject to sanctions by the Advisor, in the event of non-compliance.

The Codes of Ethics place certain restrictions on the trading activities of its access persons. Under the Advisor’s Code, access persons are required to pre-clear with the Compliance department each personal transaction in a non-exempt security. The Advisor’s Code of Ethics generally prohibits personnel from investing in securities that may be purchased by the Fund, however it does permit personnel subject to the Code of Ethics in limited circumstances to invest in securities, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. The pre-clearance process is designed to prevent transactions that conflict with interests of the Wasatch Funds. Access persons under the Advisor’s Code of Ethics are also required to report their non-exempt personal securities transactions on a quarterly basis.

Proxy Voting Policies. The Trust’s and the Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures are attached as Appendix B to this SAI.

The Trust on behalf of each of its series (except the Greater China Fund and the Long/Short Alpha Fund) has filed with the SEC each Fund’s voting records on Form N-PX for the 12-month period ended June 30, 2020. Form N-PX must be filed by the Trust on behalf of its series each year by August 31. Once filed, the most recent Form N-PX will be available without charge, upon request, by calling 800.551.1700 or visiting the Funds’ website at wasatchglobal.com or the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

CONTROL PERSONS AND PRINCIPAL HOLDERS OF SECURITIES

As of the date of this SAI, the Advisor owned all of the outstanding shares of the Fund. As a result, as of such date the Advisor owned a controlling interest in the Fund, and shareholders with a controlling interest could affect the outcome of proxy voting or the direction of management of the Fund. As of the date of this SAI, the Trustees and Officers owned less than 1% of the outstanding shares of the Fund.

 

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INVESTMENT ADVISORY AND OTHER SERVICES

Investment Advisor. As described above and in the Prospectus, the Advisor is responsible for making investment decisions and providing services for Wasatch Funds under an advisory and service contract with the Trust on behalf of the Funds. The Advisor, organized in September 1975, has been in the business of investment management since November 1975, and had total assets under management, including the assets of the Funds, of approximately $____ billion as of June 30, 2021. In December 2007, the Advisor created WA Holdings, Inc. to act as a holding company of the Advisor. The Advisor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WA Holdings, Inc., which is 100% owned by the employees of the Advisor. The holding company was created to allow the Advisor to plan for growth and the ongoing continuity of its organization.

Eric S. Bergeson is President of Wasatch Funds Trust and an Officer and Director of the Advisor. The principal executive officers and directors of the Advisor are: Michael K. Yeates, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Vice President and Director; JB Taylor, Chief Executive Officer and Director; and Daniel D. Thurber, General Counsel, Vice President, Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer.    

Under the Advisory and Service Contract, the Fund pays the Advisor a monthly fee computed on average daily net assets as set forth below.

 

                   Fund    Annual Rate  
 

Long/Short Alpha Fund

   1.25%

The management fees paid by the Fund are higher than those paid by most mutual funds. The management fees paid by certain other Wasatch Funds are higher than the management fees charged by many mutual funds. The management fees are computed and accrued daily and are payable monthly.

The Advisor provides an investment program for, and carries out the investment policy and manages the portfolio assets of, the Fund. The Advisor is authorized, subject to the control of the Board of Trustees of the Trust, to determine the selection, quantity and time to buy or sell securities for the Fund. In addition to providing investment services, the Advisor pays for office space and facilities for the Trust.

The Fund pays all of its own expenses, including, without limitation: the cost of preparing and printing registration statements required under the Securities Act of 1933 and the 1940 Act and any amendments thereto; the expense of registering shares with the SEC and in the various states; costs of typesetting, printing and mailing the Prospectus, SAI and reports to shareholders; costs associated with reports to government authorities and proxy statements; fees paid to Trustees who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act); interest charges; taxes; legal expenses; association membership dues; fees for auditing services; fees for administrative services; insurance premiums; fees and expenses of the Custodian of the Fund’s assets; printing and mailing expenses; charges and expenses of dividend disbursing agents, accounting services agents, registrars and stock transfer agents; certain expenses incurred by employees of the Advisor; and extraordinary and non-recurring expenses.

The Advisory and Service Contract will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment. In addition, the Advisory and Service Contract is terminable at any time, without penalty, by the Board of Trustees or by a vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities on 60 days’ written notice to the Advisor, or by the Advisor upon 60 days’ written notice to the other party. The Advisory and Service Contract shall continue in effect initially for a two-year period and thereafter only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at least annually by either the Board of the Trust or by a vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund (as defined in the 1940 Act), provided that, in either event, such continuance is also approved by a vote of a majority of the Trustees who are not parties to such Agreement, or “interested persons” (as defined in the 1940 Act) of such parties, cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

In order to promote quality service, the Advisor may give financial rewards or special recognition to employees of service providers, such as the Funds’ fulfillment agent, UMB Distribution Services, LLC. Costs associated with the financial rewards or special recognition are paid by the Advisor and not the Funds.

 

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The Advisor has contractually agreed to limit until January 31, 2023 the total annual fund operating expenses (subject to certain exceptions described below) of the Institutional Class and Investor Class shares of the Fund as set forth below.

 

Fund   

Operating Expense Limit

as a percentage of average net

assets calculated on a daily

basis – Investor Class

  

Operating Expense Limit

as a percentage of average net
assets calculated on a daily
basis – Institutional Class

Long/Short Alpha Fund

   1.75%    1.50%

The Advisor will pay all ordinary operating expenses incurred by the Institutional Class and Investor Class shares of the Fund in excess of the limitations listed above, excluding fees and expenses incurred in borrowing securities and selling portfolio securities short including the enhanced custody fees (which include borrowing costs, financing fees and other charges paid in connection with borrowing the security to be sold short, and maintaining related margin collateral) and interest, dividend expense on short sales/interest expense, taxes, brokerage commissions, other investment related costs, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses, such as litigation and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of business.

General Information

Administrator. The Trust has entered into an administration agreement with State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”), 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64105, pursuant to which State Street provides administrative services to Wasatch Funds. Pursuant to an administration agreement effective March 31, 2010, as amended, the Administrator is responsible for (i) the general administrative duties associated with the day-to-day operations of Wasatch Funds; (ii) conducting relations with the custodian, independent registered public accounting firm, legal counsel and other service providers; (iii) providing regulatory reporting; and (iv) providing necessary office space, equipment, personnel, compensation and facilities for handling the affairs of Wasatch Funds. In performing its duties and obligations under the Administration Agreement, the Administrator shall not be held liable except in the case of its willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of reckless disregard of its obligations and duties. As compensation for its services, the Administrator receives an annual fee based upon a percentage of the average daily net assets of the Funds.

Fund Accountant. Wasatch Funds has entered into an agreement with State Street pursuant to which State Street provides daily accounting services for the Trust. Under the agreement with State Street, the cost to the Fund is its allocable portion of the fee based upon Wasatch Funds’ assets computed daily and payable monthly, at the annual rate of 0.0140% and decreasing if the assets exceed $3.5 billion.

Distributor. Shares of the Funds are offered on a continuous basis through ALPS Distributors, Inc. (“ADI” or the “Distributor”), 1290 Broadway, Suite 1100, Denver, Colorado 80203, as distributor of the Funds pursuant to a Distribution Agreement between the Funds and ADI. ADI also serves as distributor for other mutual funds, closed-end funds and ETFs. As distributor, ADI acts as the Funds’ agent to underwrite, sell and distribute shares in a continuous offering, pursuant to a best efforts arrangement.

Transfer Agent. UMB Fund Services, Inc. (“UMBFS”), 235 W. Galena St., Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53212, acts as the Funds’ transfer agent and dividend paying agent. As transfer agent, UMBFS keeps records of shareholder accounts and transactions. The Funds pay UMBFS a transfer agent fee based on the number of shareholder accounts, subject to a minimum annual fee.

Custodian.    State Street also serves as Wasatch Funds’ custodian of the assets of the Funds and is responsible for, among other things, safeguarding and controlling the Funds’ cash and securities. Wasatch Funds pays State Street a custodian fee based upon assets and transactions of the Trust.

Legal Counsel to Wasatch Funds and Independent Trustees. Chapman and Cutler LLP, 111 West Monroe Street, Chicago, IL 60603, acts as legal counsel to the Trust and its Independent Trustees and reviews certain legal matters for the Trust in connection with the shares offered by the Prospectus.

 

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Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. [_______], is the Trust’s independent registered public accounting firm. In this capacity the firm is responsible for auditing the financial statements of the Trust and reporting thereon.

Other Service Agreements. The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has also entered into service agreements with various financial intermediaries pursuant to which the financial intermediaries provide certain administrative services with respect to their customers who are beneficial owners of shares of the Funds. Pursuant to these service agreements, the Advisor compensates the financial intermediary for the administrative services provided, which compensation is usually based on the aggregate assets of their customers who are invested in the Funds. The Funds, in turn, reimburse the Advisor an amount that approximates what the Funds would have paid had the shareholder maintained an account at the Funds’ Transfer Agent. The total compensation paid by the Advisor may exceed the reimbursement amount.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

As described in the Prospectus, the Fund is managed by a team of Wasatch portfolio managers and analysts led by the lead portfolio manager, listed below, who may also have responsibility for the day-to-day management of accounts other than the Wasatch Funds.

Management of Other Accounts and Potential Conflicts of Interest. The following table lists the number and types of accounts managed by the portfolio manager and assets under management in those accounts as of the date of this SAI.

Accounts Managed by Portfolio Manager1

 

      Registered Investment Company
Accounts2
     Other Pooled Investment
Vehicle Accounts
     Other Accounts3  
             
Portfolio Manager    Number of
Accounts
    

Assets

Managed ($)

     Number of
Accounts
     Assets
Managed ($)
     Number of
Accounts
    

Assets

Managed ($)

 
             

Wasatch Global Investors

                                                     

Mick Rasmussen

                       -        -                    

1If an account is managed by a team, the total number of accounts and assets have been allocated to each respective team member. Therefore, most accounts and assets have been counted two or more times.

2Includes each series of Wasatch Funds separately. None of the Wasatch Funds charges a performance-based fee.

3For the Advisor, other accounts would include, but are not limited to, individual and institutional accounts, pension and profit sharing plans, charitable organizations and state and municipal government entities. Wrap programs, advised by the Advisor, are represented as a single account. The number of accounts and the assets managed with performance-based fees are as follows:

 

Other Accounts with Performance-Based Fees
Portfolio Manager   

Number of  

Accounts  

  

Assets

Managed ($)

Wasatch Global Investors          
Mick Rasmussen          

There may be certain inherent conflicts of interest that arise in connection with a portfolio manager’s management of the Fund’s investments and the investments of any other fund, client or proprietary accounts the Advisor or the Fund’s individual team members also manage. Such conflicts include allocation of investment opportunities among the Funds and other accounts managed by the Advisor or the portfolio manager; the aggregation of purchase and sale orders believed to be in the best interest of more than one account managed by the Advisor or the portfolio manager and the allocation of such orders across such accounts; and any soft dollar arrangements that the Advisor may have in place that could benefit the Fund and/or other accounts. Additionally, some Funds or accounts managed by a portfolio manager may have different fee structures, including performance fees, which are, or have the potential to be, higher or lower than the fees paid by another fund or account. To minimize the effects of these inherent conflicts of interest, the Advisor has adopted and implemented policies and procedures, including trade aggregation and allocation procedures, that it believes are reasonably designed to mitigate the potential conflicts associated with managing portfolios for multiple clients, including the Funds, and seeks to ensure that no one client is intentionally favored at the expense of another. These policies and procedures are discussed in more detail under the section entitled “Brokerage Allocation and Other Practices” of this SAI.

 

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Wasatch Global Investors—Portfolio Management Team Compensation. As of December 31, 2020, the Advisor’s Compensation Committee and Executive Committee reviewed and determined its portfolio managers’ compensation. The committees may use independent third party investment industry compensation survey results in evaluating competitive market compensation for its investment professionals. The committees may also consult with professional industry recruiters. The elements of total compensation for the portfolio managers are base salary, performance-based bonus, profit sharing and other benefits. The Advisor has balanced the components of pay to provide portfolio managers with an incentive to focus on both shorter and longer term performance. By design, portfolio manager compensation levels fluctuate — both up and down — with the relative investment performance of the Funds they manage.

Each portfolio manager is paid a base salary, a potential bonus based on performance, potential deferred bonus grants based on performance and possibly stock dividends.

 

 

Base Salary. Each portfolio manager is paid a fixed base salary depending upon their tenure.

 

 

Performance Bonus. A large portion of a portfolio manager’s potential compensation is in the form of performance bonus. The performance bonus is based on pre-tax performance. At the end of each year, the Board of Directors of the Advisor will allocate a bonus pool that will loosely mirror firm profits net of stock buybacks and deferred compensation payouts. The majority of this bonus pool will be allocated to portfolio managers based on the 1, 3, and 5-year performance of their portfolios, which will reward them with significant economics for achieving top quartile performance relative to the performance of the applicable Fund’s peer group over both the short and long term. Peer groups are utilized to evaluate performance.

 

   

Portfolio managers and research analysts are not paid a “commission” for the solicitation or acquisition of new clients or the retention of existing clients. However, the amount of revenue generated by each product is overlaid on performance to determine the size of each portfolio manager’s bonus (e.g. if performance were equal, a portfolio manager on a higher revenue product would receive a larger bonus than one on a smaller revenue product).

 

   

For portfolio managers who manage separate accounts as well as mutual funds have bonus components calculated based on the performance of each individual product relative to its peer group, revenue is again used as an element in converting performance results into the bonus amount.

 

   

Portfolio Managers are also rewarded for their stock selection contributions to other products and their impact on the overall success of the research team. This incentive is consistent with the Advisor’s collaborative team-based approach to portfolio management.

 

 

Deferred Bonus Grants. Portfolio managers are also eligible for deferred bonus grants payable in six years from the date of the grant, with their value directly tied to the Advisor’s revenues. Each portfolio manager’s grant size will be based on individual performance factors similar to those used to determine the annual performance bonus.

 

 

Stock/Dividends. Certain portfolio managers are shareholders of the Advisor. The relative amount of stock owned by a portfolio manager is at the discretion of the Advisor’s Board and will evolve over time, with bigger long-term contributors holding higher levels of ownership. New portfolio manager stock grants typically vest over a five-year period.

It is possible that certain profits of the Advisor could be paid out to shareholders through a stock dividend. However, there are no current plans or expectations for such a dividend.

Research Analysts

Research analysts are similarly paid through a mix of base salary, a potential bonus based on performance, potential deferred bonus grants based on performance, and possibly stock/dividends.

 

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Since analysts do not manage a specific portfolio, their performance is primarily determined by the contributions of their stock picks to the Wasatch Funds and accounts separately managed by Wasatch Advisors. There is a small subjective component which is based on how each analyst has helped the research team succeed, and their contributions to the investment process & collaborative culture.

 

 

Other Benefits. Portfolio managers are also eligible to participate in broad-based benefit plans offered generally to the Advisor’s full-time employees, including 401(k), health and other employee benefit plans.

Portfolio Managers Fund Ownership. As of the date of this SAI, the portfolio manager owned shares of the Fund as set forth in the table below. The following are the ranges: none, $1-$10,000, $10,001-$50,000, $50,001-$100,000, $100,001-$500,000, $500,001-$1,000,000, or over $1,000,000.

 

       Name of Portfolio Manager    Name of Fund   

Dollar Range of Equity Securities

in the Fund

   

Mick Rasmussen

   Long/Short Alpha Fund     

BROKERAGE ALLOCATION AND OTHER PRACTICES

The brokerage practices of the Advisor are monitored quarterly by the Board of Trustees including the Trustees that are disinterested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust.

The Advisor is responsible for selecting the broker or dealer to execute transactions for the Funds and for negotiating and determining any commission rates to be paid for such transactions. The Advisor has no affiliated broker-dealer. The Advisor will seek best execution to have transactions executed at prices that are advantageous to the Funds and at commission rates that are reasonable in relation to the benefits received. The Advisor may consider a number of factors when selecting a broker or dealer to effect a transaction, including its financial strength and stability, its reputation and access to the markets for the security being traded, the efficiency with which the transaction will be effected, and the value of research products and services that a broker lawfully may provide to assist the Advisor in the exercise of its investment decision-making responsibilities. Although the Advisor may use broker-dealers that sell Fund shares to effect transactions for the Funds’ portfolios, the Advisor will not consider the sale of Fund shares as a factor when choosing financial firms to make those transactions.

Purchases and sales of fixed income securities will usually be principal transactions. Such securities are often purchased or sold from or to dealers serving as market makers for the securities at a net price. Generally, fixed income securities are traded on a net basis and do not involve brokerage commissions. The cost of executing fixed income securities transactions with dealers consists primarily of dealer spreads (i.e., a spread between the bid and asked prices). On occasion, purchases may also be made from the issuers. Purchases of new issues from underwriters of securities typically include a commission or concession paid by the issuer to the underwriter.

If the Advisor believes that the purchase or sale of a security is in the best interest of more than one of its managed accounts (including the Funds, other client accounts, and the Advisor’s proprietary accounts), the Advisor may aggregate the securities to be purchased or sold to obtain favorable execution and/or lower brokerage commissions. In certain foreign markets, aggregation may occur at the broker level at the instruction of the Advisor. If an aggregate order is partially filled, the Advisor will allocate securities so purchased or sold, as well as the expense incurred in the transaction, on a pro-rata basis or in another manner it considers to be consistent with its fiduciary obligations to its clients.

Conflicts may arise in the allocation of investment opportunities among accounts (including the Funds) that the Advisor manages. The Advisor will seek to allocate investment opportunities believed appropriate for one or more of its accounts equitably and consistent with the best interests of all accounts involved; however, there can be no assurance that a particular investment opportunity that comes to the Advisor’s attention will be allocated in any particular manner.

From time to time, the Advisor is given the opportunity to purchase an allocation of shares in an initial public offering (“IPO”). These allocations may be offered to the Advisor in part as a result of its past usage of various brokerage firms or previous private investments. If the aggregate order is partially filled, the Advisor will generally allocate securities purchased in these offerings to the accounts the Advisor manages (including the Funds) within the designated investment

 

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style(s) for which the security is best suited using a pro-rata or other method believed equitable by it, unless the total allocation to the Advisor or a particular investment style is de minimis. The Fund also expects that securities will be purchased at times in underwritten offerings (such as IPOs) where the price includes a fixed amount of compensation, usually referred to as the underwriter’s concessions or discount. On occasion, purchases may also be made from the issuers.

The Trust’s Board of Trustees has authorized the Advisor to pay a broker who provides research services commissions that are competitive with, but that are higher than, the lowest available rate that another broker might have charged, if the Advisor determines in good faith that the commissions are reasonable in relation to the value of the brokerage and research services provided. The provision of such services in exchange for brokerage business is commonly referred to as a “soft-dollar” transaction. Payment of higher commissions in exchange for research services seek to be made in compliance with the provisions of Section 28(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) and other applicable state and federal laws. Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act defines “research” as, among other things, advice, directly or through publications or writings, as to the value of securities, the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, and the availability of securities or purchasers or sellers of securities; and analyses and reports concerning issuers, industries, securities, economic factors and trends, portfolio strategy and the performance of accounts.

Some of the soft dollar research provided to Wasatch is from broker-dealers who provide their own proprietary research services. These brokers “bundle” trade execution services and research services into the total cost of the commission (i.e., “bundled commissions”). The types of services Wasatch receives from proprietary research brokers may include, among other things, : (1) access to research analysts at the broker and reports generated by the analysts who follow companies in which Wasatch is interested in investing; (2) coordinating meetings or calls with management teams of companies in which Wasatch is interested in investing; (3) coordinating trips for Wasatch research members to visit companies, often in foreign jurisdictions; and (4) providing attendance at conferences sponsored by brokers where companies present to potential investors such as Wasatch. Although brokers may help coordinate trips and meetings with corporate executives, analysts or other personnel of companies in which Wasatch may be interested in investing, or may arrange for Wasatch’s attendance at certain conferences or seminars, expenses for travel associated with these trips or attending these conferences or seminars are paid by Wasatch out of its own resources. The other type of soft dollar research provided to Wasatch is through unbundled commissions, where trade execution services and research services are provided by two separate parties. This flexibility allows Wasatch to select the research services it feels are the most valuable to its research process and in turn most beneficial to its clients. Research products and services provided to Wasatch by third party research providers may include, among other things, databases, data services, software and publications that provide access to and/or analysis of company, market and statistical data and proprietary research and analysis. At times the Advisor may receive certain products and services which provide both research and non-research or administrative assistance (“mixed-use”) benefits, for example, software which is used for both portfolio analysis and account administration. In these instances, the Advisor seeks to make a reasonable allocation as follows: the portion of such service of specific component which provides assistance to Advisor in its investment decision-making responsibilities is obtained from the broker-dealer with commissions paid on client portfolio transactions (including the Funds), while the portion of such services or specific component which provides non-research assistance is paid by the Advisor with its own resources.

The Advisor places portfolio transactions for other advisory accounts. Research services furnished by firms through which the Trust effects its securities transactions may be used by the Advisor in servicing all of its accounts; not all of such services may be used by the Advisor in connection with the Trust. In the opinion of the Advisor, the benefits from research services to each of the accounts (including the Fund) managed by the Advisor cannot be measured separately. Because the volume and nature of the trading activities of the accounts are not uniform, the amount of commissions in excess of the lowest available rate paid by each account for brokerage and research services will vary. However, in the opinion of the Advisor, such costs to the Trust will not be disproportionate to the benefits received by the Trust on a continuing basis.

The Fund is required to identify the securities of its regular brokers or dealers (as defined in Rule 10b-1 under the 1940 Act) or their parent companies held by the Fund as of the close of their most recent fiscal year.

OTHER INFORMATION

Wasatch Funds is a business trust organized under Massachusetts law and it is a successor in interest to Wasatch Funds, Inc., which was incorporated under Utah law on November 18, 1986 and reincorporated as a Minnesota corporation in January 1998. Wasatch Funds is an open-end, registered management investment company under the 1940 Act.

 

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The Board of Trustees of the Trust is authorized to divide shares of the Trust into an unlimited number of one or more series, which may be further divided into classes of shares. Under the Declaration of Trust, the number of authorized shares of each series and the number of shares of each series that may be issued shall be unlimited. Shares may be issued from time to time on such terms as the Trustees may deem advisable. The Trust shall have the right to refuse to issue shares at any time and for any reason or for no reason whatsoever.

The Trustees may divide or combine any issued or unissued shares of any series into a greater or lesser number; classify or reclassify any issued or unissued shares into one or more series; terminate any one or more series; change the name of a series; and take such other action with respect to the series as the Trustees may deem desirable without shareholder consent. In addition, the Trustees shall have the full power and authority to establish additional series and classes of shares in the future, to change those series or classes and to determine the designations, rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and such other relative terms as shall be determined by the Trustees from time to time. The Trustees may from time to time modify any of the relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of a series or class established by the Trustees or redesignate any of the series or classes without any action or consent of shareholders.

Rule 18f-3 under the 1940 Act permits open-end investment companies to issue multiple classes of shares, subject to certain conditions including that the investment company’s board of directors/trustees approve a written plan setting forth the separate arrangement and expense allocation of each class and any related conversion features or exchange features.

Currently, there are 19 series of the Trust authorized and outstanding. Consistent with the authority in the Declaration of Trust and Rule 18f-3, the Board has approved a multi-class plan (the “Multi-Class Plan”) pursuant to which the Board has established and designated two classes for each Fund, known as Institutional Class shares and Investor Class shares. The number of authorized shares of each class is unlimited. All series of the Trust except the Wasatch Hoisington U.S. Treasury Fund currently offer Institutional Class shares as well as Investor Class shares. Under the Multi-Class Plan, each class of shares of the Fund shall represent interests in the same portfolio of investments of such series and, except as otherwise set forth in the Multi-Class Plan, shall differ solely with respect to: (i) distribution, service and other charges and expenses as set forth therein; (ii) the exclusive right of each class of shares to vote on matters submitted to shareholders that relate solely to that class or for which the interests of one class differ from the interests of another class or classes; (iii) such differences related to eligible investors as may be set forth in the prospectus and statement of additional information of the series, as amended or supplemented from time to time; (iv) the designation of each class of shares; and (v) conversion features. The Investor Class and the Institutional Class are each sold at NAV, are not subject to a 12b-1 distribution or service fee, may be offered by the Fund or through certain broker-dealers with a shareholder servicing relationship with the Trust or Advisor and may reimburse the Funds’ Advisor, distributor or other service parties for shareholder servicing or sub-transfer agency services in amounts calculated in a manner approved from time to time by the Board of Trustees. Each class of shares has equal rights to voting, redemption, dividends and liquidation, except that each class bears different class expenses and each has exclusive voting rights with respect to matters that relate solely to that class or for which the interests of one class differ from the interests of another class. Income, realized and unrealized capital gains and losses, and any expenses of the Fund (other than “Class Expenses” as defined below, shall be allocated to each class of the Fund, as applicable, after such net asset value is adjusted for the prior day’s capital share transactions. Expenses subject to this allocation include expenses incurred by the Trust that are not attributable to any particular Fund or to a particular class of shares of the Fund and expenses incurred by the Fund that are not attributable to any particular class of shares of the Fund (such as fees and expenses relating to the custody of the assets of the Fund and investment advisory fees and other expenses relating to the management of the Fund’s assets). Expenses that are attributable to a specific class of shares of the Fund (“Class Expenses”), shall be allocated to such class to the extent practicable. There are no conversion, preemptive or other subscription rights, except that shares of the Institutional Class, if available, held by any shareholder who is no longer eligible to hold such shares may be converted at the discretion of the Board or any authorized Fund officer, to shares of a class in the same Fund in which the shareholder is eligible on the basis of the relative net asset values of the purchase class and target class without the imposition of any sale load, fee or other charge, subject to prior notice. Shares of a class of the Fund may be exchanged for shares of the same class of another fund of the Trust, provided the shareholder meets the minimum purchase requirements of the Fund into which the shareholder is exchanging and subject to any applicable redemption fee. Similarly, shareholders of a class of shares of the Fund of the Trust who are eligible to hold shares of another class in the same Fund or another series of the Trust may exchange their shares for the other class on the basis of relative net assets provided the shareholder meets the minimum purchase requirements and any other eligibility requirements for the Fund being purchased and subject to any applicable redemption fee. For federal income tax purposes, an exchange between different funds may constitute a sale or purchase of shares and result in a capital gain or loss and be a taxable event. An exchange between classes of shares of the

 

45


same fund may not be considered a taxable event. Shareholders should consult their own tax advisor for further information. As noted above, the Board of Trustees has the right to establish additional series and classes of shares in the future, to change those series or classes and to determine the preferences, voting powers, rights and privileges thereof. The Board of Trustees may also from time to time modify any of the relative rights, preferences, privileges, limitations, restrictions and other relative terms of a class of a series that have been established by the Trustees; divide or combine the issued or unissued shares of any class of a series into a greater or lesser number; classify or reclassify any issued or unissued shares of any class of a series into one or more classes of such series; combine two or more classes of a series into a single class of such series; terminate any one or more classes of shares; in each case without any action or consent of the shareholders.

Shareholders have the power to vote on the election or removal of Trustees to the extent and as provided in the Declaration of Trust and on any additional matters relating to the Trust as may be required by law or as the Trustees may consider and determine necessary or desirable. Each whole share shall entitle the holder thereof to one vote as to any matter on which the holder is entitled to vote, and a fractional share shall be entitled to a proportionate fractional vote. Cumulative voting is not permitted in the election of Trustees or on any other matter submitted to a vote of the shareholders. On any matter submitted to a vote of the shareholders of the Trust, all shares of all series and classes then entitled to vote shall be voted together, except that (i) when required by the 1940 Act to be voted by individual series or class, shares shall be voted by individual series or class, and (ii) when the Trustees have determined that the matter affects only the interests of shareholders of one or more series or classes, only shareholders of such one or more series or classes shall be entitled to vote thereon.

Each share of a series shall represent a beneficial interest in the net assets allocated or belonging to such series only, and such interest shall not extend to the assets of the Trust generally (except to the extent that General Assets, as defined in the Declaration of Trust, are allocated to such series), and shall be entitled to receive its pro rata share of the net assets of the series upon liquidation of the series as set forth in the Declaration of Trust. The shareholders shall not, as such holders, have any right to acquire, purchase, or subscribe for any shares or securities of the Trust that it may hereafter issue or sell, or have any preference, preemptive, appraisal, conversion or exchange rights, except as the Trustees may determine from time to time.

Under Massachusetts law applicable to Massachusetts business trusts, shareholders of such a trust may, under certain circumstances, be held personally liable as partners for its obligations. However, the Declaration of Trust of the Trust contains an express disclaimer of shareholder liability for acts or obligations of the Trust and requires that notice of this disclaimer be given in each note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate or undertaking entered into or executed by the Trust or Trustees. The Declaration of Trust provides that no personal liability for any debt, liability or obligation or expense incurred by, contracted for, or otherwise existing with respect to, the Trust or any series or class shall attach to any shareholder or former shareholder of the Trust. The Declaration of Trust further provides for indemnification out of the assets and property of the Trust for all losses and expenses of any shareholder held personally responsible for the obligations of the Trust under the terms set forth in the Declaration of Trust. More specifically, the Declaration of Trust provides that in case any shareholder or former shareholder of the Trust shall be held to be personally liable solely by reason of his being or having been a shareholder and not because of his acts or omissions or for some other reason, the shareholder or former shareholder (or his heirs, executors, administrators or other legal representatives or in the case of a corporation or other entity, its corporate or other general successor) shall be entitled out of the assets of the Trust or, if the Trust has more than one series, the applicable series, to be held harmless from and indemnified against all loss and expense arising from such liability; provided, however, there shall be no liability or obligation of the Trust or series arising hereunder to reimburse any shareholder for taxes paid by reason of such shareholder’s ownership of any shares or for losses suffered by reason of any changes in value of any Trust assets. The Trust or applicable series shall, upon request by the shareholder or former shareholder, assume the defense of any claim made against the shareholder for any act or obligation of the Trust or applicable series and satisfy any judgment thereon.

The Declaration of Trust includes provisions establishing a process to permit legitimate inquiries and claims to be made and considered while avoiding the time, expense, distraction and other harm that can be caused to the Trust and its shareholders as a result of spurious demands and derivative actions. The Declaration of Trust provides that no shareholder may bring a derivative or similar action or proceeding in the right of the Trust or any Series to recover a judgment in its favor unless several specific conditions are satisfied. Additionally, the Declaration of Trust provides that a complaining shareholder whose demand is rejected by a majority of the Independent Trustees upon determining that a suit would not be in the best interests of the Trust shall be responsible for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the Trust’s consideration of the demand if a court determines that the demand was made without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose, and that a shareholder who commences or maintains a derivative action in violation of

 

46


the requirements of the Declaration of Trust addressing derivative actions shall reimburse the Trust for the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the action if the action is dismissed on the basis of the failure to comply with such requirements. If a court determines that any derivative action has been brought without reasonable cause or for an improper purpose, the costs and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) incurred by the Trust in connection with the action shall be borne by the shareholder(s) who commenced the action.

The Trust is not required to hold annual shareholder meetings. Meetings of shareholders of the Trust or of any series shall be called by order of the Trustees upon written request of shareholders holding shares representing in the aggregate not less than one-third of the voting power of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the matters specified in such written request provided that (1) such request shall state the purposes of such meeting and the matters proposed to be acted on, and (2) the shareholders requesting such meeting shall have paid to the Trust the reasonably estimated cost of preparing and mailing the notice thereof, which the Secretary shall determine and specify to such shareholders. No special meeting need be called upon the request of shareholders entitled to cast less than a majority of all votes entitled to be cast at that meeting to consider any matter which is substantially the same as a matter voted on at any meeting of the shareholders during the preceding 12 months.

PURCHASE, REDEMPTION AND PRICING OF SECURITIES BEING OFFERED

The procedures to be followed in the purchase and redemption of shares as well as the method of determining the NAV (the Fund’s share price) are fully disclosed in the Prospectus. Securities traded on a recognized stock exchange or market are valued at the last reported sales price from the exchange or market on which the security is primarily traded (“Primary Market”). A security traded on NASDAQ is valued at its official closing price. If there are no sales on any exchange or market on a given day, then the security is valued at the mean of the last bid and ask on the primary exchange. If a security’s price is available on more than one U.S. or foreign exchange, the exchange that is the Primary Market for the security shall be used.

Debt securities with a remaining maturity greater than sixty (60) days are valued in accordance with the evaluated bid price supplied by a pricing service. Prices supplied by a pricing service may use a matrix, formula or other objective method that takes into consideration actual trading activity and volume, market indexes, credit quality, maturity, yield curves or other specific adjustments. Debt securities with a remaining maturity of sixty (60) days or less at the time of purchase generally are valued by the amortized cost method (i.e. valuation at acquisition cost increased each day by an amount equal to the daily accretion of the discount or amortization of premium) unless it is determined that the amortized cost method would not represent fair value, in which case the securities are marked to market. At times, valuations for debt securities may not be obtainable from pricing services. In all such cases, the Advisor will attempt to obtain market quotations from two or more dealers not affiliated with the Advisor (preferably market makers) and the security will be valued at the average of those quotations. If it is impracticable to obtain quotations from more than one dealer in time for the calculation of NAV or if only one dealer provides a quotation, the quotation from that single dealer may be used. Where no dealer quotation is available, the Advisor, either independently or through the Fund’s accounting agent, may obtain market valuations from a widely used quotation system. If no such quotation is available for a security, the security will be valued at “fair value” using the procedures described below.

Option contracts on securities, currencies, indexes, futures contracts, commodities and other instruments are valued at the last reported sale price on the exchange on which they are principally traded, if available, and otherwise are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask on the primary exchange. Futures contracts are valued at the most recent settlement price for the day. Securities or other portfolio assets denominated in foreign currencies are converted into U.S. dollars at the prevailing currency exchange rate at the time the Fund’s NAVs are calculated, or as close to that time as is practicable.

Securities and other assets for which market prices are not readily available are priced at “fair value” as determined by the Pricing Committee of the Advisor (the “Pricing Committee”) in accordance with procedures and methodologies approved by the Board. Trading in securities on many foreign securities exchanges is normally completed before the close of regular trading on the NYSE. Trading on foreign exchanges may not take place on all days on which there is regular trading on the NYSE, or may take place on days on which there is no regular trading on the NYSE (e.g., any of the national business holidays identified below). If events materially affecting the value of the Fund’s portfolio securities occur between the time when a foreign exchange closes and the time when the Fund’s NAV is calculated (see following paragraph), such securities may be valued at fair value as determined by the Pricing Committee in accordance with procedures and methodologies approved by the Board. In addition, the Funds may adjust the closing prices of certain foreign securities traded on markets

 

47


that have closed prior to the U.S. equity markets (principally, overseas markets), using fair value factors provided by an independent pricing agent, on any business day a change in the value of the U.S. equity markets (as represented by a benchmark index approved by the Board of Trustees) exceeds a certain threshold. The prices will not be adjusted for securities traded on markets that are open the same time U.S. equity markets are open, or when a reliable fair value factor is unavailable.

The Fund’s portfolio securities are valued (and NAV per share is determined) as of the regular close of trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day the NYSE is open for trading. The NAV will not be calculated when the NYSE is closed (scheduled or unscheduled), or on holidays the NYSE observes, including: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President’s Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. NYSE holidays are subject to change without notice. The NYSE may close early on the day before each of these holidays and on the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The number of shares you receive when you place a purchase order, and the payment you receive after submitting a redemption request, is based on the Fund’s NAV next determined after your instructions are received in “good order” by the Transfer Agent or by your registered securities dealer. Since the Fund may invest in securities that are listed on foreign exchanges that may trade on weekends or other days when Fund shares are not priced, the Fund’s NAV may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the Fund’s shares. The sale of the Fund’s shares will be suspended during any period when the determination of its NAV is suspended pursuant to rules or orders of the SEC and may be suspended by the Board whenever in its judgment it is in the Fund’s best interest to do so.

The Fund will deduct a fee of 2.00% from redemption proceeds on shares held 60 days or less subject to certain exceptions. This redemption fee is paid directly to the Fund and is intended to offset brokerage commissions, market impact and other costs associated with fluctuations in Fund asset levels and cash flow caused by short-term shareholder trading. If a shareholder bought shares on different days, the shares held longest will be redeemed first for the purpose of determining whether the redemption fee applies. The redemption fee assessed by certain financial intermediaries that have omnibus accounts in the Fund, including employer-sponsored retirement accounts, may be calculated using methodologies that differ from those utilized by the Fund’s transfer agent. Such differences are typically attributable to system design differences unrelated to the investment in the Fund. These system differences are not intended or expected to facilitate market timing or frequent trading.

The redemption fee does not apply: (i) to shares that were acquired through reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gains, redeemed through the Systematic Withdrawal Plan or in the event of any involuntary redemption and/or exchange transactions (including those required by law or regulation, a regulatory agency, a court order, or as a result of the liquidation of the Fund by the Board of Trustees); (ii) to shares redeemed from shareholder accounts liquidated for failure to meet the minimum investment requirement; (iii) to shares redeemed from a shareholder account for which the identity of the shareholder, for purposes of complying with anti-money laundering (“AML”) laws, could not be determined within a reasonable time after the account was opened; (iv) to shares redeemed through an automatic, nondiscretionary rebalancing or asset allocation program; (v) to shares redeemed due to a disability as defined by the IRS requirements; (vi) to shares redeemed due to death for shares transferred from a decedent’s account to a beneficiary’s account; (vii) in the event of a back office correction made to an account to provide a shareholder with the intended transaction; (viii) to shares redeemed in a distribution due to a hardship as defined by the IRS; (ix) in the event of the following transactions: a distribution taken from a defined contribution terminated employee account, a plan distribution of non-vested participant balance in a defined contribution account, a distribution taken from a defined contribution plan to provide a participant with a loan against the account, or an amount contributed to a defined contribution plan exceeding the maximum annual contribution limit; and (x) to shares gifted from one shareholder account to another shareholder account, assuming the age of the gifted shares is greater than 60 days. The redemption fee may be waived for certain wrap accounts and for omnibus accounts held by financial intermediaries with systems that are unable to assess the redemption fee and certain employer-sponsored retirement accounts (including certain 401(k) and other types of defined contribution or employee benefit plans). The redemption fee may be waived by the Fund’s officers in any case where the nature of the transaction or circumstances do not pose the risks that the Board of Trustees’ policies and procedures to prevent market timing are designed to mitigate. All waivers provided by the Fund’s officers will be disclosed to the Fund’s Board of Trustees at its next regularly scheduled quarterly meeting. The Fund reserves the right to modify or eliminate the redemption fee or waivers at any time.

Certain investors may exchange their shares of the Fund for Automated Class shares of the Federated Prime Cash Obligations Fund (the “Money Market Fund”), as provided in the Prospectus. UMBFS, in its capacity as Transfer Agent

 

48


for the Fund, receives a service fee from the Money Market Fund at the annual rate of 0.10% of the average daily net asset value of shares exchanged from the Fund into the Money Market Fund. The Advisor receives a fee from the investment advisor of the Money Market Fund for certain administrative and recordkeeping services. The Money Market Fund is advised by Federated Investment Management Company (and not by the Advisor). The Money Market Fund and its advisor are not affiliated with the Wasatch Funds or its Advisor.

The Fund has authorized one or more brokers and other institutions (collectively “financial institutions”) to accept on their behalf purchase and redemption orders. Such financial institutions are authorized to designate agents to accept orders on the Fund’s behalf. The Fund will be deemed to have received the order when an authorized financial institution or its authorized designee accepts the order. Customer orders will be priced at the Fund’s NAV next computed after they are accepted by a financial institution or its authorized designee.

In addition to service and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund and described in the Prospectus and elsewhere in this Statement of Additional Information, the Advisor may compensate certain financial intermediaries (which may include broker-dealers, banks, third-party recordkeepers, and other industry professionals) to provide certain services to the Fund and the Fund’s shareholders in lieu of the Fund’s transfer agent (including account maintenance and shareholder servicing; “Sub-TA services”), and for the sale and/or distribution of the Funds shares. Depending on the share class, the Fund may reimburse the Advisor for the amounts paid for Sub-TA services. To the extent the Advisor pays for sales or distribution of Fund shares, it does so out of its profits derived from the Advisor’s management fee. The Advisor’s compensation out of its profits is referred to as “revenue sharing.” Examples of revenue sharing payments include, but are not limited to, payments to financial intermediaries for “shelf space” or access to a third party platform or fund offering list or other marketing programs, including but not limited to, inclusion of the Fund on preferred or recommended sales lists, mutual fund “supermarket” platforms and other formal sales programs; granting the Advisor access to the financial intermediary’s sales force; granting the Advisor access to the financial intermediary’s conferences and meetings; and obtaining other forms of marketing support. The level of revenue sharing payments made to financial intermediaries may be a fixed fee or based on one or more of the following factors: gross sales, current assets and/or number of accounts of the Fund attributable to the financial intermediary, or other factors as agreed to by the Advisor and the financial intermediaries or any combination thereof. The amount of these revenue sharing payments is determined at the discretion of the Advisor, by agreement with the financial intermediary, from time to time. The revenue sharing payments may be substantial, and may be different for different financial intermediaries. Such payments may provide an incentive for a financial intermediary to make shares of the Fund available to its customers, recommend Fund shares to its customers and may allow the Fund greater access to the financial intermediary’s customers. The revenue sharing payments that come from the Advisor’s profits do not change the price paid by shareholders for the purchase of a share or the amount the Fund will receive as proceeds from such sales. Furthermore, revenue sharing payments are not the Fund or shareholder expense, and, as such, are not reflected in the fees or expenses listed in the fee and expense table section of the Fund’s Prospectus or described in this Statement of Additional Information.

If one mutual fund sponsor provides greater financial assistance than another, your financial advisor may have an incentive to recommend one mutual fund complex over another. Please speak with your financial advisor to learn more about the total amounts paid to your financial advisor and his or her firm by Wasatch Funds and/or the Advisor and by sponsors of other mutual funds he or she may recommend to you. You should also review disclosures made by your financial advisor at the time of purchase. Investors may wish to take into account intermediary payment arrangements when considering and evaluating recommendations relating to Fund shares.

As of December 31, 2020, the following intermediaries have entered into agreement with the Advisor to receive such additional payments:

 

1st Source Bank

 

Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P.

ADP Broker-Dealer, Inc.

 

Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC

Ascensus, Inc.

 

Fidelity Investments Institutional Operations Company, Inc.

Benefit Plan Administrative Services

 

GWFS Equities, Inc.

BMO Harris Bank, N.A.

 

Hewitt Associates LLC

CPI Qualified Plan Consultants, Inc.

 

John Hancock Trust Company

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.

 

Lincoln Retirement Services Company, LLC

 

49


LPL Financial LLC

 

Reliance Trust Company

Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company

 

TD Ameritrade Inc.

MSCS Financial Services, LLC

 

TD Ameritrade Trust Company

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC

 

TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services

National Financial Services, Inc.

 

UBS Financial Services, Inc.

Newport Retirement Services, Inc.

 

U.S. Bank, N.A.

Oppenheimer & Co., Inc.

 

Valic Retirement Services Company

Pershing LLC

 

Vanguard Group, Inc.

PNC Investments, LLC

 

Vanguard Marketing Corporation

Principal Life Insurance Company

 

Voya Financial Partners, LLC

Prudential Insurance Company of America, The

 

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.

Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.

 

Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC

RBC Wealth Management, Inc.

 

Wells Fargo Retirement

Raymond James & Associates, Inc.

 

The Advisor may enter into new agreements with financial intermediaries, amend agreements, or terminate agreements at any time without the approval of or notice to the Fund’s Board of Trustees.

The Trust has filed a notification of election under Rule 18f-1 of the 1940 Act, committing to pay in cash all requests for redemption by any shareholder of record, limited in amount with respect to each shareholder of record during any 90-day period to the lesser of: (1) $250,000 or (2) 1% of the NAV of the Fund at the beginning of such election period.

The Fund also intends to pay redemption proceeds in excess of such lesser amount in cash, but reserve the right to pay such excess amount in kind, if it is deemed in the best interest of the Fund to do so. Subject to the above election under Rule 18f-1, the Fund has reserved the right to redeem securities in-kind. Although the Fund has reserved the right to redeem securities in-kind (subject to the above election), the Fund does not anticipate redeeming shares in-kind on a regular basis but rather the primary drivers for the Fund to elect to redeem shares on an in-kind basis is the amount of redemption (i.e., a large redemption is more likely to be redeemed in-kind) as well as market stresses (certain market stresses could reduce the liquidity of Fund investments which may increase the likelihood of a redemption on an in-kind basis). In this situation, subject to certain exceptions, you would generally receive a proportionate distribution of each security held by the Fund to the extent practicable. Any shortfall in the value of securities distributed and the value of Fund shares redeemed shall be made up in cash. Investors receiving an in kind distribution are advised that they will likely incur a brokerage charge on the sale of such securities through a broker as well as taxes on any capital gains from that sale. Until they are sold, any securities or other assets distributed to the shareholder as part of a redemption in-kind may be subject to market risk. The values of portfolio securities distributed in kind will be the values used for the purpose of calculating the per share NAV used in valuing the Fund’s shares tendered for redemption. This distribution will be treated as a sale for federal income tax purposes and the shareholder will generally recognize gain or loss, generally based on the value of securities at the time and the amount of cash received. The IRS could, however, assert that a loss could not be currently deducted.

The method of computing the offering price of the Fund’s shares is net assets divided by shares outstanding which equals NAV per share (offering and redemption price). To illustrate the method of computing the offering price of shares, below is an example of an offering price per share for a fund:

 

     Net Assets   

Divided by

÷

     Shares
Outstanding
    

Equals

=

    

Net Asset Value Per Share

(Offering & Redemption Price)

  $1,381,026,568               33,616,329               $41.08

 

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Eligible Investments into Closed Funds

As described below, the Advisor may take action to periodically close or limit inflows into certain Wasatch Funds to control asset levels. Information on eligible investments in Funds closed to new investors and to new investors and existing shareholders can be found below and on Wasatch Funds’ website at wasatchglobal.com. The Advisor will seek to post information related to Fund closings or reopenings on the Funds’ website at least two weeks prior to the effective date. With regard to closed Funds, below are examples of actions the Advisor or the Funds may take to control asset levels, to employ the Fund’s investment strategies, or in an effort to achieve the Funds’ investment objectives. Furthermore, each Fund reserves the right to reject any trade, whether direct or through an intermediary, if it determines that such trade or order is not in the best interests of the Fund or its shareholders.

Closing the Fund

The Advisor or the Fund may take action to periodically close (“hard close”) or limit inflows into (“soft close”) the Fund to protect the Fund’s investment objective. For example, the Advisor or the Fund may:

 

   

Permit only existing shareholders to add to their existing accounts through the purchase of additional shares and through the reinvestment of dividends and/or capital gain distributions on any shares owned.

 

   

Limit the ability to open new accounts through intermediary channels.

 

   

Limit shareholders’ ability to add to their accounts through the Automatic Investment Plan (“AIP”) or increase the AIP amount.

 

   

Limit the ability of sponsors of qualified contribution retirement plans (for example, 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, and money purchase plans), 403(b) plans or 457 plans and other intermediaries to permit purchases by new plans or existing participants.

 

   

Limit the ability of intermediaries and financial advisors to purchase shares for new and existing clients.

 

   

Prohibit new purchases by existing shareholders and new investors.

 

   

Limit exchange privileges.

Please see the Funds’ website (wasatchglobal.com) for additional information regarding any investments permitted in Funds that have been hard or soft closed.

FEDERAL TAX STATUS

This section summarizes some of the main U.S. federal income tax consequences of owning shares of the Fund. This section is current as of the date of the SAI. Tax laws and interpretations change frequently, and these summaries do not describe all of the tax consequences to all taxpayers. For example, these summaries generally do not describe the shareholder’s situation if the shareholder is a corporation, a non-U.S. person, a broker/dealer, or other investor with special circumstances. In addition, this section does not describe a shareholder’s state, local or foreign tax consequences.

This federal income tax summary is based in part on the advice of counsel to the Trust. The IRS could disagree with any conclusions set forth in this section. In addition, our counsel was not asked to review, and has not reached a conclusion with respect to, the Federal income tax treatment of assets to be invested in the Fund. This may not be sufficient for prospective investors to use for the purpose of avoiding penalties under federal tax law.

As with any investment, prospective investors should seek advice based on their individual circumstances from their own tax advisor.

Reference is made to “Dividends, Capital Gain Distributions and Taxes” in the Prospectus.

 

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The Fund will be treated as a separate entity for Federal income tax purposes. The Fund intends to qualify each year as a “regulated investment company” under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). If the Fund meets the federal tax requirements for so qualifying, the Fund will not be subject to Federal income taxes to the extent that it distributes its investment company taxable income and realized net capital gains.

The Fund intends to pay shareholders distributions, if any, from net investment income and any net capital gains it has realized. These distributions will generally be taxable, whether paid in cash or reinvested (unless the investment is in an IRA or other tax advantaged account, in which case the tax may be deferred).

Capital loss carryforwards may be available in certain circumstances to offset future realized net capital gains for federal income tax purposes. Future capital loss carryover utilization in any given year may be subject to Internal Revenue Code limitations. To the extent future gains are offset by capital loss carryforwards, such gains will not be distributed.

Losses that are carried forward will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses rather than being considered all short-term as under previous law. However, any losses incurred during those future taxable years will be required to be utilized prior to the losses incurred in pre-2011 taxable years, which carry an expiration date. As a result of this ordering rule, pre-2011 capital loss carryforwards may be more likely to expire unused.

Distributions paid from the Fund’s net investment income will be taxable as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income. Currently, ordinary income is subject to graduated stated federal tax rates as high as 37%; qualified dividend income is generally subject to a maximum marginal stated federal tax rate of 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable incomes below certain thresholds). The Fund will report the portion (if any) of its distributions from investment earnings during each year that constitute qualified dividends. Generally, dividends that the Fund receives from domestic corporations and from foreign corporations whose stock is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. or which are domiciled in countries on a list established by the IRS will qualify for qualified dividend treatment when paid out to investors. In addition, some portion of the dividends on your shares that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from REIT shares may be designated by the Fund as eligible for a deduction for qualified business income, provided certain holding period requirements are satisfied.

Distributions from the Fund’s net short-term capital gains are generally taxable as ordinary income. Distributions from the Fund’s long-term capital gains, if any, are generally taxable as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long the shares have been held. Long-term capital gains are generally currently subject to a maximum marginal stated federal tax rate of 20% (15% or 0% for taxpayers with taxable incomes below certain thresholds). In certain cases (for example, with some capital gains attributable to REIT shares) a higher rate applies. An election may be available to you to defer recognition of the gain attributable to a capital gain dividend if you make certain qualifying investments within a limited time. You should talk to your tax advisor about the availability of this deferral election and its requirements.

Income from the Fund may also be subject to a 3.8% “Medicare tax”. This tax generally applies to a shareholder’s net investment income if a shareholder’s adjusted gross income exceeds certain threshold amounts, which are $250,000 in the case of married couples filing joint returns and $200,000 in the case of single individuals.

Any dividend or capital gain distribution paid shortly after a purchase of shares of the Fund will have the effect of reducing the per share net asset value of such shares by the amount of the dividend or distribution. Furthermore, even if the net asset value of the shares of the Fund immediately after a dividend or distribution is less than the cost of such shares to the investor, the dividend or distribution will be taxable to the investor.

Redemption of shares will generally result in a capital gain or loss for income tax purposes, subject to various loss non-recognition rules. Such capital gain or loss will be long-term or short-term, depending upon the holding period. However, if a loss is realized on shares held for six months or less, and the investor received a capital gain distribution during that period, then such loss is treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of the capital gain distribution received. Investors may also be subject to state and local taxes.

To the extent the Fund invests in REITs, the REITs in which the Fund invests may generate significant non-cash deductions, such as depreciation on real estate holdings, while having greater cash flow to distribute to their shareholders. If a REIT distributes more cash than its current or accumulated earnings and profits, a return of capital results. Similarly, the Fund

 

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may pay a return of capital distribution to shareholders by distributing more cash than its current or accumulated earnings and profits. The cost basis of shares will be decreased by the amount of returned capital (but not below zero), which may result in a larger capital gain or smaller capital loss when the shares are sold. To the extent such a distribution exceeds a shareholder’s cost basis in the shares, a shareholder generally will be treated as realizing a taxable gain from the sale or exchange of shares. The actual composition for tax reporting purposes will depend on the year end tax characterizations of dividends paid by certain securities held by the Funds and tax regulations.

The Fund is required to withhold federal income tax at a rate set forth in applicable IRS Rules and Regulations (“backup withholding”) from dividend payments and redemption and exchange proceeds if an investor fails to furnish his/her Social Security Number or other Tax Identification Number or fails to certify under penalty of perjury that such number is correct or that he/she is not subject to backup withholding due to the underreporting of income. The certification form is included as part of the share purchase application and should be completed when the account is opened.

Under the Code, the Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on a portion of its undistributed income if it fails to meet certain distribution requirements by the end of the calendar year. The Fund intends to make distributions in a timely manner and accordingly does not expect to be subject to the excise tax.

Under the Code, any dividend declared by a regulated investment company in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on such date, and to have been paid by such company on such date if such dividend is actually paid by the company before February 1 of the following calendar year.

If the Fund invests in zero coupon bonds or other bonds issued at a discount upon their issuance, such obligations will have original issue discount in the hands of the Fund. Generally, the original issue discount equals the difference between the “stated redemption price at maturity” of the obligation and its “issue price,” as those terms are defined in the Code. Similarly, if the Fund acquires an already issued zero coupon bond at a discount from another holder, the bond will have original issue discount in the Fund’s hands, equal to the difference between the “adjusted issue price” of the bond at the time the Fund acquires it (that is, the original issue price of the bond plus the amount of original issue discount accrued to date) and its stated redemption price at maturity. In each case, the Fund is required to accrue as ordinary interest income a portion of the original issue discount even though it receives no cash currently as interest payment on the obligation.

If the Fund invests in TIPS (or other inflation-indexed debt instruments), it generally will be required to treat as original issue discount any increase in the principal amount of the securities that occurs during the course of its taxable year. If the Fund purchases such inflation protected securities (or other U.S. Treasury obligations) that are in stripped form, either as stripped bonds or coupons, it will be treated as if it had purchased a newly issued debt instrument having original issue discount.

Because the Fund is required to distribute substantially all of its net investment income (including accrued original issue discount), the Fund investing in either zero coupon bonds or other bonds issued at a discount, TIPS or stripped U.S. Treasury obligations may be required to distribute to shareholders an amount greater than the total cash income it actually receives. Accordingly, in order to make the required distributions, the Fund may be required to borrow or liquidate securities.

Certain of the Fund’s investment practices are subject to special and complex federal income tax provisions that may, among other things, (i) disallow, suspend or otherwise limit the allowance of certain losses or deductions, (ii) convert lower taxed long-term capital gains into higher taxed short-term capital gain or ordinary income, (iii) convert an ordinary loss or a deduction into a capital loss (the deductibility of which is more limited), (iv) cause the Fund to recognize income or gain without a corresponding receipt of cash, (v) adversely affect the time as to when a purchase or sale of stock or securities is deemed to occur and (vi) adversely alter the characterization of certain complex financial transactions.

The Fund’s transactions in futures contracts and options will be subject to special provisions of the Code that, among other things, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (i.e., may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital, or short-term or long-term), may accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and may defer Fund losses. These rules could, therefore, affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of positions in its portfolio (i.e., treat them as if they were closed out), and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to make distributions in amounts necessary

 

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to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement for qualifying to be taxed as a regulated investment company and the distribution requirement for avoiding excise taxes.

Income received from sources within foreign countries may be subject to withholding and other taxes imposed by such countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the United States may reduce or eliminate such taxes. It is impossible to determine the effective rate of foreign tax applicable to such income in advance since the precise amount of the Fund’s assets to be invested in various countries is not known. Any amount of taxes paid by the Fund to foreign countries will reduce the amount of income available to the Fund for distributions to shareholders.

Under the Code, if more than 50% of the value of total assets of the Fund at the close of its taxable year consists of stock or securities of foreign corporations, the Fund may file an election with the IRS to pass through to the Fund’s shareholders the amount of foreign taxes paid by the Fund. Pursuant to this election, shareholders will be required to: (i) include in gross income their pro rata share of the foreign taxes paid by the Fund; (ii) treat their pro rata share of foreign taxes as paid by them; and (iii) either deduct their pro rata share of foreign taxes in computing their taxable income or use their share as a foreign tax credit against U.S. income taxes. No deduction for foreign taxes may be claimed by a shareholder who does not itemize deductions, and the ability of a shareholder to take advantage of the foreign tax deduction or credit is subject to a number of requirements and limitations. Each shareholder will be notified whether the foreign taxes paid by the Fund will pass through for that year.

Under the Code, the amount of foreign taxes for which a shareholder may claim a foreign tax credit is subject to limitation based on certain categories applicable to the income subjected to foreign tax.

The Fund may invest in shares of foreign corporations that may be classified under the Code as passive foreign investment companies (“PFICs”). A PFIC is generally defined as a foreign corporation that meets either of the following tests: (1) at least 75% of its annual gross income for a taxable year is passive income (such as certain interest, dividends, rents and royalties, or capital gains) or (2) it holds an average of at least 50% of its assets in investments producing (or held for the production of) such passive income. If the Fund acquires any equity interest (which generally includes not only stock but also an option to acquire stock such as is inherent in a convertible bond under proposed Treasury Regulations) in a PFIC, the Fund could be subject to federal income tax and IRS interest charges on some of the “excess distributions” received from the PFIC or on some of the gain from the sale of stock in the PFIC, even if all income or gain actually received by the Fund is timely distributed to its shareholders. Excess distributions and gain from the sale of stock in a PFIC will be characterized as ordinary income even though, absent the application of PFIC rules, some excess distributions would have been classified as capital gains. The Fund will not be permitted to pass through to its shareholders any credit or deduction for taxes and interest charges incurred with respect to PFICs. Elections are available that would ameliorate tax consequences, but such elections may require the Fund to recognize taxable income or gain without the concurrent receipt of cash. Dividends paid by PFICs are not treated as qualified dividend income.

Because application of PFIC rules may affect, among other things, the character of gains, the amount of gain or loss and the timing of the recognition of income with respect to PFIC stocks, as well as subject the Fund itself to tax on certain income from PFIC stocks, the amount that must be distributed to shareholders, and which will be taxed to shareholders as ordinary income or long-term capital gain, may be increased or decreased substantially as compared to a fund that did not invest in PFIC stock. Furthermore, in order to distribute this “phantom” income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid the imposition of the 4% excise tax, the Fund may be required to liquidate other investments, including when it may not be advantageous for the Fund to liquidate such investments, which may accelerate the recognition of gains. Distributions from a PFIC are not eligible for the reduced rate of tax on “qualified dividends.” In addition, it is not always possible to identify a foreign corporation as a PFIC in advance of acquiring shares in the corporation; therefore, the Fund may incur the tax and interest charges described above in some instances.

If a shareholder is a foreign investor (i.e., an investor other than a U.S. citizen or resident or a U.S. corporation, partnership, estate or trust), you should be aware that, generally, subject to applicable tax treaties, distributions from the Fund will be characterized as dividends for Federal income tax purposes (other than dividends which the Fund properly reports as capital gain dividends) and will be subject to U.S. income taxes, including withholding taxes, subject to certain exceptions described below. However, distributions received by a foreign investor from the Fund that are properly reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

 

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A distribution from the Fund that is properly reported by the Fund as an interest-related dividend attributable to certain interest income received by the Fund or as a short-term capital gain dividend attributable to certain net short-term capital gain income received by the Fund may not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes, including withholding taxes when received by certain foreign investors, provided that the Fund makes certain elections and certain other conditions are met.

In addition, capital gain distributions attributable to gains from U.S. real property interests (including certain U.S. real property holding corporations) will generally be subject to United States withholding tax and will give rise to an obligation on the part of the foreign shareholder to file a United States tax return.

In addition to the rules described above concerning the potential imposition of withholding on distributions to non-U.S. persons, distributions to, and the gross proceeds from dispositions of shares by, certain non-U.S. financial institutions that have not entered into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury to collect and disclose certain information and are not resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into such an agreement with the U.S. Treasury may be subject to a U.S. withholding tax of 30%. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions. For these purposes, a “financial institution” means any entity that (i) accepts deposits in the ordinary course of a banking or similar business, (ii) holds financial assets for the account of others as a substantial portion of its business, or (iii) is engaged (or holds itself out as being engaged) primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities, partnership interests, commodities or any interest (including a futures contract or option) in such securities, partnership interests or commodities.

Distributions to, and the gross proceeds from disposition of shares by, non-financial non-U.S. entities (other than publicly traded foreign entities, entities owned by residents of U.S. possessions, foreign governments, international organizations, or foreign central banks), that do not provide certain certifications and information about the entity’s U.S. owners, may also be subject to a U.S. withholding tax of 30%. However, proposed regulations may eliminate the requirement to withhold on payments of gross proceeds from dispositions. You should also consult your tax advisor with respect to other U.S. tax withholding and reporting requirements.

For securities defined as “covered” under current IRS cost basis tax reporting regulations, the Funds are responsible for maintaining accurate cost basis information for tax reporting purposes. The Funds are not responsible for the reliability or accuracy of the information for securities that are not “covered.” The Funds and their service providers do not provide tax advice. Shareholders should consult independent sources, which may include a tax professional, with respect to any decisions that a shareholder may make with respect to choosing a cost basis method.

As of January 1, 2012, federal law requires that mutual fund companies report their shareholders’ cost basis, gain/loss, and holding period to the IRS on each shareholder’s Consolidated Form 1099 when “covered” securities are sold. Covered securities are any regulated investment company and/or dividend reinvestment plan shares acquired on or after January 1, 2012. The Fund has chosen average cost as its standing (default) cost basis method for all shareholders. A cost basis method is the way the Fund will determine which specific shares are deemed to be sold when there are multiple purchases on different dates at differing NAVs, and the entire position is not sold at one time. The Fund’s standing cost basis method is the method covered shares will be reported on your Consolidated Form 1099 if the shareholder does not select a specific cost basis method. Shareholders may choose a method different from the Fund’s standing method and will be able to do so at the time of their purchase or upon the sale of covered shares. Shareholders should refer to the appropriate IRS regulations or consult their tax advisor with regard to their personal circumstances.

MATTERS RELATED TO INDIA

In India, income arising to Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) from the sale, transfer or redemption of securities is classified as capital gains. The capital gains are classified into long term and short term depending upon the period of holding as well as type of securities. The threshold period for classifying the gains into long term or short term is one year for listed securities and units of equity oriented mutual funds. For unlisted shares, such threshold period is two years and for all other unlisted securities, it is three years. The long term capital gains are taxed at 10% plus surcharges for all securities. The short term capital gains arising from equity shares, units of equity oriented mutual funds/real estate investment trusts/infrastructure investment trusts are taxable at 15% plus surcharges provided the transactions are chargeable to securities transaction tax. All other short term capital gains (arising to FPIs) are taxable at 30% plus surcharges. The capital

 

55


gains tax is computed on net realized gains. In arriving at the net realized gains, the short term capital losses can be offset against short term as well as long term capital gains. However, long term capital losses can only be offset against long term capital gains. Any unutilized losses in an year can be carried forward for a period of up to eight years to offset future gains with the same restriction i.e. long term capital losses can be offset only against long term capital gains whereas short term capital losses can be offset against both short term as well as long term capital gains. Until March 31, 2020, dividends were exempt from tax in the hands of shareholders since the Indian companies were required to pay dividend distribution tax (DDT) upon payout of dividends.

Effective April 1, 2020, DDT has been abolished and the dividends are taxable in the hands of shareholders. For FPIs and other foreign investors, dividends are subject to withholding tax at 20% plus surcharges. Where an FPI or any other foreign investor is a resident of a country whose tax treaty with India provides for a lower tax rate on dividend than Indian withholding tax rate of 20% plus surcharge, such FPI or other foreign investor can reclaim the excess tax withheld (by the Indian company) in its annual tax return. India imposes a tax on interest on securities at a rate of 5% plus surcharges subject to certain conditions, else at 20% plus surcharges. The tax on capital gains, dividends, and interest is withheld/imposed on the investor and payable prior to repatriation of proceeds out of India. Any taxes paid in India by a Fund on realized gains may be available to be included in the calculation of the Fund’s foreign tax credit that may be passed through to shareholders via Form 1099-DIV. Taxes incurred on gains may lower, to a larger extent, the total return of that Fund as proceeds from sales of securities are reduced by the amount of the tax.

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

This SAI and the Fund’s Prospectus do not contain all the information included in the Fund’s registration statement filed with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933 with respect to the securities offered hereby, certain portions of which have been omitted pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The registration statement, including the exhibits filed therewith, may be examined at the offices of the SEC in Washington, D.C. Text-only versions of fund documents can be viewed online or downloaded from the SEC at http:\\www.sec.gov.

Statements contained herein and in the Fund’s Prospectus as to the contents of any contract or other documents referred to are not necessarily complete, and, in such instance, reference is made to the copy of such contract or other documents filed as an exhibit to the Fund’s registration statement, each such statement being qualified in all respects by such reference.

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

As of the date of this SAI, the Fund has not yet commenced operations and therefore no financial statements are provided for the Fund.

 

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APPENDIX A

S&P Global Ratings (“S&P”)—A brief description of the applicable S&P’s rating symbols and their meanings (as published by S&P) follows:

Long-Term Issue Credit Ratings

 

AAA

  

An obligation rated ‘AAA’ has the highest rating assigned by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is extremely strong.

AA

  

An obligation rated ‘AA’ differs from the highest-rated obligations only to a small degree. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is very strong.

A

  

An obligation rated ‘A’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than ob ligations in higher-rated categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is still strong.

BBB

  

An obligation rated ‘BBB’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

Obligations rated ‘BB’, ‘B’, ‘CCC’, ‘CC’, and ‘C’ are regarded as having significant speculative characteristics. ‘BB’ indicates the least degree of speculation and ‘C’ the highest. While such obligations will likely have some quality and protective characteristics, these may be outweighed by large uncertainties or major exposure to adverse conditions.

 

BB

  

An obligation rated ‘BB’ is less vulnerable to nonpayment than other speculative issues. However, it faces major ongoing uncertainties or exposure to adverse business, financial, or economic conditions that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

B

  

An obligation rated ‘B’ is more vulnerable to nonpayment than obligations rated ‘BB’, but the obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. Adverse business, financial, or economic conditions will likely impair the obligor’s capacity or willingness to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

CCC

  

An obligation rated ‘CCC’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation. In the event of adverse business, financial, or economic conditions, the obligor is not likely to have the capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

CC

  

An obligation rated ‘CC’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment. The ‘CC’ rating is used when a default has not yet occurred but S&P expects default to be a virtual certainty, regardless of the anticipated time to default.

C

  

An obligation rated ‘C’ is currently highly vulnerable to nonpayment, and the obligation is expected to have lower relative seniority or lower ultimate recovery compared with obligations that are rated higher.

D

  

An obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within five business days in the absence of a stated grace period or within the earlier of the stated grace period or 30 calendar days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy

 

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petition or the taking of similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

  

Plus (+) or Minus (-): Ratings from ‘AA’ to ‘CCC’ may be modified by the addition of a plus (+) or minus (-) sign to show relative standing within the rating categories.

NR

  

This indicates that a rating has not been assigned or is no longer assigned.

Short-Term Issue Credit Ratings

A-1

  

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-1’ is rated in the highest category by S&P. The obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is strong. Within this category, certain obligations are designated with a plus sign (+). This indicates that the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on these obligations is extremely strong.

A-2

  

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-2’ is somewhat more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in circumstances and economic conditions than obligations in higher rating categories. However, the obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation is satisfactory.

A-3  

  

A short-term obligation rated ‘A-3’ exhibits adequate protection parameters. However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances are more likely to weaken an obligor’s capacity to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

B

  

A short-term obligation rated ‘B’ is regarded as vulnerable and has significant speculative characteristics. The obligor currently has the capacity to meet its financial commitments; however, it faces major ongoing uncertainties that could lead to the obligor’s inadequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.

C

  

A short-term obligation rated ‘C’ is currently vulnerable to nonpayment and is dependent upon favorable business, financial, and economic conditions for the obligor to meet its financial commitments on the obligation.

D

  

A short-term obligation rated ‘D’ is in default or in breach of an imputed promise. For non-hybrid capital instruments, the ‘D’ rating category is used when payments on an obligation are not made on the date due, unless S&P believes that such payments will be made within any stated grace period. However, any stated grace period longer than five business days will be treated as five business days. The ‘D’ rating also will be used upon the filing of a bankruptcy petition or the taking of a similar action and where default on an obligation is a virtual certainty, for example due to automatic stay provisions. A rating on an obligation is lowered to ‘D’ if it is subject to a distressed debt restructuring.

    Moody’s Investors Service, Inc.—A brief description of the applicable Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) rating symbols and their meanings (as published by Moody’s) follows:

Long-Term Corporate Obligation Ratings

Aaa  

  

Obligations rated Aaa are judged to be of the highest quality, subject to the lowest level of credit risk.

Aa

  

Obligations rated Aa are judged to be of high quality and are subject to very low credit risk.

A

  

Obligations rated A are judged to be upper-medium grade and are subject to low credit risk.

 

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Baa  

  

Obligations rated Baa are judged to be medium-grade and subject to moderate credit risk and as such may possess certain speculative characteristics.

Ba

  

Obligations rated Ba are judged to be speculative and are subject to substantial credit risk.

B

  

Obligations rated B are considered speculative and are subject to high credit risk.

Caa

  

Obligations rated Caa are judged to be speculative of poor standing and are subject to very high credit risk.

Ca

  

Obligations rated Ca are highly speculative and are likely in, or very near, default, with some prospect of recovery of principal and interest.

C

  

Obligations rated C are the lowest rated and are typically in default, with little prospect for recovery of principal or interest.

Note: Moody’s appends numerical modifiers 1, 2, and 3 to each generic rating classification from Aa through Caa. The modifier 1 indicates that the obligation ranks in the higher end of its generic rating category; the modifier 2 indicates a mid-range ranking; and the modifier 3 indicates a ranking in the lower end of that generic rating category. Additionally, a “(hyb)” indicator is appended to all ratings of hybrid securities issued by banks, insurers, finance companies, and securities firms.*

*By their terms, hybrid securities allow for the omission of scheduled dividends, interest, or principal payments, which can potentially result in impairment if such an omission occurs. Hybrid securities may also be subject to contractually allowable write-downs of principal that could result in impairment. Together with the hybrid indicator, the long-term obligation rating assigned to a hybrid security is an expression of the relative credit risk associated with that security.

Short-Term Ratings

 

P-1  

  

Ratings of Prime-1 reflect a superior ability to repay short-term obligations.

P-2

  

Ratings of Prime-2 reflect a strong ability to repay short-term obligations.

P-3

  

Ratings of Prime-3 reflect an acceptable ability to repay short-term obligations.

NP

  

Issuers (or supporting institutions) rated Not Prime do not fall within any of the Prime rating categories.

 

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APPENDIX B

Wasatch Funds Trust

PROXY VOTING POLICY AND PROCEDURES

 

The Board of Trustees of Wasatch Funds Trust (the “Trust”) hereby adopts the following policy and procedures with respect to voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Trust’s investment portfolios (each, a “Fund,” collectively, the “Funds”):

I.        Policy

It is the policy of the Board of Trustees of the Trust (the “Board”) to delegate the responsibility for voting proxies relating to portfolio securities held by the Funds to Wasatch Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”). The Advisor may retain one or more independent service providers to assist in reconciling and processing proxy ballots and providing record-keeping and vote disclosure services, as well as research and recommendations on proxy issues, provided however that the Advisor will make the decision as to how proxies should be voted consistent with the Advisor’s policies and this policy.

II.        Fiduciary Duty

The right to vote a proxy with respect to portfolio securities held by the Funds is an asset of the Trust. The Advisor, to which authority to vote on behalf of the applicable Funds is delegated, acts as a fiduciary to the Funds and must vote proxies in a manner consistent with the best interest of the Funds and their shareholders.

III.        Procedures

The following are the procedures adopted by the Board for the administration of this policy:

A.        Review of Advisor’s Proxy Voting Policy and Procedures. The Advisor shall present to the Board its policy, guidelines and procedures for voting proxies at least annually and must notify the Board promptly of material changes to this document.

B.        Voting Record Reporting. No less than annually, the Advisor shall report to the Board a record of each proxy voted which deviated from its Proxy Voting Policy, Guidelines and Procedures with respect to portfolio securities of the applicable Funds during the year. With respect to those proxies of the Funds that the Advisor has identified as involving a material conflict of interest1, the Advisor shall submit a report indicating the nature of the conflict of interest and how that conflict was resolved with respect to the voting of the proxy.

IV.        Revocation

The delegation by the Board of the authority to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Funds is entirely voluntary and may be revoked by the Board, in whole or in part, at any time.

V.        Annual Filing

The Trust shall file an annual report of each proxy voted with respect to portfolio securities of the Funds during the 12-month period ended June 30 on Form N-PX no later than August 31 of each year.

VI.        Disclosures

A.        The Trust shall include in its registration statement:

 

1 See Wasatch Advisors, Inc.’s Proxy Voting Policy, Guidelines and Procedures, Section III, Conflicts of Interest

 

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1.        A description of this policy and of the policy and procedures used by the Advisor and any sub-advisor, as applicable, to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities; and

2.        A statement disclosing that information regarding how the Trust voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust’s toll-free telephone number; or through a specified Internet address; or both; and on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “SEC”) website.

B.        The Trust shall include in its annual and semi-annual reports to shareholders:

1.        A statement disclosing that a description of the policy and procedures used by or on behalf of the Trust to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Funds is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust’s toll-free telephone number; or through a specified Internet address; or both; and on the SEC’s website; and

2.    A statement disclosing that information regarding how the Trust voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 is available without charge, upon request, by calling the Trust’s toll-free telephone number; or through a specified Internet address; or both; and on the SEC’s website.

VII.      Review of Policy

At least annually, the Board shall review this policy to determine its sufficiency and shall make and approve any changes that it deems necessary from time to time.

Adopted by Wasatch Funds Trust: November 11, 2009

 

  

 

Amended: January 28, 2009; May 14, 2019 (to eliminate the reference to 1st Source Corporation as Sub-Advisor)

 

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WASATCH ADVISORS, INC.

PROXY VOTING POLICY

 

 

Regulatory Background - Proxy Voting Provisions of the Investment Advisers Act

Rule 206(4)-6 of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 requires that, for an investment adviser to exercise voting authority with respect to client securities, the adviser must:

   

Adopt and implement written policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to ensure that the adviser votes client securities in the best interest of clients, which procedures must include how the adviser addresses material conflicts that may arise between the adviser’s interests and those of the adviser’s clients;

   

Disclose to clients how they may obtain information from the adviser about how the adviser voted with respect to their securities; and

   

Describe to clients the adviser’s proxy voting policies and procedures and, upon request, furnish a copy of the policies and procedures to the requesting client.

In accordance with our obligations under the Rule, Wasatch Advisors, Inc. (“Wasatch”) has adopted and implemented the following Proxy Voting Policy to ensure that client proxies are voted in the best interest of clients at all times.

I.        POLICY OVERVIEW

At Wasatch, our goal is to maximize the economic value of the investments we make for our separate account clients and our mutual fund shareholders. In pursuit of this goal, we buy and hold securities we believe will appreciate in value. When the investment potential of a security becomes diminished, we sell it and attempt to reinvest the proceeds in more attractive opportunities. In short, the primary means by which we serve our shareholders and clients and protect their interests is the purchase and sale of securities. A secondary means by which we fulfill our fiduciary responsibility is the exercising of our proxy voting rights. Corporate governance, including but not limited to, compensation plans, corporate actions and the composition of a board of directors, can have a significant influence upon the behavior of a management team and the value of a corporation. The proxy voting process is the primary means by which investors are able to influence such activities. As such, Wasatch considers how we vote proxies to be an important activity.

One fundamental tenet of Wasatch’s investment philosophy is to invest in companies with high quality management teams. We spend a significant amount of time evaluating the performance, behavior, and actions of company executives in order to gain an understanding of how they think about protecting and increasing shareholder value. As a result of being invested with high quality management teams, Wasatch generally supports the recommendations of the boards of directors when voting proxies. However, we ultimately vote for or against recommendations based on the fundamental premise that at all times we are attempting to maximize the value of our investments for the benefit of our clients. Wasatch also has a long history of investing in companies with small market capitalizations, which often have a significant amount of common stock owned by existing and former members of management. While this high degree of inside ownership could cause some concerns regarding a lack of independence for the board of directors, certain board committees or other areas of corporate governance, we generally believe high inside ownership to be a positive characteristic as it helps to ensure that the interests of management and shareholders are closely aligned.

 

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Wasatch has developed the following proxy voting guidelines to assist us in making decisions about how to vote proposals concerning certain issues. We have attempted to address those issues that we believe are most relevant to creating shareholder value or that occur most frequently in the types of securities in which we invest. However, these guidelines are not exhaustive and do not purport to cover all of the potential issues, for the variety of issues on which shareholders may be asked to vote is unlimited. The disclosure of these guidelines is intended to provide clients and shareholders with a better understanding of how Wasatch attempts to maximize shareholder value via the proxy voting process.

II.        GENERAL GUIDELINES

Board of Directors

Wasatch considers the board of directors to be an important component of strong corporate governance. The board is responsible for overseeing the management team of a company and helping to ensure that it acts in the best interest of shareholders. The primary means by which Wasatch can influence the board of directors is to vote for the election of directors who have relevant and valuable experience that will enhance the management of the company. Further, Wasatch prefers that a board of directors have a majority of independent directors because we believe that a board with such a composition is generally a strong advocate for shareholders.

However, while we endorse proposals that support the creation of boards with a majority of independent directors as well as proposals which call for the audit, compensation and nominating committees to be comprised solely of independent directors, the failure of the company to nominate only independent directors or to have only independent directors serve on key committees may not cause us to vote against the election of a director who lacks independence. Wasatch appreciates the importance of these standards but we do not believe it is always in the best interest of shareholders to blindly vote against all directors who may not be considered independent. For example, a large shareholder who serves as a director is not considered independent but may be a very important advocate for investors since his interests are closely aligned with those of shareholders.

Generally, Wasatch will vote for those nominees recommended by the board of directors. However, in each election we will review a wide variety of criteria including but not limited to:

   

Long-term performance of the company.

   

Composition of the board and key committees.

   

Stock ownership by directors.

   

Decisions regarding executive pay and director compensation.

   

Corporate governance provisions and takeover activity.

   

Attendance at board meetings.

   

Interlocking directorships and related party transactions.

In addition to evaluating nominees for the board of directors based on the aforementioned criteria, Wasatch generally will support proposals:

   

To declassify a board of directors.

   

That allow cumulative voting and confidential voting.

Wasatch generally will not support:

   

Nominees who are independent and receive compensation for services other than serving as a director.

   

Nominees who attend less than 75% of board meetings without valid reasons for absences.

   

Nominees who are party to an interlocking directorship.

   

Efforts to adopt classified board structures.

 

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Executive Compensation

Wasatch supports compensation plans which are designed to align the interests of management and shareholders as well as relate executive compensation to the performance of the company. To evaluate compensation plans, we use quantitative criteria that measure the total cost to shareholders if a plan is passed. Factors considered include:

   

The estimated dollar cost for every award type under the proposed plan and all continuing plans.

   

The maximum shareholder wealth that would be transferred from the company to executives.

   

Long-term corporate performance (on an absolute basis and relative to a standard industry peer group and an appropriate market index) pegged to market capitalization.

   

Cash compensation pegged to market capitalization.

   

Other features of proposed compensation plans such as administration, payment terms, plan duration, and whether the administering committee is permitted to reprice underwater stock options without shareholder approval.

After the cost of the plan is estimated, it is compared to a company-specific dilution cap. The allowable cap is industry specific, market cap based, and pegged to the average amount paid by companies performing in the top quartile of their peer groupings. If the total plan cost exceeds the allowable cap, Wasatch will generally vote against the proposed plan. In addition, Wasatch generally will not support stock option plans that permit:

   

The repricing of stock options without shareholder approval.

   

The options to be priced at less than 100% of the fair market value of the underlying security on the date of the grant.

Capital Structure

Wasatch may be asked to vote on proposals pertaining to changes in the capital structure of a company. Such proposals include, but are not limited to, common stock authorizations, capital issuance requests, share repurchase programs, stock splits, and debt restructurings. We will vote for board-recommended capital structure changes so long as the proposals are well aligned with shareholder interests. Wasatch generally will support proposals:

   

Requesting the authorization of additional common stock.

   

To institute share repurchase plans.

   

To implement stock splits. Proposals to implement reverse stock splits will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Wasatch will review, on a case-by-case basis, all other proposals to change the capital structure of a company, including the authorization of common stock with special voting rights, the authorization of stock relating to certain transactions, the issuance of preferred stock (including “blank check” preferred stock) and the restructuring of debt securities. These proposals typically address a set of company-specific circumstances and proposals recommended by the board of directors may or may not be in the best interest of shareholders.

Mergers, Acquisitions and Other Transactions

Companies may undertake a variety of strategic transactions aimed at enhancing shareholder value including mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, spin-offs, asset sales, and liquidations. In evaluating proposed transactions, we will consider the benefits and costs to shareholders over both the short and long term. Specific items we will consider include the financial impact of the transaction on future operating results, the increase or decrease in shareholder value, and any changes in corporate governance and their impact on shareholder rights. When shareholders are asked to vote on mergers, acquisitions and other similar proposals, they are considered to be material to the company and could require the analysis of a wide variety of factors in order to determine if the transaction is in the best interest of shareholders. As a result, Wasatch will review and vote each proposal on a case-by-case basis.

 

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Anti-Takeover Provisions

In an attempt to prevent a company from being acquired without the approval of the board of directors, shareholders may be asked to vote on a variety of proposals such as shareholder rights plans (commonly referred to as “poison pills”), supermajority voting, blank check preferred stock, fair price provisions, and the creation of a separate class of stock with disparate voting rights. Wasatch recognizes that such proposals may enhance shareholder value in certain situations. However, Wasatch will review proposals pertaining to anti-takeover provisions on a case-by-case basis and vote against those proposals merely intended to entrench management and prevent the company from being acquired at a fair price.

Auditors

An audit of a company’s financial statements is an important part of the investment process, for while an audit cannot fully protect investors against fraud, it does verify that the financial statements accurately represent the position and performance of the company. Wasatch generally votes for proposals to ratify auditors unless the auditors do not appear to be independent. Auditor independence may be compromised if the auditor has a financial interest and/or association with the company or receives substantial compensation for non-audit related services. Wasatch also generally votes for proposals to authorize the board of directors to determine the remuneration of the auditors unless there is evidence of excessive compensation relative to the size and nature of the company.

Environmental, Social and Governance Issues

Wasatch believes corporations which act responsibly towards all stakeholders will generally perform better over the long-term. Wasatch will consider Environmental, Social and Governance issues in proxy proposals, but will determine on a case-by-case basis whether the proposals are economically advantageous to shareholders and whether or not to support the issues.

Foreign Issuers

With respect to some non-U.S. issuers, the exercise of voting rights can cause an account to incur a cost or cause the underlying shares to be blocked from trading. Although we recognize the importance of the right to vote, Wasatch believes that clients may be better served by avoiding unnecessary costs and preserving the right to trade shares promptly should conditions warrant. Accordingly, there may be times when no vote is cast because Wasatch’s analysis of a particular proxy leads us to believe that the cost of voting the proxy exceeds the expected benefit to clients (e.g., when casting a vote on a foreign security requires that Wasatch engage a translator or travel to a foreign country to vote in person, or results in shares being blocked from trading). This position complies with the Department of Labor’s Interpretive Bulletin 94-2.

Certain foreign countries require additional documentation in order to permit voting of shares. For example, Wasatch clients are at times required to provide a power of attorney to the local sub-custodian to facilitate Wasatch voting the shares held in the client accounts. While Wasatch will attempt to assist clients in preparing and submitting this documentation, at times Wasatch is unable to vote shares held by some clients in certain foreign countries.

III.      EXCLUSIONS AND EXCEPTIONS

Wasatch has developed the general guidelines to assist us in making decisions about how to vote proposals concerning anticipatable issues. However, we recognize that the general guidelines are not exhaustive and cannot anticipate all of the potential issues, or the facts and circumstances surrounding a particular vote. Although we have general guidelines, in the situations covered below Wasatch may supplement or deviate from them.

 

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Case-by-case Issues

Several of the issues mentioned above in the general guidelines recognize that the proper vote to maximize shareholder value will be dependent upon the facts in the actual situation. These facts cannot be anticipated and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis with the aim of maximizing shareholder value. In addition, any issues that are not addressed by the foregoing guidelines will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Exceptions

From time to time Wasatch will review an issue that is addressed by the foregoing guidelines and determine that in the specific case it is appropriate to vote against the recommendation provided in the guidelines with the aim of maximizing shareholder value. At these times it is permissible for Wasatch to vote against the general guidelines, but it is required that the rationale behind the deviation from the guidelines is sufficiently documented.

Conflicts of Interest

Wasatch will at all times make its best effort to vote proxies in the best interest of clients and avoid material conflicts of interest. A material conflict of interest refers to a situation in which Wasatch or affiliated persons of Wasatch have a financial interest in a matter presented by a proxy which could potentially compromise Wasatch’s independence of judgment and action with respect to the voting of the proxy. We will attempt to identify any material conflicts that may exist by, among other things, reviewing the identity of each issuer soliciting proxy votes to determine if the issuer or an affiliate of the issuer (i) is a client of Wasatch, (ii) has a relationship with Wasatch, (iii) there is a reasonable expectation that the issuer or an affiliate would become a client of Wasatch or develop a material relationship with Wasatch, or (iv) Wasatch holds a significant amount2 of the issuer’s shares outstanding. In addition, any Wasatch employee with knowledge of a personal conflict of interest (e.g., a familial relationship with company management) relating to an issuer soliciting proxy votes must disclose that conflict to the Proxy Manager and Compliance and remove himself or herself from the proxy voting process for that issuer. Any questions regarding whether a particular issue may present a material conflict of interest with respect to Wasatch’s voting of client proxies should be directed to Compliance.

In the event that Wasatch has a material conflict of interest in any proposal that is the subject of a proxy to be voted for a client account, Wasatch will instruct ISS to vote that proposal in accordance with ISS’ published recommendation. In such cases, any vote recommended by ISS is binding and may not be overridden by Wasatch. Proposals on the same proxy ballot for which Wasatch does not have a material conflict of interest will be voted in accordance with Wasatch’s Proxy Voting Policy.

Private Funds

In addition to its other clients, Wasatch provides investment management services to private investment funds. Every vote made in the private funds will be considered a case-by-case vote. All voting decisions made for the private funds will be made independent of the voting decisions made for other Wasatch clients. In order to ensure this independence, Wasatch will document that different individuals have made these voting decisions independent of one another.

IV.      PROCEDURES

ISS’s Role

Wasatch has retained an independent service provider, Institutional Shareholder Services (“ISS”), to assist in reconciling and processing proxy ballots and providing record-keeping and vote disclosure services, as

  

 

2 Wasatch’s relative level of ownership of certain issuer’s soliciting proxy votes, as a percent of the company’s shares outstanding, may give the appearance of control. Wasatch clients hold the issuer’s stock solely for investment purposes, with no intent to control the business or affairs of the issuer. In such instances, Wasatch may instruct ISS to vote that meeting in accordance with ISS’ published recommendation.

 

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well as research on proxy issues. ISS tracks which securities are held by Wasatch and receives notice of the proxy votes that these companies send to shareholders. ISS then reviews the Wasatch Proxy Voting Policy and prepares recommendations on how the votes should be cast based on the policy (the “ISS Recommendations”). ISS then provides these recommendations to Wasatch. On matters not adequately covered by the Wasatch Proxy Voting Policy, ISS merely notes these as case-by-case indicating they require additional review by Wasatch. After the ISS Recommendations are provided to Wasatch, the matters are voted by ISS in accordance with the recommendations unless ISS receives instructions from Wasatch to vote otherwise.

Proxy Manager’s Role

Wasatch has designated a member of our Operations team as Proxy Manager to assist in coordinating and voting securities. The Proxy Manager sends a proxy meeting calendar to research analysts detailing upcoming shareholder meetings, including an indication whether items are set to be voted per the ISS Recommendations or whether they need additional review and determination by Research.    The Proxy Manager then is responsible for ensuring all votes are cast, documenting the basis for voting decisions on any contrary votes or case-by-case votes, and monitoring Wasatch’s proxy voting procedures.

Research Team’s Role

The members of Wasatch’s Research team are responsible for reviewing the proxies of the companies they follow and the ISS Recommendation for the proxies. The Research team needs to provide the Proxy Manager with vote recommendations in case-by-case votes and any time they wish to vote contrary to the ISS Recommendation.    

Proxy Committee

Wasatch has established a Proxy Committee to oversee the implementation and monitoring of this Policy. The Proxy Committee provides a written report on a regular basis to the Wasatch’s Corporate Governance and Audit Committee as well as the Wasatch Funds Trust’s Board of Directors.

No less than annually, the Proxy Committee shall:

 

   

Review a sample of the record of voting delegation, including ERISA accounts, maintained by the Proxy Manager to determine if Wasatch is exercising its authority to vote proxies on portfolio securities held in the selected accounts;

   

Request and review voting data to determine if accurate and timely communication of proxy votes is reasonably accomplished during the period reviewed;

   

Meet with the Proxy Manager to review the voting of proxies, communication of proxy votes, and the general functioning of this policy; and

   

Prepare a written report to the Audit Committee with respect to the results of this review.

V.      Recordkeeping, Training and Maintenance

Recordkeeping

Under rule 204-2, Wasatch must retain the following:

  a)

proxy voting policies;

  b)

proxy statements received regarding client securities – Wasatch has delegated the responsibility for maintaining these records to ISS;

  c)

records of votes they cast on behalf of clients – Wasatch has delegated the responsibility for maintaining these records to ISS;

  d)

any documents prepared by Wasatch that were material to making a decision how to vote, or that memorialized the basis for the decision – this will generally be the proxy policy and documentation regarding any votes cast contrary to the policy;

 

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  e)

Record of the voting resolution of any conflict of interest;

  f)

Records of any client requests for information on how a client’s proxies were voted and records of Wasatch’s responses to client requests;

  g)

Training attendance records; and

  h)

All written reports arising from annual reviews of the policy.

Wasatch has retained ISS to assist in providing record-keeping. Wasatch may also use the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR database for the items referred to in item b above. Records not maintained by ISS shall be maintained by Wasatch for a period of not less than five years from the end of the Wasatch’s fiscal year during which the last entry was made on the record.

Training

At least annually, appropriate personnel will be trained regarding the Proxy Voting Policy. Such training program will review applicable laws, regulations, procedures and recent trends in proxy voting and their relation to Wasatch’s business. Training may be conducted in person or online, and completion records will be retained for a five-year period.

Annual Certification

Each Wasatch employee who is involved in the proxy voting process is required to certify annually that he or she has read, understands and has complied with, to the best of his or her knowledge, Wasatch’s Proxy Voting Policy.

ERISA

Wasatch acknowledges our responsibility to vote proxies for ERISA clients in a manner that ensures the exclusive benefit for the underlying participants and beneficiaries. Wasatch casts such proxy votes for the sole purpose of extending benefits to participants and beneficiaries while using the care, skill and diligence that a prudent person acting in a like capacity and familiar with such matters would use under the circumstances then prevailing.

Undue Influence

Any attempts by any of Wasatch’s personnel to influence the voting of client proxies in a manner that is inconsistent with Wasatch’s Policy should be reported to Wasatch’s Compliance Officer. If the Compliance Officer is the person attempting to influence the voting, the report should be made to Wasatch’s President.

VI.      Disclosure to Clients

Interested Clients are encouraged to request information on how Wasatch has voted their proxies. In order to request this information, separate account clients should contact their Client Relations representative. Wasatch Funds’ proxy voting record is available on the Funds’ website at wasatchglobal.com and the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov no later than August 31 for the prior 12 months ending June 30.     

Adopted as of September 30, 2004

Amended as of June 8, 2010; March 10, 2015; November 14, 2017.

 

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PART C

OTHER INFORMATION

 

  Item 28.

Exhibits

 

a-1.

 

Declaration of Trust of Wasatch Funds Trust (the “Registrant”) dated November 6, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010.

 

a-2.

 

Amendment to Declaration of Trust of the Registrant dated December 30, 2009 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010.

 

a-3.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares Certificate dated January 28, 2011 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  64 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on August 22, 2012.

 

a-4.

 

Designation of Classes Certificate is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 60 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 17, 2011.

 

a-5.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares Certificate is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 61 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 17, 2011.

 

a-6.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares Certificate dated August 16, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on October 2, 2012.

 

a-7.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Classes of Shares effective August 15, 2012 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on October 2, 2012.

 

a-8.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Classes of Shares effective as of April 30, 2015 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  90 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2016.

 

a-9.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares dated May 6, 2015 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2016.

 

a-10.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares effective October 31, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 filed with the Commission on December 29, 2017.

 

a-11.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Classes of Shares effective October 31, 2017 is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-14 filed with the Commission on December 29, 2017.

 

a-12.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares effective September 27, 2018 is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  100 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 30, 2018.

 

 

1


a-13.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares effective May 29, 2019 is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

a-14.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Classes of Shares effective May 29, 2019 is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

a-15.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

a-16.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Classes of Shares is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

a-17.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Series of Shares to be filed by amendment.

 

a-18.

 

Amended and Restated Designation of Classes of Shares to be filed by amendment.

 

b.

 

Amended and Restated By-Laws dated June 10, 2020 are incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on August 31, 2020.

 

c.

 

Article IV of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust and Articles V and VI of the Registrant’s Bylaws, are incorporated herein as Exhibits (a)(1), (a)(2) and (b).

 

d-1.

 

Advisory and Service Contract by and between the Registrant and Wasatch Advisors, Inc. (the “Advisor”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 2, 2010.

 

d-1(a).

 

Exhibit A to Advisory and Service Contract by and between the Registrant and Wasatch Advisors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

d-1(b).

 

Amended Exhibit A to be filed by amendment.

 

d-2.

 

Sub-Advisory Agreement by and between the Advisor and Hoisington Investment Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 2, 2010.

 

e.

 

Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 100 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 30, 2018.

 

e-1.

 

Amendment to Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

e-2.

 

Amendment to Distribution Agreement by and between the Registrant and ALPS Distributors, Inc is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

 

2


e-3.

 

Amendment to Distribution Agreement to be filed by amendment.

 

f.

 

None.

 

g.

 

Custodian Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street Bank and Trust Company (“State Street”) is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 2, 2010.

 

g-1.

 

Notice to Custodian Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 53 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on April 12, 2011.

 

g-2

 

Notice to Custodian Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Frontier Emerging Small Countries Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 27, 2012.

 

g-3.

 

Notice to Custodian Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Emerging Markets Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on October 2, 2012.

 

g-4.

 

Notice to Custodian Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Global Select Fund and Wasatch International Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

g-5.

 

Notice to Custodian Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Greater China Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

g-6.

 

Notice to Custodian Agreement to be filed by amendment.

 

h-1.

 

Administration Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 2, 2010.

 

h-1(a).

 

Amended Schedule A to Administration Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  81 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2014.

 

h-1(b).

 

Notice to Administration Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

h-1(c).

 

Notice to Administration Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Greater China Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

h-1(d).

 

Notice to Administration Agreement to be filed by amendment.

 

 

3


h-2.

 

Investment Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 51 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 2, 2010.

 

h-2(a).

 

Notice to Investment Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  53 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on April 12, 2011.

 

h-2(b).

 

Notice to Investment Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Frontier Emerging Small Countries Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 27, 2012.

 

h-2(c).

 

Notice to Investment Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Emerging Markets Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on October 2, 2012.

 

h-2(d).

 

Notice to Investment Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Global Select Fund and Wasatch International Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

h-2(e).

 

Notice to Investment Accounting Agreement by and between the Registrant and State Street on behalf of Wasatch Greater China Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

h-2(f).

 

Notice to Investment Accounting Agreement to be filed by amendment.

 

h-3.

 

Transfer Agency Agreement by and between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  51 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 2, 2010.

 

h-3(a).

 

Amended Schedule A to the Transfer Agency Agreement by and between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 20, 2012.

 

h-3(b).

 

Amended Schedule A to the Transfer Agency Agreement by and between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

h-3(c).

 

Form of Amended Schedule A to the Transfer Agency Agreement by and between the Registrant and UMB Fund Services, Inc. is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

h-3(d).

 

Amended Schedule A to the Transfer Agency Agreement to be filed by amendment.

 

h-4.

 

Amended and Restated Expense Limitation Agreement by and between the Advisor and the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2021.

 

 

4


h-4(a).

 

Expense Limitation Agreement for Wasatch Greater China Fund by and between the Advisor and the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

h-4(b).

 

Expense Limitation Agreement for Wasatch Long/Short Alpha Fund to be filed by amendment.

 

i-1.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010.

 

i-2.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Wasatch Emerging India Fund incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 53 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on April 12, 2011.

 

i-3.

 

Opinion and consent of Bingham McCutchen LLP with respect to the Wasatch Emerging India Fund incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  53 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on April 12, 2011.

 

i-4.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to share classes is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 27, 2012.

 

i-5.

 

Opinion and consent of Bingham McCutchen LLP with respect to share classes is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 27, 2012.

 

i-6.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Wasatch Frontier Emerging Small Countries Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 27, 2012.

 

i-7.

 

Opinion and consent of Bingham McCutchen LLP with respect to the Wasatch Frontier Emerging Small Countries Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 62 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 27, 2012.

 

i-8.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Wasatch Emerging Markets Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No.  67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 20, 2012.

 

i-9.

 

Opinion and consent of Bingham McCutchen LLP with respect to the Wasatch Emerging Markets Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 67 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 20, 2012.

 

i-10.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Institutional Class shares of Wasatch Long/Short Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 13, 2012.

 

i-11.

 

Opinion and consent of Bingham McCutchen LLP with respect to the Institutional Class shares of Wasatch Long/Short Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 70 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on December 13, 2012.

 

 

5


i-12.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Institutional Class  shares of Wasatch Emerging India Fund, Wasatch Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund, Wasatch Frontier Emerging Small Countries Fund, Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund, Wasatch International Growth Fund, Wasatch International Opportunities Fund, Wasatch Small Cap Growth Fund and Wasatch World Innovators Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2016.

 

i-13.

 

Opinion and consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with respect to the Institutional Class  shares of Wasatch Emerging India Fund, Wasatch Emerging Markets Small Cap Fund, Wasatch Frontier Emerging Small Countries Fund, Wasatch Global Opportunities Fund, Wasatch International Growth Fund, Wasatch International Opportunities Fund, Wasatch Small Cap Growth Fund and Wasatch World Innovators Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 90 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2016.

 

i-14.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Investor Class and Institutional Class shares of Wasatch Global Select Fund and Wasatch International Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

i-15.

 

Opinion and consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with respect to the Investor Class and Institutional Class shares of Wasatch Global Select Fund and Wasatch International Select Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on September 30, 2019.

 

i-16.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Institutional Class shares of Wasatch Micro Cap Fund, Wasatch Micro Cap Value Fund and Wasatch Ultra Growth Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 109 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2020.

 

i-17.

 

Opinion and consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with respect to the Institutional Class shares of Wasatch Micro Cap Fund, Wasatch Micro Cap Value Fund and Wasatch Ultra Growth Fund is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 109 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2020.

 

i-18.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Wasatch Greater China Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

i-19.

 

Opinion and consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with respect to the Wasatch Greater China Fund is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

i-20.

 

Opinion and consent of Counsel with respect to the Wasatch Long/Short Alpha Fund to be filed by amendment.

 

i-21.

 

Opinion and consent of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP with respect to the Wasatch Long/Short Alpha Fund to be filed by amendment.

 

j.

 

Not applicable.

 

k.

 

Not applicable.

 

 

6


l.

 

Not applicable.

 

m.

 

Not applicable.

 

n.

 

Amended and Restated Multiple Class Plan Pursuant to Rule 18f-3 is incorporated herein by reference to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on November 23, 2020.

 

p-1.

 

Code of Ethics of Wasatch Advisors, Inc. and the Registrant is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 94 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on June 9, 2017.

 

p-2.

 

Code of Ethics of Hoisington Investment Management Company is incorporated herein by reference to exhibit p-2 of Post-Effective Amendment No. 37 to the Predecessor Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 31, 2007.

 

q.

 

Powers of Attorney is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010.

 

q-1.

 

Power of Attorney is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on October 2, 2012.

 

q-2.

 

Power of Attorney is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January 28, 2015.

 

q-3.

 

Power of Attorney is incorporated herein by reference to Post-Effective Amendment No. 111 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on August 31, 2020.

 

 

Item 29.

Persons Controlled by or Under Common Control with Registrant

Registrant is controlled by its Board of Trustees. Registrant neither controls any person nor is under common control with any other person.

 

Item 30.

Indemnification

Under Section 9.2 of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust, no person who is or has been a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Registrant shall be subject to any personal liability whatsoever to any party, including natural persons, corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, business trusts, limited liability partnerships, statutory trusts, limited liability companies, trusts, associations, joint ventures, estates, nominees and any other entity in its own or any representative capacity, whether or not legal entities, and governments and agencies and political subdivisions thereof, in each case whether domestic or foreign, (“Person”) other than the Registrant or its shareholders, in connection with the affairs of the Registrant; and all Persons shall look solely to the property of the Registrant or of a series for satisfaction of claims of any nature arising in connection with the affairs of the Registrant or such series.

The Declaration of Trust provides that every note, bond, contract, instrument, certificate, share or undertaking and every other act or thing whatsoever executed or done by or on behalf of the Registrant or the Trustees or any of them in connection with the Registrant shall be conclusively deemed to have been executed or done only in or with respect to their or his capacity as Trustees or Trustee and neither such Trustees or Trustee nor the Registrant’s shareholders shall be personally liable thereon.

 

7


The Declaration of Trust provides that all Persons extending credit to, contracting with or having any claim against the Registrant or a series shall look only to the assets of the property of the Registrant or such series for payment under such credit, contract or claim; and neither the Trustees, nor any of the Registrant’s officers or employees, whether past, present or future, shall be personally liable therefor.

The Declaration of Trust provides that no person who is or has been a Trustee, officer or employee of the Registrant shall be liable to the Registrant or to any shareholder for any action or failure to act except for his or her own bad faith, willful misfeasance, gross negligence or reckless disregard of his or her duties involved in the conduct of the individual’s office, and for nothing else, and shall not be liable for errors of judgment or mistakes of fact or law.

Furthermore, the Declaration of Trust provides that without limiting the foregoing limitations of liability contained in Section 9.2, a Trustee shall not be responsible for or liable in any event for any neglect or wrongdoing of any officer, employee, investment adviser, sub-adviser, principal underwriter, custodian or other agent of the Registrant or a series, nor shall any Trustee be responsible or liable for the act or omission of any other Trustee (or for the failure to compel in any way any former or acting Trustee to redress any breach of trust), except in the case of such Trustee’s own willful misfeasance, bad faith, gross negligence or reckless disregard of the duties involved in the conduct of his or her office.

Section 9.5 of the Registrant’s Declaration of Trust provides that subject to certain exceptions and limitations, every person who is, or has been, a Trustee, officer, or employee of the Registrant, including persons who serve at the request of the Registrant as directors, trustees, officers, employees or agents of another organization in which the Registrant has an interest as a shareholder, creditor or otherwise, shall be indemnified by the Registrant or applicable series to the fullest extent permitted by law against liability and against all expenses reasonably incurred or paid by him in connection with any claim, action, suit or proceeding in which he becomes involved as a party or otherwise by virtue of his being or having been such a Trustee, director, officer, employee or agent and against amounts paid or incurred by him in settlement thereof.

Insofar as indemnification for liability arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to Trustees, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a Trustee, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such Trustee, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

Section 13 of the Distribution Agreement by and between Wasatch Funds Trust (the “Fund”) and ALPS Distributors, Inc., a Colorado corporation (“ALPS”) provides that:

Indemnification - The Fund agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Distributor and each of its directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls the Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, against any loss, liability, claim, damages or expenses (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, claim, damages or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares, based upon the ground that the registration statement, prospectus, statement of additional information, shareholder reports or other information filed or made public by the Fund (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading under the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act or any other statute or the common law. However, the Fund does not agree to indemnify the Distributor or hold it harmless to the extent that the statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Fund by or on behalf of the Distributor. In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Fund in favor of the Distributor or any person indemnified to be deemed to protect the Distributor or any person against any liability to the Fund or its security holders to which the Distributor or such person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Fund to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained in the paragraph with respect to any claim made against the Distributor or any person indemnified unless

 

8


the Distributor or person, as the case may be, shall have notified the Fund in writing of the claim promptly after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claims shall have been served upon the Distributor or any such person (or after the Distributor or such person shall have received notice of service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify the Fund of any claim shall not relieve the Fund from any liability which it may have to any person against whom such action is brought otherwise than on account of its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph. The Fund shall be entitled to participate at its own expense in the defense, or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce any claims, and if the Fund elects to assume the defense, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by the Fund. In the event the Fund elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the Distributor, officers or directors or controlling person(s), defendant(s) in the suit, shall bear the fees and expenses of any additional counsel retained by them. If the Fund does not elect to assume the defense of any suit, it will reimburse the Distributor, officers or directors or controlling person(s) or defendant(s) in the suit for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. The Fund agrees to notify the Distributor promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceeding against it or any of its officers in connection with the issuance or sale of any of the Shares.

The Distributor also covenants and agrees that it will indemnify and hold harmless the Fund and each of its officers and person, if any, who controls the Fund within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act, against any loss, liability, damages, claims or expense (including the reasonable cost of investigating or defending any alleged loss, liability, damages, claim or expense and reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) arising by reason of any person acquiring any Shares, based upon the 1933 Act, the 1940 Act or any other statute or common law, alleging (a) any wrongful act of the Distributor or any of its employees or (b) that any sales literature, advertisements, information, statements or representations used or made by the Distributor or any of its affiliates or employees or that the registration statement, prospectus, statement of additional information, (as from time to time amended) included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated or necessary in order to make the statements not misleading, insofar as the statement or omission was made in reliance upon, and in conformity with, information furnished to the Fund by or on behalf of the Distributor. In no case (i) is the indemnity of the Distributor in favor of the Fund or any person indemnified to be deemed to protect the Fund or any person against any liability to which the Fund or such person would otherwise be subject by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or negligence in the performance of its duties or by reason of its reckless disregard of its obligations and duties under this Agreement, or (ii) is the Distributor to be liable under its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph with respect to any claim made against the Fund or any person indemnified unless the Fund or person, as the case may be, shall have notified the Distributor in writing of the claim promptly after the summons or other first written notification giving information of the nature of the claim shall have been served upon the Fund or any such person (or after the Fund or such person shall have received notice of service on any designated agent). However, failure to notify the Distributor of any claim shall not relieve the Distributor from any liability which it may have to the Fund or any person against whom the action is brought otherwise than on account of its indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph. In the case of any notice to the Distributor it shall be entitled to participate, at its own expense, in the defense or, if it so elects, to assume the defense of any suit brought to enforce the claim, and if the Distributor elects to assume the defense, the defense shall be conducted by counsel chosen by it and satisfactory to the Fund, to its officers and to any controlling person(s) or defendant(s) in the suit. In the event that the Distributor elects to assume the defense of any suit and retain counsel, the Fund or controlling person(s), defendant(s) in the suit, shall bear the fees and expense of any additional counsel retained by them. If the Distributor does not elect to assume the defense of any suit, it will reimburse the Fund, officers or controlling person(s), defendant(s) in the suit, for the reasonable fees and expenses of any counsel retained by them. The Distributor agrees to notify the Fund promptly of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against it in connection with the Fund and sale of any of the Shares.

 

Item 31.

Business and Other Connections of Investment Advisor

Wasatch Advisors, Inc. (doing business as Wasatch Global Investors)

Wasatch Global Investors (the “Advisor”) acted as the investment advisor for employee benefit plans, other tax-free plans including individual retirement accounts, Keoghs, endowments and foundations, and taxable accounts in addition to the fifteen series of the Registrant. The Advisor, organized in September 1975, has been in the business of investment management since November 1975. In December, 2007, the Advisor created WA Holdings, Inc. to act as a holding company of the Advisor. The Advisor is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WA Holdings, Inc. which is

 

9


100% owned by the employees of the Advisor. The holding company was created to allow the Advisor to plan for growth and the ongoing continuity of its organization.

Certain information regarding each officer and director of the Advisor including each business, profession, vocation or employment of a substantial nature in which each such person is or has been engaged at any time during the past two fiscal years is set forth below.

 

Name   

Position

with Advisor

  

Other Substantial

Business, Profession,

Vocation or Employment

Eric S. Bergeson    President, Director and Chairman of the Board   
Michael K. Yeates    Chief Financial Officer, Vice President, Treasurer and Director   
J.B. Taylor    Chief Executive Officer and Director   
Daniel D. Thurber    General Counsel, Vice President, Secretary, Chief Compliance Officer and Director   
Jeffrey Cardon    Director   
Ajay Krishnan    Portfolio Manager and Director   
Hollie Strasburg    Director of Operations and Director   
Catherine Swenson    Director of Client Relations and Director   

For further information relating to the Advisor’s officers, reference is made to Form ADV filed under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by Wasatch Global Investors – SEC File No. 801-11095.

Hoisington Investment Management Company

Hoisington Investment Management Company (“HIMCO” or the “Sub-Advisor”) is the sub-advisor to the Wasatch-Hoisington U.S. Treasury Fund. Hoisington is a Texas corporation, and its principal place of business is 6836 Bee Caves Road, Building 2, #100, Austin, Texas 78746-6464. The principal executive officers of the Sub-Advisor and their positions are:

 

Name    Position with Sub-Advisor    Other Substantial Business,
Profession, Vocation or
Employment
Hoisington, Van Robert    Chief Executive Officer, Chairman of the Strategic Investment Committee   
Hoisington, Jr., Van Robert    President, Chief Operating Officer, Member of Strategic Investment Committee   
Hoisington, David Maxwell    Executive Vice President, Vice Chairman of the Strategic Investment Committee, Chief Compliance Officer   
Hunt, Lacy Harris    Executive Vice President, Chief Economist, Member of Strategic Investment Committee   

For further information relating to the Sub-Advisor’s officers, reference is made to Form ADV filed under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 by Hoisington Investment Management Company – SEC File No. 801-15602.

 

Item 32.

Principal Underwriters

 

(a)

ALPS Distributors, Inc. acts as the distributor for the Registrant and the following investment companies: 1WS Credit Income Fund, 1290 Funds, Aberdeen Standard Investments ETFs, ALPS Series Trust, The Arbitrage Funds, AQR Funds, Axonic Alternative Income Fund, Axonic Funds, Barings Funds Trust, BBH Trust, Bluerock Total Income+ Real Estate Fund, Brandes Investment Trust, Bridge Builder Trust, Broadstone Real Estate Access Fund, Brown Advisory Funds, Brown Capital Management Mutual Funds, Cambria ETF Trust, CC Real Estate Income Fund, Centre Funds, CIM Real Assets & Credit Fund, CION

 

10


 

Ares Diversified Credit Fund, Columbia ETF Trust, Columbia ETF Trust I, Columbia ETF Trust II, CRM Mutual Fund Trust, Cullen Funds Trust, DBX ETF Trust, ETF Series Solutions, Flat Rock Opportunity Fund, Financial Investors Trust, Firsthand Funds, FS Credit Income Fund, FS Energy Total Return Fund, FS Series Trust, FS Multi-Alternative Income Fund, Goehring & Rozencwajg Investment Funds, Goldman Sachs ETF Trust, Griffin Institutional Access Credit Fund, Griffin Institutional Access Real Estate Fund, Hartford Funds Exchange-Traded Trust, Hartford Funds NextShares Trust, Heartland Group, Inc., Holland Series Fund, Inc., IndexIQ Active ETF Trust, Index IQ ETF Trust, Infusive US Trust, James Advantage Funds, Janus Detroit Street Trust, Lattice Strategies Trust, Litman Gregory Funds Trust, Longleaf Partners Funds Trust, M3Sixty Funds Trust, Mairs & Power Funds Trust, Meridian Fund, Inc., Natixis ETF Trust, Pax World Series Trust I, Pax World Funds Trust III, PRIMECAP Odyssey Funds, Principal Exchange-Traded Funds, Reality Shares ETF Trust, Resource Credit Income Fund, RiverNorth Funds, Sierra Total Return Fund, SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF Trust, SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust, SPDR S&P MidCap 400 ETF Trust, Sprott Funds Trust, Stadion Investment Trust, Stone Harbor Investment Funds, Stone Ridge Trust, Stone Ridge Trust II, Stone Ridge Trust III, Stone Ridge Trust IV, Stone Ridge Trust V, Stone Ridge Trust VI, Stone Ridge Residential Real Estate Income Fund I, Inc., USCF ETF Trust, Wasatch Funds, WesMark Funds, Wilmington Funds, XAI Octagon Credit Trust, X-Square Balanced Fund and YieldStreet Prism Fund.

 

(b)

To the best of Registrant’s knowledge, the directors and executive officers of ALPS Distributors, Inc., are as follows:

 

Name*    Position with Underwriter    Positions with Fund
Robert J. Szydlowski    Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer    None
Eric T. Parsons    Vice President, Controller and Assistant Treasurer    None
Joseph J. Frank**    Secretary    None
Patrick J. Pedonti **    Vice President, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary    None
Richard C. Noyes    Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Assistant Secretary    None
Stephen J. Kyllo    Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer    None
Liza Orr    Vice President, Senior Counsel    None
Jed Stahl    Vice President, Senior Counsel    None
James Stegall    Vice President    None
Gary Ross    Senior Vice President    None
Kevin Ireland    Senior Vice President    None
Hilary Quinn    Vice President    None
Jennifer Craig    Assistant Vice President    None

* Except as otherwise noted, the principal business address for each of the above directors and executive officers is 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203.

** The principal business address for Messrs. Pedonti and Frank is 333 W. 11th Street, 5th Floor, Kansas City, Missouri 64105.

 

(c)

None

 

Item 33.

Location of Accounts and Records

 

1.

Wasatch Global Investors, 505 Wakara Way, 3rd Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84108 (records relating to its function as investment advisor).

2.

State Street Bank and Trust Company, 801 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64105 and 100 Huntington Avenue, Tower 2, Floor 3, Boston, MA 02116 (records relating to its function as custodian, administrator and fund accounting servicing agent).

3.

UMB Fund Services, Inc. 235 West Galena Street, Milwaukee, WI 53212 (records relating to its function as transfer agent and shareholder servicing agent).

4.

ALPS Distributors, Inc., 1290 Broadway, Suite 1000, Denver, Colorado 80203 (records relating to its function as distributor).

 

11


5.

Hoisington Investment Management Company, 6836 Bee Caves Road, Building 2, #100, Austin, Texas 78746-6464 (records relating to its function as sub-advisor).

 

Item 34.

Management Services

Other than as set forth under the section “Management” in the Prospectus constituting Part A of the Registration Statement and under the captions “Management of the Trust” and “Investment Advisory and Other Services” in the Statement of Additional Information constituting Part B of the Registration Statement, Registrant is not a party to any management-related service contract.

 

Item 35.

Undertakings

None.

 

12


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant has duly caused this Post-Effective Amendment No. 115 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Post-Effective Amendment No. 117 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Salt Lake City, and the State of Utah on the 30th day of June, 2021.

 

WASATCH FUNDS TRUST

By    

 

/s/ Eric S. Bergeson

 

Eric S. Bergeson

 

President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the date indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

  

Date

/s/ Eric S. Bergeson

Eric S. Bergeson

   President and Trustee (principal executive officer)    June 30, 2021

/s/ Michael K. Yeates

Michael K. Yeates

  

Treasurer

(principal financial and accounting officer)

   June 30, 2021

Miriam M. Allison*

Miriam M. Allison

   Trustee    June 30, 2021

Heikki Rinne*

Heikki Rinne

   Trustee    June 30, 2021

Kristen M. Fletcher*

Kristen M. Fletcher

   Trustee    June 30, 2021

Mark Robinson*

Mark Robinson

   Trustee    June 30, 2021

*/s/ Russell L. Biles

Russell L. Biles

Attorney-in-Fact

June 30, 2021

*Signed pursuant to powers of attorney are incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (q) in Post-Effective Amendment No. 50 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on March 31, 2010, a power of attorney incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit q-1 in Post-Effective Amendment No.  65 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on October  2, 2012, a power of attorney incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit q-2 in Post-Effective Amendment No. 87 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on January  28, 2015, and a power of attorney incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit q-3 in Post-Effective Amendment No.  111 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form N-1A filed with the Commission on August 31, 2020.