497K 1 k020123cusf.htm DWS CROCI U.S. FUND EDGAR HTML
DWS CROCI® U.S. Fund
Summary Prospectus | February 1, 2023
Class/Ticker
A
DCUAX
C
DCUCX
R
DCUTX
R6
DCURX
INST
DCUIX
S
DCUSX
Before you invest, you may want to review the fund’s prospectus, which contains more information about the fund and its risks. You can find the fund’s prospectus, reports to shareholders, Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and other information about the fund online at dws.com/mutualpros. You can also get this information at no cost by e-mailing a request to service@dws.com, calling (800) 728-3337 or asking your financial representative. The Prospectus and SAI, both dated February 1, 2023, as may be revised or supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective
The fund seeks long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses
These are the fees and expenses you may pay when you buy, hold and sell shares. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts in Class A shares if you and your immediate family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in DWS funds. More information about these and other discounts and waivers is available from your financial representative and in Choosing a Share Class in the prospectus (p. 14), Sales Charge Waivers and Discounts Available Through Intermediaries in the prospectus (Appendix B, p. 44) and Purchase and Redemption of Shares in the fund’s SAI (p. II-15).
SHAREHOLDER FEES (paid directly from your investment)
 
A
C
R
R6
INST
S
Maximum sales charge (load)
imposed on purchases, as %
of offering price
5.75
None
None
None
None
None
Maximum deferred sales
charge (load), as % of
redemption proceeds1
None
1.00
None
None
None
None
Account Maintenance Fee
(annually, for fund account
balances below $10,000 and
subject to certain exceptions)
$20
$20
None
None
None
$20
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES
(expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
 
A
C
R
R6
INST
S
Management fee
0.43
0.43
0.43
0.43
0.43
0.43
Distribution/service (12b-1)
fees
0.24
0.98
0.50
None
None
None
Other expenses
0.33
0.45
0.40
0.20
0.23
0.24
Total annual fund operating
expenses
1.00
1.86
1.33
0.63
0.66
0.67
1 Investments of $250,000 or more may be eligible to buy Class A shares without a sales charge (load), but may be subject to a contingent deferred sales charge of 0.75% if redeemed within 12 months of the original purchase date and 0.50% if redeemed within the following six months.
EXAMPLE
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund's operating expenses remain the same. Class C shares generally convert automatically to Class A shares after 8 years. The information presented in the Example for Class C reflects the conversion of Class C shares to Class A shares after 8 years. See Class C Shares in the Choosing a Share Class section of the prospectus for more information. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Years
A
C
R
R6
INST
S
1
$671
$289
$135
$64
$67
$68
3
875
585
421
202
211
214
5
1,096
1,006
729
351
368
373
10
1,729
1,955
1,601
786
822
835
You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:
1

Years
A
C
R
R6
INST
S
1
$671
$189
$135
$64
$67
$68
3
875
585
421
202
211
214
5
1,096
1,006
729
351
368
373
10
1,729
1,955
1,601
786
822
835
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 may indicate higher transaction costs and may mean higher taxes if you are investing in a taxable account. These costs are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the expense example, and can affect the fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 61% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
Main investments. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes, in common stocks issued by US companies. Companies are selected for the fund’s portfolio using the Cash Return on Capital Invested (CROCI®) strategy as the primary factor, among other factors. Portfolio management will select stocks from among the largest US companies which are under CROCI® coverage at any given time (the number of companies under CROCI® coverage will vary; as of December 31, 2022, approximately 872 companies were under CROCI® coverage). Companies are identified from the selection universe for investment and are selected from the following economic sectors classified in accordance with the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS): Consumer Discretionary, Consumer Staples, Energy, Financials, Health Care, Information Technology, Industrials, Materials, Communication Services and Utilities.
Management process. Portfolio management selects stocks of companies that it believes offer economic value, utilizing the CROCI® strategy as the primary factor, among other factors. The CROCI® strategy is an investment process based on a proprietary valuation technique that attempts to understand the value of a company by converting financial statement data into a set of economic inputs that are used to calculate a valuation metric called the CROCI® Economic Price Earnings Ratio which is comparable across markets, sectors and stocks. The CROCI® Economic Price Earnings Ratio seeks to measure the real economic value rather than the accounting value of a company’s invested capital, and the economic returns thereof. Portfolio management believes that, over time, companies with more favorable financial metrics, including CROCI® Economic Price Earnings Ratios, will outperform other companies.
In selecting stocks, portfolio management measures economic value using the CROCI® Economic Price Earnings Ratio and may adjust this by factors such as stock price volatility, as determined by the CROCI® Investment Strategy and Valuation Group. The CROCI® Investment Strategy and Valuation Group may provide other CROCI® valuation metrics which portfolio management may use in addition to the CROCI® Economic Price Earnings Ratio. All CROCI® financial metrics may be adjusted from time to time. Portfolio management may also use factors other than the CROCI® strategy in selecting investments. The fund’s portfolio is reviewed periodically and adjusted in accordance with the CROCI® strategy’s rules.
The CROCI® strategy is supplied by the CROCI® Investment Strategy and Valuation Group, a unit within DWS Group, through a licensing arrangement with the fund’s Advisor.
Portfolio management will periodically review and adjust the fund’s portfolio in order to maintain the desired balance between return potential and various risk factors, such as, without limitation: style, size, and idiosyncratic risks. Portfolio management may refer to the output of various optimization tools and other portfolio construction techniques in order to help control for unwanted portfolio exposure to the risk factors specified above versus relevant indices, as well as undesired levels of portfolio turnover, tax efficiency, and other factors.
CROCI® Investment Process. The CROCI® Investment Process is based on the belief that the data used in traditional valuations (i.e., accounting data) does not accurately appraise assets, reflect all liabilities or represent the real value of a company. This is because the accounting rules are not always designed specifically for investors and often utilize widely differing standards which can make measuring the real asset value of companies difficult. The CROCI® Investment Process seeks to generate data that will enable valuation comparisons on a consistent basis, resulting in what portfolio management believes is an effective and efficient sector and stock selection process targeting investment in real value.
Securities lending. The fund may lend securities (up to one-third of total assets) to approved institutions, such as registered broker-dealers, banks and pooled investment vehicles.
Main Risks
There are several risk factors that could hurt the fund’s performance, cause you to lose money or cause the fund’s performance to trail that of other investments. The fund may not achieve its investment objective, and is not intended to be a complete investment program. An investment in the fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.
2
DWS CROCI® U.S. Fund
Summary Prospectus February 1, 2023

Stock market risk. When stock prices fall, you should expect the value of your investment to fall as well. Stock prices can be hurt by poor management on the part of the stock’s issuer, shrinking product demand and other business risks. These may affect single companies as well as groups of companies. The market as a whole may not favor the types of investments the fund makes, which could adversely affect a stock’s price, regardless of how well the company performs, or the fund’s ability to sell a stock at an attractive price. There is a chance that stock prices overall will decline because stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising and falling prices. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in unusually high market volatility which could negatively affect performance. High market volatility may also result from significant shifts in momentum of one or more specific stocks due to unusual increases or decreases in trading activity. Momentum can change quickly, and securities subject to shifts in momentum may be more volatile than the market as a whole and returns on such securities may drop precipitously. To the extent that the fund invests in a particular geographic region, capitalization or sector, the fund’s performance may be affected by the general performance of that region, capitalization or sector.
Market disruption risk. Economies and financial markets throughout the world are becoming increasingly interconnected, which increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one country or region will adversely impact markets or issuers in other countries or regions. The value of the fund’s investments may be negatively affected by adverse changes in overall economic or market conditions, such as the level of economic activity and productivity, unemployment and labor force participation rates, inflation or deflation (and expectations for inflation or deflation), interest rates, demand and supply for particular products or resources including labor, and debt levels and credit ratings, among other factors. Such adverse conditions may contribute to an overall economic contraction across entire economies or markets, which may negatively impact the profitability of issuers operating in those economies or markets, including the investments held by the fund. In addition, geopolitical and other events, including war, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises and related geopolitical events have led, and in the future may lead, to disruptions in the US and world economies and markets, which may increase financial market volatility and have significant adverse direct or indirect effects on the fund and its investments. Adverse market conditions or disruptions could cause the fund to lose money, experience significant redemptions, and encounter operational difficulties. Although multiple asset classes may be affected by adverse market conditions or a particular market disruption, the duration and effects may not be the same for all types of assets.
Russia's recent military incursions in Ukraine have led to, and may lead to, additional sanctions being levied by the United States, European Union and other countries against Russia. Russia's military incursions and the resulting sanctions could adversely affect global energy, commodities and financial markets and thus could affect the value of the fund's investments. The extent and duration of the military action, sanctions and resulting market disruptions are impossible to predict, but could be substantial.
Other market disruption events include the pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, which at times has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity, increased government activity, including economic stimulus measures, and supply chain disruptions. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve including the risk of future increased rates of infection due to significant portions of the population remaining unvaccinated and/or the lack of effectiveness of current vaccines against new variants. The pandemic has affected and may continue to affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adverse market conditions or particular market disruptions, such as those caused by Russian military action and the COVID-19 pandemic, may magnify the impact of each of the other risks described in this MAIN RISKS section and may increase volatility in one or more markets in which the fund invests leading to the potential for greater losses for the fund.
CROCI® risk. The fund is managed using the CROCI® Investment Process which is based on portfolio management’s belief that, over time, stocks which display more favorable financial metrics (for example, the CROCI® Economic P/E Ratio) as generated by this process may outperform stocks which display less favorable metrics. This premise may not prove to be correct and prospective investors should evaluate this assumption prior to investing in the fund.
The calculation of financial metrics used by the fund (such as, among others, the CROCI® Economic P/E Ratio) are determined by the CROCI® Investment Strategy and Valuation Group using publicly available information. This publicly available information is adjusted based on assumptions made by the CROCI® Investment Strategy and Valuation Group that, subsequently, may not prove to have been correct. As financial metrics are calculated using historical information, there can be no guarantee of the future performance of the CROCI® strategy. The measures
3
DWS CROCI® U.S. Fund
Summary Prospectus February 1, 2023

utilized by portfolio management to attempt to reduce portfolio turnover, market impact and transaction costs could affect performance. In addition, certain regulatory restrictions (e.g., limits on percentage of assets invested in a single industry) could constrain the fund’s ability to invest in some stocks that may have the most attractive financial metrics as determined by the CROCI® Investment Process.
Value investing risk. As a category, value stocks may underperform growth stocks (and the stock market as a whole) over any period of time and may shift in and out of favor with investors generally, sometimes rapidly, depending on changes in market, economic and other factors. In addition, value stocks selected for investment by portfolio management may not perform as anticipated.
Security selection risk. The securities in the fund’s portfolio may decline in value. Portfolio management could be wrong in its analysis of industries, companies, economic trends, the relative attractiveness of different securities or other matters.
Focus risk. To the extent that the fund focuses its investments in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy, any market price movements, regulatory or technological changes, or economic conditions affecting companies in those industries, asset classes or sectors may have a significant impact on the fund’s performance. The fund may become more focused in particular industries, asset classes or sectors of the economy as a result of changes in the valuation of the fund’s investments or fluctuations in the fund’s assets, and the fund is not required to reduce such exposures under these circumstances.
Counterparty risk. A financial institution or other counterparty with whom the fund does business, or that underwrites, distributes or guarantees any investments or contracts that the fund owns or is otherwise exposed to, may decline in financial health and become unable to honor its commitments. This could cause losses for the fund or could delay the return or delivery of collateral or other assets to the fund.
Liquidity risk. In certain situations, it may be difficult or impossible to sell an investment and/or the fund may sell certain investments at a price or time that is not advantageous in order to meet redemption requests or other cash needs. Unusual market conditions, such as an unusually high volume of redemptions or other similar conditions could increase liquidity risk for the fund.
Pricing risk. If market conditions make it difficult to value some investments, the fund may value these investments using more subjective methods, such as fair value pricing. In such cases, the value determined for an investment could be different from the value realized upon such investment’s sale. As a result, you could pay more than the market value when buying fund shares or receive less than the market value when selling fund shares.
Securities lending risk. Securities lending involves the risk that the fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. A delay in the recovery of loaned securities could interfere with the fund’s ability to vote proxies or settle transactions. The fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of the collateral provided for the loaned securities, or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral or even a loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially while holding the securities.
Operational and technology risk. Cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures that affect the fund’s service providers or counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund, or other market participants may adversely affect the fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the fund or impairing fund operations. For example, the fund’s or its service providers’ assets or sensitive or confidential information may be misappropriated, data may be corrupted and operations may be disrupted (e.g., cyber-attacks, operational failures or broader disruptions may cause the release of private shareholder information or confidential fund information, interfere with the processing of shareholder transactions, impact the ability to calculate the fund’s net asset value and impede trading). Market events and disruptions also may trigger a volume of transactions that overloads current information technology and communication systems and processes, impacting the ability to conduct the fund’s operations.
While the fund and its service providers may establish business continuity and other plans and processes that seek to address the possibility of and fallout from cyber-attacks, disruptions or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including that they do not apply to third parties, such as fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants, as well as the possibility that certain risks have not been identified or that unknown threats may emerge in the future and there is no assurance that such plans and processes will be effective. Among other situations, disruptions (for example, pandemics or health crises) that cause prolonged periods of remote work or significant employee absences at the fund’s service providers could impact the ability to conduct the fund’s operations. In addition, the fund cannot directly control any cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by its service providers, fund counterparties, issuers of securities held by the fund or other market participants.
Past Performance
How a fund's returns vary from year to year can give an idea of its risk; so can comparing fund performance to overall market performance (as measured by an appropriate market index). Past performance may not indicate future results. All performance figures below assume that dividends and distributions were reinvested. For more
4
DWS CROCI® U.S. Fund
Summary Prospectus February 1, 2023

recent performance figures, go to dws.com (the Web site does not form a part of this prospectus) or call the telephone number included in this prospectus.
The performance figures for Class R shares prior to class inception are based on the historical performance of the fund’s Institutional Class shares adjusted to reflect the higher expenses of Class R. Performance information contained under Since Inception represents performance since the fund’s inception date.
CALENDAR YEAR TOTAL RETURNS (%) (Class A)
These year-by-year returns do not include sales charges, if any, and would be lower if they did. Returns for other classes were different and are not shown here.
 
Returns
Period ending
Best Quarter
13.26%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter
-32.12%
March 31, 2020
Average Annual Total Returns
(For periods ended 12/31/2022 expressed as a %)
After-tax returns (which are shown only for Class A and would be different for other classes) reflect the historical highest individual federal income tax rates, but do not reflect any state or local taxes. Your actual after-tax returns may be different. After-tax returns are not relevant to shares held in an IRA, 401(k) or other tax-advantaged investment plan.
 
Class
Inception
1
Year
5
Years
Since
Inception
Class A before tax
4/10/2015
-20.67
0.56
2.64
After tax on distribu-
tions
 
-21.10
-0.20
2.00
After tax on distribu-
tions and sale of fund
shares
 
-11.91
0.40
1.98
Class C before tax
4/10/2015
-16.40
0.97
2.63
Class R before tax
12/9/2016
-16.04
1.46
3.08
Class R6 before tax
4/10/2015
-15.44
2.16
3.80
INST Class before tax
4/10/2015
-15.48
2.09
3.74
Class S before tax
4/10/2015
-15.47
2.10
3.73
Russell 1000® Value
Index (reflects no deduc-
tion for fees, expenses
or
 
-7.54
6.67
7.65
Management
Investment Advisor
DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc.
Portfolio Manager(s)
Di Kumble, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager Equity. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2015.
John Moody, Portfolio Manager Equity. Portfolio Manager of the fund. Began managing the fund in 2016.
Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
Minimum Initial Investment ($)
 
Non-IRA
IRAs
UGMAs/
UTMAs
Automatic
Investment
Plans
A C
1,000
500
1,000
500
R
None
N/A
N/A
N/A
R6
None
N/A
N/A
N/A
INST
1,000,000
N/A
N/A
N/A
S
2,500
1,000
1,000
1,000
For participants in all group retirement plans, and in certain fee-based and wrap programs approved by the Advisor, there is no minimum initial investment and no minimum additional investment for Class A, C and S shares. For Section 529 college savings plans, there is no minimum initial investment and no minimum additional investment for Class S shares and Class R6 shares. The minimum initial investment for Class S shares may be waived for eligible intermediaries that have agreements with DDI to offer Class S shares in their brokerage platforms when such Class S shares are held in omnibus accounts on such brokerage platforms. In certain instances, the minimum initial investment may be waived for Institutional Class shares. For more information regarding available Institutional Class investment minimum waivers, see Institutional Class Shares – Investment Minimum in the Choosing a Share Class section of the prospectus. There is no minimum additional investment for Institutional Class, Class R and Class R6 shares. The minimum additional investment in all other instances is $50.
To Place Orders
Mail
All Requests
DWS
PO Box 219151
Kansas City, MO 64121-9151
Expedited Mail
DWS
430 West 7th Street
Suite 219151
Kansas City, MO 64105-1407
Web Site
dws.com
Telephone
(800) 728-3337, M – F 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET
Hearing Impaired
For hearing impaired assistance, please
call us using a relay service
The fund is generally open on days when the New York Stock Exchange is open for regular trading. If you invest with the fund directly through the transfer agent, you can open a new fund account (Class S shares only) and make an initial investment on the Internet at dws.com, by using the mobile app or by mail. You can make additional investments or sell shares of the fund on any business day by visiting the fund’s Web site, by using the mobile app, by
5
DWS CROCI® U.S. Fund
Summary Prospectus February 1, 2023

mail, or by telephone; however you may have to elect certain privileges on your initial account application. The ability to open new fund accounts and to transact online or using the mobile app varies depending on share class and account type. If you are working with a financial representative, contact your financial representative for assistance with buying or selling fund shares. A financial representative separately may impose its own policies and procedures for buying and selling fund shares.
Class R shares are generally available only to certain retirement plans, which may have their own policies or instructions for buying and selling fund shares. Class R6 shares are generally available only to certain qualifying plans and programs, which may have their own policies or instructions for buying and selling fund shares. Institutional Class shares are generally available only to qualified institutions. Class S shares are available through certain intermediary relationships with financial services firms, or can be purchased by establishing an account directly with the fund’s transfer agent.
Tax Information
The fund's distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is in an IRA, 401(k), or other tax-advantaged investment plan. Any withdrawals you make from such tax- advantaged investment plans, however, may be taxable to you.
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 fund, the Advisor, and/or the Advisor’s affiliates may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.
No such payments are made with respect to Class R6 shares. To the extent the fund makes such payments with respect to another class of its shares, the expense is borne by the other share class.
6
DWS CROCI® U.S. Fund
Summary Prospectus February 1, 2023 DCUF-SUM