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SCHWAB CAPITAL TRUST

Schwab Active Equity Funds

Schwab Large-Cap Growth FundTM

Schwab Core Equity FundTM

Schwab Dividend Equity FundTM

Schwab Small-Cap Equity FundTM

Schwab Hedged Equity FundTM

Schwab Health Care FundTM

(each a fund)

Supplement dated August 18, 2017 to the Prospectus, dated February 28, 2017, as supplemented June 14, 2017.

 

 

This supplement provides new and additional information beyond that contained in the Prospectuses and should be read in conjunction with those documents.

Effective August 18, 2017, the “Principal investment strategies” section of each fund’s Prospectus is deleted in its entirety and replaced with the following, as applicable:

Schwab Large-Cap Growth Fund

To pursue its investment objective, the fund invests primarily in U.S. common stocks. Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in large-cap stocks of U.S. companies. The fund will notify its shareholders at least 60 days before changing this policy. Large-cap stocks generally are those with market capitalizations within the universe of the Russell 1000® Index at the time of purchase by the fund. The market capitalization range of the Russell 1000 Index was $1.978 billion to $549.660 billion, as of May 27, 2016, and will change as market conditions change. The Russell 1000® Growth Index (the Index), the fund’s comparative index, includes those Russell 1000 Index companies with higher price-to-book ratios and higher forecasted values. The fund invests its assets in companies it believes to have above-average growth potential. Growth may be measured by factors such as earnings or revenue. Companies with high growth potential tend to have higher than average price/earnings (P/E) or price/book (P/B) ratios. Companies with strong growth potential often have new products, technologies, or other opportunities, or have a strong industry or market position. The stocks of these companies are often called “growth” stocks.

The fund approaches risk management from the perspective of the Index. The portfolio managers seek to keep the fund’s volatility similar to that of the Index.

To aid its stock selection, the fund uses Schwab Equity Ratings®, a model that assigns ratings to approximately 3,000 of the largest (by market cap) U.S. traded stocks. In addition to using Schwab Equity Ratings, the portfolio managers utilize investment data and other analytics to help manage the fund’s portfolio.

Generally, when constructing the portfolio, the portfolio managers invest in stocks that are highly rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. As part of the portfolio construction process, the portfolio managers will purchase lower-rated stocks or stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings, such as for purposes of diversification, or for managing the fund’s liquidity, turnover, or volatility relative to the Index. This investment approach under normal conditions will result in a portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward highly-rated stocks; however, the portfolio will usually include some lower-rated stocks and stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. The portfolio managers will consider the current market environment and any potential negative impact on the fund in determining when to sell a downgraded stock.


The fund uses a portfolio optimization process to assist in constructing the portfolio. The portfolio managers use the portfolio optimization process to seek to build a portfolio they believe will provide the optimal balance between risk and expected return, subject to parameters such as the number of stocks desired in the portfolio, the level of portfolio turnover, industry and sector diversification, and volatility considerations.

For more information on Schwab Equity Ratings, please see the “More about Schwab’s research” section in the prospectus.

The fund may invest in derivatives, principally futures contracts, primarily to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash assets. A futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial instrument at a specified price at a specific future time. By using these instruments, the fund potentially can offset the impact on its performance of keeping some assets in cash. The fund may invest in exchange-traded funds and stocks of real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund also may lend portfolio securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help fund performance.

The fund may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs may rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gains distributions.

For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Schwab Core Equity Fund

To pursue its investment objective, the fund invests primarily in U.S. stocks. Under normal circumstances, the fund pursues its goal by investing at least 80% of its net assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of U.S. companies. The fund will notify its shareholders at least 60 days before changing this policy. The fund expects to hold the common stocks of U.S. companies that have market capitalizations of approximately $500 million or more. The fund seeks to assemble a portfolio with long-term performance that will exceed that of the S&P 500® Index (the Index).

The fund approaches risk management from the perspective of the Index. The Index includes the common stocks of 500 leading U.S. publicly-traded companies from a broad range of industries. The portfolio managers seek to keep the fund’s volatility similar to that of the Index.

To aid its stock selection, the fund uses Schwab Equity Ratings®, a model that assigns ratings to approximately 3,000 of the largest (by market cap) U.S. traded stocks. In addition to using Schwab Equity Ratings, the portfolio managers utilize investment data and other analytics to help manage the fund’s portfolio.

Generally, when constructing the portfolio, the portfolio managers invest in stocks that are highly rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. As part of the portfolio construction process, the portfolio managers will purchase lower-rated stocks or stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings, such as for purposes of diversification, or for managing the fund’s liquidity, turnover, or volatility relative to the Index. This investment approach under normal conditions will result in a portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward highly-rated stocks; however, the portfolio will usually include some lower-rated stocks and stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. The portfolio managers will consider the current market environment and any potential negative impact on the fund in determining when to sell a downgraded stock.

The fund uses a portfolio optimization process to assist in constructing the portfolio. The portfolio managers use the portfolio optimization process to seek to build a portfolio they believe will provide the optimal balance between risk and expected return, subject to parameters such as the

 

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number of stocks desired in the portfolio, the level of portfolio turnover, industry and sector diversification, and volatility considerations.

For more information on Schwab Equity Ratings, please see the “More about Schwab’s research” section in the prospectus.

The fund may invest in derivatives, principally futures contracts, primarily to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash assets. A futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial instrument at a specified price at a specific future time. By using these instruments, the fund potentially can offset the impact on its performance of keeping some assets in cash. The fund may invest in exchange-traded funds and stocks of real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund also may lend portfolio securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help fund performance.

The fund may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs may rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gains distributions.

For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Schwab Dividend Equity Fund

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in dividend paying common and preferred stocks. The fund will notify its shareholders at least 60 days before changing this policy. The fund seeks to provide current income from dividends that are eligible for the reduced tax rate on qualified dividend income. The fund also seeks to provide capital appreciation.

The portfolio managers seek to assemble a portfolio that provides a higher dividend yield than, and maintains volatility similar to that of, the fund’s comparative index, the Russell 1000® Value Index (the Index). The fund’s initial selection universe typically consists of the 1,500 largest U.S. publicly-traded companies in terms of market capitalization. These companies tend to be large- to mid-cap companies.

To aid its stock selection, the fund uses Schwab Equity Ratings®, a model that assigns ratings to approximately 3,000 of the largest (by market cap) U.S. traded stocks. In addition to using Schwab Equity Ratings, the portfolio managers utilize investment data and other analytics to help manage the fund’s portfolio.

Generally, when constructing the portfolio, the portfolio managers invest in stocks that pay dividends and that are highly rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. As part of the portfolio construction process, the portfolio managers will purchase lower-rated stocks or stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings, such as for purposes of diversification, or for managing the fund’s liquidity, turnover, or volatility relative to the Index. This investment approach under normal conditions will result in a portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward highly-rated stocks; however, the portfolio will usually include some lower-rated stocks and stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. The portfolio managers will consider the current market environment and any potential negative impact on the fund in determining when to sell a downgraded stock.

The fund uses a portfolio optimization process to assist in constructing the portfolio. The portfolio managers use the portfolio optimization process to seek to build a portfolio they believe will provide the optimal balance between risk and expected return, subject to parameters such as the number of stocks desired in the portfolio, the level of portfolio turnover, industry and sector diversification, and volatility considerations.

 

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For more information on Schwab Equity Ratings, please see the “More about Schwab’s research” section in the prospectus.

The fund may invest in derivatives, principally futures contracts, primarily to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash assets. A futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial instrument at a specified price at a specific future time. By using these instruments, the fund potentially can offset the impact on its performance of keeping some assets in cash. The fund may invest in exchange-traded funds and stocks of real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund also may lend portfolio securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help fund performance.

The fund may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs may rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gains distributions.

For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Schwab Small-Cap Equity Fund

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in small-cap equity securities. The fund will notify its shareholders at least 60 days before changing this policy. Small-cap equity securities generally are securities with market capitalizations within the universe of the Russell 2000® Index (the Index) at the time of purchase by the fund. The market capitalization range of the Index was $133 million to $3.860 billion as of May 27, 2016, and will change as market conditions change. The fund seeks to assemble a portfolio with long-term performance that will exceed that of the Index.

The fund approaches risk management from the perspective of the Index. The Index measures the performance of the 2,000 smallest companies (based on total market capitalization) in the Russell 3000® Index, which represents approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index. The portfolio managers seek to keep the fund’s volatility similar to that of the Index.

To aid its stock selection, the fund uses Schwab Equity Ratings®, a model that assigns ratings to approximately 3,000 of the largest (by market cap) U.S. traded stocks. In addition to using Schwab Equity Ratings, the portfolio managers utilize investment data and other analytics to help manage the fund’s portfolio.

Generally, when constructing the portfolio, the portfolio managers invest in stocks that are highly rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. As part of the portfolio construction process, the portfolio managers will purchase lower-rated stocks or stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings, such as for purposes of diversification, or for managing the fund’s liquidity, turnover, or volatility relative to the Index. This investment approach under normal conditions will result in a portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward highly-rated stocks; however, the portfolio will usually include some lower-rated stocks and stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. The portfolio managers will consider the current market environment and any potential negative impact on the fund in determining when to sell a downgraded stock.

The fund uses a portfolio optimization process to assist in constructing the portfolio. The portfolio managers use the portfolio optimization process to seek to build a portfolio they believe will provide the optimal balance between risk and expected return, subject to parameters such as the number of stocks desired in the portfolio, the level of portfolio turnover, industry and sector diversification, and volatility considerations.

 

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For more information about Schwab Equity Ratings, please see the “More about Schwab’s research” section in the prospectus.

The fund may invest in derivatives, principally futures contracts, primarily to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash assets. A futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial instrument at a specified price at a specific future time. By using these instruments, the fund potentially can offset the impact on its performance of keeping some assets in cash. The fund may invest in exchange-traded funds and stocks of real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund also may lend portfolio securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help fund performance.

The fund may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs may rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gains distributions.

For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Schwab Hedged Equity Fund

To pursue its investment objective, the fund establishes long and short positions in equity securities issued by U.S. companies. Under normal circumstances it will invest at least 80% of its net assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities issued by U.S. companies; typically, the actual percentage will be higher. The fund will notify its shareholders at least 60 days before changing this policy. The fund typically purchases or sells short stocks of companies that have market capitalizations of $1 billion or more at the time the stock is purchased or sold short.

The fund approaches risk management from the perspective of its comparative index, the S&P 500® Index (the Index). The portfolio managers seek to keep the fund’s volatility lower than that of the Index.

To aid its stock selection, the fund uses Schwab Equity Ratings®, a model that assigns ratings to approximately 3,000 of the largest (by market cap) U.S. traded stocks. In addition to using Schwab Equity Ratings, the portfolio managers utilize investment data and other analytics to help manage the fund’s portfolio.

Generally, when constructing the portfolio, the portfolio managers select long positions from stocks that are highly rated by Schwab Equity Ratings and select short positions from stocks that are lower rated by Schwab Equity Ratings. As part of the portfolio construction process, the portfolio managers will purchase lower-rated stocks or stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings, or sell short higher-rated stocks, such as for purposes of diversification, or for managing the fund’s liquidity, turnover, or volatility relative to the Index. This investment approach under normal conditions will result in a long portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward highly-rated stocks, and a short portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward lower-rated stocks; however, the long portfolio will usually include some lower-rated stocks and the short-portfolio may contain some highly-rated stocks. The portfolio managers will consider the current market environment and any potential negative impact on the fund in determining when to sell a downgraded stock or close out an upgraded short position.

The fund uses a portfolio optimization process to assist in constructing the portfolio. The portfolio managers use the portfolio optimization process to seek to build a portfolio they believe will provide the optimal balance between risk and expected return, subject to parameters such as the number of stocks desired in the portfolio, the level of portfolio turnover, industry and sector diversification, and volatility considerations.

 

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For more information about Schwab Equity Ratings, please see the “More about Schwab’s research” section in the prospectus.

When the fund takes a long position, it purchases a stock outright. When the fund takes a short position, it sells a stock that it has borrowed. To complete, or close out, the short sale transaction, the fund buys the same stock in the market and returns it to the lender. The fund makes money if the market price of the stock goes down after the short sale. Conversely, if the price of the stock goes up after the short sale, the fund will lose money because it will have to pay more to replace the borrowed stock than it received when it sold the stock short. Short positions may be used to hedge against the volatility of the long portion of the overall portfolio and/or to garner returns from declines in securities prices.

The fund also may invest in derivatives, principally futures contracts, primarily to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash assets. A futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial instrument at a specified price at a specific future time. The fund may invest in exchange-traded funds and stocks of real estate investment trusts (REITs).

The fund may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs may rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gains distributions.

For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

Schwab Health Care Fund

To pursue its goal, the fund primarily invests in equity securities issued by companies in the health care sector. The health care sector may include, for example, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, health care facilities operations, medical product manufacturers and suppliers, medical providers and medical services firms. It is the fund’s policy that under normal circumstances it will invest at least 80% of its net assets (net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in these securities; typically, the actual percentage will be higher. The fund will notify its shareholders at least 60 days before changing this policy. The fund will concentrate its investments in securities of companies in the health care sector.

The fund primarily invests in U.S. companies, but may invest up to 25% of its net assets in the stocks of publicly traded companies located in countries other than the United States. The fund’s international investments will primarily be in stocks issued by companies located in developed market countries; however, it may also invest in stocks issued by companies located in emerging markets. Developed market countries include, but are not limited to, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. The fund considers any country that is not a developed market country to be an emerging market country. The fund generally does not intend to hedge its exposure to foreign currencies. The fund may invest in companies of all sizes.

To aid its U.S. stock selection, the fund uses Schwab Equity Ratings®, a model that assigns ratings to approximately 3,000 of the largest (by market cap) U.S.-traded stocks. To aid its international stock selection, the fund uses Charles Schwab and Co., Inc.’s (Schwab) proprietary international stock research. This research ranks stocks of foreign companies headquartered and trading in certain foreign countries. In addition to using Schwab Equity Ratings and Schwab’s proprietary international stock research, the portfolio managers utilize investment data and other analytics to help manage the fund’s portfolio.

Generally, when constructing the portfolio, the portfolio managers invest in stocks that are highly rated by Schwab Equity Ratings or by Schwab’s proprietary international stock research. As part of

 

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the portfolio construction process, the portfolio managers will purchase lower-rated stocks or stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings or by Schwab’s proprietary international stock research, such as for purposes of diversification, or for managing the fund’s liquidity, turnover, or volatility relative to the Index. This investment approach under normal conditions will result in a portfolio that maintains an overall weighting toward highly-rated stocks; however, the portfolio will usually include some lower-rated stocks and stocks that are not rated by Schwab Equity Ratings or Schwab’s proprietary international stock research. The portfolio managers will consider the current market environment and any potential negative impact on the fund in determining when to sell a downgraded stock.

The fund uses a portfolio optimization process to assist in constructing the portfolio. The portfolio managers use the portfolio optimization process to seek to build a portfolio they believe will provide the optimal balance between risk and expected return, subject to parameters such as the number of stocks desired in the portfolio, the level of portfolio turnover, industry diversification, and volatility considerations.

For more information on Schwab Equity Ratings and Schwab’s proprietary international stock research, please see the “More about Schwab’s research” section in the prospectus.

The fund may invest in derivatives, principally futures contracts, primarily to seek returns on the fund’s otherwise uninvested cash assets. A futures contract is a contract to buy or sell a specific financial instrument at a specified price at a specific future time. By using these instruments, the fund potentially can offset the impact on its performance of keeping some assets in cash. The fund may invest in exchange-traded funds and stocks of real estate investment trusts (REITs). The fund also may lend portfolio securities to earn additional income. Any income realized through securities lending may help fund performance.

The fund may buy and sell portfolio securities actively. If it does, its portfolio turnover rate and transaction costs may rise, which may lower fund performance and may increase the likelihood of capital gains distributions.

For temporary defensive purposes during unusual economic or market conditions or for liquidity purposes, the fund may invest up to 100% of its assets in cash, money market instruments, repurchase agreements and other short-term obligations. When the fund engages in such activities, it may not achieve its investment objective.

PLEASE RETAIN THIS SUPPLEMENT FOR FUTURE REFERENCE

REG98429-00 (08/17)

00198059

 

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