The fund seeks a favorable long-term total return, mainly through capital appreciation, primarily from equity securities of smaller domestic companies.

The fund invests at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of smaller domestic companies, across a wide range of sectors, growth rates and valuations, which appear to have favorable prospects for significant long-term capital appreciation. The fund seeks to add incremental return over its stated benchmark index, the Russell 2000® Index, while also managing the relative risk of the fund versus its benchmark. The fund uses proprietary mathematical models based on financial and investment theories to evaluate and score a broad universe of stocks in which the fund may invest. The models typically weigh many different variables, including the valuation of a stock versus the market or its peers, future earnings and sustainable earnings growth prospects, and the price and volume trends of the stock, and the resulting score (along with certain additional inputs) is used to form the fund's portfolio.