The fund seeks capital appreciation in the long term by investing in companies across any size outside the United States.
The investment process starts with a list of companies in the benchmark index and the research team utilizes quantitative techniques and fundamental analysis to identify investment opportunities.
The process utilizes a blend strategy to invest in both growth and value stocks, or to stocks with characteristics of both.
Next, the research team invests in securities of foreign and U.S. companies.
The team prefers value and growth companies that are estimated to trade below their fair values relative to their fundamentals.
According to the team, value companies are those that are trading at discounts to their estimated intrinsic value and have the potential for capital appreciation.
Growth companies are those that exhibit rapid gains in earnings and demonstrate the ability to continue profit growth at a high level.
Also, the research team integrates environmental, social and governance factors as part of its process.
Then the manager constructs a portfolio of stocks from a list of companies favored by the research team and allocates capital based on its conviction level.
The fund invests at least 40% of its net assets in securities of non-U.S. companies.
Also, the fund invests in companies located in at least three countries outside of the U.S.
The fund invests in foreign companies whose securities may be traded on U.S. or non-U.S. securities exchanges, may be denominated in the U.S. dollar or other currencies, and may include American Depositary Receipts and other similar depositary receipts.
The fund may invest in unaffiliated exchange-traded funds, as well as may invest in derivatives.