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Special Opportunities Fund

Mutual Funds

Special Opportunities Fund


Fund Managers

Photo of Daniel  Morrall

Daniel Morrall

Photo of James  Curtis

James Curtis, CFA®

Overview

I
Shares

BOPIX

Inception
Date

06.02.2003

Investment
Min.

$1,000,000

Subsequent
Investment Min.1

N/A

Max. Up Front
Sales Charge

N/A

Max. Deferred
Sales Charge

N/A

1If subsequent investments are made as part of an AIP, the minimum is $25.

Philosophy & Process

The fund's management team utilizes fundamental analysis overlaid with top-down macroeconomic trends. The fund's objective is long-term capital appreciation. It has a concentrated portfolio of 30 to 35 stocks and has the flexibility to shift among styles and differing market caps (large, small, mid, growth or value) to achieve best perceived combination of underlying growth potential at the lowest available valuation. The management team utilizes screens and various forms of research to search for stocks that meet valuation, growth and financial strength objectives and identify themes that transcend day-to-day economic news flows. Valuation is a key determinant for stocks to enter the portfolio. The team looks for below-average valuations (P/E) with above-average earnings growth with below-average leverage and above-average returns (ROE).

Investment Considerations

The fund is subject to investment style risk which depends where the fund is primarily invested. An investment in growth stocks may be particularly sensitive to market conditions while value stocks may be undervalued for longer than anticipated. The fund may invest in foreign securities subject to risks such as currency volatility, political and social instability or small capitalization companies subject to greater volatility and less liquidity due to limited resources or product lines. The fund may engage in writing covered call options. By selling covered call options, the fund limits its opportunity to profit from an increase in the price of the underlying stock above the exercise price, but continues to bear the risk of a decline in the stock. While the fund receives premiums for writing the call options, the price it realizes from the exercise of an option could be substantially below a stock's current market price.

Fund Facts

Term Class A Shares Class C Shares Class I Shares Class R6 Shares
Ticker BOPAXBOPCXBOPIXSTRSX
Inception Date 06.02.200306.02.200306.02.200302.01.2018
Investment Min. $1,000$1,000$1,000,000N/A
Subsequent Investment Min.2 N/AN/AN/AN/A
Max. Up Front Sales Charge N/A5.75%N/AN/A
Max. Deferred Sales Charge N/A1%N/AN/A

2If subsequent investments are made as part of an AIP, the minimum is $25.

Special Opportunities Fund

Management

View professional designations disclosures

Photo of Daniel  Morrall

Daniel Morrall

Co-Portfolio Manager

Photo of James  Curtis

James Curtis, CFA®

Co-Portfolio Manager

Performance

Fund Performance as of 09.30.2023

Term QTR YTD 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Since Inception
A Shares with 5.75% Sales Charge -8.43% 4.87% 11.18% 7.33% 5.73% 9.42% 10.34%
A Shares without Sales Charge -2.83% 11.26% 17.96% 9.48% 6.99% 10.07% 10.66%
Institutional Shares -2.79% 11.51% 18.28% 9.75% 7.25% 10.35% 10.94%
Lipper Multi-Cap Core Median -3.42% 9.40% 18.50% 8.48% 7.97% 9.71% N/A

The total expense ratios for Class A, C and I Shares are 1.11%, 1.86% and 0.86%, respectively. The gross expense ratio for Class R6 Shares is 0.86%. The net expense ratio for Class R6 Shares is 0.78%.

The Fund Administrator, Sterling Capital Management LLC, has contractually agreed to waive its administrative fees, pay Fund operating expenses, and/or reimburse the Fund .08% of the Class R6 average daily net assets for the period February 1, 2021 through January 31, 2022. Performance would have been lower without limitations in effect.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. The performance data quoted represents past performance and current returns may be lower or higher. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor's shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than the original cost. To obtain performance information current to the most recent month end, please visit the performance summary.

The performance of the Special Opportunities Fund reflects the deduction of fees for value-added services associated with a mutual fund, such as investment management and fund accounting fees. The inception date for Class A Shares is 06.02.2003. The inception date for Class C Shares is 06.02.2003. The inception date for Class Inst'l Shares is 06.02.2003. The inception date for Class R6 Shares is 02.01.2018.  The performance shown reflects the reinvestment of all dividend and capital gains distributions.

Characteristics

Top Ten Holdings as of 09.30.2023

# Company Name Value
1 ALPHABET, INC. 5.46%
2 AMAZON.COM, INC. 5.26%
3 UnitedHealth Group, Inc. 4.66%
4 CHARLES SCHWAB CORP. 4.44%
5 DANAHER CORP. 4.20%
6 GLOBAL PAYMENTS, INC. 4.18%
7 INTUIT, INC. 4.07%
8 NXP SEMICONDUCTORS NV 4.06%
9 TAKE-TWO INTERACTIVE SOFTWARE, INC. 3.97%
10 Comcast Corp. 3.85%

Current and future portfolio holdings are subject to change and risk. Based on Market Value of securities.

Sector Allocation as of 09.30.2023

Allocations are based on the current weight to funds in the cited Sector. The composition of the fund's holdings is subject to change.

Growth of $10,000 as of 09.30.2023

The Growth of $10,000 is hypothetical based upon the performance of net A Shares at NAV for the period ended 09.30.2023. It includes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains.

Statistics

Risk/Return Statistics vs. Russell 3000® Index 3 as of 09.30.2023

Term Value
Alpha -1.14
Beta 1.02
R-Squared 91.14
Standard Deviation 16.32
Sharpe Ratio 0.55

3The Funds composition is subject to change. Annual Turnover Ratio is 12 month rolling calculation. Alpha, Beta, R-Squared, Standard Deviation, and Sharpe Ratio are based on a 10-year calculation.

View a Glossary of Terms.

Summary Statistics as of 09.30.2023

Term Value
P/E FY1 29.22
Weighted Average P/B 3.18
Weighted Average Market Cap $335.36B
Annual Turnover 33%

Equity Funds

Insights

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12.01.2023

Sterling Capital Announces Liquidation of the Diverse Multi-Manager Active ETF

Sterling Capital Announces Liquidation of the Diverse Multi-Manager Active ETF

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11.29.2023 • Robert Brown, CFA®

High Yield - The Incredible Shrinking Asset Class and the Imminent Fall of the Zombies

The high-yield bond market has been having a relatively good 2023 as technicals remain firm and the feared recession has so far failed to materialize. Through mid-November, the ICE BofA U.S. High Yield Index has generated 7.8% total return year to date and a 6.4% return in excess of duration matched Treasuries. We see a mixed picture for the asset class ahead as all in yields remain attractive, while challenges are increasing as a maturity wall looms.

11.28.2023 • Charles Wittmann, CFA®

The Lead - "Pursuing Sustainable Success"

- As investors, we want our clients to have sustained success, and that means investing in dividend-paying stocks that have a capacity to pay attractive and sustainably-growing dividends. - In the current market environment, we believe those companies are becoming increasingly scarce. - Declining dividend payments in the Energy sector have been a key contributor to the overall decline in S&P 500 dividend growth and we discuss the challenges. - We prefer companies that have rising cash flows that provide more sustainable dividend growth that may position our clients for sustained success.

preview of document

11.02.2023 • Andrew Richman, CTFA

No Surprises from the Fed

Markets breathed a sigh of relief following this week's FOMC meeting as the current fed funds rate remained unchanged. Senior Fixed Income Specialist Andy Richman, CTFA, shares his views.

10.31.2023 • Charles Wittmann, CFA®

The Lead - "Balance Sheet Season"

- Rising interest costs are causing companies that fund their businesses through borrowing to reassess their priorities. - By investing in quality companies that we feel generate higher-than-average returns on capital, we believe they have more control over their business and do not depend on excessive debt to fund it. - Dividend payers themselves offer evidence of financial strength and financial health by demonstrating the ability to reward their shareholders with cash proceeds from their business each quarter. - Historically, this is why dividend payers tend to outperform later in an interest rate tightening cycle, as seen in the chart above.

10.03.2023 • Charles Wittmann, CFA®

The Lead - "Rising Tide"

- In a period of rising interest costs, wages, and energy costs, double-digit dividend growers have outperformed in 2023. - The largest dividend growers are also outpacing high dividend yielders in 2023. - Higher dividend growers are being rewarded in part for their ability to return more cash to their shareholders than slower growth peers. - We believe owning quality companies that earn returns on capital well above their cost of capital have the potential do well in this new environment.

Contact

Learn more about Sterling Capital solutions and services.

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© 2023 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods.

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