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Quality Income Fund

Mutual Funds

Quality Income Fund


Fund Managers

Photo of Michael  Sun

Michael Sun, CFA®

Photo of Jeffrey  Ormsby

Jeffrey Ormsby, CFA®

Photo of Byron  Mims

Byron Mims, CFA®

Overview

C
Shares

SCSTX

Inception
Date

02.01.2013

Investment
Min.

$1,000

Subsequent
Investment Min.1

N/A

Max. Up Front
Sales Charge

N/A

Max. Deferred
Sales Charge

1%

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

Philosophy & Process

In managing the Fund, the portfolio management team employs a multi-faceted approach to generate excess return and uses a combination of top-down and bottom-up analysis, quantitative vs. qualitative analysis and fundamentals vs. valuation. There is a strong emphasis on risk management and an adherence to certain core investment beliefs:

  • "If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it."
  • Avoid unintended exposures
  • Average duration around 2 to 5 years with focus on high quality and risk management
  • Participate in longer term trends - don't buy on short-term trends or try to time what is going on in the market
  • Attempts to achieve risk-adjusted performance over time

Investment Considerations

The Fund is subject to the same risks as the underlying bonds in the portfolio such as credit, prepayment, call and interest rate risk. As interest rates rise the value of bond prices will decline. The Fund may invest in more aggressive investments such as foreign securities which may expose the Fund to currency and exchange rate fluctuations; derivatives (futures and swaps); mortgage-backed securities sensitive to interest rates and high yield debt (also known as junk bonds), all of which may cause greater volatility and less liquidity. Derivatives may be more sensitive to changes in market conditions and may amplify risks.

Fund Facts

Term Class A Shares Class C Shares Class I Shares
Ticker SCSSXSCSTXSCSPX
Inception Date 02.01.201302.01.201302.01.2013
Investment Min. $1,000$1,000$1,000,000
Subsequent Investment Min.2 N/AN/AN/A
Max. Up Front Sales Charge 2%N/AN/A
Max. Deferred Sales Charge N/A1%N/A

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

Quality Income Fund

Management

View professional designations disclosures

Photo of Michael  Sun

Michael Sun, CFA®

Co-Portfolio Manager

Photo of Jeffrey  Ormsby

Jeffrey Ormsby, CFA®

Co-Portfolio Manager

Photo of Byron  Mims

Byron Mims, CFA®

Co-Portfolio Manager

Performance

Fund Performance as of 12.31.2024

Term QTR YTD 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years Since Inception
A Shares with 2.00% Sales Charge -4.48% 0.13% 0.13% -1.62% -0.37% 1.16% 1.29%
A Shares without Sales Charge -2.50% 2.14% 2.14% -0.96% 0.02% 1.36% 1.46%
Institutional Shares -2.43% 2.40% 2.40% -0.71% 0.25% 1.61% 2.06%
Lipper U.S. Mortgage Median 8.26% 13.22% 20.80% 17.16% 5.70% 5.31% N/A

The total expense ratios for Class A, C and I Shares are 0.82%, 1.57% and 0.57%, respectively.

The Advisor has contractually agreed to limit certain fees paid by the Fund from 02.01.2025-01.31.2026. 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 Sterling Capital Quality Income 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 02.01.2013. The inception date for Class C Shares is 02.01.2013. The inception date for Class Inst'l Shares is 02.01.2013. The performance shown reflects the reinvestment of all dividend and capital gains distributions. Performance is annualized for periods greater than one year.

Performance for Class A Shares and Institutional Shares for periods prior to inception on 02.01.2013 is based on performance of Class S Shares of the Fund which were re-designated as Institutional Shares as of 02.01.2013. Class A Shares and Institutional Shares of the Fund would have substantially similar performance because the Shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities and the performance would differ only to the extent that the Classes have different expenses.

Characteristics

Quality Breakdown as of 12.31.2024

Credit quality ratings using Moody's rating symbols reflect the credit quality of the underlying bonds in the fund portfolio and not of the Fund itself. Moody's assigns a range of ratings from AAA being the highest quality to C being the lowest rated class of bonds. Securities not rated by Moody's may be rated by S&P, Fitch or if no agency rating is available, the Fund will assign a rating of not rated. Bond quality ratings are subject to change.

Effective Duration Breakdown as of 12.31.2024

Name Value
0-1 Yr. 3.27
1-2 Yr. 3.92
2-3 Yr. 4.59
3-4 Yr. 10.29
4-5 Yr. 14.27
5-6 Yr. 22.94
6-7 Yr. 21.26
7-8 Yr. 9.14
8-9 Yr. 3.55
9-10 Yr. 1.15
10+ Yr. 5.62

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

Summary Statistics as of 12.31.2024

Name Value
Number of Holdings 242
Average Life 6.86 Years
Effective Duration 5.30 Years
Annual Turnover 10%

Portfolio Composition as of 12.31.2024

Composition Fund Index
Government Related 0.3% 0.0%
     Agency 0.3% 0.0%
Securitized 96.4% 100.0%
     MBS 47.5% 100.0%
     ABS 9.0% 0.0%
     CMBS 17.6% 0.0%
     CMO 22.3% 0.0%
Treasury 2.1% 0.0%
     Treasury 2.1% 0.0%
Cash 1.3% 0.0%
     Cash 1.3% 0.0%

Top Ten Holdings as of 12.31.2024

# Company Name Value
1 Fhlmc 30yr Pool Sd2473 5.000% 01-feb-2053 2.32%
2 Fnma 30yr Pool Fs8829 4.500% 01-sep-2053 2.31%
3 Fhlmc 30yr Pool sSd6622 5.500% 01-nov-2054 2.29%
4 Fnma 30yr Pool Fs9455 5.500% 01-nov-2054 2.29%
5 GNMA Remic Trust 2019-90 AB 2.28%
6 Fnma 30yr Pool Bw9905 4.500% 01-oct-2052 2.24%
7 Fnma 30yr Pool Fs9535 5.000% 01-oct-2054 2.21%
8 Fhlmc 30yr Pool Sd6558 6.000% 01-sep-2054 1.99%
9 Fnma 30yr Pool Fs7715 6.000% 01-may-2054 1.94%
10 FHLMC Remic Series 4938 KA 1.93%

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

Growth of $10,000 as of 12.31.2024

The Growth of $10,000 is hypothetical based upon the performance of net A Shares at NAV for the period ended 12.31.2024. It includes the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains.

Distribution

Monthly Dividend Distribution as of 01.31.2025

Month Class A Shares Class C Shares Class Inst'l Shares
January 2025 $0.0281 $0.0233 $0.0300
December 2024 $0.0280 $0.0232 $0.0299
July 2024 $0.0244 $0.0195 $0.0263
June 2024 $0.0246 $0.0195 $0.0263
May 2024 $0.0245 $0.0192 $0.0263
April 2024 $0.0243 $0.0193 $0.0260
March 2024 $0.0244 $0.0192 $0.0263
February 2024 $0.0242 $0.0192 $0.0259

30-Day SEC Yield as of 12.31.2024

Share Class Without Waivers With Waivers
Class A 3.73% 3.79%
Class C 3.18% 3.22%
Class I 4.07% 4.12%

Fixed Income Funds

Insights

02.04.2025 • Charles Wittmann, CFA®

The Lead - Looking for More

- This month, our discussions with clients involved their search for fast dividend growers in the value space.
- We analyze the fastest dividend growers in the large cap value universe and ask if they are really growing their dividends or just reinstating them.
- We note how we look for both dividend growth and differentiated securities that combine attractive elements of growth, yield, and risk-adjusted returns.

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01.27.2025 • Andrew Richman, CTFA

Meet Andrew Richman, Sterling Capital Managing Director and Senior Fixed Income Client Strategist

Sterling Capital is pleased to share this closer look at Andy Richman, Managing Director. In this spotlight, he shares his favorite Sterling tradition, the qualities he thinks are the most important in the investment industry, and the book that really had an impact on him. It’s great to have you on our team, Andy! Thank you for everything you do, and for sharing this with us.

01.15.2025 • Charles Wittmann, CFA®

The Lead - Quality Dynamics

- 4Q24 generated interesting dynamics in terms of what stocks worked and what didn’t based on quality.
- We discuss how low-quality stocks with B or worse ratings outperformed higher-quality stocks of B+ or better by +4.12% in the quarter and +10.50% in 2024.
- In addition, unprofitable stocks were top performers during the quarter in the Russell 1000® Value Index.
- Finally, we share how managers who were willing to own stocks with risk related to interest rates, the macroeconomy, or higher balance sheet leverage performed in the value space relative to their peers.

12.20.2024 • Andrew Richman, CTFA

Powell Pause Looming

Andy Richman's update on the December Federal Open Market Committee meeting.

12.17.2024 • Peter Brown, CFA®

Video - Sterling Capital's Fixed Income Philosophy

Sterling Capital specializes in fixed income investing, and today we’re looking at the team’s philosophy with Pete Brown, Managing Director and Head of Investment-Grade Credit. Watch and gain valuable insights as Pete reveals their fixed income philosophy, emphasis on risk-management and team-managed approach.

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12.12.2024 • Orton Chen, CFA®

Meet Orton Chen, Chief Investment Officer for Sterling Capital's Private Client Group

Sterling Capital is pleased to share a closer look at Orton Chen, Chief Investment Officer for our Private Client Group. In this spotlight, he shares his professional experience and advice, and the one rule he would make if he could. It’s great to have you on our team, Ort! Thank you for everything you do, and for sharing this with us.

Contact

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