Fund Description

The fund invests primarily in equity securities, principally common and preferred stocks, of U.S. companies with market capitalizations of at least $1 billion at purchase that the subadvisor believes have above-average growth prospects. It uses bottom-up research, including company visits and management discussions, seeking superior earnings and sales growth, improving momentum, high or improving profitability, and strong balance sheets, and favoring companies that have met or exceeded expected earnings and appear attractively valued relative to growth. The process also considers competitive position, marketing, R&D, and management quality, integrates material ESG factors, and may result in concentrated sector exposure. It may invest up to 20% of assets in foreign issuers, including emerging markets.