united states
securities and exchange commission
washington, d.c. 20549
form n-csr
certified shareholder report of registered management
investment companies
Investment Company Act file number 811-22655
Northern Lights Fund Trust III
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)
225 Pictoria Drive , Suite 450,Cincinnati, Ohio 45246
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)
The Corporation Trust Company
1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
(Name and address of agent for service)
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: 631-490-4300
Date of fiscal year end: 6/30
Date of reporting period: 12/31/23
Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF
QQH
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF
LGH
Semi-Annual Report
December 31, 2023
1-770-642-4902
www.howardcmetfs.com
Distributed by Northern Lights Distributors, LLC
Member FINRA/SIPC
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF
PORTFOLIO REVIEW (Unaudited)
December 31, 2023
The Fund’s performance figures* for the period ended December 31, 2023, compared to its benchmarks:
Annualized | ||||
Annualized | Since Inception** - | |||
Six Months | One Year | Three Year | December 31, 2023 | |
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF - NAV | 6.86% | 48.00% | 7.23% | 18.12% |
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF - Market Price | 6.73% | 48.04% | 7.14% | 18.11% |
HCM Defender 100 Index*** | 5.69% | 46.02% | 9.27% | 18.85% |
Nasdaq 100 Total Return Index **** | 11.32% | 55.13% | 10.18% | 21.35% |
* | The Fund’s past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Total returns are calculated with the traded net asset value or “NAV” on December 31, 2023. The returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions, if any, or the redemption of Fund shares. Current performance of the Fund may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Performance data current to the most recent month end may be obtained by visiting www.howardcmetfs.com or by calling 1-770-642-4902. The Fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the market price per share of the Fund. Since November 2, 2020, market price returns are calculated using the closing price and account for distributions from the Fund. Prior to November 2, 2020, market price returns were calculated using the midpoint price and accounted for distributions from the Fund. Market price and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at market price and NAV, respectively. The Fund’s total annual operating expenses are 0.96% per the November 1, 2023 prospectus. Please see the Financial Highlights for a more recent expense ratio. |
** | Inception date is October 9, 2019. |
*** | Prior to July 12, 2022, the HCM Defender 100 Index was comprised of securities in the Solactive US Technology 100 Index (“Tech Equity Sub-Index”), which are the largest and most liquid companies classified in the technology sector as defined by the TRBC Sector Classification, securities in the Solactive 1-3 month US TBill Index (“Treasury Sub-Index”), which are U.S. dollar denominated T-Bills with a time to maturity of 1 to 3 months, or a combination of both. The HCM Defender 100 Index alternated exposure among a full position of securities in the Tech Equity Sub-Index, a full position of securities in the Treasury Sub-Index, or a 50/50 position of securities in the Tech Equity Sub-Index/Treasury Sub-Index. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. |
**** | The Nasdaq 100 Total Return Index includes 100 of the largest domestic and international non-financial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. |
1
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF
PORTFOLIO REVIEW (Unaudited)(Continued)
December 31, 2023
The Fund’s holdings by investment type as of December 31, 2023 were as follows:
Industry Sector/Investment Type | % of Net Assets | |||
Exchange Traded Funds | ||||
Equity - Large Cap Blend | 19.7 | % | ||
Common Stocks | ||||
Software | 16.4 | % | ||
Semiconductors | 14.1 | % | ||
Technology Hardware | 12.2 | % | ||
Internet Media & Services | 10.5 | % | ||
E-Commerce Discretionary | 5.3 | % | ||
Automotive | 3.8 | % | ||
Biotech & Pharma | 3.1 | % | ||
Retail - Consumer Staples | 1.9 | % | ||
Beverages | 1.7 | % | ||
Technology Services | 1.6 | % | ||
Medical Equipment & Devices | 1.5 | % | ||
Cable & Satellite | 1.2 | % | ||
Leisure Facilities & Services | 0.9 | % | ||
Retail - Discretionary | 0.8 | % | ||
Electric Utilities | 0.8 | % | ||
Diversified Industrials | 0.7 | % | ||
Food | 0.7 | % | ||
Transportation & Logistics | 0.6 | % | ||
Telecommunications | 0.4 | % | ||
Entertainment Content | 0.3 | % | ||
Commercial Support Services | 0.3 | % | ||
Transportation Equipment | 0.3 | % | ||
Wholesale - Discretionary | 0.2 | % | ||
Advertising & Marketing | 0.2 | % | ||
Industrial Support Services | 0.2 | % | ||
Oil & Gas Services & Equipment | 0.2 | % | ||
Oil & Gas Producers | 0.1 | % | ||
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities | 0.3 | % | ||
100.0 | % | |||
Please refer to the Schedule of Investments in this Semi-Annual Report for a listing of the Fund’s holdings.
2
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF
PORTFOLIO REVIEW (Unaudited)
December 31, 2023
The Fund’s performance figures* for the period ended December 31, 2023, compared to its benchmarks:
Annualized | ||||
Annualized | Since Inception** - | |||
Six Months | One Year | Three Year | December 31, 2023 | |
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF - NAV | 5.42% | 24.21% | 8.19% | 13.02% |
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF - Market Price | 5.21% | 24.17% | 8.07% | 12.99% |
HCM Defender 500 Index*** | 4.79% | 21.26% | 6.61% | 11.44% |
S&P 500 Total Return Index **** | 8.04% | 26.29% | 10.00% | 14.18% |
* | The Fund’s past performance does not guarantee future results. The investment return and principal value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Total returns are calculated with the traded net asset value or “NAV” on December 31, 2023. The returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions, if any, or the redemption of Fund shares. Current performance of the Fund may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. Performance data current to the most recent month end may be obtained by visiting www.howardcmetfs.com or by calling 1-770-642-4902. The Fund’s per share NAV is the value of one share of the Fund as calculated in accordance with the standard formula for valuing mutual fund shares. The NAV return is based on the NAV of the Fund and the market return is based on the market price per share of the Fund. Since November 2, 2020, market price returns are calculated using the closing price and account for distributions from the Fund. Prior to November 2, 2020, market price returns were calculated using the midpoint price and accounted for distributions from the Fund. Market price and NAV returns assume that dividends and capital gain distributions have been reinvested in the Fund at market price and NAV, respectively. The Fund’s total annual operating expenses are 0.98% per the November 1, 2023 prospectus. Please see the Financial Highlights for a more recent expense ratio. |
** | Inception date is October 9, 2019. |
*** | Prior to July 12, 2022, the HCM Defender 500 Index was comprised of securities in the Solactive US Large Cap Index (“Large Cap Equity Sub - Index”), which are common stocks issued by 500 large – capitalization companies traded on American stock exchanges, securities in the Solactive 1 - 3 month US T - Bill Index (“Treasury Sub - Index”), which are U.S. dollar denominated T - Bills with a time to maturity of 1 to 3 months, or a combination of both. The HCM 500 Index alternated exposure among a full position of securities in the Large Cap Equity Sub-Index, a full position of securities in the Treasury Sub-Index, or a 50/50 position of securities in the Large Cap Equity Sub-Index/Treasury Sub-Index. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. |
**** | The S&P 500 Total Return Index is a widely accepted, unmanaged index of U.S. stock market performance which does not take into account charges, fees and other expenses. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. |
3
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF |
PORTFOLIO REVIEW (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
The Fund’s holdings by investment type as of December 31, 2023 were as follows:
Industry Sector/Investment Type | % of Net Assets | |||
Exchange Traded Funds | ||||
Equity - Large Cap Blend | 19.9 | % | ||
Common Stocks | ||||
Software | 9.7 | % | ||
Technology Hardware | 7.3 | % | ||
Internet Media & Services | 6.5 | % | ||
Semiconductors | 6.2 | % | ||
Biotech & Pharma | 4.8 | % | ||
Technology Services | 4.2 | % | ||
E-Commerce Discretionary | 3.2 | % | ||
Oil & Gas Producers | 2.9 | % | ||
Medical Equipment & Devices | 2.9 | % | ||
Banking | 2.6 | % | ||
Insurance | 2.5 | % | ||
Health Care Facilities & Services | 2.4 | % | ||
Automotive | 1.8 | % | ||
Electric Utilities | 1.6 | % | ||
Retail - Discretionary | 1.5 | % | ||
Retail - Consumer Staples | 1.3 | % | ||
Aerospace & Defense | 1.2 | % | ||
Chemicals | 1.2 | % | ||
Leisure Facilities & Services | 1.1 | % | ||
Beverages | 1.1 | % | ||
Diversified Industrials | 1.1 | % | ||
Transportation & Logistics | 1.0 | % | ||
Household Products | 1.0 | % | ||
Institutional Financial Services | 0.9 | % | ||
Asset Management | 0.9 | % | ||
Machinery | 0.8 | % | ||
Electrical Equipment | 0.7 | % | ||
Telecommunications | 0.7 | % | ||
Food | 0.5 | % | ||
Entertainment Content | 0.5 | % | ||
Tobacco & Cannabis | 0.4 | % | ||
Cable & Satellite | 0.4 | % |
Industry Sector/Investment Type | % of Net Assets | |||
Common Stocks (continued) | ||||
Specialty Finance | 0.4 | % | ||
Infrastructure Reit | 0.4 | % | ||
Commercial Support Services | 0.3 | % | ||
Apparel & Textile Products | 0.3 | % | ||
Home Construction | 0.3 | % | ||
Residential Reit | 0.3 | % | ||
Oil & Gas Services & Equipment | 0.3 | % | ||
Construction Materials | 0.2 | % | ||
Industrial Reit | 0.2 | % | ||
Data Center Reit | 0.2 | % | ||
Industrial Support Services | 0.2 | % | ||
Transportation Equipment | 0.2 | % | ||
Retail Reit | 0.2 | % | ||
Metals & Mining | 0.2 | % | ||
Wholesale - Consumer Staples | 0.2 | % | ||
Self-Storage Reit | 0.1 | % | ||
Steel | 0.1 | % | ||
Health Care Reit | 0.1 | % | ||
Wholesale - Discretionary | 0.1 | % | ||
Advertising & Marketing | 0.1 | % | ||
Engineering & Construction | 0.1 | % | ||
Containers & Packaging | 0.1 | % | ||
Gas & Water Utilities | 0.1 | % | ||
Renewable Energy | 0.1 | % | ||
Gaming Reit | 0.1 | % | ||
Real Estate Services | 0.1 | % | ||
Timber Reit | 0.1 | % | ||
Office Reit | 0.0 | % * | ||
Specialty Reit | 0.0 | % * | ||
Leisure Products | 0.0 | % * | ||
Hotel Reit | 0.0 | % * | ||
Multi Asset Class Reit | 0.0 | % * | ||
Right | ||||
Medical Equipment & Devices | 0.0 | % * | ||
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities | 0.1 | % | ||
100.0 | % |
* | Percentage rounds to less than 0.1%. |
Please refer to the Schedule of Investments in this Semi-Annual Report for a listing of the Fund’s holdings.
4
HCM DEFENDER 100 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% | ||||||||
ADVERTISING & MARKETING - 0.2% | ||||||||
10,347 | Trade Desk, Inc. (The), Class A(a) | $ | 744,570 | |||||
AUTOMOTIVE - 3.8% | ||||||||
55,753 | Tesla, Inc.(a) | 13,853,505 | ||||||
BEVERAGES - 1.7% | ||||||||
3,801 | Coca-Cola Europacific Partners plc | 253,679 | ||||||
16,977 | Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc. | 565,674 | ||||||
10,169 | Monster Beverage Corporation(a) | 585,836 | ||||||
28,042 | PepsiCo, Inc. | 4,762,653 | ||||||
6,167,842 | ||||||||
BIOTECH & PHARMA - 3.1% | ||||||||
2,468 | Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | 472,400 | ||||||
10,534 | Amgen, Inc. | 3,034,002 | ||||||
3,088 | Biogen, Inc.(a) | 799,082 | ||||||
1,642 | BioNTech S.E. - ADR(a) | 173,297 | ||||||
25,686 | Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 2,080,823 | ||||||
6,593 | Moderna, Inc.(a) | 655,674 | ||||||
2,071 | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | 1,818,939 | ||||||
5,119 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | 2,082,869 | ||||||
11,117,086 | ||||||||
CABLE & SATELLITE - 1.2% | ||||||||
1,940 | Charter Communications, Inc., Class A(a) | 754,039 | ||||||
85,057 | Comcast Corporation, Class A | 3,729,750 | ||||||
4,483,789 | ||||||||
COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 0.3% | ||||||||
1,612 | Cintas Corporation | 971,488 | ||||||
DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIALS - 0.7% | ||||||||
12,946 | Honeywell International, Inc. | 2,714,905 | ||||||
E-COMMERCE DISCRETIONARY - 5.3% | ||||||||
102,656 | Amazon.com, Inc.(a) | 15,597,553 | ||||||
10,794 | eBay, Inc. | 470,834 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
5
HCM DEFENDER 100 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
E-COMMERCE DISCRETIONARY - 5.3% (Continued) | ||||||||
864 | MercadoLibre, Inc.(a) | $ | 1,357,811 | |||||
12,346 | PDD Holdings, Inc. - ADR(a) | 1,806,343 | ||||||
19,232,541 | ||||||||
ELECTRIC UTILITIES - 0.8% | ||||||||
10,156 | American Electric Power Company, Inc. | 824,870 | ||||||
6,457 | Constellation Energy Corporation | 754,759 | ||||||
19,188 | Exelon Corporation | 688,849 | ||||||
11,172 | Xcel Energy, Inc. | 691,659 | ||||||
2,960,137 | ||||||||
ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT - 0.3% | ||||||||
4,957 | Electronic Arts, Inc. | 678,167 | ||||||
49,370 | Warner Bros Discovery, Inc.(a) | 561,831 | ||||||
1,239,998 | ||||||||
FOOD - 0.7% | ||||||||
15,021 | Kraft Heinz Company (The) | 555,477 | ||||||
25,745 | Mondelez International, Inc., A | 1,864,710 | ||||||
2,420,187 | ||||||||
INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 0.2% | ||||||||
11,009 | Fastenal Co. | 713,053 | ||||||
INTERNET MEDIA & SERVICES - 10.5% | ||||||||
8,124 | Airbnb, Inc., Class A(a) | 1,106,001 | ||||||
56,236 | Alphabet, Inc., Class A(a) | 7,855,606 | ||||||
55,618 | Alphabet, Inc., Class C(a) | 7,838,245 | ||||||
663 | Booking Holdings, Inc.(a) | 2,351,807 | ||||||
41,803 | Meta Platforms, Inc., Class A(a) | 14,796,590 | ||||||
8,712 | Netflix, Inc.(a) | 4,241,699 | ||||||
38,189,948 | ||||||||
LEISURE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 0.9% | ||||||||
4,866 | Marriott International, Inc., Class A | 1,097,332 | ||||||
22,070 | Starbucks Corporation | 2,118,940 | ||||||
3,216,272 | ||||||||
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 1.5% | ||||||||
1,374 | Align Technology, Inc.(a) | 376,476 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
6
HCM DEFENDER 100 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 1.5% (Continued) | ||||||||
7,336 | DexCom, Inc.(a) | $ | 910,324 | |||||
7,175 | GE HealthCare Technologies, Inc. | 554,771 | ||||||
1,537 | IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(a) | 853,112 | ||||||
3,474 | Illumina, Inc.(a) | 483,720 | ||||||
6,808 | Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a) | 2,296,747 | ||||||
5,475,150 | ||||||||
OIL & GAS PRODUCERS - 0.1% | ||||||||
3,321 | Diamondback Energy, Inc. | 515,021 | ||||||
OIL & GAS SERVICES & EQUIPMENT - 0.2% | ||||||||
20,214 | Baker Hughes Company | 690,914 | ||||||
RETAIL - CONSUMER STAPLES - 1.9% | ||||||||
8,845 | Costco Wholesale Corporation | 5,838,408 | ||||||
4,045 | Dollar Tree, Inc.(a) | 574,592 | ||||||
14,386 | Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | 375,618 | ||||||
6,788,618 | ||||||||
RETAIL - DISCRETIONARY - 0.8% | ||||||||
2,156 | Lululemon Athletica, Inc.(a) | 1,102,341 | ||||||
1,133 | O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.(a) | 1,076,441 | ||||||
6,431 | Ross Stores, Inc. | 889,986 | ||||||
3,068,768 | ||||||||
SEMICONDUCTORS - 14.1% | ||||||||
30,930 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(a) | 4,559,391 | ||||||
9,603 | Analog Devices, Inc. | 1,906,772 | ||||||
15,218 | Applied Materials, Inc. | 2,466,381 | ||||||
7,479 | Broadcom, Inc. | 8,348,434 | ||||||
1,277 | GLOBALFOUNDRIES, Inc.(a) | 77,386 | ||||||
83,876 | Intel Corporation | 4,214,769 | ||||||
2,482 | KLA Corporation | 1,442,787 | ||||||
2,419 | Lam Research Corporation | 1,894,706 | ||||||
15,765 | Marvell Technology, Inc. | 950,787 | ||||||
10,308 | Microchip Technology, Inc. | 929,575 | ||||||
20,493 | Micron Technology, Inc. | 1,748,873 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
7
HCM DEFENDER 100 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
SEMICONDUCTORS - 14.1% (Continued) | ||||||||
30,565 | NVIDIA Corporation | $ | 15,136,399 | |||||
4,974 | NXP Semiconductors N.V. | 1,142,428 | ||||||
8,328 | ON Semiconductor Corporation(a) | 695,638 | ||||||
20,703 | QUALCOMM, Inc. | 2,994,275 | ||||||
17,596 | Texas Instruments, Inc. | 2,999,414 | ||||||
51,508,015 | ||||||||
SOFTWARE - 16.4% | ||||||||
8,763 | Adobe, Inc.(a) | 5,228,007 | ||||||
1,583 | ANSYS, Inc.(a) | 574,439 | ||||||
2,818 | Atlassian Corp plc, Class A(a) | 670,289 | ||||||
3,931 | Autodesk, Inc.(a) | 957,120 | ||||||
5,032 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.(a) | 1,370,566 | ||||||
4,054 | Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc., Class A(a) | 1,035,067 | ||||||
4,196 | Datadog, Inc., Class A(a) | 509,310 | ||||||
13,076 | Fortinet, Inc.(a) | 765,338 | ||||||
5,018 | Intuit, Inc. | 3,136,401 | ||||||
105,193 | Microsoft Corporation | 39,556,777 | ||||||
1,139 | MongoDB, Inc.(a) | 465,680 | ||||||
5,491 | Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(a) | 1,619,186 | ||||||
1,970 | Roper Technologies, Inc. | 1,073,985 | ||||||
2,726 | Synopsys, Inc.(a) | 1,403,645 | ||||||
3,706 | Workday, Inc., Class A(a) | 1,023,078 | ||||||
4,808 | Zoom Video Communications, Inc., Class A(a) | 345,743 | ||||||
59,734,631 | ||||||||
TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE - 12.2% | ||||||||
209,180 | Apple, Inc. | 40,273,425 | ||||||
84,507 | Cisco Systems, Inc. | 4,269,294 | ||||||
44,542,719 | ||||||||
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 1.6% | ||||||||
7,650 | Automatic Data Processing, Inc. | 1,782,221 | ||||||
9,987 | Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, Class A | 754,318 | ||||||
7,503 | CoStar Group, Inc.(a) | 655,687 | ||||||
6,003 | Paychex, Inc. | 715,017 | ||||||
21,149 | PayPal Holdings, Inc.(a) | 1,298,760 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
8
HCM DEFENDER 100 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 1.6% (Continued) | ||||||||
2,779 | Verisk Analytics, Inc. | $ | 663,792 | |||||
5,869,795 | ||||||||
TELECOMMUNICATIONS - 0.4% | ||||||||
10,074 | T-Mobile US, Inc. | 1,615,164 | ||||||
TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS - 0.6% | ||||||||
38,723 | CSX Corporation | 1,342,526 | ||||||
1,850 | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | 749,861 | ||||||
2,092,387 | ||||||||
TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT - 0.3% | ||||||||
9,729 | PACCAR, Inc. | 950,037 | ||||||
WHOLESALE - DISCRETIONARY - 0.2% | ||||||||
15,571 | Copart, Inc.(a) | 762,979 | ||||||
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $250,927,087) | 291,639,519 | |||||||
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND — 19.7% | ||||||||
EQUITY - 19.7% | ||||||||
1,417,000 | ProShares UltraPro QQQ (Cost $63,125,933) | 71,841,900 | ||||||
TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 99.7% (Cost $314,053,020) | $ | 363,481,419 | ||||||
OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES - 0.3% | 1,193,652 | |||||||
NET ASSETS - 100.0% | $ | 364,675,071 |
ADR - American Depositary Receipt
ETF - Exchange-Traded Fund
NV - Naamioze Vennootschap
PLC - Public Limited Company
(a) | Non-income producing security. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
9
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% | ||||||||
ADVERTISING & MARKETING - 0.1% | ||||||||
1,077 | Omnicom Group, Inc. | $ | 93,171 | |||||
2,968 | Trade Desk, Inc. (The), Class A(a) | 213,578 | ||||||
306,749 | ||||||||
AEROSPACE & DEFENSE - 1.2% | ||||||||
3,015 | Boeing Company (The)(a) | 785,889 | ||||||
1,220 | General Dynamics Corporation | 316,797 | ||||||
2,191 | Howmet Aerospace, Inc. | 118,577 | ||||||
1,038 | L3Harris Technologies, Inc. | 218,624 | ||||||
1,400 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | 634,536 | ||||||
818 | Northrop Grumman Corporation | 382,939 | ||||||
7,873 | Raytheon Technologies Corporation | 662,434 | ||||||
282 | Teledyne Technologies, Inc.(a) | 125,854 | ||||||
1,070 | Textron, Inc. | 86,049 | ||||||
245 | TransDigm Group, Inc. | 247,842 | ||||||
3,579,541 | ||||||||
APPAREL & TEXTILE PRODUCTS - 0.3% | ||||||||
126 | Deckers Outdoor Corporation(a) | 84,222 | ||||||
6,865 | NIKE, Inc., Class B | 745,333 | ||||||
829,555 | ||||||||
ASSET MANAGEMENT - 0.9% | ||||||||
562 | Ameriprise Financial, Inc. | 213,464 | ||||||
2,228 | Apollo Global Management, Inc. | 207,627 | ||||||
762 | Ares Management Corporation, Class A | 90,617 | ||||||
775 | BlackRock, Inc. | 629,146 | ||||||
3,878 | Blackstone, Inc. | 507,708 | ||||||
7,480 | Charles Schwab Corporation (The) | 514,624 | ||||||
3,431 | KKR & Company, Inc. | 284,258 | ||||||
355 | LPL Financial Holdings, Inc. | 80,805 | ||||||
1,085 | Raymond James Financial, Inc. | 120,978 | ||||||
1,170 | T Rowe Price Group, Inc. | 125,997 | ||||||
2,775,224 | ||||||||
AUTOMOTIVE - 1.8% | ||||||||
22,140 | Ford Motor Company | 269,887 | ||||||
8,131 | General Motors Company | 292,066 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
10
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
AUTOMOTIVE - 1.8% (Continued) | ||||||||
20,169 | Tesla, Inc.(a) | $ | 5,011,592 | |||||
5,573,545 | ||||||||
BANKING - 2.6% | ||||||||
39,268 | Bank of America Corporation | 1,322,154 | ||||||
10,348 | Citigroup, Inc. | 532,301 | ||||||
2,166 | Citizens Financial Group, Inc. | 71,781 | ||||||
4,345 | Fifth Third Bancorp | 149,859 | ||||||
7,912 | Huntington Bancshares, Inc. | 100,641 | ||||||
20,871 | JPMorgan Chase & Company | 3,550,156 | ||||||
4,904 | KeyCorporation | 70,618 | ||||||
917 | M&T Bank Corporation | 125,702 | ||||||
2,250 | PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The) | 348,413 | ||||||
5,387 | Regions Financial Corporation | 104,400 | ||||||
7,411 | Truist Financial Corporation | 273,614 | ||||||
7,954 | US Bancorp | 344,249 | ||||||
19,932 | Wells Fargo & Company | 981,053 | ||||||
7,974,941 | ||||||||
BEVERAGES - 1.1% | ||||||||
1,899 | Brown-Forman Corporation, Class B | 108,433 | ||||||
21,493 | Coca-Cola Company (The) | 1,266,582 | ||||||
900 | Constellation Brands, Inc., Class A | 217,575 | ||||||
5,224 | Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc. | 174,064 | ||||||
2,953 | Monster Beverage Corporation(a) | 170,122 | ||||||
7,628 | PepsiCo, Inc. | 1,295,540 | ||||||
3,232,316 | ||||||||
BIOTECH & PHARMA - 4.8% | ||||||||
10,017 | AbbVie, Inc. | 1,552,334 | ||||||
680 | Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | 130,159 | ||||||
2,951 | Amgen, Inc. | 849,947 | ||||||
846 | Biogen, Inc.(a) | 218,919 | ||||||
965 | BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.(a) | 93,045 | ||||||
11,928 | Bristol-Myers Squibb Company | 612,026 | ||||||
6,147 | Eli Lilly and Company | 3,583,209 | ||||||
7,166 | Gilead Sciences, Inc. | 580,518 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
11
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
BIOTECH & PHARMA - 4.8% (Continued) | ||||||||
1,045 | Incyte Corporation(a) | $ | 65,616 | |||||
15,798 | Johnson & Johnson | 2,476,179 | ||||||
14,412 | Merck & Company, Inc. | 1,571,196 | ||||||
1,957 | Moderna, Inc.(a) | 194,624 | ||||||
33,348 | Pfizer, Inc. | 960,089 | ||||||
578 | Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | 507,652 | ||||||
2,023 | Royalty Pharma plc, Class A | 56,826 | ||||||
1,443 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | 587,142 | ||||||
5,847 | Viatris, Inc. | 63,323 | ||||||
2,563 | Zoetis, Inc. | 505,859 | ||||||
14,608,663 | ||||||||
CABLE & SATELLITE - 0.4% | ||||||||
527 | Charter Communications, Inc., Class A(a) | 204,834 | ||||||
22,656 | Comcast Corporation, Class A | 993,466 | ||||||
1,198,300 | ||||||||
CHEMICALS - 1.2% | ||||||||
1,110 | Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. | 303,918 | ||||||
702 | Albemarle Corporation | 101,425 | ||||||
454 | Avery Dennison Corporation | 91,781 | ||||||
1,023 | CF Industries Holdings, Inc. | 81,329 | ||||||
4,333 | Corteva, Inc. | 207,637 | ||||||
3,836 | Dow, Inc. | 210,366 | ||||||
2,361 | DuPont de Nemours, Inc. | 181,632 | ||||||
1,370 | Ecolab, Inc. | 271,740 | ||||||
1,518 | International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. | 122,912 | ||||||
2,637 | Linde plc | 1,083,041 | ||||||
1,445 | LyondellBasell Industries N.V., Class A | 137,391 | ||||||
1,616 | Mosaic Company (The) | 57,740 | ||||||
1,255 | PPG Industries, Inc. | 187,685 | ||||||
553 | RPM International, Inc. | 61,731 | ||||||
1,265 | Sherwin-Williams Company (The) | 394,554 | ||||||
3,494,882 | ||||||||
COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 0.3% | ||||||||
457 | Cintas Corporation | 275,416 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
12
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 0.3% (Continued) | ||||||||
1,029 | Republic Services, Inc. | $ | 169,692 | |||||
2,206 | Waste Management, Inc. | 395,095 | ||||||
840,203 | ||||||||
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS - 0.2% | ||||||||
304 | Carlisle Companies, Inc. | 94,979 | ||||||
3,642 | CRH plc | 251,880 | ||||||
357 | Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. | 178,111 | ||||||
766 | Vulcan Materials Company | 173,890 | ||||||
698,860 | ||||||||
CONTAINERS & PACKAGING - 0.1% | ||||||||
1,664 | Ball Corporation | 95,714 | ||||||
1,643 | International Paper Company | 59,394 | ||||||
521 | Packaging Corporation of America | 84,876 | ||||||
239,984 | ||||||||
DATA CENTER REIT - 0.2% | ||||||||
1,697 | Digital Realty Trust, Inc. | 228,382 | ||||||
495 | Equinix, Inc. | 398,668 | ||||||
627,050 | ||||||||
DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIALS - 1.1% | ||||||||
2,912 | 3M Company | 318,340 | ||||||
825 | Dover Corporation | 126,893 | ||||||
2,070 | Eaton Corporation PLC | 498,497 | ||||||
3,119 | Emerson Electric Company | 303,572 | ||||||
5,885 | General Electric Company | 751,103 | ||||||
3,632 | Honeywell International, Inc. | 761,667 | ||||||
1,641 | Illinois Tool Works, Inc. | 429,844 | ||||||
3,189,916 | ||||||||
E-COMMERCE DISCRETIONARY - 3.2% | ||||||||
62,472 | Amazon.com, Inc.(a) | 9,491,996 | ||||||
2,725 | eBay, Inc. | 118,865 | ||||||
9,610,861 | ||||||||
ELECTRIC UTILITIES - 1.6% | ||||||||
1,660 | Alliant Energy Corporation | 85,158 | ||||||
1,410 | Ameren Corporation | 101,999 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
13
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
ELECTRIC UTILITIES - 1.6% (Continued) | ||||||||
2,766 | American Electric Power Company, Inc. | $ | 224,655 | |||||
2,986 | CenterPoint Energy, Inc. | 85,310 | ||||||
1,454 | CMS Energy Corporation | 84,434 | ||||||
1,811 | Consolidated Edison, Inc. | 164,747 | ||||||
1,760 | Constellation Energy Corporation | 205,726 | ||||||
4,807 | Dominion Energy, Inc. | 225,929 | ||||||
1,090 | DTE Energy Company | 120,183 | ||||||
4,283 | Duke Energy Corporation | 415,622 | ||||||
2,126 | Edison International | 151,988 | ||||||
1,113 | Entergy Corporation | 112,624 | ||||||
1,090 | Evergy, Inc. | 56,898 | ||||||
1,992 | Eversource Energy | 122,946 | ||||||
5,472 | Exelon Corporation | 196,445 | ||||||
3,041 | FirstEnergy Corporation | 111,483 | ||||||
11,762 | NextEra Energy, Inc. | 714,425 | ||||||
12,844 | PG&E Corporation | 231,577 | ||||||
4,254 | PPL Corporation | 115,283 | ||||||
2,637 | Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. | 161,253 | ||||||
3,482 | Sempra Energy | 260,210 | ||||||
5,935 | Southern Company (The) | 416,162 | ||||||
1,681 | WEC Energy Group, Inc. | 141,490 | ||||||
3,197 | Xcel Energy, Inc. | 197,926 | ||||||
4,704,473 | ||||||||
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT - 0.7% | ||||||||
1,261 | AMETEK, Inc. | 207,926 | ||||||
3,139 | Amphenol Corporation, Class A | 311,170 | ||||||
4,739 | Carrier Global Corporation | 272,256 | ||||||
2,061 | Fortive Corporation | 151,751 | ||||||
279 | Hubbell, Inc. | 91,771 | ||||||
3,713 | Johnson Controls International plc | 214,017 | ||||||
886 | Keysight Technologies, Inc.(a) | 140,954 | ||||||
2,317 | Otis Worldwide Corporation | 207,302 | ||||||
631 | Rockwell Automation, Inc. | 195,913 | ||||||
1,203 | Trane Technologies PLC | 293,412 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
14
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT - 0.7% (Continued) | ||||||||
1,311 | Trimble, Inc.(a) | $ | 69,745 | |||||
2,156,217 | ||||||||
ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION - 0.1% | ||||||||
608 | Jacobs Solutions, Inc. | 78,918 | ||||||
781 | Quanta Services, Inc. | 168,540 | ||||||
247,458 | ||||||||
ENTERTAINMENT CONTENT - 0.5% | ||||||||
1,419 | Electronic Arts, Inc. | 194,133 | ||||||
2,075 | ROBLOX Corporation, Class A(a) | 94,869 | ||||||
906 | Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.(a) | 145,821 | ||||||
9,563 | Walt Disney Company (The) | 863,444 | ||||||
13,682 | Warner Bros Discovery, Inc.(a) | 155,701 | ||||||
1,453,968 | ||||||||
FOOD - 0.5% | ||||||||
2,911 | Conagra Brands, Inc. | 83,429 | ||||||
3,300 | General Mills, Inc. | 214,962 | ||||||
848 | Hershey Company (The) | 158,101 | ||||||
498 | J M Smucker Company (The) | 62,937 | ||||||
1,560 | Kellogg Company | 87,220 | ||||||
4,097 | Kraft Heinz Company (The) | 151,507 | ||||||
855 | Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. | 92,417 | ||||||
1,253 | McCormick & Company, Inc. | 85,730 | ||||||
7,441 | Mondelez International, Inc., A | 538,952 | ||||||
1,739 | Tyson Foods, Inc., Class A | 93,471 | ||||||
1,568,726 | ||||||||
GAMING REIT - 0.1% | ||||||||
5,713 | VICI Properties, Inc. | 182,130 | ||||||
GAS & WATER UTILITIES - 0.1% | ||||||||
1,083 | American Water Works Company, Inc. | 142,946 | ||||||
726 | Atmos Energy Corporation | 84,143 | ||||||
227,089 | ||||||||
HEALTH CARE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 2.4% | ||||||||
1,294 | Cardinal Health, Inc. | 130,435 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
15
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
HEALTH CARE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 2.4% (Continued) | ||||||||
951 | Cencora, Inc. | $ | 195,316 | |||||
3,027 | Centene Corporation(a) | 224,634 | ||||||
1,673 | Cigna Group (The) | 500,980 | ||||||
7,304 | CVS Health Corporation | 576,724 | ||||||
1,300 | Elevance Health, Inc. | 613,028 | ||||||
1,175 | HCA Healthcare, Inc. | 318,049 | ||||||
709 | Humana, Inc. | 324,587 | ||||||
979 | IQVIA Holdings, Inc.(a) | 226,521 | ||||||
528 | Laboratory Corp of America Holdings | 120,009 | ||||||
748 | McKesson Corporation | 346,309 | ||||||
303 | Molina Healthcare, Inc.(a) | 109,477 | ||||||
613 | Quest Diagnostics, Inc. | 84,520 | ||||||
6,625 | UnitedHealth Group, Inc. | 3,487,865 | ||||||
7,258,454 | ||||||||
HEALTH CARE REIT - 0.1% | ||||||||
2,555 | Ventas, Inc. | 127,341 | ||||||
2,836 | Welltower, Inc. | 255,722 | ||||||
383,063 | ||||||||
HOME CONSTRUCTION - 0.3% | ||||||||
1,761 | DR Horton, Inc. | 267,637 | ||||||
1,330 | Lennar Corporation, Class A | 198,223 | ||||||
1,445 | Masco Corporation | 96,786 | ||||||
17 | NVR, Inc.(a) | 119,008 | ||||||
1,319 | PulteGroup, Inc. | 136,147 | ||||||
817,801 | ||||||||
HOTEL REITS - 0.0%(b) | ||||||||
3,317 | Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. | 64,582 | ||||||
HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS - 1.0% | ||||||||
1,200 | Church & Dwight Company, Inc. | 113,472 | ||||||
608 | Clorox Company (The) | 86,695 | ||||||
4,673 | Colgate-Palmolive Company | 372,485 | ||||||
1,185 | Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. (The), Class A | 173,306 | ||||||
9,817 | Kenvue, Inc. | 211,360 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
16
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS - 1.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
1,784 | Kimberly-Clark Corporation | $ | 216,774 | |||||
12,873 | Procter & Gamble Company (The) | 1,886,409 | ||||||
3,060,501 | ||||||||
INDUSTRIAL REIT - 0.2% | ||||||||
5,205 | Prologis, Inc. | 693,827 | ||||||
INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 0.2% | ||||||||
3,154 | Fastenal Co. | 204,285 | ||||||
356 | United Rentals, Inc. | 204,138 | ||||||
205 | WW Grainger, Inc. | 169,881 | ||||||
578,304 | ||||||||
INFRASTRUCTURE REIT - 0.4% | ||||||||
2,656 | American Tower Corporation | 573,377 | ||||||
2,262 | Crown Castle, Inc. | 260,560 | ||||||
614 | SBA Communications Corporation | 155,766 | ||||||
48 | Texas Pacific Land Corporation | 75,478 | ||||||
1,065,181 | ||||||||
INSTITUTIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES - 0.9% | ||||||||
4,152 | Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (The) | 216,112 | ||||||
612 | Cboe Global Markets, Inc. | 109,279 | ||||||
1,863 | CME Group, Inc. | 392,348 | ||||||
1,830 | Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The) | 705,958 | ||||||
2,951 | Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. | 378,997 | ||||||
7,229 | Morgan Stanley | 674,104 | ||||||
2,074 | Nasdaq, Inc. | 120,582 | ||||||
1,157 | Northern Trust Corporation | 97,628 | ||||||
1,608 | State Street Corporation | 124,556 | ||||||
2,819,564 | ||||||||
INSURANCE - 2.5% | ||||||||
2,977 | Aflac, Inc. | 245,603 | ||||||
1,455 | Allstate Corporation (The) | 203,671 | ||||||
3,828 | American International Group, Inc. | 259,347 | ||||||
1,050 | Aon PLC, Class A | 305,571 | ||||||
1,890 | Arch Capital Group Ltd.(a) | 140,370 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
17
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
INSURANCE - 2.5% (Continued) | ||||||||
1,200 | Arthur J Gallagher & Company | $ | 269,856 | |||||
9,343 | Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., Class B(a) | 3,332,274 | ||||||
1,115 | Brown & Brown, Inc. | 79,288 | ||||||
2,205 | Chubb Ltd. | 498,330 | ||||||
816 | Cincinnati Financial Corporation | 84,423 | ||||||
1,828 | Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The) | 146,935 | ||||||
79 | Markel Group, Inc.(a) | 112,172 | ||||||
2,571 | Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. | 487,127 | ||||||
3,594 | MetLife, Inc. | 237,671 | ||||||
1,171 | Principal Financial Group, Inc. | 92,123 | ||||||
3,178 | Progressive Corporation (The) | 506,192 | ||||||
2,063 | Prudential Financial, Inc. | 213,954 | ||||||
1,277 | Travelers Companies, Inc. (The) | 243,256 | ||||||
1,192 | W R Berkley Corporation | 84,298 | ||||||
562 | Willis Towers Watson PLC | 135,554 | ||||||
7,678,015 | ||||||||
INTERNET MEDIA & SERVICES - 6.5% | ||||||||
2,295 | Airbnb, Inc., Class A(a) | 312,441 | ||||||
41,624 | Alphabet, Inc., Class A(a) | 5,814,456 | ||||||
35,751 | Alphabet, Inc., Class C(a) | 5,038,388 | ||||||
193 | Booking Holdings, Inc.(a) | 684,613 | ||||||
1,561 | DoorDash, Inc., Class A(a) | 154,367 | ||||||
682 | Expedia Group, Inc.(a) | 103,521 | ||||||
930 | GoDaddy, Inc., Class A(a) | 98,729 | ||||||
15,002 | Meta Platforms, Inc., Class A(a) | 5,310,108 | ||||||
2,308 | Netflix, Inc.(a) | 1,123,719 | ||||||
3,495 | Pinterest, Inc., Class A(a) | 129,455 | ||||||
10,505 | Uber Technologies, Inc.(a) | 646,793 | ||||||
523 | VeriSign, Inc.(a) | 107,717 | ||||||
19,524,307 | ||||||||
LEISURE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 1.1% | ||||||||
138 | Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.(a) | 315,600 | ||||||
724 | Darden Restaurants, Inc. | 118,953 | ||||||
215 | Domino’s Pizza, Inc. | 88,629 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
18
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
LEISURE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 1.1% (Continued) | ||||||||
1,342 | Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. | $ | 244,365 | |||||
1,700 | Las Vegas Sands Corporation | 83,657 | ||||||
1,381 | Marriott International, Inc., Class A | 311,429 | ||||||
4,041 | McDonald’s Corporation | 1,198,197 | ||||||
1,409 | MGM Resorts International | 62,954 | ||||||
1,142 | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.(a) | 147,878 | ||||||
6,303 | Starbucks Corporation | 605,151 | ||||||
1,513 | Yum! Brands, Inc. | 197,689 | ||||||
3,374,502 | ||||||||
LEISURE PRODUCTS - 0.0%(b) | ||||||||
370 | Axon Enterprise, Inc.(a) | 95,582 | ||||||
MACHINERY - 0.8% | ||||||||
2,722 | Caterpillar, Inc. | 804,813 | ||||||
1,453 | Deere & Company | 581,010 | ||||||
423 | IDEX Corporation | 91,838 | ||||||
1,983 | Ingersoll Rand, Inc. | 153,365 | ||||||
708 | Parker-Hannifin Corporation | 326,176 | ||||||
960 | Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. | 94,176 | ||||||
1,152 | Veralto Corporation | 94,764 | ||||||
1,377 | Xylem, Inc. | 157,474 | ||||||
2,303,616 | ||||||||
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 2.9% | ||||||||
9,590 | Abbott Laboratories | 1,055,571 | ||||||
1,773 | Agilent Technologies, Inc. | 246,500 | ||||||
425 | Align Technology, Inc.(a) | 116,450 | ||||||
2,938 | Avantor, Inc.(a) | 67,075 | ||||||
3,295 | Baxter International, Inc. | 127,385 | ||||||
1,742 | Becton Dickinson and Company | 424,752 | ||||||
958 | Bio-Techne Corporation | 73,919 | ||||||
7,906 | Boston Scientific Corporation(a) | 457,046 | ||||||
247 | Cooper Companies, Inc. (The) | 93,475 | ||||||
3,731 | Danaher Corporation | 863,130 | ||||||
2,021 | DexCom, Inc.(a) | 250,786 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
19
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 2.9% (Continued) | ||||||||
3,361 | Edwards Lifesciences Corporation(a) | $ | 256,276 | |||||
1,966 | GE HealthCare Technologies, Inc. | 152,011 | ||||||
1,138 | Hologic, Inc.(a) | 81,310 | ||||||
443 | IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(a) | 245,887 | ||||||
1,158 | Illumina, Inc.(a) | 161,240 | ||||||
349 | Insulet Corporation(a) | 75,726 | ||||||
1,970 | Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a) | 664,599 | ||||||
7,721 | Medtronic PLC | 636,056 | ||||||
132 | Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.(a) | 160,111 | ||||||
760 | ResMed, Inc. | 130,735 | ||||||
648 | Revvity, Inc. | 70,833 | ||||||
537 | STERIS plc | 118,059 | ||||||
1,801 | Stryker Corporation | 539,327 | ||||||
2,200 | Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | 1,167,738 | ||||||
321 | Waters Corporation(a) | 105,683 | ||||||
395 | West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. | 139,087 | ||||||
1,041 | Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. | 126,690 | ||||||
8,607,457 | ||||||||
METALS & MINING - 0.2% | ||||||||
8,050 | Freeport-McMoRan, Inc. | 342,688 | ||||||
4,753 | Newmont Corporation | 196,727 | ||||||
539,415 | ||||||||
MULTI ASSET CLASS REIT - 0.0%(b) | ||||||||
990 | WP Carey, Inc. | 64,162 | ||||||
OFFICE REIT - 0.0%(b) | ||||||||
854 | Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. | 108,262 | ||||||
28 | NET Lease Office Properties | 517 | ||||||
108,779 | ||||||||
OIL & GAS PRODUCERS - 2.9% | ||||||||
1,467 | APA Corporation | 52,636 | ||||||
1,258 | Cheniere Energy, Inc. | 214,753 | ||||||
9,651 | Chevron Corporation | 1,439,543 | ||||||
6,548 | ConocoPhillips | 760,026 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
20
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
OIL & GAS PRODUCERS - 2.9% (Continued) | ||||||||
3,990 | Coterra Energy, Inc. | $ | 101,825 | |||||
3,563 | Devon Energy Corporation | 161,404 | ||||||
852 | Diamondback Energy, Inc. | 132,128 | ||||||
3,081 | EOG Resources, Inc. | 372,647 | ||||||
2,076 | EQT Corporation | 80,258 | ||||||
29,241 | Exxon Mobil Corporation | 2,923,515 | ||||||
1,529 | Hess Corporation | 220,421 | ||||||
11,536 | Kinder Morgan, Inc. | 203,495 | ||||||
3,227 | Marathon Oil Corporation | 77,964 | ||||||
2,252 | Marathon Petroleum Corporation | 334,107 | ||||||
3,562 | Occidental Petroleum Corporation | 212,687 | ||||||
3,339 | ONEOK, Inc. | 234,465 | ||||||
2,395 | Phillips 66 | 318,870 | ||||||
1,274 | Pioneer Natural Resources Company | 286,497 | ||||||
1,279 | Targa Resources Corporation | 111,107 | ||||||
1,993 | Valero Energy Corporation | 259,090 | ||||||
6,959 | Williams Companies, Inc. (The) | 242,382 | ||||||
8,739,820 | ||||||||
OIL & GAS SERVICES & EQUIPMENT - 0.3% | ||||||||
5,492 | Baker Hughes Company | 187,717 | ||||||
4,943 | Halliburton Company | 178,689 | ||||||
7,611 | Schlumberger Ltd. | 396,076 | ||||||
762,482 | ||||||||
REAL ESTATE SERVICES - 0.1% | ||||||||
1,849 | CBRE Group, Inc., Class A(a) | 172,123 | ||||||
RENEWABLE ENERGY - 0.1% | ||||||||
703 | Enphase Energy, Inc.(a) | 92,894 | ||||||
611 | First Solar, Inc.(a) | 105,264 | ||||||
198,158 | ||||||||
RESIDENTIAL REIT - 0.3% | ||||||||
806 | AvalonBay Communities, Inc. | 150,899 | ||||||
615 | Camden Property Trust | 61,063 | ||||||
1,993 | Equity Residential | 121,892 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
21
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
RESIDENTIAL REIT - 0.3% (Continued) | ||||||||
383 | Essex Property Trust, Inc. | $ | 94,961 | |||||
3,433 | Invitation Homes, Inc. | 117,100 | ||||||
665 | Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. | 89,416 | ||||||
702 | Sun Communities, Inc. | 93,822 | ||||||
1,670 | UDR, Inc. | 63,944 | ||||||
793,097 | ||||||||
RETAIL - CONSUMER STAPLES - 1.3% | ||||||||
2,392 | Costco Wholesale Corporation | 1,578,911 | ||||||
1,149 | Dollar General Corporation | 156,207 | ||||||
1,190 | Dollar Tree, Inc.(a) | 169,040 | ||||||
4,296 | Kroger Company (The) | 196,370 | ||||||
2,531 | Target Corporation | 360,465 | ||||||
3,954 | Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. | 103,239 | ||||||
7,828 | Walmart, Inc. | 1,234,084 | ||||||
3,798,316 | ||||||||
RETAIL - DISCRETIONARY - 1.5% | ||||||||
99 | AutoZone, Inc.(a) | 255,975 | ||||||
1,278 | Best Buy Company, Inc. | 100,042 | ||||||
796 | Genuine Parts Company | 110,246 | ||||||
5,609 | Home Depot, Inc. (The) | 1,943,799 | ||||||
3,241 | Lowe’s Companies, Inc. | 721,285 | ||||||
328 | O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.(a) | 311,626 | ||||||
1,766 | Ross Stores, Inc. | 244,397 | ||||||
6,258 | TJX Cos., Inc. (The) | 587,063 | ||||||
554 | Tractor Supply Company | 119,127 | ||||||
277 | Ulta Beauty, Inc.(a) | 135,727 | ||||||
4,529,287 | ||||||||
RETAIL REIT - 0.2% | ||||||||
3,019 | Kimco Realty Corporation | 64,335 | ||||||
3,751 | Realty Income Corporation | 215,382 | ||||||
1,881 | Simon Property Group, Inc. | 268,306 | ||||||
548,023 | ||||||||
SELF-STORAGE REIT - 0.1% | ||||||||
1,126 | Extra Space Storage, Inc. | 180,532 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
22
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
SELF-STORAGE REIT - 0.1% (Continued) | ||||||||
877 | Public Storage | $ | 267,485 | |||||
448,017 | ||||||||
SEMICONDUCTORS - 6.2% | ||||||||
8,432 | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(a) | 1,242,961 | ||||||
2,693 | Analog Devices, Inc. | 534,722 | ||||||
4,359 | Applied Materials, Inc. | 706,463 | ||||||
2,446 | Broadcom, Inc. | 2,730,348 | ||||||
862 | Entegris, Inc. | 103,285 | ||||||
22,974 | Intel Corporation | 1,154,444 | ||||||
716 | KLA Corporation | 416,211 | ||||||
679 | Lam Research Corporation | 531,834 | ||||||
4,511 | Marvell Technology, Inc. | 272,058 | ||||||
2,849 | Microchip Technology, Inc. | 256,923 | ||||||
5,748 | Micron Technology, Inc. | 490,534 | ||||||
268 | Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. | 169,049 | ||||||
15,924 | NVIDIA Corporation | 7,885,883 | ||||||
2,416 | ON Semiconductor Corporation(a) | 201,808 | ||||||
5,894 | QUALCOMM, Inc. | 852,449 | ||||||
912 | Skyworks Solutions, Inc. | 102,527 | ||||||
932 | Teradyne, Inc. | 101,141 | ||||||
5,030 | Texas Instruments, Inc. | 857,414 | ||||||
18,610,054 | ||||||||
SOFTWARE - 9.7% | ||||||||
2,471 | Adobe, Inc.(a) | 1,474,198 | ||||||
736 | Akamai Technologies, Inc.(a) | 87,106 | ||||||
466 | ANSYS, Inc.(a) | 169,102 | ||||||
923 | Atlassian Corp plc, CLASS A(a) | 219,545 | ||||||
1,164 | Autodesk, Inc.(a) | 283,411 | ||||||
1,448 | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.(a) | 394,392 | ||||||
1,743 | Cloudflare, Inc., Class A(a) | 145,122 | ||||||
1,246 | Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc., Class A(a) | 318,129 | ||||||
1,579 | Datadog, Inc., Class A(a) | 191,659 | ||||||
3,754 | Fortinet, Inc.(a) | 219,722 | ||||||
2,845 | Gen Digital, Inc. | 64,923 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
23
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
SOFTWARE - 9.7% (Continued) | ||||||||
251 | HubSpot, Inc.(a) | $ | 145,716 | |||||
1,442 | Intuit, Inc. | 901,293 | ||||||
49,756 | Microsoft Corporation | 18,710,245 | ||||||
359 | MongoDB, Inc.(a) | 146,777 | ||||||
8,413 | Oracle Corporation | 886,983 | ||||||
9,787 | Palantir Technologies, Inc., Class A(a) | 168,043 | ||||||
1,601 | Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(a) | 472,103 | ||||||
322 | Paycom Software, Inc. | 66,564 | ||||||
716 | PTC, Inc.(a) | 125,271 | ||||||
572 | Roper Technologies, Inc. | 311,837 | ||||||
5,086 | Salesforce, Inc.(a) | 1,338,329 | ||||||
1,069 | ServiceNow, Inc.(a) | 755,238 | ||||||
1,520 | Snowflake, Inc.(a) | 302,480 | ||||||
917 | Splunk, Inc.(a) | 139,705 | ||||||
1,028 | SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. | 62,821 | ||||||
780 | Synopsys, Inc.(a) | 401,630 | ||||||
930 | Twilio, Inc., Class A(a) | 70,559 | ||||||
192 | Tyler Technologies, Inc.(a) | 80,279 | ||||||
981 | Veeva Systems, Inc., Class A(a) | 188,862 | ||||||
1,051 | Workday, Inc., Class A(a) | 290,139 | ||||||
1,314 | Zoom Video Communications, Inc., Class A(a) | 94,490 | ||||||
29,226,673 | ||||||||
SPECIALTY FINANCE - 0.4% | ||||||||
3,168 | American Express Company | 593,493 | ||||||
2,089 | Capital One Financial Corporation | 273,910 | ||||||
1,305 | Discover Financial Services | 146,682 | ||||||
1,841 | Synchrony Financial | 70,308 | ||||||
1,084,393 | ||||||||
SPECIALTY REITS - 0.0%(b) | ||||||||
1,366 | Iron Mountain, Inc. | 95,593 | ||||||
STEEL - 0.1% | ||||||||
1,427 | Nucor Corporation | 248,355 | ||||||
304 | Reliance Steel & Aluminum Company | 85,023 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
24
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
STEEL - 0.1% (Continued) | ||||||||
743 | Steel Dynamics, Inc. | $ | 87,748 | |||||
421,126 | ||||||||
TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE - 7.3% | ||||||||
99,938 | Apple, Inc. | 19,241,063 | ||||||
1,302 | Arista Networks, Inc.(a) | 306,634 | ||||||
22,664 | Cisco Systems, Inc. | 1,144,985 | ||||||
3,980 | Corning, Inc. | 121,191 | ||||||
1,468 | Dell Technologies, Inc., Class C | 112,302 | ||||||
927 | Garmin Ltd. | 119,157 | ||||||
6,837 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company | 116,092 | ||||||
4,925 | HP, Inc. | 148,193 | ||||||
636 | Jabil, Inc. | 81,026 | ||||||
876 | Motorola Solutions, Inc. | 274,267 | ||||||
1,055 | NetApp, Inc. | 93,009 | ||||||
1,124 | Seagate Technology Holdings PLC | 95,956 | ||||||
1,816 | Western Digital Corporation(a) | 95,104 | ||||||
261 | Zebra Technologies Corporation, Class A(a) | 71,339 | ||||||
22,020,318 | ||||||||
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 4.2% | ||||||||
3,651 | Accenture plc, Class A | 1,281,172 | ||||||
2,254 | Automatic Data Processing, Inc. | 525,114 | ||||||
3,158 | Block, Inc., Class A(a) | 244,271 | ||||||
638 | Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation | 81,607 | ||||||
611 | Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. | 125,713 | ||||||
772 | CDW Corporation | 175,491 | ||||||
2,881 | Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation, Class A | 217,602 | ||||||
2,065 | CoStar Group, Inc.(a) | 180,460 | ||||||
345 | EPAM Systems, Inc.(a) | 102,582 | ||||||
739 | Equifax, Inc. | 182,747 | ||||||
179 | FactSet Research Systems, Inc. | 85,392 | ||||||
133 | Fair Isaac Corporation(a) | 154,813 | ||||||
3,125 | Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. | 187,719 | ||||||
3,347 | Fiserv, Inc.(a) | 444,615 | ||||||
350 | FleetCor Technologies, Inc.(a) | 98,914 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
25
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 4.2% (Continued) | ||||||||
395 | Gartner, Inc.(a) | $ | 178,188 | |||||
1,501 | Global Payments, Inc. | 190,627 | ||||||
5,101 | International Business Machines Corporation | 834,269 | ||||||
363 | Jack Henry & Associates, Inc. | 59,318 | ||||||
778 | Leidos Holdings, Inc. | 84,211 | ||||||
4,556 | Mastercard, Inc., Class A | 1,943,180 | ||||||
863 | Moody’s Corporation | 337,053 | ||||||
427 | MSCI, Inc. | 241,533 | ||||||
1,649 | Paychex, Inc. | 196,412 | ||||||
5,956 | PayPal Holdings, Inc.(a) | 365,758 | ||||||
1,719 | S&P Global, Inc. | 757,254 | ||||||
1,029 | TransUnion | 70,703 | ||||||
794 | Verisk Analytics, Inc. | 189,655 | ||||||
11,788 | Visa, Inc., Class A | 3,069,006 | ||||||
12,605,379 | ||||||||
TELECOMMUNICATIONS - 0.7% | ||||||||
39,933 | AT&T, Inc. | 670,076 | ||||||
2,753 | T-Mobile US, Inc. | 441,388 | ||||||
23,435 | Verizon Communications, Inc. | 883,500 | ||||||
1,994,964 | ||||||||
TIMBER REIT - 0.1% | ||||||||
4,512 | Weyerhaeuser Company | 156,882 | ||||||
TOBACCO & CANNABIS - 0.4% | ||||||||
10,133 | Altria Group, Inc. | 408,765 | ||||||
8,750 | Philip Morris International, Inc. | 823,200 | ||||||
1,231,965 | ||||||||
TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS - 1.0% | ||||||||
10,601 | CSX Corporation | 367,537 | ||||||
3,206 | Delta Air Lines, Inc. | 128,977 | ||||||
705 | Expeditors International of Washington, Inc. | 89,676 | ||||||
1,213 | FedEx Corporation | 306,853 | ||||||
466 | JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc. | 93,079 | ||||||
1,239 | Norfolk Southern Corporation | 292,875 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
26
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Fair Value | |||||||
COMMON STOCKS — 80.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS - 1.0% (Continued) | ||||||||
552 | Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. | $ | 223,742 | |||||
3,548 | Southwest Airlines Company | 102,466 | ||||||
3,338 | Union Pacific Corporation | 819,879 | ||||||
1,440 | United Airlines Holdings, Inc.(a) | 59,414 | ||||||
4,129 | United Parcel Service, Inc. | 649,203 | ||||||
3,133,701 | ||||||||
TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT - 0.2% | ||||||||
745 | Cummins, Inc. | 178,480 | ||||||
2,761 | PACCAR, Inc. | 269,612 | ||||||
957 | Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation | 121,443 | ||||||
569,535 | ||||||||
WHOLESALE - CONSUMER STAPLES - 0.2% | ||||||||
2,972 | Archer-Daniels-Midland Company | 214,638 | ||||||
778 | Bunge Global S.A. | 78,539 | ||||||
2,838 | Sysco Corporation | 207,543 | ||||||
500,720 | ||||||||
WHOLESALE - DISCRETIONARY - 0.1% | ||||||||
4,451 | Copart, Inc.(a) | 218,099 | ||||||
1,212 | LKQ Corporation | 57,921 | ||||||
246 | Pool Corporation | 98,083 | ||||||
374,103 | ||||||||
TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $203,067,998) | 240,372,492 | |||||||
EXCHANGE-TRADED FUND — 19.9% | ||||||||
EQUITY - 19.9% | ||||||||
576,833 | Direxion Daily S&P 500 Bull 3X (Cost $44,899,527) | 59,984,864 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
27
HCM DEFENDER 500 INDEX ETF |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Shares | Expiration Date | Exercise Price | Fair Value | |||||||||||
RIGHT — 0.0%(b) | ||||||||||||||
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES – 0.0%(b) | ||||||||||||||
143 | ABIOMED, Inc. - CVR(a) (c) (Cost $0) | 12/31/2029 | $ | 35 | $ | — | ||||||||
TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 99.9% (Cost $247,967,525) | $ | 300,357,356 | ||||||||||||
OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES - 0.1% | 422,554 | |||||||||||||
NET ASSETS - 100.0% | $ | 300,779,910 |
CVR - Contingent Value Right
ETF - Exchange-Traded Fund
LTD - Limited Company
MSCI - Morgan Stanley Capital International
NV - Naamioze Vennootschap
PLC - Public Limited Company
REIT - Real Estate Investment Trust
S/A - Société Anonyme
(a) | Non-income producing security. |
(b) | Percentage rounds to less than 0.1%. |
(c) | Illiquid security. The total fair value of these securities as of December 31, 2023 was $0, representing 0.0% of net assets. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
28
The HCM ETFs |
STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (Unaudited) |
December 31, 2023 |
HCM Defender 100 | HCM Defender 500 | |||||||
Index ETF | Index ETF | |||||||
ASSETS | ||||||||
Investment securities: | ||||||||
At cost | $ | 314,053,020 | $ | 247,967,525 | ||||
At fair value | $ | 363,481,419 | $ | 300,357,356 | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 1,172,267 | 461,582 | ||||||
Dividends and interest receivable | 283,750 | 213,158 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses | 5,403 | 4,139 | ||||||
TOTAL ASSETS | 364,942,839 | 301,036,235 | ||||||
LIABILITIES | ||||||||
Investment advisory fees payable | 228,379 | 187,180 | ||||||
Custody fees payable | 10,279 | 32,918 | ||||||
Payable to related parties | 10,127 | 16,498 | ||||||
Accrued expenses and other liabilities | 18,983 | 19,729 | ||||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES | 267,768 | 256,325 | ||||||
NET ASSETS | $ | 364,675,071 | $ | 300,779,910 | ||||
Net Assets Consist Of: | ||||||||
Paid in capital | $ | 370,350,812 | $ | 325,816,230 | ||||
Accumulated deficit | (5,675,741 | ) | (25,036,320 | ) | ||||
NET ASSETS | $ | 364,675,071 | $ | 300,779,910 | ||||
Net Asset Value Per Share: | ||||||||
Net Assets | $ | 364,675,071 | $ | 300,779,910 | ||||
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding ($0 par value, unlimited shares authorized) | 7,250,000 | 7,300,000 | ||||||
Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share (Net Assets ÷ Shares Outstanding) | $ | 50.30 | $ | 41.20 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
29
The HCM ETFs |
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) |
For the Six Months Ended December 31, 2023 |
HCM Defender 100 | HCM Defender 500 | |||||||
Index ETF | Index ETF | |||||||
INVESTMENT INCOME | ||||||||
Dividends (net of tax withholding of $1,495 and $293, respectively) | $ | 1,729,017 | $ | 1,976,233 | ||||
Interest | 458,742 | 335,457 | ||||||
TOTAL INVESTMENT INCOME | 2,187,759 | 2,311,690 | ||||||
EXPENSES | ||||||||
Investment advisory fees | 1,338,363 | 1,114,948 | ||||||
Administrative services | 77,431 | 77,431 | ||||||
Printing and postage expenses | 14,115 | 14,115 | ||||||
Compliance officer fees | 10,889 | 7,461 | ||||||
Audit fees | 10,309 | 10,309 | ||||||
Custodian fees | 9,075 | 24,198 | ||||||
Legal fees | 8,571 | 8,571 | ||||||
Trustees fees and expenses | 7,662 | 7,662 | ||||||
Transfer agent fees | 6,033 | 6,033 | ||||||
Insurance expense | 3,520 | 4,033 | ||||||
Other expenses | 4,493 | 4,493 | ||||||
TOTAL EXPENSES | 1,490,461 | 1,279,254 | ||||||
NET INVESTMENT INCOME | 697,298 | 1,032,436 | ||||||
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENTS | ||||||||
Net realized gain (loss) on: | ||||||||
In-kind redemptions | 53,897,371 | 3,997,679 | ||||||
Net realized loss on investments | (11,202,841 | ) | (5,606,340 | ) | ||||
Foreign currency transactions | (148 | ) | — | |||||
42,694,382 | (1,608,661 | ) | ||||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | (22,303,874 | ) | 15,188,861 | |||||
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN ON INVESTMENTS | 20,390,508 | 13,580,200 | ||||||
NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS | $ | 21,087,806 | $ | 14,612,636 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
30
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF |
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS |
Six Months Ended | ||||||||
December 31, 2023 | Year Ended | |||||||
(Unaudited) | June 30, 2023 | |||||||
FROM OPERATIONS | ||||||||
Net investment income | $ | 697,298 | $ | 1,564,774 | ||||
Net realized gain (loss) on investments, in-kind redemptions, and foreign currency transactions | 42,694,382 | (4,724,484 | ) | |||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | (22,303,874 | ) | 71,732,273 | |||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 21,087,806 | 68,572,563 | ||||||
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS | ||||||||
Total distributions paid | (992,525 | ) | — | |||||
Net decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders | (992,525 | ) | — | |||||
FROM SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST | ||||||||
Proceeds from shares sold | 214,482,522 | 44,605,111 | ||||||
Cost of shares redeemed | (197,959,846 | ) | (36,340,067 | ) | ||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from shares of beneficial interest | 16,522,676 | 8,265,044 | ||||||
TOTAL INCREASE IN NET ASSETS | 36,617,957 | 76,837,607 | ||||||
NET ASSETS | ||||||||
Beginning of Period | 328,057,114 | 251,219,507 | ||||||
End of Period | $ | 364,675,071 | $ | 328,057,114 | ||||
SHARE ACTIVITY | ||||||||
Shares Sold | 4,450,000 | 1,100,000 | ||||||
Shares Redeemed | (4,150,000 | ) | (950,000 | ) | ||||
Net increase in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | 300,000 | 150,000 |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
31
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF |
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS |
Six Months Ended | ||||||||
December 31, 2023 | Year Ended | |||||||
(Unaudited) | June 30, 2023 | |||||||
FROM OPERATIONS | ||||||||
Net investment income | $ | 1,032,436 | $ | 2,577,711 | ||||
Net realized loss on investments, in-kind redemptions, and foreign currency transactions | (1,608,661 | ) | (5,780,658 | ) | ||||
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments | 15,188,861 | 37,200,970 | ||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | 14,612,636 | 33,998,023 | ||||||
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS | ||||||||
Total distributions paid | (1,881,940 | ) | (1,454,080 | ) | ||||
Net decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders | (1,881,940 | ) | (1,454,080 | ) | ||||
FROM SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST | ||||||||
Proceeds from shares sold | 23,765,710 | 41,588,392 | ||||||
Cost of shares redeemed | (24,759,247 | ) | (45,294,648 | ) | ||||
Net decrease in net assets resulting from shares of beneficial interest | (993,537 | ) | (3,706,256 | ) | ||||
TOTAL INCREASE IN NET ASSETS | 11,737,159 | 28,837,687 | ||||||
NET ASSETS | ||||||||
Beginning of Period | 289,042,751 | 260,205,064 | ||||||
End of Period | $ | 300,779,910 | $ | 289,042,751 | ||||
SHARE ACTIVITY | ||||||||
Shares Sold | 600,000 | 1,150,000 | ||||||
Shares Redeemed | (650,000 | ) | (1,300,000 | ) | ||||
Net decrease in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | (50,000 | ) | (150,000 | ) |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
32
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout Each Period
Six Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2023 | Year Ended | Year Ended | Year Ended | Period Ended | ||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | June 30, 2023 | June 30, 2022 | June 30, 2021 | June 30, 2020 (1) | ||||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 47.20 | $ | 36.94 | $ | 47.92 | $ | 30.21 | $ | 25.00 | ||||||||||
Activity from investment operations: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income (loss) (2) | 0.10 | 0.23 | (0.18 | ) | (0.10 | ) | (0.04 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | 3.14 | 10.03 | (10.80 | ) | 17.81 | 5.31 | ||||||||||||||
Total from investment operations | 3.24 | 10.26 | (10.98 | ) | 17.71 | 5.27 | ||||||||||||||
Less distributions from: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.14 | ) | — | — | — | (0.00 | ) (5) | |||||||||||||
Net realized gains | — | — | — | — | (0.06 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Total distributions | (0.14 | ) | — | — | — | (0.06 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 50.30 | $ | 47.20 | $ | 36.94 | $ | 47.92 | $ | 30.21 | ||||||||||
Market price, end of period | $ | 50.27 | $ | 47.23 | $ | 36.96 | $ | 47.97 | $ | 30.25 | ||||||||||
Total return (4) | 6.86 | % (8) | 27.77 | % | (22.91 | )% | 58.62 | % | 21.11 | % (8) | ||||||||||
Market price total return | 6.73 | % | 27.79 | % | (22.95 | )% | 58.58 | % | 21.27 | % | ||||||||||
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | $ | 364,675 | $ | 328,057 | $ | 251,220 | $ | 208,433 | $ | 101,197 | ||||||||||
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets (6)(7) | 0.85 | % | 0.89 | % | 0.89 | % | 0.91 | % | 1.02 | % | ||||||||||
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets (6)(7) | 0.40 | % | 0.61 | % | (0.37 | )% | (0.26 | )% | (0.18 | )% | ||||||||||
Portfolio Turnover Rate (3) | 89 | % (8) | 45 | % | 73 | % | 5 | % | 150 | % (8) |
(1) | The HCM Defender 100 Index ETF commenced operations on October 9, 2019. |
(2) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period. |
(3) | Portfolio turnover rate excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
(4) | Total return is calculated assuming a purchase of shares at net asset value on the first day and a sale at net asset value on the last day of the period. Distributions are assumed, for the purpose of this calculation, to be reinvested at the ex-dividend date net asset value per share on their respective payment dates. |
(5) | Represents less than $0.005. |
(6) | Does not include the expenses of other investment companies in which the Fund invests, as these expenses are included in the realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on investments. |
(7) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
(8) | Not annualized. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
33
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout Each Period
Six Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2023 | Year Ended | Year Ended | Year Ended | Period Ended | ||||||||||||||||
(Unaudited) | June 30, 2023 | June 30, 2022 | June 30, 2021 | June 30, 2020 (1) | ||||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period | $ | 39.33 | $ | 34.69 | $ | 39.95 | $ | 25.15 | $ | 25.00 | ||||||||||
Activity from investment operations: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income (2) | 0.14 | 0.36 | 0.03 | 0.09 | 0.07 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | 1.99 | 4.48 | (5.23 | ) | 14.79 | 0.13 | ||||||||||||||
Total from investment operations | 2.13 | 4.84 | (5.20 | ) | 14.88 | 0.20 | ||||||||||||||
Less distributions from: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income | (0.26 | ) | (0.20 | ) | (0.06 | ) | (0.08 | ) | (0.05 | ) | ||||||||||
Net realized gains | — | — | — | — | (0.00 | ) (5) | ||||||||||||||
Return of capital | — | — | (0.00 | ) (5) | — | (0.00 | ) (5) | |||||||||||||
Total distributions | (0.26 | ) | (0.20 | ) | (0.06 | ) | (0.08 | ) | (0.05 | ) | ||||||||||
Net asset value, end of period | $ | 41.20 | $ | 39.33 | $ | 34.69 | $ | 39.95 | $ | 25.15 | ||||||||||
Market price, end of period | $ | 41.15 | $ | 39.36 | $ | 34.70 | $ | 40.00 | $ | 25.12 | ||||||||||
Total return (4) | 5.42 | % (8) | 14.06 | % | (13.05 | )% | 59.23 | % | 0.78 | % (8) | ||||||||||
Market price total return | 5.21 | % | 14.12 | % | (13.13 | )% | 59.62 | % | 0.66 | % | ||||||||||
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | $ | 300,780 | $ | 289,043 | $ | 260,205 | $ | 195,733 | $ | 91,806 | ||||||||||
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets (6)(7) | 0.88 | % | 0.92 | % | 0.89 | % | 0.94 | % | 1.14 | % | ||||||||||
Ratio of net investment income to average net assets (6)(7) | 0.71 | % | 1.03 | % | 0.06 | % | 0.27 | % | 0.40 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio Turnover Rate (3) | 80 | % (8) | 59 | % | 73 | % | 3 | % | 128 | % (8) |
(1) | The HCM Defender 500 Index ETF commenced operations on October 9, 2019. |
(2) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for the period. |
(3) | Portfolio turnover rate excludes portfolio securities received or delivered as a result of processing capital share transactions in Creation Units. |
(4) | Total return is calculated assuming a purchase of shares at net asset value on the first day and a sale at net asset value on the last day of the period. Distributions are assumed, for the purpose of this calculation, to be reinvested at the ex-dividend date net asset value per share on their respective payment dates. |
(5) | Represents less than $0.005. |
(6) | Does not include the expenses of other investment companies in which the Fund invests, as these expenses are included in the realized and unrealized gain/(loss) on investments. |
(7) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
(8) | Not annualized. |
See accompanying notes to financial statements.
34
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited) |
December 31, 2023 |
1. | ORGANIZATION |
The HCM Defender 100 Index ETF (“QQH”) and the HCM Defender 500 Index ETF (“LGH”) (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”) are each diversified series of Northern Lights Fund Trust III (the “Trust”), a statutory trust organized under the laws of the State of Delaware on December 5, 2011, which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. QQH’s investment objective seeks to provide investment results that correspond, before fees and expenses, generally to the performance of the HCM Defender 100 Index. LGH’s investment objective seeks to provide investment results that correspond, before fees and expenses, generally to the performance of the HCM Defender 500 Index. The investment objectives of each fund are non-fundamental. QQH and LGH commenced operations on October 9, 2019.
2. | SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Funds in preparation of their financial statements. These policies are in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). The preparation of financial statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses for the period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Funds are each investment companies and accordingly follow the investment company accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 “Financial Services – Investment Companies” including FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2013-08.
Securities valuation – Securities listed on an exchange are valued at the last reported sale price at the close of the regular trading session of the primary exchange on the business day the value is being determined, or in the case of securities listed on NASDAQ, at the NASDAQ Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). In the absence of a sale, such securities shall be valued at the mean between the current bid and ask prices on the primary exchange on the day of valuation. Debt securities (other than short-term obligations) are valued each day by an independent pricing service approved by the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) based on methods which include consideration of: yields or prices of securities of comparable quality, coupon, maturity and type, indications as to values from dealers, and general market conditions or market quotations from a major market maker in the securities. Investments valued in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are converted to U.S. dollars using exchange rates obtained from pricing services. Short-term debt obligations having 60 days or less remaining until maturity, at time of purchase, may be valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value. Investments in open-end investment companies are valued at net asset value.
The Funds may hold investments, such as private investments, interests in commodity pools, other non-traded securities or temporarily illiquid securities, for which market quotations are not readily available or are determined to be unreliable. These securities will be valued using the “fair value” procedures approved by the Board. The Board has delegated execution of these procedures to the Adviser as its valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”). The Board may also enlist third party consultants such a valuation specialist at a public accounting firm, valuation consultant or financial officer of a security issuer
35
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
on an as-needed basis to assist the Valuation Designee in determining a security-specific fair value. The Board is responsible for reviewing and approving fair value methodologies utilized by the Valuation Designee, which approval shall be based upon whether the Valuation Designee followed the valuation procedures established by the Board.
Fair Valuation Process – Applicable investments are valued by the Valuation Designee pursuant to valuation procedures established by the Board. For example, fair value determinations are required for the following securities: (i) securities for which market quotations are insufficient or not readily available on a particular business day (including securities for which there is a short and temporary lapse in the provision of a price by the regular pricing source); (ii) securities for which, in the judgment of the Valuation Designee, the prices or values available do not represent the fair value of the instrument; factors which may cause the Valuation Designee to make such a judgment include, but are not limited to, the following: only a bid price or an ask price is available; the spread between bid and ask prices is substantial; the frequency of sales; the thinness of the market; the size of reported trades; and actions of the securities markets, such as the suspension or limitation of trading; (iii) securities determined to be illiquid; and (iv) securities with respect to which an event that will affect the value thereof has occurred (a “significant event”) since the closing prices were established on the principal exchange on which they are traded, but prior to a Fund’s calculation of its net asset value. Specifically, interests in commodity pools or managed futures pools are valued on a daily basis by reference to the closing market prices of each futures contract or other asset held by a pool, as adjusted for pool expenses. Restricted or illiquid investments, such as private investments or non-traded securities are valued based upon the current bid for the security from two or more independent dealers or other parties reasonably familiar with the facts and circumstances of the security (who should take into consideration all relevant factors as may be appropriate under the circumstances). If a current bid from such independent dealers or other independent parties is unavailable, the Valuation Designee shall determine, the fair value of such security using the following factors: (i) the type of security; (ii) the cost at date of purchase; (iii) the size and nature of the Fund’s holdings; (iv) the discount from market value of unrestricted securities of the same class at the time of purchase and subsequent thereto; (v) information as to any transactions or offers with respect to the security; (vi) the nature and duration of restrictions on disposition of the security and the existence of any registration rights; (vii) how the yield of the security compares to similar securities of companies of similar or equal creditworthiness; (viii) the level of recent trades of similar or comparable securities; (ix) the liquidity characteristics of the security; (x) current market conditions; and (xi) the market value of any securities into which the security is convertible or exchangeable.
Exchange Traded Funds (“ETFs”) – The Funds may invest in ETFs. ETFs are generally a type of fund bought and sold on a securities exchange. An ETF trades like common stock and represents a portfolio of securities. The risks of owning an ETF generally reflect the risks of owning the underlying securities they hold, although the lack of liquidity on an ETF could result in it being more volatile. Additionally, ETFs have fees and expenses that reduce their value.
36
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
The Funds utilize various methods to measure the fair value of all of their investments on a recurring basis. GAAP establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation methods. The three levels of input are:
Level 1 – Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities that the Funds have the ability to access.
Level 2 – Observable inputs other than quoted prices included in Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly. These inputs may include quoted prices for the identical instrument in an inactive market, prices for similar instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates and similar data.
Level 3 – Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability, to the extent relevant observable inputs are not available, representing the Funds’ own assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability, and would be based on the best information available.
The availability of observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors, including, for example, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, the liquidity of markets, and other characteristics particular to the security. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3.
The inputs used to measure value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, for disclosure purposes, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety, is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety.
The inputs or methodology used for valuing securities are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities. The following tables summarize the inputs used as of December 31, 2023 for the Funds’ assets measured at fair value:
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | ||||||||||||||||
Assets* | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||||||||||
Common Stocks | $ | 291,639,519 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 291,639,519 | ||||||||
Exchange Traded Fund | 71,841,900 | — | — | 71,841,900 | ||||||||||||
Total | $ | 363,481,419 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 363,481,419 | ||||||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | ||||||||||||||||
Assets* | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | ||||||||||||
Common Stocks | $ | 240,372,492 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 240,372,492 | ||||||||
Exchange Traded Fund | 59,984,864 | — | — | 59,984,864 | ||||||||||||
Right | — | ^ | — | — | — | |||||||||||
Total | $ | 300,357,356 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 300,357,356 |
The Funds did not hold any Level 2 or 3 securities during the period.
* | See Schedule of Investments for industry classification. |
^ | Includes securities valued at $0. |
37
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Security transactions and related income – Security transactions are accounted for on the trade date. Interest income is recognized on an accrual basis. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Realized gains or losses from sales of securities are determined by comparing the identified cost of the security lot sold with the net sales proceeds.
Dividends and distributions to shareholders – Dividends from net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, are declared and paid annually for each Fund. Dividends from net investment income and distributions from net realized gains are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from GAAP. These “book/tax” differences are considered either temporary (e.g., deferred losses) or permanent in nature. To the extent these differences are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the composition of net assets based on their federal tax-basis treatment; temporary differences do not require reclassification. Dividends and distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date.
Federal Income Taxes – The Funds intend to continue to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of their taxable income to their shareholders. Therefore, no provision for federal income tax is required. The Funds recognize the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only where the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by tax authorities. Management has analyzed the Funds’ tax positions and has concluded that no liability for unrecognized tax benefits should be recorded related to uncertain tax positions taken on returns filed for open tax year June 30, 2020 through June 30, 2022, or expected to be taken in the Funds’ June 30, 2023 tax returns. The Funds identify their major tax jurisdictions as U.S. federal, Ohio and foreign jurisdictions where the Funds make significant investments. The Funds are not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will change materially in the next twelve months.
Expenses – Expenses of the Trust that are directly identifiable to a specific Fund are charged to that Fund. Expenses, which are not readily identifiable to a specific Fund, are allocated in such a manner as deemed equitable (as determined by the Board), taking into consideration the nature and type of expense and the relative sizes of the Funds in the Trust.
Foreign Currency – The accounting records of the Funds are maintained in U.S. dollars. Investment securities and other assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency, and income receipts and expense payments are translated into U.S. dollars using the prevailing exchange rate at the London market close. Purchases and sales of securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the contractual currency rates established at the approximate time of the trade. Net realized gains and losses on foreign currency transactions represent net gains and losses from currency realized between the trade and settlement dates on securities transactions, gains and losses on the purchase and sale of foreign currencies and the difference between income accrued versus income received. The effects of changes in foreign currency exchange rates on investments in securities are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investment securities. For the six months ended December 31, 2023, QQH and LGH had a realized loss of $148 and $0 on foreign currency transactions, respectively.
38
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Indemnification – The Trust indemnifies its officers and Trustees for certain liabilities that may arise from the performance of their duties to the Trust. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Funds enter into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and which provide general indemnities. The Funds’ maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Funds that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the risk of loss due to these warranties and indemnities appears to be remote.
3. | INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS |
For the six months ended December 31, 2023, cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities (excluding in-kind transactions and short-term investments) for the Funds were as follows:
Ticker Symbol | Purchases | Sales | ||||||
QQH | $ | 288,452,113 | $ | 282,855,579 | ||||
LGH | $ | 213,291,980 | $ | 217,591,640 |
For the six months ended December 31, 2023, cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities for in-kind transactions for the Funds were as follows:
Ticker Symbol | Purchases | Sales | ||||||
QQH | $ | 201,881,161 | $ | 188,539,241 | ||||
LGH | $ | 23,208,426 | $ | 19,264,193 |
4. | INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES |
Howard Capital Management, Inc. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Fund’s investment adviser pursuant to an Investment Advisory Agreement with the Trust (the “Advisory Agreement”). The Trust has entered into a Global Custody Agreement with Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. (the “Custodian”) to serve as custodian and to act as transfer and shareholder services agent. The Trust has also entered into an Underwriting Agreement with Northern Lights Distributors, LLC (the “Distributor”) to serve as the principal underwriter and distributor for the Trust.
Pursuant to the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser, under the oversight of the Board, directs the daily operations of the Funds and supervises the performance of administrative and professional services provided by others. As compensation for its services and the related expenses borne by the Adviser, each Fund pays the Adviser a fee, computed and accrued daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.77% of each Fund’s average daily net assets. For the six months ended December 31, 2023, the Adviser earned $1,338,363, and $1,114,948 in advisory fees for QQH and LGH, respectively.
The Trust, with respect to the Funds, has adopted a distribution and service plan (“Plan”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. Under the Plan, the Funds are authorized to pay distribution fees to the Distributor and other firms that provide distribution and shareholder services (“Service Providers”). If a Service Provider provides these services, the Funds may pay fees at an annual rate not to exceed 0.25% of average daily net assets, pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act.
39
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
No distribution or service fees are currently paid by the Funds and there are no current plans to impose these fees. In the event Rule 12b-1 fees were charged, over time they would increase the cost of an investment in the Funds.
Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (“UFS”) – UFS provides administration and fund accounting services to the Trust. Pursuant to separate servicing agreements with UFS, the Funds pay UFS customary fees for providing administration and fund accounting services to the Funds. Certain officers of the Trust are also officers of UFS, and are not paid any fees directly by the Funds for serving in such capacities.
Northern Lights Compliance Services, LLC (“NLCS”) – NLCS, an affiliate of UFS and the Distributor, provides a Chief Compliance Officer to the Trust, as well as related compliance services, pursuant to a consulting agreement between NLCS and the Trust. Under the terms of such agreement, NLCS receives customary fees from each Fund.
Blu Giant, LLC (“Blu Giant”) – Blu Giant, an affiliate of UFS, provides EDGAR conversion and filing services as well as print management services for the Funds on an ad-hoc basis. For the provision of these services, Blu Giant receives customary fees from the Funds.
5. | CAPITAL SHARE TRANSACTIONS |
Shares are not individually redeemable and may be redeemed by the Funds at the net asset value (“NAV”) only in large blocks known as “Creation Units.” Shares are created and redeemed by the Funds only in Creation Unit size aggregations of 50,000 shares for both QQH and LGH. Only Authorized Participants or transactions done through an Authorized Participant are permitted to purchase or redeem Creation Units from the Funds. An Authorized Participant is either (i) a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or (ii) a DTC participant and, in each case, must have executed a Participant Agreement with the Distributor. Such transactions are generally permitted on an in-kind basis, with a balancing cash component to equate the transaction to the NAV per share of the Funds on the transaction date. Cash may be substituted equivalent to the value of certain securities generally when they are not available in sufficient quantity for delivery, not eligible for trading by the Authorized Participant or as a result of other market circumstances. In addition, the Funds may impose transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Funds’ shares to cover the custodial and other costs incurred by the Funds in effecting trades. A fixed fee may be imposed on each creation and redemption transaction regardless of the number of Creation Units involved in the transaction (“Fixed Fee”). Purchases and redemptions of Creation Units for cash or involving cash-in-lieu are required to pay an additional variable charge to compensate the Funds and its ongoing shareholders for brokerage and market impact expenses relating to Creation Unit transactions (“Variable Charge,” and together with the Fixed Fee, the “Transaction Fees”).
40
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
The Transaction Fees for the Funds are listed in the table below:
ETFs | Fee for In-Kind and Cash Purchases | Maximum Additional Variable Charge for Cash Purchases* |
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $500 | 2.00%* |
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | $1,000 | 2.00%* |
* | The maximum Transaction Fee may be up to 2.00% of the amount invested. |
6. | DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS AND TAX COMPONENTS OF CAPITAL |
The tax character of distributions paid for the years ended June 30, 2023, and June 30, 2022, was as follows:
For the year ended June 30, 2023: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary | Long-Term | Return | Tax-Exempt | |||||||||||||||||
Portfolio | Income | Capital Gains | of Capital | Income | Total | |||||||||||||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | 1,454,080 | — | — | — | 1,454,080 | |||||||||||||||
For the year ended June 30, 2022: | ||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary | Long-Term | Return | Tax-Exempt | |||||||||||||||||
Portfolio | Income | Capital Gains | of Capital | Income | Total | |||||||||||||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | 458,426 | — | 19,389 | — | 477,815 |
As of June 30, 2023, the components of accumulated earnings on a tax basis were as follows:
Undistributed | Undistributed | Undistributed | Post October Loss | Capital Loss | Other | Unrealized | Total | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ordinary | Ordinary | Long-Term | and | Carry | Book/Tax | Appreciation/ | Accumulated | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Portfolio | Tax-Exempt Income | Income | Capital Gains | Late Year Loss | Forwards | Differences | (Depreciation) | Earnings/(Deficits) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | — | $ | 833,092 | $ | — | $ | (6,418,628 | ) | $ | (91,917,759 | ) | $ | — | 71,732,273 | $ | (25,771,022 | ) | ||||||||||||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | — | 937,310 | — | — | (75,928,943 | ) | (147 | ) | 37,224,764 | (37,767,016 | ) |
The difference between book basis and tax basis undistributed net investment income/(loss), accumulated net realized gain/(loss), and unrealized appreciation/(depreciation) from investments is primarily attributable to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales, mark-to-market on passive foreign investment companies, and adjustments for real estate investment trusts Form 2439, and C-Corporation return of capital distributions.
Late year losses incurred after December 31 within the fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year for tax purposes. The Funds incurred and elected to defer such late year losses as follows:
Late Year | ||||
Portfolio | Losses | |||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | — | ||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | — |
41
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
Capital losses incurred after October 31 within the fiscal year are deemed to arise on the first business day of the following fiscal year for tax purposes. The Funds incurred and elected to defer such capital losses as follows:
Post October | ||||
Portfolio | Losses | |||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | 6,418,628 | ||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | — |
At June 30, 2023, the Funds had capital loss carry forwards for federal income tax purposes available to offset future capital gains, as follows:
Non-Expiring | ||||||||||||||||
Portfolio | Short-Term | Long-Term | Total | CLCF Utilized | ||||||||||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | 88,964,090 | $ | 2,953,669 | $ | 91,917,759 | $ | — | ||||||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | 75,734,811 | 194,132 | 75,928,943 | — |
Permanent book and tax differences, primarily attributable to the tax adjustments for prior year tax returns resulted in reclassifications for the Funds for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as follows:
Paid | ||||||||
In | Accumulated | |||||||
Portfolio | Capital | Earnings (Losses) | ||||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | 1,694,180 | $ | (1,694,180 | ) | |||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | 644,814 | (644,814 | ) |
7. | AGGREGATE UNREALIZED APPRECIATION AND DEPRECIATION – TAX BASIS |
Cost for Federal | Unrealized | Unrealized | Tax Net Unrealized | |||||||||||||
Portfolio | Tax purposes | Appreciation | Depreciation | App/Dep | ||||||||||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $ | 314,053,020 | $ | 49,877,339 | $ | (448,940 | ) | $ | 49,428,399 | |||||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | 247,943,731 | 53,392,214 | (978,589 | ) | 52,413,625 |
8. | REGULATORY UPDATE |
On January 24, 2023, the SEC adopted rule and form amendments to require mutual funds and ETFs to transmit concise and visually engaging streamlined annual and semiannual reports to shareholders that highlight key information. Other information, including financial statements, will not appear in a streamlined shareholder report but must be available online, delivered free of charge upon request, and filed on a semiannual basis on Form N-CSR. The rule and form amendments have a compliance date of July 24, 2024. At this time, management is evaluating the impact of these amendments on the shareholder reports for the Funds.
42
The HCM ETFs |
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued) |
December 31, 2023 |
9. | SUBSEQUENT EVENTS |
Subsequent events after the date of the Statements of Assets and Liabilities have been evaluated through the date the financial statements were issued.
Management has determined that no events or transactions occurred requiring adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.
43
The HCM ETFs |
EXPENSE EXAMPLES (Unaudited) |
December 31, 2023 |
As a shareholder of the HCM ETFs, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including brokerage commissions on purchases and sales of Fund shares; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund’s and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.
The example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from July 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.
Actual Expenses
The “Actual” lines in the table below provide information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information below, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the table under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.
Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes
The “Hypothetical” lines in the table below provide information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on each Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed rate of return of 5% per year before expenses, which is not any Fund’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balances or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds.
Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads) or redemption fees. Therefore, the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.
Beginning Account | Ending | Expenses Paid During | Expenses Paid During | |||||
Value | Account Value | Period* | Period** | |||||
Actual | 7/1/2023 | 12/31/2023 | 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023 | 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023 | ||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $1,000.00 | $1,068.60 | $4.43 | 0.85% | ||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | $1,000.00 | $1,054.20 | $4.56 | 0.88% | ||||
Beginning Account | Ending | Expenses Paid During | Expenses Paid During | |||||
Hypothetical | Value | Account Value | Period* | Period** | ||||
(5% return before expenses) | 7/1/2023 | 12/31/2023 | 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023 | 7/1/2023 - 12/31/2023 | ||||
HCM Defender 100 Index ETF | $1,000.00 | $1,020.92 | $4.33 | 0.85% | ||||
HCM Defender 500 Index ETF | $1,000.00 | $1,020.77 | $4.48 | 0.88% |
* | Expenses are equal to the average account value over the period, multiplied by the Fund’s annualized expense ratio net of waived/reimbursed fees, multiplied by the number of days in the period (184) divided by the number of days in the fiscal year (366). |
“Hypothetical” expense information is presented on the basis of the full one-half year period to enable a comparison to other funds. It is based on assuming the same net expense ratio and average account value over the period, but is multiplied by 184/366 (to reflect the full half-year period).
** | Annualized. |
44
PRIVACY NOTICE |
NORTHERN LIGHTS FUND TRUST III
Rev. February 2014
FACTS | WHAT DOES NORTHERN LIGHTS FUND TRUST III DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION? |
Why? | Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do. |
What? | The types of personal information we collect and share depend on the product or service you have with us. This information can include:
■ Social Security number and income
■ assets, account transfers and transaction history
■ investment experience and risk tolerance
When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice. |
How? | All financial companies need to share customers’ personal information to run their everyday business. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers’ personal information; the reasons Northern Lights Fund Trust III chooses to share and whether you can limit this sharing. |
Reasons we can share your personal information | Does Northern Lights Fund Trust III share? | Can you limit this sharing? |
For our everyday business purposes– such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus | YES | NO |
For our marketing purposes– to offer our products and services to you | NO | We don’t share |
For joint marketing with other financial companies | NO | We don’t share |
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes– information about your transactions and experiences | NO | We don’t share |
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes– information about your creditworthiness | NO | We don’t share |
For our affiliates to market to you | NO | We don’t share |
For nonaffiliates to market to you | NO | We don’t share |
Questions? | Call 1-888-339-4230 |
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Page 2 |
What we do | |
How does Northern Lights Fund Trust III protect my personal information? | To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.
Our service providers are held accountable for adhering to strict policies and procedures to prevent any misuse of your nonpublic personal information.
|
How does Northern Lights Fund Trust III collect my personal information? | We collect your personal information, for example, when you
■ open an account or give us contact information
■ provide account information or give us your income information
■ make deposits or withdrawals from your account
We also collect your personal information from other companies.
|
Why can’t I limit all sharing? | Federal law gives you the right to limit only
■ sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes—information about your creditworthiness
■ affiliates from using your information to market to you
■ sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you
State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing
|
Definitions | |
Affiliates | Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.
■ Northern Lights Fund Trust III does not share with our affiliates.
|
Nonaffiliates | Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and nonfinancial companies.
■ Northern Lights Fund Trust III does not share with nonaffiliates so they can market to you.
|
Joint marketing | A formal agreement between nonaffiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you.
■ Northern Lights Fund Trust III doesn’t jointly market. |
46
PROXY VOTING POLICY
Information regarding how the Funds voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30 as well as a description of the policies and procedures that the Funds used to determine how to vote proxies is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-985-9830 or by referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) website at http://www.sec.gov.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Funds file a complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to their reports on Form N-PORT, within sixty days after the end of the period. Form N-PORT reports are available at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.
INVESTMENT ADVISER |
Howard Capital Management, Inc. |
1145 Hembree Road |
Roswell, Georgia 30076 |
ADMINISTRATOR |
Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC |
225 Pictoria Drive, Suite 450 |
Cincinnati, Ohio 45246 |
HCMETFS-SA23 |
Item 2. Code of Ethics.
Not applicable for semi-annual reports.
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Not applicable for semi-annual reports.
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Not applicable for semi-annual reports.
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Companies. Not applicable to open-end investment companies.
Item 6. Schedule of Investments. Schedule of investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers is included under Item 1.
Item 7. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Funds. Not applicable to open-end investment companies.
Item 8. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies. Not applicable to open-end investment companies.
Item 9. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Funds. Not applicable to open-end investment companies.
Item 10. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. None
Item 11. Controls and Procedures.
(a) Based on an evaluation of the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of filing date of this Form N-CSR, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Registrant have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures of the Registrant are reasonably designed to ensure that the information required in filings on Form N-CSR is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported by the filing date, including that information required to be disclosed is accumulated and communicated to the Registrant’s management, including the Registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
(b) There were no significant changes in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the Registrant’s last fiscal half-year that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 12. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies. Not applicable to open-end investment companies.
Item 13. Exhibits.
(a)(1) Not applicable.
(a)(3) Not applicable for open-end investment companies.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
(Registrant) Northern Lights Fund Trust III
By (Signature and Title)
/s/ Brian Curley
Brian Curley, Principal Executive Officer/ President
Date 3/8/2024
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
By (Signature and Title)
/s/ Brian Curley
Brian Curley Principal Executive Officer/ President
Date 3/8/2024
By (Signature and Title)
/s/ Rich Gleason
Rich Gleason, Principal Financial Officer/Treasurer
Date 3/8/2024