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 | 811-23435 |
Zacks Trust |
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter) |
227 West Monroe Street Suite 4350, Chicago, IL | 60606 |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip code) |
Corporation Trust Company |
1209 Orange Street Wilmington, Delaware 19808 |
(Name and address of agent for service) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: | 312-265-9359 |
Date of fiscal year end: | 11/30 | |
| | |
Date of reporting period: | 5/31/24 | |
Item 1. Reports to Stockholders.
(a)
Institutional Class (CZOVX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks All-Cap Core Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
What were the Fund’s costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
---|
Institutional | $50 | 1.00% |
How did the Fund perform during the reporting period?
In the six-month period from December 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the Zacks All-Cap Core Fund Institutional Class delivered a return of +18.48%, outperforming the benchmark Russell 3000 Index by a solid margin (the index rose +15.99% over the same period). The All-Cap Core Fund’s outperformance was largely driven by stock selection, which bolstered relative returns by +3.42%. The sector allocation effect on performance was more muted, at -0.44%. Risk controls kept the strategy weights relatively close to their benchmark weights.
Performance analysis of the All-Cap Core Fund showed that the best performing sector for the period was Technology, which was also by far the largest weighting (35.53%) in the All-Cap Fund. The Technology sector soared by +31.28% in the six-month period analyzed, as continued enthusiasm over the commercial potential for artificial intelligence (AI) combined with strong earnings reports and booming capital expenditures from technology companies at the forefront of this new innovation. The U.S. economy also continued to grow outside of the Tech sector, and U.S. consumers continued to spend at stronger-than-expected rates, while inflation moderated. The Technology sector led returns, but all sectors in the All-Cap Core Fund delivered positive returns during this six-month stretch.
Looking ahead, U.S. economic growth continues to surprise to the upside, with the recent 2.8% GDP growth rate in Q2 serving as another data point signaling the economy is in strong fundamental shape. We believe the Zacks All-Cap Core Fund is well-positioned for additional growth, and also for what we view as more runway in the AI-fueled infrastructure buildout.
How has the Fund performed over the last ten years?
Total Return Based on $10,000 Investment
| Zacks All-Cap Core Fund - Institutional | Russell 3000® Total Return Index |
---|
May-2014 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
May-2015 | $11,329 | $11,186 |
May-2016 | $11,064 | $11,211 |
May-2017 | $12,633 | $13,194 |
May-2018 | $14,535 | $15,181 |
May-2019 | $14,927 | $15,560 |
May-2020 | $16,644 | $17,344 |
May-2021 | $22,980 | $24,960 |
May-2022 | $22,853 | $24,040 |
May-2023 | $22,857 | $24,529 |
May-2024 | $29,662 | $31,295 |
Average Annual Total Returns
| 6 Months | 1 Year | 5 years | 10 Years |
---|
Zacks All-Cap Core Fund - Institutional | 18.48% | 29.77% | 14.72% | 11.49% |
Russell 3000® Total Return Index | 15.99% | 27.58% | 15.00% | 12.09% |
The Fund's past performance is not a good predictor of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemption of fund shares.
Net Assets | $31,795,036 |
Number of Portfolio Holdings | 104 |
Advisory Fee (net of waivers) | $73,588 |
Portfolio Turnover | 7% |
Asset Weighting (% of total investments)
Value | Value |
---|
Common Stocks | 97.3% |
Money Market Funds | 1.4% |
Reit | 1.3% |
What did the Fund invest in?
Sector Weighting (% of net assets)
Value | Value |
---|
Liabilities in Excess of Other Assets | -0.1% |
Real Estate | 1.3% |
Money Market Funds | 1.4% |
Materials | 2.2% |
Utilities | 2.6% |
Communication Services | 3.1% |
Energy | 3.7% |
Communications | 7.0% |
Consumer Staples | 7.3% |
Consumer Discretionary | 8.9% |
Industrials | 9.3% |
Financials | 11.4% |
Health Care | 12.6% |
Technology | 29.3% |
Top 10 Holdings (% of net assets)
Holding Name | % of Net Assets |
NVIDIA Corporation | 7.2% |
Microsoft Corporation | 3.9% |
Apple, Inc. | 3.6% |
Alphabet, Inc., Class A | 3.1% |
Meta Platforms, Inc., Class A | 3.1% |
Amazon.com, Inc. | 3.0% |
Procter & Gamble Company (The) | 1.8% |
Synopsys, Inc. | 1.6% |
UnitedHealth Group, Inc. | 1.6% |
Eli Lilly & Company | 1.6% |
The Fund was treated as a separate series (the “Predecessor Fund”) of Investment Managers Series Trust, an open-end management investment company established as a Delaware statutory trust. Effective as of the close of business on January 26, 2024, the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into the Fund, as a new series of the Trust in a tax-free reorganization (the “Reorganization”), whereby the Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund in exchange for shares of the Fund which were distributed pro rata by the Predecessor Fund to its shareholders in complete liquidation and termination of the Predecessor Fund. The Agreement and Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Reorganization was accomplished was approved by shareholders of the Predecessor Fund on November 16, 2023.
Zacks All-Cap Core Fund - Institutional (CZOVX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
Where can I find additional information about the Fund?
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks All-Cap Core Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
Prospectus
Financial information
Holdings
Proxy voting information
Institutional Class (ZDIIX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Dividend Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
What were the Fund’s costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
---|
Institutional Class | $53 | 1.05% |
How did the Fund perform during the reporting period?
In the six-month period from December 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the Zacks Dividend Fund Institutional Class delivered a return of +13.13%, slightly outperforming the benchmark Russell 1000 Value Index. Our outperformance was driven by stock selection within the Dividend Fund, which added +0.47% of return relative to the benchmark.
Performance analysis of the Dividend Fund showed that Producer Durables was the top performing sector, having risen +21.38% over the six-month stretch. Companies in the Producer Durables sector benefited from stronger-than-expected consumer spending in the first half of 2024, which bolstered earnings results. Positive returns were not limited to Producer Durables, however, as all sectors in the Dividend Fund posted positive returns during the holding period.
From a sector standpoint, Financial Services and Technology were the two largest sectors in the Dividend Fund, at 25.91% and 13.40%, respectively. Technology was also our largest overweight, which bolstered returns during the six-month stretch. Our positioning in Technology, and our stock selection within the sector, provided the largest positive effects from both an allocation and selection standpoint. The largest underweight during this period was Health Care, at -2.34%. Risk controls in the Dividend Fund kept strategy weights relatively close to its benchmark weights throughout the six-month stretch.
Looking ahead to the balance of 2024, we remain confident in the Dividend Fund’s positioning, and believe that sectors beyond Technology will experience an earnings rebound and deliver comparable year-over-year growth rates by Q4 2024. Given that valuations outside of the Technology sector are ‘reasonable’ by historical standards, we could see a rotation that increases the breadth of the rally.
How has the Fund performed since inception?
Total Return Based on $10,000 Investment
| Zacks Dividend Fund - Institutional | Russell 1000® Index | Russell 1000® Value Index |
---|
01/31/17 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
05/31/17 | $10,400 | $10,638 | $10,225 |
05/31/18 | $11,289 | $12,190 | $11,068 |
05/31/19 | $11,840 | $12,613 | $11,228 |
05/31/20 | $11,931 | $14,194 | $11,044 |
05/31/21 | $15,970 | $20,250 | $15,946 |
05/31/22 | $16,877 | $19,701 | $16,094 |
05/31/23 | $15,520 | $20,184 | $15,363 |
05/31/24 | $18,767 | $25,836 | $18,698 |
Average Annual Total Returns
| 6 Months | 1 Year | 5 years | Since Inception (1/31/2017) |
---|
Zacks Dividend Fund - Institutional | 13.13% | 20.92% | 9.65% | 8.97% |
Russell 1000® Index | 16.03% | 28.01% | 15.42% | 13.83% |
Russell 1000® Value Index | 13.60% | 21.71% | 10.74% | 8.91% |
The Fund's past performance is not a good predictor of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemption of fund shares.
Net Assets | $128,212,171 |
Number of Portfolio Holdings | 70 |
Advisory Fee (net of waivers) | $585,718 |
Portfolio Turnover | 5% |
Asset Weighting (% of total investments)
Value | Value |
---|
Common Stocks | 94.8% |
Money Market Funds | 0.6% |
Reit | 4.6% |
What did the Fund invest in?
Sector Weighting (% of net assets)
Value | Value |
---|
Money Market Funds | 0.6% |
Materials | 3.0% |
Utilities | 3.7% |
Communications | 4.2% |
Real Estate | 4.6% |
Consumer Discretionary | 5.2% |
Energy | 9.3% |
Consumer Staples | 10.5% |
Health Care | 10.8% |
Industrials | 12.8% |
Technology | 13.6% |
Financials | 21.7% |
Top 10 Holdings (% of net assets)
Holding Name | % of Net Assets |
JPMorgan Chase & Company | 4.1% |
Microsoft Corporation | 3.9% |
Exxon Mobil Corporation | 3.4% |
Procter & Gamble Company (The) | 3.1% |
Arthur J Gallagher & Company | 2.8% |
Home Depot, Inc. (The) | 2.5% |
Chevron Corporation | 2.4% |
Parker-Hannifin Corporation | 2.4% |
Broadcom, Inc. | 2.4% |
Prudential Financial, Inc. | 2.3% |
The Fund was treated as a separate series (the “Predecessor Fund”) of Investment Managers Series Trust, an open-end management investment company established as a Delaware statutory trust. Effective as of the close of business on January 26, 2024, the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into the Fund, as a new series of the Trust in a tax-free reorganization (the “Reorganization”), whereby the Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund in exchange for shares of the Fund which were distributed pro rata by the Predecessor Fund to its shareholders in complete liquidation and termination of the Predecessor Fund. The Agreement and Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Reorganization was accomplished was approved by shareholders of the Predecessor Fund on December 15, 2023.
Zacks Dividend Fund - Institutional Class (ZDIIX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
Where can I find additional information about the Fund?
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Dividend Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
Prospectus
Financial information
Holdings
Proxy voting information
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Dividend Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
What were the Fund’s costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
---|
Investor Class | $65 | 1.30% |
How did the Fund perform during the reporting period?
In the six-month period from December 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the Zacks Dividend Fund Investor Class delivered a return of +13.06%, slightly outperforming the benchmark Russell 1000 Value Index. Our outperformance was driven by stock selection within the Fund, which added +0.54% of return relative to the benchmark.
Performance analysis of the Dividend Fund showed that Producer Durables was the top performing sector, having risen +21.38% over the six-month stretch. Companies in the Producer Durables sector benefited from stronger-than-expected consumer spending in the first half of 2024, which bolstered earnings results. Positive returns were not limited to Producer Durables, however, as all sectors in the Dividend Fund posted positive returns during the holding period.
From a sector standpoint, Financial Services and Technology were the two largest sectors in the Dividend Fund, at 25.91% and 13.40%, respectively. Technology was also our largest overweight, which bolstered returns during the six-month stretch. Our positioning in Technology, and our stock selection within the sector, provided the largest positive effects from both an allocation and selection standpoint. The largest underweight during this period was Health Care, at -2.34%. Risk controls in the Dividend Fund kept strategy weights relatively close to its benchmark weights throughout the six-month stretch.
Looking ahead to the balance of 2024, we remain confident in the Dividend Fund’s positioning, and believe that sectors beyond Technology will experience an earnings rebound and deliver comparable year-over-year growth rates by Q4 2024. Given that valuations outside of the Technology sector are ‘reasonable’ by historical standards, we could see a rotation that increases the breadth of the rally.
How has the Fund performed over the last ten years?
Total Return Based on $10,000 Investment
| Zacks Dividend Fund - Investor | Russell 1000® Index | Russell 1000® Value Index |
---|
May-2014 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
May-2015 | $10,568 | $11,191 | $10,903 |
May-2016 | $10,848 | $11,278 | $10,897 |
May-2017 | $12,314 | $13,249 | $12,494 |
May-2018 | $13,341 | $15,182 | $13,524 |
May-2019 | $13,960 | $15,709 | $13,720 |
May-2020 | $14,031 | $17,678 | $13,495 |
May-2021 | $18,733 | $25,220 | $19,485 |
May-2022 | $19,769 | $24,537 | $19,666 |
May-2023 | $18,296 | $25,138 | $18,772 |
May-2024 | $22,113 | $32,178 | $22,848 |
Average Annual Total Returns
| 6 Months | 1 Year | 5 years | 10 Years |
---|
Zacks Dividend Fund - Investor | 13.06% | 20.86% | 9.64% | 8.26% |
Russell 1000® Index | 16.03% | 28.01% | 15.42% | 12.40% |
Russell 1000® Value Index | 13.60% | 21.71% | 10.74% | 8.61% |
The Fund's past performance is not a good predictor of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemption of fund shares.
Net Assets | $128,212,171 |
Number of Portfolio Holdings | 70 |
Advisory Fee (net of waivers) | $585,718 |
Portfolio Turnover | 5% |
Asset Weighting (% of total investments)
Value | Value |
---|
Common Stocks | 94.8% |
Money Market Funds | 0.6% |
Reit | 4.6% |
What did the Fund invest in?
Sector Weighting (% of net assets)
Value | Value |
---|
Money Market Funds | 0.6% |
Materials | 3.0% |
Utilities | 3.7% |
Communications | 4.2% |
Real Estate | 4.6% |
Consumer Discretionary | 5.2% |
Energy | 9.3% |
Consumer Staples | 10.5% |
Health Care | 10.8% |
Industrials | 12.8% |
Technology | 13.6% |
Financials | 21.7% |
Top 10 Holdings (% of net assets)
Holding Name | % of Net Assets |
JPMorgan Chase & Company | 4.1% |
Microsoft Corporation | 3.9% |
Exxon Mobil Corporation | 3.4% |
Procter & Gamble Company (The) | 3.1% |
Arthur J Gallagher & Company | 2.8% |
Home Depot, Inc. (The) | 2.5% |
Chevron Corporation | 2.4% |
Parker-Hannifin Corporation | 2.4% |
Broadcom, Inc. | 2.4% |
Prudential Financial, Inc. | 2.3% |
The Fund was treated as a separate series (the “Predecessor Fund”) of Investment Managers Series Trust, an open-end management investment company established as a Delaware statutory trust. Effective as of the close of business on January 26, 2024, the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into the Fund, as a new series of the Trust in a tax-free reorganization (the “Reorganization”), whereby the Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund in exchange for shares of the Fund which were distributed pro rata by the Predecessor Fund to its shareholders in complete liquidation and termination of the Predecessor Fund. The Agreement and Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Reorganization was accomplished was approved by shareholders of the Predecessor Fund on December 15, 2023.
Zacks Dividend Fund - Investor Class (ZDIVX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
Where can I find additional information about the Fund?
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Dividend Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
Prospectus
Financial information
Holdings
Proxy voting information
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund
Institutional Class (ZSCIX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
What were the Fund’s costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
---|
Insitutional | $57 | 1.14% |
How did the fund perform last year?
In the six-month period from December 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund Institutional Class yielded a return of 16.08%, outperforming the benchmark Russell 2000 Index by 1.65%. Our allocation decisions within the Small-Cap Fund drove relative outperformance of +1.18%, while stock selection detracted slightly.
The top-performing sector in the Small-Cap Core Fund during the performance period was Producer Durables, which rose +30.92%. The Utilities sector dragged on total return, as the elevated interest rate environment has had outsized impact on smaller Utilities that tend to carry higher debt loads—at a time when more investment in grid modernization is needed.
For much of the six-month performance period, investors remained most enthusiastic about mega-cap growth companies, particularly in the Technology sector. However, as the U.S. economy continues to expand and earnings growth extends beyond Technology companies and the AI-boom—which we expect to see in the second half of 2024—small-cap companies could experience a positive rotation. Small-caps currently trade at far lower valuations than their large-cap peers, which we believe could present strong opportunities looking forward.
From a pure valuation standpoint, high-quality small-cap stocks trade at a historically large discount to their large-cap peers, even though many of them have similar profit margins and free cash flows. Indeed, over the past decade, small- and mid-cap companies have grown earnings—on average—faster than their large-cap peers. For small caps, stock price appreciation over that time has lagged their large-cap peers but has also been driven far more by earnings growth than multiple expansion.
How has the Fund performed over the last ten years?
Total Return Based on $10,000 Investment
| Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund - Institutional | Russell 3000® Total Return Index | Russell 2000® Index |
---|
May-2014 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
May-2015 | $11,319 | $11,186 | $10,988 |
May-2016 | $10,775 | $11,211 | $10,179 |
May-2017 | $13,312 | $13,194 | $12,078 |
May-2018 | $15,807 | $15,181 | $14,399 |
May-2019 | $13,995 | $15,560 | $12,917 |
May-2020 | $12,026 | $17,344 | $12,288 |
May-2021 | $19,396 | $24,960 | $20,000 |
May-2022 | $18,976 | $24,040 | $16,431 |
May-2023 | $18,429 | $24,529 | $15,422 |
May-2024 | $22,616 | $31,295 | $18,247 |
Average Annual Total Returns
| 6 Months | 1 Year | 5 years | 10 Years |
---|
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund - Institutional | 16.08% | 22.72% | 10.08% | 8.50% |
Russell 3000® Total Return Index | 15.99% | 27.58% | 15.00% | 12.09% |
Russell 2000® Index | 14.43% | 18.32% | 7.15% | 6.20% |
The Fund's past performance is not a good predictor of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemption of fund shares.
Net Assets | $33,170,822 |
Number of Portfolio Holdings | 102 |
Advisory Fee (net of waivers) | $103,854 |
Portfolio Turnover | 76% |
Asset Weighting (% of total investments)
Value | Value |
---|
Common Stocks | 97.7% |
Money Market Funds | 0.2% |
Reit | 2.1% |
What did the Fund invest in?
Sector Weighting (% of net assets)
Value | Value |
---|
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities | 1.8% |
Money Market Funds | 0.2% |
Consumer Staples | 0.6% |
Utilities | 0.6% |
Communications | 1.9% |
Real Estate | 2.0% |
Energy | 3.8% |
Materials | 5.9% |
Consumer Discretionary | 8.5% |
Health Care | 8.9% |
Financials | 18.8% |
Technology | 20.7% |
Industrials | 26.3% |
Top 10 Holdings (% of net assets)
Holding Name | % of Net Assets |
Teekay Tankers Ltd., Class A | 2.0% |
PROG Holdings, Inc. | 2.0% |
SPX Technologies, Inc. | 2.0% |
PepGen, Inc. | 2.0% |
Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 1.9% |
Merit Medical Systems, Inc. | 1.9% |
Onto Innovation, Inc. | 1.9% |
Blue Bird Corporation | 1.9% |
CSW Industrials, Inc. | 1.8% |
1st Source Corporation | 1.8% |
The Fund was treated as a separate series (the “Predecessor Fund”) of Investment Managers Series Trust, an open-end management investment company established as a Delaware statutory trust. Effective as of the close of business on January 26, 2024, the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into the Fund, as a new series of the Trust in a tax-free reorganization (the “Reorganization”), whereby the Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund in exchange for shares of the Fund which were distributed pro rata by the Predecessor Fund to its shareholders in complete liquidation and termination of the Predecessor Fund. The Agreement and Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Reorganization was accomplished was approved by shareholders of the Predecessor Fund on December 15, 2023.
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund - Insitutional (ZSCIX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
Where can I find additional information about the Fund?
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
Prospectus
Financial information
Holdings
Proxy voting information
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
What were the Fund’s costs for the last six months?
(based on a hypothetical $10,000 investment)
Class Name | Costs of a $10,000 investment | Costs paid as a percentage of a $10,000 investment |
---|
Investor Class | $70 | 1.39% |
How did the fund perform last year?
In the six-month period from December 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, the Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund Investor Class yielded a return of +15.97%, outperforming the benchmark Russell 2000 Index by 1.54%. Our allocation decisions within the Small Cap Core Fund drove relative outperformance of +1.18%, while stock selection detracted slightly.
The top-performing sector in the Small-Cap Core Fund during the performance period was Producer Durables, which rose +30.92%. The Utilities sector dragged on total return, as the elevated interest rate environment has had outsized impact on smaller Utilities that tend to carry higher debt loads—at a time when more investment in grid modernization is needed.
For much of the six-month performance period, investors remained most enthusiastic about mega-cap growth companies, particularly in the Technology sector. However, as the U.S. economy continues to expand and earnings growth extends beyond Technology companies and the AI-boom—which we expect to see in the second half of 2024—small-cap companies could experience a positive rotation. Small-caps currently trade at far lower valuations than their large-cap peers, which we believe could present strong opportunities looking forward.
From a pure valuation standpoint, high-quality small-cap stocks trade at a historically large discount to their large-cap peers, even though many of them have similar profit margins and free cash flows. Indeed, over the past decade, small- and mid-cap companies have grown earnings—on average—faster than their large-cap peers. For small caps, stock price appreciation over that time has lagged their large-cap peers but has also been driven far more by earnings growth than multiple expansion.
How has the Fund performed over the last ten years?
Total Return Based on $10,000 Investment
| Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund - Investor | Russell 3000® Total Return Index | Russell 2000® Index |
---|
May-2014 | $10,000 | $10,000 | $10,000 |
May-2015 | $11,288 | $11,186 | $10,988 |
May-2016 | $10,712 | $11,211 | $10,179 |
May-2017 | $13,203 | $13,194 | $12,078 |
May-2018 | $15,637 | $15,181 | $14,399 |
May-2019 | $13,804 | $15,560 | $12,917 |
May-2020 | $11,832 | $17,344 | $12,288 |
May-2021 | $19,038 | $24,960 | $20,000 |
May-2022 | $18,572 | $24,040 | $16,431 |
May-2023 | $17,994 | $24,529 | $15,422 |
May-2024 | $22,034 | $31,295 | $18,247 |
Average Annual Total Returns
| 6 Months | 1 Year | 5 years | 10 Years |
---|
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund - Investor | 15.97% | 22.45% | 9.80% | 8.22% |
Russell 3000® Total Return Index | 15.99% | 27.58% | 15.00% | 12.09% |
Russell 2000® Index | 14.43% | 18.32% | 7.15% | 6.20% |
The Fund's past performance is not a good predictor of how the Fund will perform in the future. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or redemption of fund shares.
Net Assets | $33,170,822 |
Number of Portfolio Holdings | 102 |
Advisory Fee (net of waivers) | $103,854 |
Portfolio Turnover | 76% |
Asset Weighting (% of total investments)
Value | Value |
---|
Common Stocks | 97.7% |
Money Market Funds | 0.2% |
Reit | 2.1% |
What did the Fund invest in?
Sector Weighting (% of net assets)
Value | Value |
---|
Other Assets in Excess of Liabilities | 1.8% |
Money Market Funds | 0.2% |
Consumer Staples | 0.6% |
Utilities | 0.6% |
Communications | 1.9% |
Real Estate | 2.0% |
Energy | 3.8% |
Materials | 5.9% |
Consumer Discretionary | 8.5% |
Health Care | 8.9% |
Financials | 18.8% |
Technology | 20.7% |
Industrials | 26.3% |
Top 10 Holdings (% of net assets)
Holding Name | % of Net Assets |
Teekay Tankers Ltd., Class A | 2.0% |
PROG Holdings, Inc. | 2.0% |
SPX Technologies, Inc. | 2.0% |
PepGen, Inc. | 2.0% |
Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | 1.9% |
Merit Medical Systems, Inc. | 1.9% |
Onto Innovation, Inc. | 1.9% |
Blue Bird Corporation | 1.9% |
CSW Industrials, Inc. | 1.8% |
1st Source Corporation | 1.8% |
The Fund was treated as a separate series (the “Predecessor Fund”) of Investment Managers Series Trust, an open-end management investment company established as a Delaware statutory trust. Effective as of the close of business on January 26, 2024, the Predecessor Fund was reorganized into the Fund, as a new series of the Trust in a tax-free reorganization (the “Reorganization”), whereby the Fund acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Fund in exchange for shares of the Fund which were distributed pro rata by the Predecessor Fund to its shareholders in complete liquidation and termination of the Predecessor Fund. The Agreement and Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Reorganization was accomplished was approved by shareholders of the Predecessor Fund on December 15, 2023.
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund - Investor Class (ZSCCX)
Semi-Annual Shareholder Report - May 31, 2024
Where can I find additional information about the Fund?
This semi-annual shareholder report contains important information about Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund for the period of December 1, 2023 to May 31, 2024. You can find additional information about the Fund at https://zacksfunds.com/forms-and-resources.php#FundReports. You can also request this information by contacting us at 1-888 775-8351.
Prospectus
Financial information
Holdings
Proxy voting information
Item 2. Code of Ethics.
Not applicable.
Item 3. Audit Committee Financial Expert.
Not applicable.
Item 4. Principal Accountant Fees and Services.
Not applicable.
Item 5. Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.
Not applicable to open-end investment companies.
Item 6. Investments.
The Registrant’s schedule of investments in unaffiliated issuers is included in the Financial Statements under Item 7 of this form.
Item 7. Financial Statements and Financial Highlights for Open-End Management Investment Companies.
(a)
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Zacks All-Cap Core Fund |
Institutional Class Shares – CZOVX |
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Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund |
Investor Class Shares – ZSCCX |
Institutional Class Shares - ZSCIX |
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Zacks Dividend Fund |
Investor Class Shares – ZDIVX |
Institutional Class Shares - ZDIIX |
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Semi-Annual Report |
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May 31, 2024 |
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1-888-775-8351 |
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www.zacksfunds.com |
ZACKS ALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.7% | | | | |
| | | | AEROSPACE & DEFENSE - 0.9% | | | | |
| 655 | | | General Dynamics Corporation | | $ | 196,349 | |
| 1,007 | | | Howmet Aerospace, Inc. | | | 85,243 | |
| | | | | | | 281,592 | |
| | | | ASSET MANAGEMENT - 1.5% | | | | |
| 763 | | | Ameriprise Financial, Inc. | | | 333,134 | |
| 180 | | | BlackRock, Inc. | | | 138,965 | |
| | | | | | | 472,099 | |
| | | | AUTOMOTIVE - 0.5% | | | | |
| 907 | | | Tesla, Inc.(a) | | | 161,519 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | BANKING - 4.3% | | | | |
| 8,108 | | | Bank of America Corporation | | | 324,239 | |
| 2,493 | | | JPMorgan Chase & Company | | | 505,157 | |
| 1,234 | | | PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The) | | | 194,219 | |
| 6,371 | | | Truist Financial Corporation | | | 240,505 | |
| 1,209 | | | Wintrust Financial Corporation | | | 119,219 | |
| | | | | | | 1,383,339 | |
| | | | BEVERAGES - 1.2% | | | | |
| 2,153 | | | PepsiCo, Inc. | | | 372,254 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | BIOTECH & PHARMA - 6.3% | | | | |
| 2,178 | | | AbbVie, Inc. | | | 351,181 | |
| 907 | | | Amgen, Inc. | | | 277,406 | |
| 622 | | | Eli Lilly & Company | | | 510,251 | |
| 1,838 | | | Johnson & Johnson | | | 269,579 | |
| 2,392 | | | Merck & Company, Inc. | | | 300,292 | |
| 646 | | | Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a) | | | 294,150 | |
| | | | | | | 2,002,859 | |
| | | | CHEMICALS - 1.2% | | | | |
| 1,678 | | | Celanese Corporation | | | 255,124 | |
| 2,153 | | | Dow, Inc. | | | 124,077 | |
| | | | | | | 379,201 | |
| | | | COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 2.1% | | | | |
| 514 | | | Cintas Corporation | | | 348,476 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS ALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.7% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 2.1% (Continued) | | | | |
| 1,750 | | | Republic Services, Inc. | | $ | 324,083 | |
| | | | | | | 672,559 | |
| | | | CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS - 0.5% | | | | |
| 818 | | | Owens Corning | | | 148,115 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | CONTAINERS & PACKAGING - 0.5% | | | | |
| 5,792 | | | Graphic Packaging Holding Company | | | 164,029 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIALS - 0.8% | | | | |
| 1,259 | | | Honeywell International, Inc. | | | 254,557 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | E-COMMERCE DISCRETIONARY - 2.9% | | | | |
| 5,364 | | | Amazon.com, Inc.(a) | | | 946,424 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | ELECTRIC UTILITIES - 2.6% | | | | |
| 3,802 | | | American Electric Power Company, Inc. | | | 343,130 | |
| 2,278 | | | NextEra Energy, Inc. | | | 182,286 | |
| 2,040 | | | Portland General Electric Company | | | 90,902 | |
| 2,569 | | | Southern Company (The) | | | 205,880 | |
| | | | | | | 822,198 | |
| | | | ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT - 1.5% | | | | |
| 1,826 | | | Itron, Inc.(a) | | | 196,386 | |
| 2,984 | | | Vertiv Holdings Company | | | 292,641 | |
| | | | | | | 489,027 | |
| | | | ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION - 1.8% | | | | |
| 907 | | | EMCOR Group, Inc. | | | 352,515 | |
| 1,070 | | | Tetra Tech, Inc. | | | 224,154 | |
| | | | | | | 576,669 | |
| | | | FOOD - 1.6% | | | | |
| 3,173 | | | Conagra Brands, Inc. | | | 94,809 | |
| 1,486 | | | Hershey Company (The) | | | 293,976 | |
| 3,185 | | | Kraft Heinz Company (The) | | | 112,653 | |
| | | | | | | 501,438 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS ALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.7% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | HEALTH CARE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 3.0% | | | | |
| 1,284 | | | Cardinal Health, Inc. | | $ | 127,463 | |
| 743 | | | Labcorp Holdings, Inc. | | | 144,818 | |
| 529 | | | Molina Healthcare, Inc.(a) | | | 166,413 | |
| 1,040 | | | UnitedHealth Group, Inc. | | | 515,184 | |
| | | | | | | 953,878 | |
| | | | HEALTH CARE REIT - 0.3% | | | | |
| 4,369 | | | Healthpeak Properties, Inc. | | | 86,943 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | HOME CONSTRUCTION - 0.8% | | | | |
| 2,140 | | | PulteGroup, Inc. | | | 251,065 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS - 2.8% | | | | |
| 1,461 | | | Church & Dwight Company, Inc. | | | 156,342 | |
| 1,121 | | | elf Beauty, Inc.(a) | | | 209,526 | |
| 3,412 | | | Procter & Gamble Company (The) | | | 561,410 | |
| | | | | | | 927,278 | |
| | | | INDUSTRIAL REIT - 0.4% | | | | |
| 1,196 | | | Prologis, Inc. | | | 132,146 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INSURANCE - 4.1% | | | | |
| 608 | | | Assurant, Inc. | | | 105,470 | |
| 3,337 | | | Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The) | | | 345,213 | |
| 1,952 | | | Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. | | | 405,196 | |
| 3,563 | | | MetLife, Inc. | | | 257,854 | |
| 2,241 | | | W R Berkley Corporation | | | 181,588 | |
| | | | | | | 1,295,321 | |
| | | | INTERNET MEDIA & SERVICES - 9.2% | | | | |
| 5,666 | | | Alphabet, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 977,384 | |
| 1,360 | | | Alphabet, Inc., Class C(a) | | | 236,586 | |
| 2,090 | | | Meta Platforms, Inc., Class A | | | 975,675 | |
| 579 | | | Netflix, Inc.(a) | | | 371,498 | |
| 699 | | | Spotify Technology S.A.(a) | | | 207,449 | |
| 2,468 | | | Uber Technologies, Inc.(a) | | | 159,334 | |
| | | | | | | 2,927,926 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS ALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.7% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | LEISURE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 2.6% | | | | |
| 1,070 | | | Marriott International, Inc., Class A | | $ | 247,352 | |
| 729 | | | McDonald’s Corporation | | | 188,731 | |
| 3,349 | | | MGM Resorts International(a) | | | 134,529 | |
| 1,675 | | | Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.(a) | | | 247,364 | |
| | | | | | | 817,976 | |
| | | | MACHINERY - 1.6% | | | | |
| 1,488 | | | Caterpillar, Inc. | | | 503,718 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 3.3% | | | | |
| 2,002 | | | Abbott Laboratories | | | 204,584 | |
| 2,543 | | | Boston Scientific Corporation(a) | | | 192,175 | |
| 592 | | | Danaher Corporation | | | 152,026 | |
| 894 | | | Hologic, Inc.(a) | | | 65,959 | |
| 630 | | | Stryker Corporation | | | 214,887 | |
| 395 | | | Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. | | | 224,352 | |
| | | | | | | 1,053,983 | |
| | | | OFFICE REIT - 0.2% | | | | |
| 1,070 | | | Boston Properties, Inc. | | | 64,917 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | OIL & GAS PRODUCERS - 3.4% | | | | |
| 3,066 | | | Chevron Corporation | | | 497,612 | |
| 3,311 | | | ConocoPhillips | | | 385,665 | |
| 6,661 | | | Marathon Oil Corporation | | | 192,903 | |
| | | | | | | 1,076,180 | |
| | | | OIL & GAS SERVICES & EQUIPMENT - 0.3% | | | | |
| 2,354 | | | Schlumberger Ltd. | | | 108,025 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | RESIDENTIAL REIT - 0.5% | | | | |
| 1,121 | | | Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc. | | | 149,889 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | RETAIL - CONSUMER STAPLES - 1.7% | | | | |
| 1,272 | | | BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.(a) | | | 112,025 | |
| 6,357 | | | Walmart, Inc. | | | 418,036 | |
| | | | | | | 530,061 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS ALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.7% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | RETAIL - DISCRETIONARY - 2.1% | | | | |
| 1,350 | | | Home Depot, Inc. (The) | | $ | 452,074 | |
| 1,939 | | | TJX Companies, Inc. (The) | | | 199,911 | |
| | | | | | | 651,985 | |
| | | | SEMICONDUCTORS - 10.7% | | | | |
| 1,838 | | | Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(a) | | | 306,762 | |
| 2,065 | | | Applied Materials, Inc. | | | 444,140 | |
| 1,561 | | | Microchip Technology, Inc. | | | 151,776 | |
| 2,103 | | | NVIDIA Corporation | | | 2,305,582 | |
| 1,108 | | | Texas Instruments, Inc. | | | 216,071 | |
| | | | | | | 3,424,331 | |
| | | | SOFTWARE - 9.8% | | | | |
| 957 | | | Cadence Design Systems, Inc.(a) | | | 273,999 | |
| 403 | | | Intuit, Inc. | | | 232,305 | |
| 1,045 | | | Manhattan Associates, Inc.(a) | | | 229,419 | |
| 2,958 | | | Microsoft Corporation | | | 1,227,954 | |
| 1,800 | | | Oracle Corporation | | | 210,942 | |
| 1,070 | | | Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(a) | | | 315,554 | |
| 937 | | | Synopsys, Inc.(a) | | | 525,470 | |
| 1,511 | | | Zoom Video Communications, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 92,685 | |
| | | | | | | 3,108,328 | |
| | | | SPECIALTY FINANCE - 1.4% | | | | |
| 1,901 | | | American Express Company | | | 456,240 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE - 5.5% | | | | |
| 5,892 | | | Apple, Inc. | | | 1,132,738 | |
| 591 | | | Fabrinet(a) | | | 141,562 | |
| 1,851 | | | Jabil, Inc. | | | 220,084 | |
| 4,205 | | | Pure Storage, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 253,519 | |
| | | | | | | 1,747,903 | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 3.3% | | | | |
| 1,010 | | | Accenture PLC, Class A | | | 285,112 | |
| 587 | | | CACI International, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 249,170 | |
| 1,246 | | | Fiserv, Inc.(a) | | | 186,601 | |
| 608 | | | Moody’s Corporation | | | 241,370 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS ALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.7% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 3.3% (Continued) | | | | |
| 3,551 | | | Toast, Inc., Class A(a) | | $ | 86,041 | |
| | | | | | | 1,048,294 | |
| | | | TELECOMMUNICATIONS - 0.9% | | | | |
| 1,561 | | | T-Mobile US, Inc. | | | 273,113 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT - 0.6% | | | | |
| 1,649 | | | PACCAR, Inc. | | | 177,269 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $19,356,758) | | | 31,394,648 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 1.4% | | | | |
| | | | MONEY MARKET FUND - 1.4% | | | | |
| 433,619 | | | Federated Hermes Treasury Obligations Fund, Institutional Class, 5.17% (Cost $433,619)(b) | | | 433,619 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 100.1% (Cost $19,790,377) | | $ | 31,828,267 | |
| | | | LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF OTHER ASSETS - (0.1)% | | | (33,231 | ) |
| | | | NET ASSETS - 100.0% | | $ | 31,795,036 | |
(a) | Non-income producing security. |
(b) | Rate disclosed is the seven day effective yield as of May 31, 2024. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS SMALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.0% | | | | |
| | | | AUTOMOTIVE - 0.8% | | | | |
| 22,370 | | | Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company (The)(a) | | $ | 275,375 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | BANKING - 12.5% | | | | |
| 11,850 | | | 1st Source Corporation | | | 609,326 | |
| 15,890 | | | Bank of NT Butterfield & Son Ltd. (The) | | | 541,372 | |
| 15,744 | | | Equity Bancshares, Inc., Class A | | | 530,573 | |
| 4,080 | | | First BanCorporation | | | 72,338 | |
| 12,970 | | | First Community Bankshares, Inc. | | | 450,578 | |
| 29,951 | | | HBT Financial, Inc. | | | 584,045 | |
| 3,225 | | | Independent Bank Corporation | | | 80,819 | |
| 7,240 | | | Mercantile Bank Corporation | | | 277,364 | |
| 3,000 | | | OFG Bancorp | | | 111,480 | |
| 12,525 | | | Old Second Bancorp, Inc. | | | 181,112 | |
| 6,100 | | | SmartFinancial, Inc. | | | 141,154 | |
| 21,948 | | | Towne Bank | | | 596,766 | |
| | | | | | | 4,176,927 | |
| | | | BIOTECH & PHARMA - 3.3% | | | | |
| 23,500 | | | ADMA Biologics, Inc.(a) | | | 224,425 | |
| 18,130 | | | HilleVax, Inc.(a) | | | 220,098 | |
| 39,898 | | | PepGen, Inc.(a) | | | 651,534 | |
| | | | | | | 1,096,057 | |
| | | | CHEMICALS - 0.2% | | | | |
| 4,293 | | | Mativ Holdings, Inc. | | | 77,145 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | COMMERCIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 2.2% | | | | |
| 2,977 | | | Cimpress plc(a) | | | 245,632 | |
| 1,840 | | | Distribution Solutions Group, Inc.(a) | | | 61,419 | |
| 11,050 | | | Enviri Corporation(a) | | | 97,793 | |
| 3,663 | | | Huron Consulting Group, Inc.(a) | | | 323,480 | |
| | | | | | | 728,324 | |
| | | | CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS - 1.3% | | | | |
| 57,928 | | | Concrete Pumping Holdings, Inc.(a) | | | 415,344 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS SMALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.0% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | CONTAINERS & PACKAGING - 1.5% | | | | |
| 16,954 | | | Karat Packaging, Inc. | | $ | 483,867 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | E-COMMERCE DISCRETIONARY - 0.2% | | | | |
| 7,190 | | | 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 69,599 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT - 7.2% | | | | |
| 5,342 | | | AAON, Inc. | | | 400,917 | |
| 943 | | | Belden, Inc. | | | 90,236 | |
| 5,550 | | | Itron, Inc.(a) | | | 596,903 | |
| 1,783 | | | Powell Industries, Inc. | | | 320,690 | |
| 4,697 | | | SPX Technologies, Inc.(a) | | | 654,855 | |
| 1,541 | | | Watts Water Technologies, Inc., Class A | | | 306,859 | |
| | | | | | | 2,370,460 | |
| | | | ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION - 2.6% | | | | |
| 2,045 | | | Arcosa, Inc. | | | 179,776 | |
| 1,954 | | | Comfort Systems USA, Inc. | | | 639,622 | |
| 1,914 | | | Tutor Perini Corporation(a) | | | 42,223 | |
| | | | | | | 861,621 | |
| | | | FORESTRY, PAPER & WOOD PRODUCTS - 1.4% | | | | |
| 977 | | | Boise Cascade Company | | | 134,132 | |
| 4,577 | | | Sylvamo Corporation | | | 326,432 | |
| | | | | | | 460,564 | |
| | | | GAS & WATER UTILITIES - 0.5% | | | | |
| 4,889 | | | York Water Company (The) | | | 181,089 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | HEALTH CARE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 3.1% | | | | |
| 16,064 | | | Option Care Health, Inc.(a) | | | 479,029 | |
| 7,050 | | | Pennant Group, Inc. (The)(a) | | | 165,957 | |
| 7,482 | | | SI-BONE, Inc.(a) | | | 105,122 | |
| 10,002 | | | Surgery Partners, Inc.(a) | | | 276,055 | |
| | | | | | | 1,026,163 | |
| | | | HOME & OFFICE PRODUCTS - 0.6% | | | | |
| 4,580 | | | HNI Corporation | | | 215,489 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS SMALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.0% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | HOME CONSTRUCTION - 2.3% | | | | |
| 6,240 | | | Green Brick Partners, Inc.(a) | | $ | 340,704 | |
| 238 | | | M/I Homes, Inc.(a) | | | 29,731 | |
| 6,800 | | | Taylor Morrison Home Corporation(a) | | | 393,244 | |
| | | | | | | 763,679 | |
| | | | HOTEL REIT - 0.3% | | | | |
| 895 | | | Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. | | | 94,038 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS - 0.6% | | | | |
| 1,049 | | | elf Beauty, Inc.(a) | | | 196,069 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INDUSTRIAL INTERMEDIATE PROD - 2.7% | | | | |
| 4,382 | | | AZZ, Inc. | | | 367,562 | |
| 6,912 | | | Gibraltar Industries, Inc.(a) | | | 521,580 | |
| | | | | | | 889,142 | |
| | | | INDUSTRIAL SUPPORT SERVICES - 1.7% | | | | |
| 2,987 | | | Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. | | | 576,491 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INSTITUTIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES - 1.2% | | | | |
| 5,202 | | | StoneX Group, Inc.(a) | | | 390,514 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INSURANCE - 1.3% | | | | |
| 6,790 | | | Mercury General Corporation | | | 379,086 | |
| 456 | | | Palomar Holdings, Inc.(a) | | | 38,687 | |
| | | | | | | 417,773 | |
| | | | INTERNET MEDIA & SERVICES - 1.9% | | | | |
| 12,200 | | | EverQuote, Inc.(a) | | | 291,458 | |
| 12,925 | | | HealthStream, Inc. | | | 352,723 | |
| | | | | | | 644,181 | |
| | | | LEISURE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 1.9% | | | | |
| 2,063 | | | Light & Wonder, Inc.(a) | | | 196,975 | |
| 14,033 | | | OneSpaWorld Holdings Ltd.(a) | | | 218,213 | |
| 19,306 | | | Target Hospitality Corporation(a) | | | 219,317 | |
| | | | | | | 634,505 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS SMALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.0% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | MACHINERY - 5.4% | | | | |
| 6,856 | | | Albany International Corporation, Class A | | $ | 601,408 | |
| 1,550 | | | Columbus McKinnon Corporation | | | 60,605 | |
| 2,408 | | | CSW Industrials, Inc. | | | 612,258 | |
| 3,050 | | | Enerpac Tool Group Corporation | | | 119,926 | |
| 4,240 | | | Federal Signal Corporation | | | 390,165 | |
| | | | | | | 1,784,362 | |
| | | | MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 2.5% | | | | |
| 1,204 | | | Inspire Medical Systems, Inc.(a) | | | 191,183 | |
| 7,779 | | | Merit Medical Systems, Inc.(a) | | | 631,266 | |
| | | | | | | 822,449 | |
| | | | OIL & GAS PRODUCERS - 1.5% | | | | |
| 28,163 | | | Excelerate Energy, Inc., Class A | | | 501,583 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | OIL & GAS SERVICES & EQUIPMENT - 2.0% | | | | |
| 36,120 | | | DNOW, Inc.(a) | | | 526,991 | |
| 17,862 | | | Newpark Resources, Inc.(a) | | | 151,470 | |
| | | | | | | 678,461 | |
| | | | RENEWABLE ENERGY - 0.3% | | | | |
| 16,553 | | | Montauk Renewables, Inc.(a) | | | 88,724 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | RESIDENTIAL REIT - 0.3% | | | | |
| 1,495 | | | Centerspace | | | 102,049 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | RETAIL - DISCRETIONARY - 2.7% | | | | |
| 6,071 | | | GMS, Inc.(a) | | | 570,430 | |
| 8,657 | | | J Jill, Inc. | | | 291,741 | |
| | | | | | | 862,171 | |
| | | | SEMICONDUCTORS - 3.7% | | | | |
| 18,270 | | | Amkor Technology, Inc. | | | 595,419 | |
| 2,913 | | | Onto Innovation, Inc.(a) | | | 631,247 | |
| | | | | | | 1,226,666 | |
| | | | SOFTWARE - 13.4% | | | | |
| 11,455 | | | Adeia, Inc. | | | 135,513 | |
| 2,564 | | | Agilysys, Inc.(a) | | | 244,785 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS SMALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.0% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | SOFTWARE - 13.4% (Continued) | | | | |
| 7,500 | | | Alkami Technology, Inc.(a) | | $ | 205,725 | |
| 1,258 | | | Appfolio, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 287,227 | |
| 26,075 | | | Cantaloupe, Inc.(a) | | | 186,697 | |
| 3,750 | | | Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc.(a) | | | 228,600 | |
| 8,247 | | | Intapp, Inc.(a) | | | 296,067 | |
| 65,252 | | | Olo, Inc.(a) | | | 298,854 | |
| 18,934 | | | Oscar Health, Inc.(a) | | | 377,923 | |
| 14,091 | | | PDF Solutions, Inc.(a) | | | 493,466 | |
| 3,460 | | | PubMatic, Inc., Class A(a) | | | 75,774 | |
| 12,475 | | | Sapiens International Corp N.V. | | | 418,162 | |
| 11,564 | | | SEMrush Holdings, Inc.(a) | | | 176,467 | |
| 6,385 | | | SolarWinds Corporation | | | 73,938 | |
| 25,314 | | | Viant Technology, Inc.(a) | | | 240,736 | |
| 39,767 | | | Weave Communications, Inc.(a) | | | 343,985 | |
| 73,310 | | | Yext, Inc.(a) | | | 370,216 | |
| | | | | | | 4,454,135 | |
| | | | SPECIALTY FINANCE - 3.8% | | | | |
| 4,047 | | | FirstCash Holdings, Inc. | | | 477,222 | |
| 38,585 | | | OppFi, Inc. | | | 124,630 | |
| 17,360 | | | PROG Holdings, Inc. | | | 656,034 | |
| | | | | | | 1,257,886 | |
| | | | SPECIALTY REITS - 1.5% | | | | |
| 33,774 | | | Outfront Media, Inc. | | | 488,034 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | STEEL - 1.5% | | | | |
| 4,614 | | | Carpenter Technology Corporation | | | 511,554 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE - 1.6% | | | | |
| 667 | | | Super Micro Computer, Inc.(a) | | | 523,268 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 2.0% | | | | |
| 13,650 | | | LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.(a) | | | 427,109 | |
| 19,857 | | | Pagseguro Digital Ltd., Class A(a) | | | 243,248 | |
| | | | | | | 670,357 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS SMALL-CAP CORE FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 98.0% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS - 2.6% | | | | |
| 13,100 | | | Costamare, Inc. | | $ | 209,731 | |
| 9,186 | | | Teekay Tankers Ltd., Class A | | | 669,016 | |
| | | | | | | 878,747 | |
| | | | TRANSPORTATION EQUIPMENT - 1.9% | | | | |
| 10,911 | | | Blue Bird Corporation(a) | | | 622,037 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $28,889,451) | | | 32,516,899 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 0.2% | | | | |
| | | | MONEY MARKET FUND - 0.2% | | | | |
| 50,328 | | | Federated Hermes Treasury Obligations Fund, Institutional Class, 5.17% (Cost $50,328)(b) | | | 50,328 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 98.2% (Cost $28,939,779) | | $ | 32,567,227 | |
| | | | OTHER ASSETS IN EXCESS OF LIABILITIES- 1.8% | | | 603,595 | |
| | | | NET ASSETS - 100.0% | | $ | 33,170,822 | |
(a) | Non-income producing security. |
(b) | Rate disclosed is the seven day effective yield as of May 31, 2024. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS DIVIDEND FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 99.4% | | | | |
| | | | AEROSPACE & DEFENSE - 3.1% | | | | |
| 5,784 | | | General Dynamics Corporation | | $ | 1,733,869 | |
| 4,538 | | | L3Harris Technologies, Inc. | | | 1,020,279 | |
| 2,699 | | | Lockheed Martin Corporation, B | | | 1,269,448 | |
| | | | | | | 4,023,596 | |
| | | | APPAREL & TEXTILE PRODUCTS - 0.7% | | | | |
| 10,026 | | | NIKE, Inc., Class B | | | 952,971 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | ASSET MANAGEMENT - 2.1% | | | | |
| 3,471 | | | BlackRock, Inc. | | | 2,679,716 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | AUTOMOTIVE - 0.6% | | | | |
| 60,114 | | | Ford Motor Company | | | 729,183 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | BANKING - 10.7% | | | | |
| 40,489 | | | Bank of America Corporation | | | 1,619,155 | |
| 14,268 | | | Citigroup, Inc. | | | 889,039 | |
| 16,196 | | | Citizens Financial Group, Inc. | | | 571,557 | |
| 44,345 | | | Fifth Third Bancorp | | | 1,659,390 | |
| 61,312 | | | Huntington Bancshares, Inc. | | | 853,463 | |
| 26,222 | | | JPMorgan Chase & Company | | | 5,313,365 | |
| 8,098 | | | PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The) | | | 1,274,544 | |
| 40,489 | | | US Bancorp | | | 1,641,829 | |
| | | | | | | 13,822,342 | |
| | | | BEVERAGES - 2.9% | | | | |
| 30,849 | | | Coca-Cola Company (The) | | | 1,941,327 | |
| 10,412 | | | PepsiCo, Inc. | | | 1,800,235 | |
| | | | | | | 3,741,562 | |
| | | | BIOTECH & PHARMA - 8.0% | | | | |
| 14,653 | | | AbbVie, Inc. | | | 2,362,650 | |
| 9,255 | | | Gilead Sciences, Inc. | | | 594,819 | |
| 18,509 | | | Johnson & Johnson | | | 2,714,715 | |
| 23,137 | | | Merck & Company, Inc. | | | 2,904,618 | |
| 61,698 | | | Pfizer, Inc. | | | 1,768,265 | |
| | | | | | | 10,345,067 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS DIVIDEND FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 99.4% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | CABLE & SATELLITE - 1.1% | | | | |
| 36,633 | | | Comcast Corporation, Class A | | $ | 1,466,419 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | CHEMICALS - 2.4% | | | | |
| 34,705 | | | Dow, Inc. | | | 2,000,049 | |
| 11,183 | | | Eastman Chemical Company | | | 1,133,173 | |
| | | | | | | 3,133,222 | |
| | | | DIVERSIFIED INDUSTRIALS - 1.8% | | | | |
| 11,183 | | | 3M Company | | | 1,119,866 | |
| 10,412 | | | Emerson Electric Company | | | 1,167,810 | |
| | | | | | | 2,287,676 | |
| | | | ELECTRIC UTILITIES - 3.7% | | | | |
| 10,797 | | | American Electric Power Company, Inc. | | | 974,429 | |
| 18,895 | | | Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc. | | | 1,431,485 | |
| 28,921 | | | Southern Company (The) | | | 2,317,729 | |
| | | | | | | 4,723,643 | |
| | | | ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT - 1.0% | | | | |
| 17,738 | | | Johnson Controls International plc | | | 1,275,540 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | ENGINEERING & CONSTRUCTION - 0.8% | | | | |
| 6,941 | | | Jacobs Solutions, Inc. | | | 967,159 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | GAMING REITS - 0.5% | | | | |
| 13,882 | | | Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc. | | | 623,302 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | HEALTH CARE REIT - 0.6% | | | | |
| 36,247 | | | Healthpeak Properties, Inc. | | | 721,315 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS - 3.0% | | | | |
| 23,908 | | | Procter & Gamble Company (The) | | | 3,933,823 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INDUSTRIAL REIT - 1.1% | | | | |
| 13,496 | | | Prologis, Inc. | | | 1,491,173 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS DIVIDEND FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 99.4% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | INFRASTRUCTURE REIT - 0.6% | | | | |
| 7,712 | | | Crown Castle, Inc. | | $ | 790,480 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INSTITUTIONAL FINANCIAL SERVICES - 1.2% | | | | |
| 25,065 | | | Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (The) | | | 1,494,125 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | INSURANCE - 7.2% | | | | |
| 14,268 | | | Arthur J Gallagher & Company | | | 3,614,512 | |
| 35,862 | | | MetLife, Inc. | | | 2,595,333 | |
| 24,679 | | | Prudential Financial, Inc. | | | 2,970,118 | |
| | | | | | | 9,179,963 | |
| | | | LEISURE FACILITIES & SERVICES - 1.4% | | | | |
| 6,941 | | | McDonald’s Corporation | | | 1,796,955 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | MACHINERY - 4.3% | | | | |
| 7,330 | | | Caterpillar, Inc. | | | 2,481,352 | |
| 5,829 | | | Parker-Hannifin Corporation | | | 3,098,229 | |
| | | | | | | 5,579,581 | |
| | | | MEDICAL EQUIPMENT & DEVICES - 2.8% | | | | |
| 10,026 | | | Abbott Laboratories | | | 1,024,557 | |
| 4,627 | | | Danaher Corporation | | | 1,188,214 | |
| 16,196 | | | Medtronic PLC | | | 1,317,868 | |
| | | | | | | 3,530,639 | |
| | | | MULTI ASSET CLASS REIT - 0.7% | | | | |
| 16,196 | | | WP Carey, Inc. | | | 913,454 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | OIL & GAS PRODUCERS - 9.3% | | | | |
| 19,116 | | | Chevron Corporation | | | 3,102,527 | |
| 24,679 | | | ConocoPhillips | | | 2,874,610 | |
| 36,633 | | | Exxon Mobil Corporation | | | 4,295,585 | |
| 82,906 | | | Kinder Morgan, Inc. | | | 1,615,838 | |
| | | | | | | 11,888,560 | |
| | | | RETAIL - CONSUMER STAPLES - 1.9% | | | | |
| 37,019 | | | Walmart, Inc. | | | 2,434,369 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS DIVIDEND FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 99.4% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | RETAIL - DISCRETIONARY - 2.5% | | | | |
| 9,640 | | | Home Depot, Inc. (The) | | $ | 3,228,147 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | SEMICONDUCTORS - 5.8% | | | | |
| 8,483 | | | Applied Materials, Inc. | | | 1,824,524 | |
| 2,314 | | | Broadcom, Inc. | | | 3,074,265 | |
| 13,111 | | | QUALCOMM, Inc. | | | 2,675,300 | |
| | | | | | | 7,574,089 | |
| | | | SOFTWARE - 4.7% | | | | |
| 11,954 | | | Microsoft Corporation | | | 4,962,464 | |
| 8,869 | | | Oracle Corporation | | | 1,039,358 | |
| | | | | | | 6,001,822 | |
| | | | SPECIALTY FINANCE - 0.5% | | | | |
| 11,954 | | | Fidelity National Financial, Inc. | | | 602,003 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | SPECIALTY REITS - 1.1% | | | | |
| 11,954 | | | Lamar Advertising Company, Class A | | | 1,411,887 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | STEEL - 0.6% | | | | |
| 4,242 | | | Nucor Corporation | | | 716,262 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE - 2.0% | | | | |
| 54,371 | | | Cisco Systems, Inc. | | | 2,528,252 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TECHNOLOGY SERVICES - 1.1% | | | | |
| 8,098 | | | International Business Machines Corporation | | | 1,351,151 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TELECOMMUNICATIONS - 3.1% | | | | |
| 81,750 | | | AT&T, Inc. | | | 1,489,485 | |
| 57,842 | | | Verizon Communications, Inc. | | | 2,380,198 | |
| | | | | | | 3,869,683 | |
| | | | TOBACCO & CANNABIS - 2.7% | | | | |
| 22,751 | | | Altria Group, Inc. | | | 1,052,234 | |
| 23,137 | | | Philip Morris International, Inc. | | | 2,345,629 | |
| | | | | | | 3,397,863 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
ZACKS DIVIDEND FUND |
SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS (Unaudited) (Continued) |
May 31, 2024 |
Shares | | | | | Fair Value | |
| | | | COMMON STOCKS — 99.4% (Continued) | | | | |
| | | | TRANSPORTATION & LOGISTICS - 1.8% | | | | |
| 48,201 | | | CSX Corporation | | $ | 1,626,784 | |
| 5,013 | | | United Parcel Service, Inc., B | | | 696,456 | |
| | | | | | | 2,323,240 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TOTAL COMMON STOCKS (Cost $107,127,817) | | | 127,530,234 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | SHORT-TERM INVESTMENT — 0.6% | | | | |
| | | | MONEY MARKET FUND - 0.6% | | | | |
| 706,887 | | | Federated Hermes Treasury Obligations Fund, Institutional Class, 5.17% (Cost $706,887)(a) | | | 706,887 | |
| | | | | | | | |
| | | | TOTAL INVESTMENTS - 100.0% (Cost $107,834,704) | | $ | 128,237,121 | |
| | | | LIABILITIES IN EXCESS OF OTHER ASSETS - 0.0% | | | (24,950 | ) |
| | | | NET ASSETS - 100.0% | | $ | 128,212,171 | |
(a) | Rate disclosed is the seven day effective yield as of May 31, 2024. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Funds |
STATEMENTS OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES (Unaudited) |
May 31, 2024 |
| | Zacks All-Cap Core | | | Zacks Small-Cap | | | | |
| | Fund | | | Core Fund | | | Zacks Dividend Fund | |
ASSETS | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Investment securities: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
At cost | | $ | 19,790,377 | | | $ | 28,939,779 | | | $ | 107,834,704 | |
At fair value | | $ | 31,828,267 | | | $ | 32,567,227 | | | $ | 128,237,121 | |
Receivable for securities sold | | | — | | | | 5,615,221 | | | | — | |
Receivable for fund shares sold | | | 296 | | | | 5,367 | | | | 117,058 | |
Dividends and interest receivable | | | 42,898 | | | | 11,376 | | | | 343,718 | |
Prepaid expenses | | | — | | | | — | | | | 2,942 | |
TOTAL ASSETS | | | 31,871,461 | | | | 38,199,191 | | | | 128,700,839 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
LIABILITIES | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Payable for investments purchased | | | — | | | | 4,929,466 | | | | — | |
Investment advisory fees payable | | | 55,291 | | | | 65,946 | | | | 282,560 | |
Distribution (12b-1) fees payable | | | — | | | | 12,039 | | | | 22,779 | |
Payable for Fund shares redeemed | | | — | | | | 132 | | | | 117,600 | |
Payable to related parties | | | 1,741 | | | | 2,494 | | | | 7,145 | |
Accrued expenses and other liabilities | | | 19,393 | | | | 18,292 | | | | 58,584 | |
TOTAL LIABILITIES | | | 76,425 | | | | 5,028,369 | | | | 488,668 | |
NET ASSETS | | $ | 31,795,036 | | | $ | 33,170,822 | | | $ | 128,212,171 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net Assets Consist Of: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Paid in capital | | $ | 17,179,721 | | | $ | 26,316,885 | | | $ | 105,043,034 | |
Accumulated earnings | | | 14,615,315 | | | | 6,853,937 | | | | 23,169,137 | |
NET ASSETS | | $ | 31,795,036 | | | $ | 33,170,822 | | | $ | 128,212,171 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net Asset Value Per Share: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class Shares: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net Assets | | | | | | $ | 14,989,081 | | | $ | 27,192,161 | |
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding ($0 par value, unlimited shares authorized) | | | | | | | 428,260 | | | | 1,088,741 | |
Net asset value (Net Assets ÷ Shares Outstanding), offering price and redemption price per share (a) | | | | | | $ | 35.00 | | | $ | 24.98 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Institutional Shares: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net Assets | | $ | 31,795,036 | | | $ | 18,181,741 | | | $ | 101,020,010 | |
Shares of beneficial interest outstanding ($0 par value, unlimited shares authorized) | | | 1,179,129 | | | | 508,660 | | | | 4,109,192 | |
Net asset value (Net Assets ÷ Shares Outstanding), offering price and redemption price per share (a) | | $ | 26.96 | | | $ | 35.74 | | | $ | 24.58 | |
(a) | Redemptions of shares held less than 30 days may be assessed a redemption fee of 1.00%. |
* | NAV may not recalculate due to rounding of shares. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Funds |
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Unaudited) |
For the Six Months Ended May 31, 2024 |
| | Zacks All-Cap | | | Zacks Small-Cap | | | Zacks Dividend | |
| | Core Fund | | | Core Fund | | | Fund | |
INVESTMENT INCOME | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Dividends | | $ | 234,833 | | | $ | 189,673 | | | $ | 2,326,211 | |
Interest | | | 5,598 | | | | 7,245 | | | | 29,096 | |
Less: Foreign withholding taxes | | | — | | | | (348 | ) | | | (342 | ) |
TOTAL INVESTMENT INCOME | | | 240,431 | | | | 196,570 | | | | 2,354,965 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
EXPENSES | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Investment advisory fees | | | 150,096 | | | | 151,277 | | | | 604,698 | |
Distribution (12b-1) fees: | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | — | | | | 18,749 | | | | 36,201 | |
Administrative services fees | | | 29,757 | | | | 20,307 | | | | 62,382 | |
Registration fees | | | 22,306 | | | | 18,917 | | | | 24,768 | |
Transfer agent fees | | | 16,586 | | | | 11,762 | | | | 43,188 | |
Legal fees | | | 11,382 | | | | 9,743 | | | | 11,044 | |
Custodian fees | | | 9,609 | | | | 3,516 | | | | 15,309 | |
Audit fees | | | 7,081 | | | | 7,409 | | | | 8,264 | |
Trustees fees and expenses | | | 5,559 | | | | 5,348 | | | | 6,852 | |
Compliance officer fees | | | 3,972 | | | | 3,164 | | | | 10,491 | |
Printing and postage expenses | | | 3,207 | | | | 2,329 | | | | 12,140 | |
Insurance expense | | | 1,745 | | | | 3,475 | | | | 3,747 | |
Other expenses | | | 2,796 | | | | 1,765 | | | | 9,764 | |
TOTAL EXPENSES | | | 264,096 | | | | 257,761 | | | | 848,848 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
Less: Expenses waived by the Adviser | | | (76,508 | ) | | | (47,423 | ) | | | (18,980 | ) |
NET EXPENSES | | | 187,588 | | | | 210,338 | | | | 829,868 | |
NET INVESTMENT INCOME (LOSS) | | | 52,843 | | | | (13,768 | ) | | | 1,525,097 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENTS | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net realized gain from investments | | | 2,734,849 | | | | 3,160,140 | | | | 2,036,462 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments | | | 3,855,008 | | | | 1,780,922 | | | | 16,866,750 | |
NET REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN ON INVESTMENTS | | | 6,589,857 | | | | 4,941,062 | | | | 18,903,212 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | |
NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS RESULTING FROM OPERATIONS | | $ | 6,642,700 | | | $ | 4,927,294 | | | $ | 20,428,309 | |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks All-Cap Core Fund |
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS |
| | Six Months Ended | | | Year Ended | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | November 30, 2023 | |
| | (Unaudited) | | | | |
FROM OPERATIONS | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | $ | 52,843 | | | $ | 259,415 | |
Net realized gain from investments | | | 2,734,849 | | | | 8,376,875 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | | | 3,855,008 | | | | (3,875,704 | ) |
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | | | 6,642,700 | | | | 4,760,586 | |
| | | | | | | | |
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS | | | | | | | | |
Total distributions paid: | | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class | | | (8,757,374 | ) | | | (5,694,119 | ) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders | | | (8,757,374 | ) | | | (5,694,119 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
FROM SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from shares sold: | | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class | | | 4,732,384 | | | | 18,392,081 | |
Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions: | | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class | | | 5,335,116 | | | | 2,403,971 | |
Payments for shares redeemed: | | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class + | | | (16,021,645 | ) | | | (32,588,068 | ) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from shares of beneficial interest | | | (5,954,145 | ) | | | (11,792,016 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
TOTAL DECREASE IN NET ASSETS | | | (8,068,819 | ) | | | (12,725,549 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
NET ASSETS | | | | | | | | |
Beginning of Period | | | 39,863,855 | | | | 52,589,404 | |
End of Period | | $ | 31,795,036 | | | $ | 39,863,855 | |
| | | | | | | | |
SHARE ACTIVITY | | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class: | | | | | | | | |
Shares Sold | | | 195,259 | | | | 683,138 | |
Shares Reinvested | | | 225,873 | | | | 93,868 | |
Shares Redeemed | | | (618,301 | ) | | | (1,202,211 | ) |
Net decrease in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | | | (197,169 | ) | | | (425,205 | ) |
+ | Net of redemption fee proceeds received of $0 and $17, respectively. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund |
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS |
| | Six Months Ended | | | Year Ended | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | November 30, 2023 | |
| | (Unaudited) | | | | |
FROM OPERATIONS | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) | | $ | (13,768 | ) | | $ | 1,952 | |
Net realized gain from investments | | | 3,160,140 | | | | 1,621,998 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments | | | 1,780,922 | | | | (1,325,023 | ) |
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations | | | 4,927,294 | | | | 298,927 | |
| | | | | | | | |
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS | | | | | | | | |
Total distributions paid: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | (820,807 | ) | | | (72,916 | ) |
Institutional Class | | | (678,791 | ) | | | (162,226 | ) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders | | | (1,499,598 | ) | | | (235,142 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
FROM SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from shares sold: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | 1,280,542 | | | | 855,782 | |
Institutional Class | | | 498,674 | | | | 1,623,781 | |
Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | 790,824 | | | | 67,993 | |
Institutional Class | | | 653,208 | | | | 157,711 | |
Payments for shares redeemed: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class + | | | (2,973,565 | ) | | | (2,765,183 | ) |
Institutional Class ++ | | | (1,985,704 | ) | | | (6,318,046 | ) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from shares of beneficial interest | | | (1,736,021 | ) | | | (6,377,962 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
TOTAL INCREASE IN NET ASSETS | | | 1,691,675 | | | | (6,314,177 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
NET ASSETS | | | | | | | | |
Beginning of Period | | | 31,479,147 | | | | 37,793,324 | |
End of Period | | $ | 33,170,822 | | | $ | 31,479,147 | |
| | | | | | | | |
SHARE ACTIVITY | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class: | | | | | | | | |
Shares Sold | | | 14,324 | | | | 26,826 | |
Shares Reinvested | | | 19,764 | | | | 2,207 | |
Shares Redeemed | | | (58,940 | ) | | | (88,727 | ) |
Net decrease in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | | | (24,852 | ) | | | (59,694 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class: | | | | | | | | |
Shares Sold | | | 37,281 | | | | 51,115 | |
Shares Reinvested | | | 23,460 | | | | 5,035 | |
Shares Redeemed | | | (85,834 | ) | | | (193,002 | ) |
Net decrease in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | | | (25,093 | ) | | | (136,852 | ) |
+ | Net of redemption fee proceeds received of $7 and $179 respectively. |
++ | Net of redemption fee proceeds received of $0 and $9 respectively. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Dividend Fund |
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS |
| | Six Months Ended | | | Year Ended | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | November 30, 2023 | |
| | (Unaudited) | | | | |
FROM OPERATIONS | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | $ | 097 | | | $ | 4,200,715 | |
Net realized gain from investments | | | 2,036,462 | | | | 6,492,672 | |
Net change in unrealized appreciation on investments | | | 16,866,750 | | | | (19,351,588 | ) |
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations | | | 20,428,309 | | | | (8,658,201 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS | | | | | | | | |
Total distributions paid: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | (1,358,766 | ) | | | (2,387,352 | ) |
Institutional Class | | | (6,113,029 | ) | | | (10,979,818 | ) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from distributions to shareholders | | | (7,471,795 | ) | | | (13,367,170 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
FROM SHARES OF BENEFICIAL INTEREST | | | | | | | | |
Proceeds from shares sold: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | 2,760,134 | | | | 67,063,964 | |
Institutional Class | | | 14,065,183 | | | | 47,846,284 | |
Net asset value of shares issued in reinvestment of distributions: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class | | | 1,326,854 | | | | 2,312,327 | |
Institutional Class | | | 4,764,540 | | | | 8,046,569 | |
Redemption fee proceeds: | | | | | | | - | |
Class I | | | 1,867 | | | | | |
Payments for shares redeemed: | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class + | | | (9,402,621 | ) | | | (52,307,776 | ) |
Institutional Class ++ | | | (63,779,274 | ) | | | (76,725,855 | ) |
Net decrease in net assets resulting from shares of beneficial interest | | | (50,263,317 | ) | | | (3,764,487 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
TOTAL INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS | | | (37,306,803 | ) | | | (25,789,858 | ) |
| | | | | | | | |
NET ASSETS | | | | | | | | |
Beginning of Period | | | 165,518,974 | | | | 191,308,832 | |
End of Period | | $ | 128,212,171 | | | $ | 165,518,974 | |
| | | | | | | | |
SHARE ACTIVITY | | | | | | | | |
Investor Class: | | | | | | | | |
Shares Sold | | | 115,297 | | | | 2,838,533 | |
Shares Reinvested | | | 57,558 | | | | 97,669 | |
Shares Redeemed | | | (392,102 | ) | | | (2,338,631 | ) |
Net increase (decrease) in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | | | (219,247 | ) | | | 597,571 | |
| | | | | | | | |
Institutional Class: | | | | | | | | |
Shares Sold | | | 599,639 | | | | 2,107,780 | |
Shares Reinvested | | | 210,217 | | | | 346,080 | |
Shares Redeemed | | | (2,644,819 | ) | | | (3,414,026 | ) |
Net decrease in shares of beneficial interest outstanding | | | (1,834,963 | ) | | | (960,166 | ) |
+ | Net of redemption fee proceeds received of $1,867 and $87,279 respectively. |
++ | Net of redemption fee proceeds received of $3,534 and $4,335 respectively. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks All-Cap Core Fund |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout each Period
| | Six Months Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | |
Institutional Class | | (Unaudited) | | | November 30, 2023 | | | November 30, 2022 | | | November 30, 2021 | | | November 30, 2020 | | | November 30, 2019 | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | $ | 28.96 | | | $ | 29.19 | | | $ | 34.17 | | | $ | 28.06 | | | $ | 26.95 | | | $ | 25.89 | |
Activity from investment operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (1) | | | 0.04 | | | | 0.15 | | | | 0.17 | | | | 0.09 | | | | 0.18 | | | | 0.22 | |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | | (2.04 | ) | | | 2.72 | | | | (3.19 | ) | | | 7.53 | | | | 3.25 | | | | 3.21 | |
Total from investment operations | | | (2.00 | ) | | | 2.87 | | | | (3.02 | ) | | | 7.62 | | | | 3.43 | | | | 3.43 | |
Less distributions from: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | — | | | | (2.91 | ) | | | (1.96 | ) | | | (1.51 | ) | | | (2.32 | ) | | | (2.37 | ) |
Return of capital | | | — | | | | (0.19 | ) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Total distributions | | | — | | | | (3.10 | ) | | | (1.96 | ) | | | (1.51 | ) | | | (2.32 | ) | | | (2.37 | ) |
Paid-in-Capital From Redemption Fees (3) | | | — | | | | — | | | | (0.00 | ) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Net asset value, end of period | | $ | 26.96 | | | $ | 28.96 | | | $ | 29.19 | | | $ | 34.17 | | | $ | 28.06 | | | $ | 26.95 | |
Total return (2) | | | 18.48 | % (5) | | | 11.24 | % | | | (9.43 | )% | | | 28.54 | % | | | 13.84 | % | | | 15.07 | % |
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | | $ | 31,795 | | | $ | 39,864 | | | $ | 52,589 | | | $ | 68,944 | | | $ | 49,957 | | | $ | 43,181 | |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.41 | % (4) | | | 1.35 | % | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.22 | % | | | 1.28 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.00 | % | | | 1.00 | % | | | 1.00 | % | | | 1.00 | % | | | 1.00 | % | | | 1.00 | % |
Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 0.28 | % (4) | | | 0.21 | % | | | 0.43 | % | | | 0.14 | % | | | 0.49 | % | | | 0.60 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 0.41 | % | | | 0.56 | % | | | 0.57 | % | | | 0.28 | % | | | 0.71 | % | | | 0.88 | % |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | | 7 | % (5) | | | 35 | % | | | 27 | % | | | 25 | % | | | 38 | % | | | 38 | % |
(1) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for each period. |
(2) | Total returns shown are historical in nature and assume changes in share price, reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, and exclude the effect of applicable sales charges and redemption fees. |
(3) | Amount represents less than $0.005 per share. |
(4) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout each Period
| | Six Months Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | |
Investor Class | | (Unaudited) | | | November 30, 2023 | | | November 30, 2022 | | | November 30, 2021 | | | November 30, 2020 | | | November 30, 2019 | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | $ | 31.57 | | | $ | 31.59 | | | $ | 33.36 | | | $ | 24.48 | | | $ | 26.80 | | | $ | 27.49 | |
Activity from investment operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) (1) | | | (0.04 | ) | | | (0.04 | ) | | | 0.15 | | | | 0.01 | | | | (0.08 | ) | | | (0.08 | ) |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | | 5.87 | | | | 0.17 | | | | (1.13 | ) | | | 8.87 | | | | (2.21 | ) | | | 1.79 | |
Total from investment operations | | | 5.83 | | | | 0.13 | | | | (0.98 | ) | | | 8.88 | | | | (2.29 | ) | | | 1.71 | |
Less distributions from: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | — | | | | (0.15 | ) | | | (0.01 | ) | | | — | | | | (0.03 | ) | | | — | |
Net realized gains | | | (2.40 | ) | | | — | | | | (0.78 | ) | | | — | | | | — | | | | (2.40 | ) |
Total distributions | | | (2.40 | ) | | | (0.15 | ) | | | (0.79 | ) | | | — | | | | (0.03 | ) | | | (2.40 | ) |
Paid-in-Capital From Redemption Fees (3) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Net asset value, end of period | | $ | 35.00 | | | $ | 31.57 | | | $ | 31.59 | | | $ | 33.36 | | | $ | 24.48 | | | $ | 26.80 | |
Total return (2) | | | 15.97 | % (5) | | | 0.42 | % | | | (3.01 | )% | | | 36.23 | % | | | (8.54 | )% | | | 7.55 | % |
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | | $ | 14,989 | | | $ | 14,306 | | | $ | 16,199 | | | $ | 23,092 | | | $ | 21,867 | | | $ | 48,666 | |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.67 | % (4) | | | 1.89 | % | | | 1.67 | % | | | 1.61 | % | | | 1.63 | % | | | 1.53 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.39 | % | | | 1.39 | % | | | 1.39 | % | | | 1.39 | % | | | 1.39 | % | | | 1.39 | % |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | (0.22 | )% (4) | | | (0.64 | )% | | | 0.20 | % | | | (0.17 | )% | | | (0.61 | )% | | | (0.45 | )% |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 0.28 | % | | | (0.14 | )% | | | 0.48 | % | | | 0.05 | % | | | (0.37 | )% | | | (0.31 | )% |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | | 76 | % (5) | | | 100 | % | | | 94 | % | | | 116 | % | | | 135 | % | | | 114 | % |
(1) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for each period. |
(2) | Total returns shown are historical in nature and assume changes in share price, reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, and exclude the effect of applicable sales charges and redemption fees. |
(3) | Amount represents less than $0.005 per share. |
(4) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout each Period
| | Six Months Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | |
Institutional Class | | (Unaudited) | | | November 30, 2023 | | | November 30, 2022 | | | November 30, 2021 | | | November 30, 2020 | | | November 30, 2019 | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | $ | 32.18 | | | $ | 32.20 | | | $ | 34.03 | | | $ | 24.91 | | | $ | 27.29 | | | $ | 27.88 | |
Activity from investment operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) (1) | | | — | | | | 0.04 | | | | 0.23 | | | | 0.09 | | | | (0.03 | ) | | | (0.01 | ) |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | | 5.96 | | | | 0.18 | | | | (1.15 | ) | | | 9.03 | | | | (2.23 | ) | | | 1.82 | |
Total from investment operations | | | 5.96 | | | | 0.22 | | | | (0.92 | ) | | | 9.12 | | | | (2.26 | ) | | | 1.81 | |
Less distributions from: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | — | | | | (0.24 | ) | | | (0.13 | ) | | | — | | | | (0.12 | ) | | | — | |
Net realized gains | | | (2.40 | ) | | | — | | | | (0.78 | ) | | | — | | | | — | | | | (2.40 | ) |
Total distributions | | | (2.40 | ) | | | (0.24 | ) | | | (0.91 | ) | | | — | | | | (0.12 | ) | | | (2.40 | ) |
Paid-in-Capital From Redemption Fees (3) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Net asset value, end of period | | $ | 35.74 | | | $ | 32.18 | | | $ | 32.20 | | | $ | 34.03 | | | $ | 24.91 | | | $ | 27.29 | |
Total return (2) | | | 16.08 | % (5) | | | 0.70 | % | | | (2.77 | )% | | | 36.57 | % | | | (8.28 | )% | | | 7.78 | % |
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | | $ | 18,182 | | | $ | 17,174 | | | $ | 21,595 | | | $ | 25,809 | | | $ | 24,450 | | | $ | 55,110 | |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.41 | % (4) | | | 1.64 | % | | | 1.42 | % | | | 1.36 | % | | | 1.38 | % | | | 1.28 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.14 | % | | | 1.14 | % |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 0.03 | % (4) | | | (0.39 | )% | | | 0.45 | % | | | 0.08 | % | | | (0.36 | )% | | | (0.20 | )% |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 0.28 | % | | | 0.11 | % | | | 0.73 | % | | | 0.03 | % | | | (0.12 | )% | | | (0.06 | )% |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | | 76 | % (5) | | | 100 | % | | | 94 | % | | | 116 | % | | | 135 | % | | | 114 | % |
(1) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for each period. |
(2) | Total returns shown are historical in nature and assume changes in share price, reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, and exclude the effect of applicable sales charges and redemption fees. |
(3) | Amount represents less than $0.005 per share. |
(4) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Dividend Fund |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout each Period
| | Six Months Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | |
Investor Class | | (Unaudited) | | | November 30, 2023 | | | November 30, 2022 | | | November 30, 2021 | | | November 30, 2020 | | | November 30, 2019 | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | $ | 23.11 | | | $ | 25.38 | | | $ | 24.72 | | | $ | 21.00 | | | $ | 21.89 | | | $ | 20.87 | |
Activity from investment operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) (1) | | | — | | | | 0.48 | | | | 0.45 | | | | 0.37 | | | | 0.42 | | | | 0.39 | |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | | 2.83 | | | | (1.26 | ) | | | 1.16 | | | | 3.85 | | | | (0.71 | ) | | | 1.87 | |
Total from investment operations | | | 2.83 | | | | (0.78 | ) | | | 1.61 | | | | 4.22 | | | | (0.29 | ) | | | 2.26 | |
Less distributions from: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | (0.05 | ) | | | (0.46 | ) | | | (0.38 | ) | | | (0.37 | ) | | | (0.41 | ) | | | (0.37 | ) |
Return of capital | | | | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Net realized gains | | | (0.91 | ) | | | (1.09 | ) | | | (0.71 | ) | | | (0.13 | ) | | | (0.19 | ) | | | (0.87 | ) |
Total distributions | | | (0.96 | ) | | | (1.55 | ) | | | (1.09 | ) | | | (0.50 | ) | | | (0.60 | ) | | | (1.24 | ) |
Paid-in-Capital From Redemption Fees | | | — | (3) | | | 0.06 | | | | 0.14 | | | | — | (3) | | | — | (3) | | | — | (3) |
Net asset value, end of period | | $ | 24.98 | | | $ | 23.11 | | | $ | 25.38 | | | $ | 24.72 | | | $ | 21.00 | | | $ | 21.89 | |
Total return (2) | | | 13.06 | % (5) | | | (2.88 | )% | | | 7.26 | % | | | 20.35 | % | | | (1.11 | )% | | | 11.71 | % |
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | | $ | 27,192 | | | $ | 30,199 | | | $ | 17,993 | | | $ | 82,818 | | | $ | 70,481 | | | $ | 70,157 | |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.33 | % (4) | | | 1.32 | % | | | 1.27 | % | | | 1.30 | % | | | 1.37 | % | | | 1.43 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.30 | % | | | 1.30 | % | | | 1.30 | % | | | 1.30 | % | | | 1.30 | % | | | 1.30 | % |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | (0.03 | )% (4) | | | 2.07 | % | | | 1.85 | % | | | 1.57 | % | | | 2.06 | % | | | 1.81 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.81 | % | | | 2.09 | % | | | 1.82 | % | | | 1.57 | % | | | 2.13 | % | | | 1.94 | % |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | | 5 | % (5) | | | 43 | % | | | 27 | % | | | 17 | % | | | 14 | % | | | 13 | % |
(1) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for each period. |
(2) | Total returns shown are historical in nature and assume changes in share price, reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, and exclude the effect of applicable sales charges and redemption fees. |
(3) | Amount represents less than $0.005 per share. |
(4) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Dividend Fund |
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS |
Per Share Data and Ratios for a Share of Beneficial Interest Outstanding Throughout each Period
| | Six Months Ended | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | May 31, 2024 | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | | | Year Ended | |
Institutional Class | | (Unaudited) | | | November 30, 2023 | | | November 30, 2022 | | | November 30, 2021 | | | November 30, 2020 | | | November 30, 2019 | |
Net asset value, beginning of period | | $ | 22.77 | | | $ | 25.10 | | | $ | 24.71 | | | $ | 20.99 | | | $ | 21.89 | | | $ | 20.87 | |
Activity from investment operations: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income (loss) (1) | | | 0.24 | | | | 0.53 | | | | 0.50 | | | | 0.44 | | | | 0.46 | | | | 0.45 | |
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments | | | 2.54 | | | | (1.25 | ) | | | 1.08 | | | | 3.84 | | | | (0.71 | ) | | | 1.87 | |
Total from investment operations | | | 2.78 | | | | (0.72 | ) | | | 1.58 | | | | 4.28 | | | | (0.25 | ) | | | 2.32 | |
Less distributions from: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net investment income | | | (0.06 | ) | | | (0.52 | ) | | | (0.48 | ) | | | (0.43 | ) | | | (0.46 | ) | | | (0.43 | ) |
Return of capital | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Net realized gains | | | (0.91 | ) | | | (1.09 | ) | | | (0.71 | ) | | | (0.13 | ) | | | (0.19 | ) | | | (0.87 | ) |
Total distributions | | | (0.97 | ) | | | (1.61 | ) | | | (1.19 | ) | | | (0.56 | ) | | | (0.65 | ) | | | (1.30 | ) |
Paid-in-Capital From Redemption Fees (3) | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Net asset value, end of period | | $ | 24.58 | | | $ | 22.77 | | | $ | 25.10 | | | $ | 24.71 | | | $ | 20.99 | | | $ | 21.89 | |
Total return (2) | | | 13.13 | % (5) | | | (2.89 | )% | | | 6.59 | % | | | 20.65 | % | | | (0.89 | )% | | | 12.04 | % |
Net assets, at end of period (000s) | | $ | 101,020 | | | $ | 135,320 | | | $ | 173,316 | | | $ | 71,403 | | | $ | 36,206 | | | $ | 16,694 | |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.08 | % (4) | | | 1.07 | % | | | 1.02 | % | | | 1.05 | % | | | 1.12 | % | | | 1.18 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 1.05 | % | | | 1.05 | % | | | 1.05 | % | | | 1.05 | % | | | 1.05 | % | | | 1.05 | % |
Ratio of net expenses to average net assets: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Before fees waived/recaptured | | | (0.03 | )% (4) | | | 2.32 | % | | | 2.10 | % | | | 1.82 | % | | | 2.31 | % | | | 2.06 | % |
After fees waived/recaptured | | | 2.07 | % | | | 2.34 | % | | | 2.07 | % | | | 1.82 | % | | | 2.38 | % | | | 2.19 | % |
Portfolio Turnover Rate | | | 5 | % (5) | | | 43 | % | | | 27 | % | | | 17 | % | | | 14 | % | | | 13 | % |
(1) | Per share amounts calculated using the average shares method, which more appropriately presents the per share data for each period. |
(2) | Total returns shown are historical in nature and assume changes in share price, reinvestment of dividends and distributions, if any, and exclude the effect of applicable sales charges and redemption fees. |
(3) | Amount represents less than $0.005 per share. |
(4) | Annualized for periods less than one year. |
See accompanying notes which are an integral part of these financial statements.
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)
May 31, 2024
The Zacks All-Cap Core Fund (the “All-Cap Core Fund”), Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund (the “Small-Cap Core Fund”) and Zacks Dividend Fund (the “Dividend Fund”) (each a “Fund” and collectively the “Funds”) are each a diversified series of shares of beneficial interest of the Zacks Trust (the “Trust”), a Delaware statutory trust organized under the laws of the state of Delaware. The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, (the “1940 Act”), as an open-end management investment company. Each Fund was treated as a separate series (the “Predecessor Funds”) of Investment Managers Series Trust, an open-end management investment company established as a Delaware statutory trust. Effective as of the close of business on January 26, 2024, the Predecessor Funds were reorganized into the Funds, as new series of the Trust in a tax-free reorganization (the “Reorganization”), whereby the Funds acquired all the assets and liabilities of the Predecessor Funds in exchange for shares of the Funds which were distributed pro rata by the Predecessor Funds to their respective shareholders in complete liquidation and termination of the Predecessor Funds. The Agreement and Plan of Reorganization pursuant to which the Reorganization was accomplished was approved by shareholders of the Predecessor Funds on November 16, 2023 with respect to the All-Cap Core Fund and on December 15, 2023, with respect to the Small-Cap Core Fund and Dividend Fund. Unless otherwise indicated, references to the “Funds” in these Notes to Financial Statements refer to the Predecessor Funds and Funds.
The All-Cap Core Fund’s investment objectives are to primarily to seek capital appreciation and secondarily, to provide shareholders with income through dividends. The Fund will invest primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities. The Fund commenced investment operations on December 5, 2005, with two classes of shares, Class A and Class C. The Fund re-designated Class A shares to Investor Class shares effective October 31, 2016. The Class C shares converted to Investor Class shares on April 16, 2018. The Investor Class shares were re-designated to Institutional Class shares on April 16, 2018.
The Small-Cap Core Fund’s investment objective is to seek capital appreciation. The Fund will invest primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities. The Fund commenced investment operations on June 30, 2011. The Fund currently offers two classes of shares: Investor Class and Institutional Class. The outstanding shares of the Fund were renamed Investor Class on December 20, 2013. Class C commenced investment operations on December 31, 2013. Class I commenced investment operations on February 28, 2014. The Fund converted Class C shares into Investor Class shares and re-designated Class I shares to Institutional Class shares effective October 31, 2016.
The Dividend Fund’s investment objectives are primarily to seek capital appreciation and dividend income. The Fund will invest primarily in a diversified portfolio of equity securities. The Fund commenced investment operations on January 31, 2014, with one class of shares, Investor Class. Institutional Class shares commenced operations on January 31, 2017.
Each class represents an interest in the same assets of each Fund and classes are identical except for differences in their sales charge structures and ongoing service and distribution charges. All classes of shares have equal voting privileges except that each class has exclusive voting rights with respect to its service and/or distribution plans. Each Fund’s income, expenses (other than class specific distribution
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
fees) and realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated proportionately each day based upon the relative net assets of each class.
2. | SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Funds in preparation of the 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 year. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Funds are each an investment company 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 the 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 day of valuation. 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 non-exchange traded companies are valued at net asset value.
The Funds each may hold securities, 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 of Trustees (the “Board”) of the Trust. The Board has delegated execution of these procedures to Zacks Investment Management, Inc. (the Advisor”) as its valuation designee (the “Valuation Designee”). The Board may also enlist third party consultants such as a valuation specialist at a public accounting firm, valuation consultant or financial officer of a security issuer 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.
Fair Valuation Process – The 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
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
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 asked price is available; the spread between bid and asked 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 securities, 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.
The Funds utilize various methods to measure the fair value of all 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
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized in Level 3.
The inputs used to measure fair 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 May 31,2024 for each Fund’s assets measured at fair value:
All-Cap Core Fund
Assets* | | Level 1 | | | Level 2 | | | Level 3 | | | Total | |
Common Stocks | | $ | 31,394,648 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 31,394,648 | |
Short-Term Investment | | | 433,619 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 433,619 | |
Total | | $ | 31,828,267 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 31,828,267 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Small-Cap Core Fund |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Assets* | | Level 1 | | | Level 2 | | | Level 3 | | | Total | |
Common Stocks | | $ | 32,516,899 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 32,516,899 | |
Short-Term Investment | | | 50,328 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 50,328 | |
Total | | $ | 32,567,227 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 32,567,227 | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Dividend Fund |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Assets* | | Level 1 | | | Level 2 | | | Level 3 | | | Total | |
Common Stocks | | $ | 127,530,234 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 127,530,234 | |
Short-Term Investment | | | 706,887 | | | | — | | | | — | | | | 706,887 | |
Total | | $ | 128,237,121 | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | 128,237,121 | |
The Funds did not hold any Level 2 or 3 securities during the period.
* | See Schedule of Investments for industry classification. |
Security Transactions and Related Income – Security transactions are accounted for on trade date. Interest income is recognized on an accrual basis. Discounts are accreted and premiums are amortized on securities purchased over the lives of the respective securities. 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, if any, are declared and paid annually, except for the Dividend Fund, which will distribute net investment income, if any, quarterly. Distributable net realized capital gains, if any, are declared and distributed annually.
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
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, capital loss carry forwards) 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. Any such reclassifications will have no effect on net assets, results from operations, or net asset value per share of the Funds. 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 its taxable income to its 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. Interest and penalties related to income taxes would be recorded as tax expense in the Statement of Operations. 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 the open tax years November 30, 2020 through November 30, 2023, or expected to be taken in the Funds’ November 30, 2024 year-end tax returns. The Funds have identified their major tax jurisdictions as U.S. Federal and Ohio state, however, 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. During the fiscal year ended November 30, 2024, the Funds did not incur any tax-related interest or penalties.
Please refer to the Funds’ prospectus for a full listing of risks associated with these investments.
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.
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.
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
3. | INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS |
For the six months ended May 31, 2024, cost of purchases and proceeds from sales of portfolio securities, other than short-term investments and U.S. government securities, were as follows:
Fund | | Purchases | | | Sale Proceeds | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 9,249,707 | | | $ | 14,557,479 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 11,693,314 | | | | 18,255,012 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 16,849,849 | | | | 11,353,792 | |
4. | INVESTMENT ADVISORY AGREEMENT AND TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES |
Zacks Investment Management, Inc., (the “Adviser”) serves as the Funds’ investment adviser to the Funds. Pursuant to advisory agreements with the Trust, on behalf of each Fund, 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, the Funds pay the Adviser an investment advisory fee, computed and accrued daily and paid monthly, at an annual rate of .80% of each Fund’s average daily net assets for the All-Cap Core Fund and the Dividend Fund, 0.90% for Small-Cap Core Fund. For the six months ended May 31, 2024, the Adviser earned investment advisory fees of $150,096, $103,854 and $604,698 for All-Cap Core Fund, Small-Cap Core Fund and the Dividend Fund, respectively.
Pursuant to written contracts (the “Waiver Agreements”), the Adviser has agreed until April 1, 2026 to waive a portion of its advisory fee and agreed to reimburse each Fund for other expenses to the extent necessary so that the total expenses incurred by each Fund (excluding front-end or contingent deferred loads, brokerage fees and commissions, acquired fund fees and expenses, borrowing costs such as interest and dividend expenses on securities sold short, taxes, or extraordinary expenses, such as litigation expenses, not incurred in the ordinary course of each Fund’s business) do not exceed the following amounts per annum of the average daily net assets of each class of shares:
Fund | | Investor Class | | Institutional Class |
All-Cap Core Fund | | 1.00% | | N/A |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | 1.39% | | 1.14% |
Dividend Fund | | 1.30% | | 1.05% |
These fee waivers and reimbursements are subject to possible recoupment from the Fund by the Adviser in future years (within the three years after the fees have been waived or reimbursed) if such recoupment can be achieved within the lesser of the expense limitation in place at the time of waiver. For the six months ended May 31, 2024, the Adviser waived fees/reimbursed expenses of $76,508, $0, and $18,980 for the All-Cap Core Fund, Small-Cap Core Fund and Dividend Fund, respectively.
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
The expenses subject to recapture for the All-Cap Core Fund, Small-Cap Core Fund and Dividend Fund will expire on November 30 of the years indicated below:
| | 2024 | | | 2025 | | | 2026 | | | Total | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 78,669 | | | $ | 85,337 | | | $ | 162,395 | | | $ | 326,401 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 106,708 | | | | 123,238 | | | | 176,172 | | | | 406,118 | |
Dividend Fund | | | — | | | | — | | | | 32,292 | | | | 32,292 | |
Distributor – The Trust, on behalf of the Funds, has adopted the Trust’s Master Distribution and Shareholder Servicing Plans (the “Plans”) pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act. The Plans provide that a monthly service and/or distribution fee is calculated at an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net assets attributable to Investor Class for the Small-Cap Core Fund and the Dividend Fund and is paid to Northern Lights Distributors, LLC to provide compensation for ongoing distribution-related activities or services and/or maintenance of the Funds’ shareholder accounts, not otherwise required to be provided by the Adviser. Institutional Class shares do not pay any distribution fees. During the six months ended May 31, 2024, pursuant to the Plans, distribution fees for Investor Class shares and Institutional Class shares were as follows:
Fund | | Investor Class | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | | N/A | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 18,749 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 36,201 | |
In addition, certain affiliates of the Distributor provide services to the Funds as follows:
Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC (“UFS”) – UFS, an affiliate of the Distributor, provides administration, fund accounting, and transfer agent services to the Trust. Pursuant to separate servicing agreements with UFS, the Funds pay UFS customary fees for providing administration, fund accounting and transfer agency services to the Funds. Certain officers of the Trust are also officers of UFS and are not paid any fees directly by either 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 and the Distributor, provides EDGAR conversion and filing services as well as print management services for the Trust on an ad-hoc basis. For the provision of these services, Blu Giant receives customary fees from the Funds.
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
5. | DISTRIBUTION TO SHAREHOLDERS AND TAX COMPONENTS OF CAPITAL |
The tax character of distributions paid for the periods ended November 30, 2023 and November 30, 2022, was as follows:
For fiscal year ended | | Ordinary | | | Long-Term | | | Return of | | | | |
11/30/2023 | | Income | | | Capital Gains | | | Capital | | | Total | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 351,060 | | | $ | 5,343,059 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 5,694,119 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 224,171 | | | | 10,971 | | | | — | | | | 235,142 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 4,071,164 | | | | 9,296,006 | | | | — | | | | 13,367,170 | |
For fiscal year ended | | Ordinary | | | Long-Term | | | Return of | | | | |
11/30/2022 | | Income | | | Capital Gains | | | Capital | | | Total | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 921,715 | | | $ | 3,081,643 | | | $ | — | | | $ | 4,003,358 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 114,846 | | | | 1,126,133 | | | | — | | | | 1,240,979 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 4,186,720 | | | | 3,394,693 | | | | — | | | | 7,581,413 | |
As of November 30, 2023, the components of accumulated earnings/(deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:
| | Undistributed | | | Undistributed | | | Post October Loss | | | Capital Loss | | | Other | | | Unrealized | | | Total | |
| | Ordinary | | | Long-Term | | | and | | | Carry | | | Book/Tax | | | Appreciation/ | | | Accumulated | |
| | Income | | | Capital Gains | | | Late Year Loss | | | Forwards | | | Differences | | | (Depreciation) | | | Earnings/(Deficits) | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 255,269 | | | $ | 8,365,136 | | | $ | — | | | $ | (11,346 | ) | | $ | — | | | $ | 8,120,930 | | | $ | 16,729,989 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 818,826 | | | | 799,837 | | | | — | | | | (11,501 | ) | | | — | | | | 1,819,079 | | | | 3,426,241 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 812,602 | | | | 7,165,133 | | | | — | | | | (12,648 | ) | | | — | | | | 2,247,536 | | | | 10,212,623 | |
The difference between book basis and tax basis unrealized appreciation, undistributed net investment income, and accumulated net realized gains from investments is primarily attributable to timing differences in recognizing certain gains and losses in security transactions.
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 | |
| | Losses | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | — | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | — | |
Dividend Fund | | | — | |
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
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 | |
| | Losses | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | — | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | — | |
Dividend Fund | | | — | |
At November 30, 2023, the Funds had capital loss carry forwards for federal income tax purposes available to offset future capital gains, as follows:
| | Non Expiring | | | | | | | Capital Loss Carry | |
| | Short-Term | | | Long-Term | | | Total | | | Forwards Utilized | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | | | $ | — | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Dividend Fund | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | | | | — | |
Permanent book and tax differences, primarily attributable to the book/tax treatment of the non-deductible expenses, net operating losses, distributions in excess and the tax adjustments for prior year tax returns, resulted in reclassification for the year ended November 30, 2023, as follows:
| | Paid | | | | |
| | In | | | Accumulated | |
| | Capital | | | Earnings | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 23,133,866 | | | $ | 16,729,989 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 28,052,906 | | | | 3,426,241 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 155,306,351 | | | | 10,212,623 | |
6. | AGGREGATE UNREALIZED APPRECIATION AND DEPRECIATION – TAX BASIS |
| | | | | Gross | | | Gross | | | Net Unrealized | |
| | | | | Unrealized | | | Unrealized | | | Appreciation/ | |
Fund | | Tax Cost | | | Appreciation | | | Depreciation | | | (Depreciation) | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | 19,852,329 | | | $ | 12,138,735 | | | $ | (162,797 | ) | | $ | 11,975,938 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 28,967,226 | | | | 4,795,998 | | | | (1,195,997 | ) | | | 3,600,001 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 109,122,835 | | | | 22,119,474 | | | | (3,005,188 | ) | | | 19,114,286 | |
Zacks Funds
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
The Funds may assess a short-term redemption fee of 1.00% of the total redemption amount if a shareholder sells their shares after holding them for less than 30 days. The redemption fee is paid directly to the specific Fund in which the short-term redemption fee occurs. For the six months ended May 31, 2024 and for the year ended November 30, 2023, redemption fees were as follows:
| | May 31, 2024 | | | November 30, 2023 | |
All-Cap Core Fund | | $ | — | | | $ | 17 | |
Small-Cap Core Fund | | | 7 | | | | 188 | |
Dividend Fund | | | 5,401 | | | | 91,614 | |
The beneficial ownership, either directly or indirectly, of more than 25% of the voting securities of a portfolio creates presumption of the control of the portfolio, under section 2(a)(9) of the 1940 Act. As of May 31, 2024, LPL Financial owned 47.4% and 31.8% of the All-Cap Core Fund and Small -Cap Core Fund, respectively. As of May 31, 2024, Charles Schwab and National Financial Services LLC 43.9% and 41.1%, respectively, of the Dividend Fund.
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.
Zacks Funds
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (Unaudited)
May 31, 2024
Approval of Advisory Agreement – Zacks All-Cap Core Fund, Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund, Zacks Dividend Fund
In connection with a meeting held on April 24, 2023, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of Zacks Trust (the “Trust”), including a majority of the Trustees who are not “interested persons” (the “Independent Trustees”), as that term is defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, discussed the approval of the investment advisory agreement (the “Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement”) between Zacks Investment Management, Inc. (“Zacks” or the “Adviser”) and the Trust, with respect to the Zacks All-Cap Core Fund, Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund, and Zacks Dividend Fund (the “Zacks Mutual Funds”). In considering the approval of the Advisory Agreement, the Board received materials specifically relating to the Zacks Mutual Funds and the Advisory Agreement.
The Independent Trustees considered Trust counsel’s guidance and their own business judgment in evaluating the Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement and the weight to be given to each factor considered. Based upon its review, the Board concluded that it was in the best interests of the Zacks Mutual Funds that the Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement be approved and that the compensation payable thereunder by the Zacks Mutual Funds to Zacks was fair and reasonable. In considering the approval of the Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement, the Board did not identify any single factor or group of factors as all-important or controlling, and considered a variety of factors in its analysis, including those discussed below.
Performance. The Board reviewed the performance data of each fund managed by the Adviser in the Investment Managers Series Trust (each, an “IMST Fund”), each of which was reorganized into the corresponding Zacks Mutual Fund, including one-year, five-year, ten-year and since inception average annual total returns as of December 31, 2022, as applicable. The Board also reviewed comparisons of each IMST Fund’s performance against its respective peer group average, Morningstar Category Average and benchmark as of December 31, 2022. The Board noted that: (i) the Zacks All-Cap Core Fund outperformed its peer group average for the five- and ten-year periods, underperformed its peer group average for the one-year ended period, outperformed its Morningstar Category Average for the five-year period, underperformed its Morningstar Category Average for the one- and ten-year periods, outperformed its benchmark for the one-year period, and underperformed its benchmark for the five- and ten-year periods; (ii) the Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund outperformed its peer group average for the one -, five- and ten-year periods, outperformed its Morningstar Category Average for the one- and ten-year periods, underperformed its Morningstar Category Average for the five-year period, and outperformed its benchmark for the one-, five- and ten-year periods; and (iii) the Zacks Dividend Fund outperformed its peer group average for the one-and ten-year periods, underperformed its peer group average for the five-year ended period, outperformed its Morningstar Category Average for the one-year, five-year and since inception periods, and outperformed its benchmark for the one-year, five-year and since inception periods. The Board also took into consideration the background and experience of the prospective portfolio manager. The Board concluded that the performance of each of the IMST Funds was reasonable.
Zacks Funds
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
Nature, Extent and Quality of Services. In considering the approval of the Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement, the Board considered the nature, extent, and quality of services that the Adviser will provide to the Zacks Mutual Funds, including the Adviser’s personnel and resources and performance. The Board reviewed the services the Adviser will provide in serving as investment adviser, including the backgrounds of the personnel providing the investment management services and the Adviser’s compliance staff. The Trustees also reviewed information provided regarding risk management and compliance and regulatory matters. The Board also took into account the research and decision-making processes used by the Adviser. The Board concluded that the nature, extent and quality of services the Adviser will provide were satisfactory.
Fees and Expenses. The Board reviewed each of the Zacks Mutual Fund’s proposed advisory fee and expense ratio, and reviewed information comparing the advisory fee and expense ratios to those of the applicable peer group and Morningstar category. The Board noted that: (i) the proposed advisory fee for the Zacks All-Cap Core Fund was above both the peer group and Morningstar category averages, and the proposed net expense ratio was above the Morningstar category average and lower than the peer group category average; (ii) the proposed advisory fee for the Zacks Small-Cap Core Fund was below the peer group category average but above the Morningstar category average, and the proposed net expense ratio was above the Morningstar category average and lower than the peer group category average; and (iii) the proposed advisory fee for the Zacks Dividend Fund was above both the peer group and Morningstar category averages, and the proposed net expense ratio was above both the peer group and Morningstar category averages. In response to the Trustees’ questions, Mr. Zacks explained how each peer group was selected from the overall category. The Board noted that the Adviser has also agreed to waive fees and limit expenses of each of the Zacks Mutual Funds. Given these considerations, the Board concluded that Zacks’ proposed advisory fees were not unreasonable.
Profitability. The Board reviewed the estimated profitability of the Adviser with respect to each of the Zacks Mutual Funds. The Board concluded that the estimated profitability of the Adviser in connection with the management of each of the Zacks Mutual Funds was not unreasonable and at a level to adequately incentivize the Adviser to provide high quality services. After further discussion, the Board concluded that Zacks’ expected level of profitability was not excessive.
Economies of Scale. The Board considered the extent to which economies of scale would be realized as each of the Zacks Mutual Funds grows and whether fee levels reflect a reasonable sharing of economies of scale for the benefit of each of the Zacks Mutual Funds’ investors. The Board noted that breakpoints may be an appropriate way for the Adviser to share its economies of scale if any of the Zacks Mutual Funds experiences substantial asset growth; however, the Board recognized that each of the Zacks Mutual Funds may take some time to reach an asset level where the Adviser could realize significant economies of scale. The
Zacks Funds
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION (Unaudited)(Continued)
May 31, 2024
Board observed that economies of scale will be considered in the future as each of the Zacks Mutual Funds’ asset levels grow.
Conclusion. Based on all the information considered and the conclusions reached, with no single factor or conclusion being determinative and with each Trustee not necessarily attributing the same weight to each factor, the Board determined that the terms of the Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement for each of the Zacks Mutual Funds are fair and reasonable, and that the approval of the Mutual Funds Advisory Agreement for an initial two-year term is in the best interests of the Zacks Mutual Funds.
PROXY VOTING POLICY
Information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities for the most recent twelve-month period ended May 31 as well as a description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-453-4003 or by referring to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) website at http://www.sec.gov.
PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS
The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its 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. The information on Form N-PORT is available without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-453-4003.
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INVESTMENT ADVISOR |
Zacks Investment Management, Inc. |
10 S. Riverside Plaza, Suite 1600 |
Chicago, IL 60606 |
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ADMINISTRATOR |
Ultimus Fund Solutions, LLC |
4221 North 203rd Street Suite 100 |
Elkhorn, Nebraska 68022 |
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ZACKSFUNDS-SA24 |
Item 8. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants for Open-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable
Item 9. Proxy Disclosures for Open-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable
Item 10. Remuneration Paid to Directors, Officers, and Others of Open-End Management Investment Companies.
Included under Item 7 of this Form.
Item 11. Statement Regarding Basis for Approval of Investment Advisory Contract.
Included under Item 7 of this Form.
Item 12. Disclosure of Proxy Voting Policies and Procedures for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable
Item 13. Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable
Item 14. Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Investment Company and Affiliated Purchasers.
Not applicable
Item 15. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
None
Item 16. Controls and Procedures
(a) The registrant’s Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Act) are effective in design and operation and are sufficient to form the basis of the certifications required by Rule 30a-(2) under the Act, based on their evaluation of these disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of this report on Form N-CSR.
(b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act) during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.
Item 17. Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.
Not applicable
Item 18. Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation.
(a) Not applicable
(b) Not applicable
Item 19. Exhibits.
(a)(1) Code of Ethics for Principal Executive and Senior Financial Officers. – Not applicable
(a)(2) A separate certification for each principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)): Attached hereto. Exhibit 99. CERT
(a)(3) Not applicable
(a)(4) Not applicable
(b) Certifications required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Act (17 CFR 270.30a-2(b)): Attached hereto Exhibit 99.906CERT
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) Zacks Trust
By | /s/ Mitch Zacks | |
Mitch Zacks |
Principal Executive Officer/President |
Date: 08/08/2024 | |
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 | /s/ Mitch Zacks | |
Mitch Zacks |
Principal Executive Officer/President |
Date: 08/08/2024 | |
By | /s/ Donald Ralph | |
Donald Ralph |
Principal Financial Officer/Treasurer |
Date: 08/08/2024 | |