Overview

Historical Returns (%) as of Sep 30, 2024

10/31/202409/30/2024
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance is for the stated time period only; due to market volatility, the Fund’s current performance may be lower or higher than quoted. Returns are historical and are calculated by determining the percentage change in net asset value (NAV) with all distributions reinvested. Returns for other classes of shares offered by the Fund are different. Performance less than or equal to one year is cumulative. Max Sales Charge: 5.25%.
 

Fund Facts as of Oct 31, 2024

Class A Inception 01/02/1997
Investment Objective Long-term capital appreciation
Total Net Assets $166.2M
Minimum Investment $1000
Expense Ratio (Gross)2 1.38%
Expense Ratio (Net)2,3 1.21%
CUSIP 277905790

Top 10 Holdings (%)4,5 as of Sep 30, 2024

Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc 3.03
AptarGroup Inc 2.94
Dorman Products Inc 2.82
Chemed Corp 2.81
Commerce Bancshares Inc/MO 2.54
CSW Industrials Inc 2.43
Valvoline Inc 2.37
Community Financial System Inc 2.28
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc 2.27
CBIZ Inc 2.23
Total 25.71
 

Morningstar Rating™ as of Oct 31, 2024

Time Period Rating Funds in
Small Growth
Category
Overall 542
3 Years 542
5 Years 521
10 Years 399
The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star.

The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. Star ratings do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales load. Hollow stars denote Morningstar Extended Performance Ratings and are considered estimates based on the performance of the fund's oldest share class, adjusted for fees and expenses.

©2024 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.
 

Portfolio Management

Griff Noble, CFA Managed Fund since 2015
Michael D. McLean, CFA Managed Fund since 2015

Portfolio profile subject to change due to active management. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

RISK CONSIDERATIONS 

The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, and financial events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The value of equity securities is sensitive to stock market volatility. Smaller companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than larger, more established companies. Investments in foreign instruments or currencies can involve greater risk and volatility than U.S. investments because of adverse market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, currency exchange rates or other conditions. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. The impact of the coronavirus on global markets could last for an extended period and could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. No fund is a complete investment program and you may lose money investing in a fund. The Fund may engage in other investment practices that may involve additional risks and you should review the Fund prospectus for a complete description.

See the Fund's prospectus for information related to a primary benchmark index selected (if applicable) to comply with a regulation that requires the Fund's primary benchmark to represent the overall applicable market.


1. Russell 2000® Index is an unmanaged index of 2,000 U.S. small-cap stocks. Unless otherwise stated, index returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales charges, commissions, expenses, taxes or leverage, as applicable. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Historical performance of the index illustrates market trends and does not represent the past or future performance of the fund.
2. Source: Fund prospectus.
3. Net Expense Ratio reflects a contractual expense reimbursement that continues through 5/1/25. Without the reimbursement, if applicable, performance would have been lower.
4. Top 10 Holdings excludes cash and equivalents.
5. Percent of total net assets.

Performance

Historical Returns (%) as of Sep 30, 2024

10/31/202409/30/2024
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so that shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. Performance is for the stated time period only; due to market volatility, the Fund’s current performance may be lower or higher than quoted. Returns are historical and are calculated by determining the percentage change in net asset value (NAV) with all distributions reinvested. Returns for other classes of shares offered by the Fund are different. Performance less than or equal to one year is cumulative. Max Sales Charge: 5.25%.
 

Calendar Year Returns (%)

2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
Fund at NAV 3.77 -2.78 19.32 14.91 -5.81 27.54 12.73 21.18 -15.53 11.28
Russell 2000® Index1 4.89 -4.41 21.31 14.65 -11.01 25.52 19.96 14.82 -20.44 16.93
 

Fund Facts

Class A Inception 01/02/1997
Expense Ratio (Gross)2 1.38%
Expense Ratio (Net)2,3 1.21%
Distribution Frequency Annually

Risk Measures (3 Year)7 as of Oct 31, 2024

Alpha (%) 1.57
Beta 0.83
R-Squared (%) 90.03
Standard Deviation (%) 19.55
Sharpe Ratio -0.10
 

Morningstar Rating™ as of Oct 31, 2024

Time Period Rating Funds in
Small Growth
Category
Overall 542
3 Years 542
5 Years 521
10 Years 399
The Morningstar Rating™ for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds and exchange-traded funds) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star.

The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. Star ratings do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales load. Hollow stars denote Morningstar Extended Performance Ratings and are considered estimates based on the performance of the fund's oldest share class, adjusted for fees and expenses.

©2024 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information.
 

NAV History

Date NAV NAV Change
Nov 20, 2024 $16.42 $0.06
Nov 19, 2024 $16.36 -$0.01
Nov 18, 2024 $16.37 $0.01
Nov 15, 2024 $16.36 -$0.12
Nov 14, 2024 $16.48 -$0.15
Nov 13, 2024 $16.63 -$0.05
Nov 12, 2024 $16.68 -$0.15
Nov 11, 2024 $16.83 $0.12
Nov 08, 2024 $16.71 $0.18
Nov 07, 2024 $16.53 -$0.10
 

Distribution History8

Ex-Date Distribution Reinvest NAV
Dec 12, 2023 $0.01450 $13.40
No records in this table indicates that there has not been a distribution greater than .0001 within the past 3 years.
Fund prospectus
 

Capital Gain History8

Ex-Date Short-Term Long-Term Reinvest NAV
Dec 12, 2023 $0.08090 $13.40
Dec 13, 2022 $0.05090 $0.35980
Dec 07, 2021 $0.77720 $1.38490 $15.24
No records in this table indicates that there has not been a capital gain greater than .0001 within the past 3 years.
Fund prospectus

Portfolio profile subject to change due to active management. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

RISK CONSIDERATIONS 

The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, and financial events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The value of equity securities is sensitive to stock market volatility. Smaller companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than larger, more established companies. Investments in foreign instruments or currencies can involve greater risk and volatility than U.S. investments because of adverse market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, currency exchange rates or other conditions. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. The impact of the coronavirus on global markets could last for an extended period and could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. No fund is a complete investment program and you may lose money investing in a fund. The Fund may engage in other investment practices that may involve additional risks and you should review the Fund prospectus for a complete description.

See the Fund's prospectus for information related to a primary benchmark index selected (if applicable) to comply with a regulation that requires the Fund's primary benchmark to represent the overall applicable market.


1. Russell 2000® Index is an unmanaged index of 2,000 U.S. small-cap stocks. Unless otherwise stated, index returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales charges, commissions, expenses, taxes or leverage, as applicable. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Historical performance of the index illustrates market trends and does not represent the past or future performance of the fund.
2. Source: Fund prospectus.
3. Net Expense Ratio reflects a contractual expense reimbursement that continues through 5/1/25. Without the reimbursement, if applicable, performance would have been lower.
6. The Morningstar Small Growth Category includes funds that invest primarily in U.S. small-cap companies with growth characteristics such as high earnings growth and high price ratios.
7. Alpha measures risk-adjusted performance, showing excess return delivered at the same risk level as the benchmark. Beta measures the volatility of a fund relative to the overall market. R-Squared represents the percentage of the portfolio's movement that can be explained by the general movement of the market. Standard deviation measures the historic volatility of a fund. Sharpe Ratio uses standard deviation and excess return to determine reward per unit of risk.
8. A portion of the Fund's returns may be comprised of return of capital or short term capital gains. The Fund will determine the tax characteristics of all Fund distributions after the end of the calendar year and will provide shareholders such information at that time. Please consult your tax advisor for further information.

Portfolio

Asset Mix (%)5,9 as of Sep 30, 2024

Portfolio Statistics as of Sep 30, 2024

Average Market Cap $6.1B
Number of Holdings 69
Price/Book Ratio 3.11
Active Share10 94.56%
 

GICS Sector Breakdown (%)5 as of Sep 30, 2024

 

Fund Holdings (%)5,11 as of Sep 30, 2024

Holding % of Net Assets
Essential Properties Realty Trust Inc 3.03%
AptarGroup Inc 2.94%
Dorman Products Inc 2.82%
Chemed Corp 2.81%
Commerce Bancshares Inc/MO 2.55%
CSW Industrials Inc 2.43%
Valvoline Inc 2.37%
Community Financial System Inc 2.29%
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc 2.27%
CBIZ Inc 2.24%
View All

Portfolio profile subject to change due to active management. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.

RISK CONSIDERATIONS 

The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, and financial events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The value of equity securities is sensitive to stock market volatility. Smaller companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than larger, more established companies. Investments in foreign instruments or currencies can involve greater risk and volatility than U.S. investments because of adverse market, economic, political, regulatory, geopolitical, currency exchange rates or other conditions. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. The impact of the coronavirus on global markets could last for an extended period and could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. No fund is a complete investment program and you may lose money investing in a fund. The Fund may engage in other investment practices that may involve additional risks and you should review the Fund prospectus for a complete description.

See the Fund's prospectus for information related to a primary benchmark index selected (if applicable) to comply with a regulation that requires the Fund's primary benchmark to represent the overall applicable market.


1. Russell 2000® Index is an unmanaged index of 2,000 U.S. small-cap stocks. Unless otherwise stated, index returns do not reflect the effect of any applicable sales charges, commissions, expenses, taxes or leverage, as applicable. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. Historical performance of the index illustrates market trends and does not represent the past or future performance of the fund.
5. Percent of total net assets.
9. A delay in transaction settlement may result in a negative cash position.
10. Active Share is a measure of the differentiation of the holdings of a portfolio from the holdings of its appropriate benchmark index. It is calculated as one half of the sum of the absolute value of the differences found between the portfolio weights and the benchmark weights.
11. The following list reflects unaudited securities holdings (excluding derivatives positions). Holdings information may differ if presented as of trade date. Due to rounding, holdings of less than 0.005% may show as 0.00%. Portfolio information subject to change due to active management.

Management

Griff Noble, CFA

Griff Noble, CFA

Managing Director, Co-Head of US Small/Mid Cap
Joined Eaton Vance 2012

Biography

Griff is a managing director of Morgan Stanley. He is Co-Head of the Eaton Vance U.S. Small/Midcap team and a portfolio manager. He is responsible for buy and sell decisions, portfolio construction and risk management for U.S. small- and midcap equity portfolios as well as coverage of the energy and industrials sectors. He is also a vice president and portfolio manager for Calvert Research and Management. He joined Eaton Vance in 2012. Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance in March 2021.

Griff began his career in the investment management industry in 1996. Before joining Eaton Vance, he was an equity analyst with BlackRock, Inc. He was previously affiliated with Byram Capital Management, Emerson Investment Management, Deutsche Asset Management and Putnam Investments.

Griff earned a B.S. from the University of Vermont and an MBA from Babson College. He is a member of CFA Society Boston and is a CFA charterholder.

Education
  • B.S. University of Vermont
  • M.B.A. Babson College

Experience
  • Managed Fund since 2015

Other funds managed
 
Michael D. McLean, CFA

Michael D. McLean, CFA

Managing Director, Co-Head of US Small/Mid Cap
Joined Eaton Vance 2001

Biography

Mike is a managing director of Morgan Stanley. He is Co-Head of the Eaton Vance U.S. Small/Midcap team and a portfolio manager. He is responsible for buy and sell decisions, portfolio construction and risk management for U.S. small- and midcap equity portfolios as well as coverage of the consumer discretionary and consumer staples sectors. He is also a vice president and portfolio manager for Calvert Research and Management. He began his career in the investment management industry with Eaton Vance in 2001. Morgan Stanley acquired Eaton Vance in March 2021.

Mike earned a B.S. from Providence College. He is a CFA charterholder and holds both the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing and the Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting FSA Credential.

Education
  • B.S. Providence College

Experience
  • Managed Fund since 2015

Other funds managed
 

Literature

Literature

Fact Sheet

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Annual Financial Statements and Add'l Information

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Semi-Annual Financial Statements and Add'l Information

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Commentary/Attribution

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Annual Report

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Full Prospectus

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Q1 Holdings

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Q3 Holdings

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Holdings - Form N-PORT

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SAI

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Semi-Annual Report

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Summary Prospectus

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