485BPOS 1 d485bpos.htm VIRTUS OPPORTUNITIES TRUST Virtus Opportunities Trust
Table of Contents

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 15, 2011

File No. 033-65137

File No. 811-07455

 

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-1A

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

Under

the SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

  Pre-Effective Amendment No.    ¨
  Post-Effective Amendment No. 48    x

and/or

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

  Under the INVESTMENT COMPANY ACT OF 1940    ¨
  Amendment No. 49    x

(Check appropriate box or boxes)

Virtus Opportunities Trust

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)

Area Code and Telephone Number: (800) 243-1574

101 Munson Street

Greenfield, Massachusetts 01301

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Kevin J. Carr, Esq.

Counsel

Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.

100 Pearl St.

Hartford, Connecticut 06103

(Name and Address of Agent for Service)

Copies of All Correspondence to:

Robert N. Hickey, Esq.

Sullivan & Worcester LLP

1666 K Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

It is proposed that this filing will become effective (check appropriate box):

 

x immediately upon filing pursuant to paragraph (b)

 

¨ on                      pursuant to paragraph (b) of Rule 485

 

¨ 60 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(1)

 

¨ on                      or at such later date as the Commission shall order pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

 

¨ 75 days after filing pursuant to paragraph (a)(2)

 

¨ on                      pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of Rule 485.

If appropriate, check the following box:

 

¨ this post-effective amendment designates a new effective date for a previously filed post-effective amendment.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

This Post-Effective Amendment consists of the following:

 

  1. Facing Sheet of the Registration Statement

 

  2. Prospectus for Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund and Virtus Global Premium AlphaSector Fund

 

  3. Signature Page

This Post-Effective Amendment is being filed for the purpose of completing the registration process for two new funds, Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund and Virtus Global Premium AlphaSector Fund.

Parts A, B and C of Registrant’s Post-Effective Amendment No. 44 to its registration statement filed on January 27, 2011 are incorporated by reference herein and this Post-Effective Amendment No. 48 is being filed for the purpose of completing the registration process for these two new funds.


Table of Contents

LOGO

 

     TICKER SYMBOL BY CLASS
              A                    C                    I        
Virtus Allocator Premium AlphasectorSM Fund    VAAAX    VAACX    VAISX
Virtus Global Premium AlphasectorSM Fund    VGPAX    VGPCX    VGPIX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   
   
TRUST NAME:    
VIRTUS OPPORTUNITIES TRUST   March 15, 2011  
Not FDIC Insured   No Bank Guarantee   May Lose Value
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. This prospectus contains important information that you should know before investing in the Virtus Mutual Funds. Please read it carefully and retain it for future reference.

 


Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  

FUND SUMMARIES

  

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSectorsm Fund

  

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSectorsm Fund

  

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUND EXPENSES

     7   

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

     8   

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund

     9   

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSector Fund

     10   

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RISKS RELATED TO PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

     11   

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

     14   

ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT TECHNIQUES

     16   

PRICING OF FUND SHARES

     16   

SALES CHARGES

     17   

YOUR ACCOUNT

     21   

HOW TO BUY SHARES

     23   

HOW TO SELL SHARES

     23   

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN SELLING SHARES

     24   

ACCOUNT POLICIES

     25   

INVESTOR SERVICES AND OTHER INFORMATION

     28   

TAX STATUS OF DISTRIBUTIONS

     28   


Table of Contents

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

 

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking capital appreciation. In pursuing this objective, the fund maintains an emphasis on preservation of capital.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate all fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and under “Sales Charges” on page 17 of the fund’s prospectus and “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 53 of the fund’s statement of additional information.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)    Class A      Class C      Class I  
Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)      5.75%         None         None   
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)      None         1.00% (a)       None   

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
  Class A     Class C     Class I  
Management Fees             1.10%                1.10%                1.10%   
Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees             0.25%                1.00%                None   
Other Expenses(b)             0.67%                0.67%                0.67%   
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (Underlying ETFs)(b)             0.33%                0.33%                0.33%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b)             2.35%                3.10%                2.10%   
Less: Expense Reimbursement(c)             (0.27)%                (0.27)%                (0.27)%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement             2.08%                2.83%                1.83%   

 

  (a) The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

 

  (b) Estimated for current fiscal year.

 

  (c) The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.75% for Class A Shares, 2.50% for Class C Shares and 1.50% for Class I Shares through March 31, 2012. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed under these arrangements for a period of three years following the fiscal year in which such reimbursement occurred.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place only for the period indicated. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

      Share Status      1 Year        3 Years  
Class A    Sold or Held        $774           $1,241   
Class C    Sold        $361           $907   
     Held        $261           $907   
Class I    Sold or Held        $186           $631   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells shares of the exchange-traded funds (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance.

 

1


Table of Contents

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

 

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund allocates assets to multiple asset classes including: U.S. Equity, International Equity, Fixed Income, and Alternative. Allocations within each asset class are based on proprietary quantitative models.

The U.S. Equity allocation may be invested in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) representing the primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index. The primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index represented by the ETFs are: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, healthcare, industrials, materials, technology, and utilities. The International Equity allocation may be invested in ETFs representing both developed markets (“EAFE”) and emerging markets. The Fixed Income allocation may be invested in ETFs representing Fixed Income sectors including: high yield, municipals, investment grade corporate, mortgages and intermediate treasuries. The Alternative allocation may be invested in ETFs representing gold and real estate. The fund may also invest in stocks (without restriction as to market capitalization), bonds (without restriction as to credit quality) and short-term securities. In times of market weakness, the fund has the ability to move partially or fully to short-term cash equivalents.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objectives, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the adviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. In addition, you will also be subject to the risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the exchange-traded funds in which the fund invests. The principal risks of investing in the fund are:

 

  >  

Commodity Risk. The risk that investments in commodities, such as gold, or commodity-linked instruments will subject the fund’s portfolio to volatility that may also deviate from price movements in equity and fixed income securities.

 

  >  

Credit Risk. The risk that the issuer of a security will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of the security to decline.

 

  >  

Emerging Market Investing Risk. The risk that prices of emerging markets securities will be more volatile, or will be more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

 

  >  

Equity Securities Risk. The risk that events negatively affecting issuers, industries or financial markets in which the fund invests, will impact the value of the stocks held by the fund and thus, the value of the fund’s shares over short or extended periods. Investments in smaller companies may be more volatile than investments in larger companies.

 

  >  

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Risk. The risk that the value of an ETF will be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track, or that the costs to the fund of owning shares of the ETF will exceed those the fund would incur by investing in such securities directly.

 

  >  

Foreign Investing Risk. The risk that the prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than those of their domestic counterparts.

 

  >  

High Yield-High Risk Fixed Income Securities Risk. The risk that the issuers of high yield-high risk securities in the fund’s portfolio will default, that the prices of such securities will be volatile, and that the securities will not be liquid.

 

  >  

Interest Rate Risk. The risk that when interest rates rise, the values of the fund’s debt securities, especially those with longer maturities, will fall.

 

  >  

Market Volatility Risk. The risk that the value of the securities in which the fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be temporary or may last for extended periods.

 

  >  

Real Estate Investment Risk. The risk that the value of the fund’s shares will be negatively affected by factors specific to the real estate market, including interest rate risk, leverage risk, property risk and management risk.

 

  >  

Sector Concentration Risk. The risk that events negatively affecting a particular industry or market sector in which the fund focuses its investments will cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly. To the extent that the fund invests a significant portion of its portfolio in ETFs representing one or

 

2


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Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

 

 

more of the primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index (such as consumer discretionary, energy, healthcare) or in an ETF representing U.S. Treasuries, the fund is more vulnerable to conditions that negatively affect such sectors as compared to a fund that is not significantly invested in such sectors.

 

  >  

U.S. Government Securities Risk. The risk that U.S. Government securities in the fund’s portfolio will be subject to price fluctuations, or that an agency or instrumentality will default on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Performance Information

The fund has not had a full calendar year of operations; therefore, performance information is not shown.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. (“VIA”).

The fund’s subadviser is F-Squared Institutional Advisors, LLC (“F-Squared”).

Portfolio Management

 

  >  

Howard Present, Co-founder, President and CEO of F-Squared, is a manager of the fund. Mr. Present has been Portfolio Manager since inception.

 

  >  

Amy Robinson, Vice President of VIA (since 1992), is a manager of the fund. Ms. Robinson has been Portfolio Manager since inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Purchase Minimums (except Class I Shares)        
Minimum Initial Purchase      $2,500   

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or systematic exchange accounts

     $100   

Defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans

     No minimum   
Minimum Additional Purchase      $100   

Defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans

     No minimum   

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

In general, you can buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial advisor.

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you either as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

3


Table of Contents

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

 

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking capital appreciation. In pursuing this objective, the fund maintains an emphasis on preservation of capital.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate all fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Mutual Funds. More information about these and other discounts, as well as eligibility requirements for each share class, is available from your financial advisor and under “Sales Charges” on page 17 of the fund’s prospectus and “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 53 of the fund’s statement of additional information.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)    Class A      Class C      Class I  
Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)      5.75%         None         None   
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds)      None         1.00% (a)       None   

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment)
  Class A     Class C     Class I  
Management Fees             1.10%                1.10%                1.10%   
Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees             0.25%                1.00%                None   
Other Expenses(b)             0.67%                0.67%                0.67%   
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses (Underlying ETFs)(b)             0.34%                0.34%                0.34%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses(b)             2.36%                3.11%                2.11%   
Less: Expense Reimbursement(c)             (0.27)%                (0.27)%                (0.27)%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement             2.09%                2.84%                1.84%   

 

  (a) The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

 

  (b) Estimated for current fiscal year.

 

  (c) The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.75% for Class A Shares, 2.50% for Class C Shares and 1.50% for Class I Shares through March 31, 2012. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed under these arrangements for a period of three years following the fiscal year in which such reimbursement occurred.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place only for the period indicated. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

      Share Status      1 Year        3 Years  
Class A    Sold or Held        $775           $1,244   
Class C    Sold        $362           $910   
     Held        $262           $910   
Class I    Sold or Held        $187           $634   

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells shares of the exchange-traded funds (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance.

 

4


Table of Contents

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

 

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund allocates assets to U.S. Equity and International Equity. Allocations within each asset class are based on proprietary quantitative models.

The U.S. Equity allocation may be invested in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”) representing the primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index. The primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index represented by the ETFs are: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, healthcare, industrials, materials, technology, and utilities. The International Equity allocation may be invested in ETFs representing both developed markets (“EAFE”) and emerging markets. The fund may also invest in stocks (without restriction as to market capitalization). In times of market weakness, the fund has the ability to move partially or fully to short-term cash equivalents.

Under normal circumstances, the fund intends to allocate at least 40% of its assets to ETFs representative of non-U.S. markets. Through its investments in these ETFs, the fund’s exposure to non-U.S. markets will be diversified among countries and will have represented the business activities of a number of different countries.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objectives, and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the adviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. In addition, you will also be subject to the risks associated with the principal investment strategies of the exchange-traded funds in which the fund invests. The principal risks of investing in the fund are:

 

  >  

Credit Risk. The risk that the issuer of a security will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of the security to decline.

 

  >  

Emerging Market Investing Risk. The risk that prices of emerging markets securities will be more volatile, or will be more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

 

  >  

Equity Securities Risk. The risk that events negatively affecting issuers, industries or financial markets in which the fund invests, will impact the value of the stocks held by the fund and thus, the value of the fund’s shares over short or extended periods. Investments in smaller companies may be more volatile than investments in larger companies.

 

  >  

Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) Risk. The risk that the value of an ETF will be more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track, or that the costs to the fund of owning shares of the ETF will exceed those the fund would incur by investing in such securities directly.

 

  >  

Foreign Investing Risk. The risk that the prices of foreign securities may be more volatile than those of their domestic counterparts.

 

  >  

Interest Rate Risk. The risk that when interest rates rise, the values of the fund’s debt securities will fall.

 

  >  

Market Volatility Risk. The risk that the value of the securities in which the fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be temporary or may last for extended periods.

 

  >  

Sector Concentration Risk. The risk that events negatively affecting a particular industry or market sector in which the fund focuses its investments will cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly. To the extent that the fund invests a significant portion of its portfolio in ETFs representing one or more of the primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index (such as consumer discretionary, energy, healthcare) or in an ETF representing U.S. Treasuries, the fund is more vulnerable to conditions that negatively affect such sectors as compared to a fund that is not significantly invested in such sectors.

 

  >  

U.S. Government Securities Risk. The risk that U.S. Government securities in the fund’s portfolio will be subject to price fluctuations, or that an agency or instrumentality will default on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States.

Performance Information

The fund has not had a full calendar year of operations; therefore, performance information is not shown.

 

5


Table of Contents

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

 

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. (“VIA”).

The fund’s subadviser is F-Squared Institutional Advisors, LLC (“F-Squared”).

Portfolio Management

 

  >  

Howard Present, Co-founder, President and CEO of F-Squared, is a manager of the fund. Mr. Present has been Portfolio Manager since inception.

 

  >  

Amy Robinson, Vice President of VIA (since 1992), is a manager of the fund. Ms. Robinson has been Portfolio Manager since inception.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

 

Purchase Minimums (except Class I Shares)      
Minimum Initial Purchase    $2,500

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or systematic exchange accounts

   $100

Defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans

   No minimum
Minimum Additional Purchase    $100

Defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans

   No minimum

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

In general, you can buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial advisor.

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you either as ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial advisor to recommend the fund over another investment. Ask your financial advisor or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

6


Table of Contents

More Information About Fund Expenses

 

VIA has agreed to contractually limit the total operating expenses (excluding interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses, if any) of the fund so that such expenses do not exceed, on an annualized basis, the amounts indicated in the following table.

 

      Class A
Shares
     Class C
Shares
     Class I
Shares
     Through Date  

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund

     1.75%         2.50%         1.50%         March 31, 2012   

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSector Fund

     1.75%         2.50%         1.50%         March 31, 2012   

Following the contractual period, VIA may discontinue these arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, VIA may recapture operating expenses reimbursed under these expense limitation arrangements for a period of three years following the end of the fiscal period in which such reimbursement occurred.

 

Virtus Premium AlphaSectorSM Funds     7   


Table of Contents

More Information About Investment Objectives and Principal Investment Strategies

 

The investment objectives and principal strategies of each fund are described in this section. Each of the following funds has a non-fundamental investment objective. A non-fundamental investment objective may be changed by the Board of Trustees of that fund without shareholder approval. If a fund’s investment objective is changed, the prospectus will be supplemented to reflect the new investment objective. To the extent that there is a material change in a fund’s investment objective, shareholders will be provided with reasonable notice. There is no guarantee that a fund will achieve its objective.

Please see the Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) for additional information about the securities and investment strategies described in this prospectus and about additional securities and investment strategies that may be used by the funds.

 

8    Virtus Premium AlphaSectorSM Funds


Table of Contents

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund

 

Non-Fundamental Investment Objective:

The fund has an investment objective of seeking capital appreciation. There is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its investment objective.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The fund allocates assets to multiple asset classes including: U.S. Equity, International Equity, Fixed Income, and Alternative. Allocations within each asset class are based on proprietary quantitative models.

The U.S. Equity allocation may be invested in ETFs representing the primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index. The primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index represented by the ETFs are: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, healthcare, industrials, materials, technology, and utilities. The International Equity allocation may be invested in ETFs representing both developed markets (EAFE) and emerging markets. The Fixed Income allocation may be invested in ETFs representing fixed income sectors including: high yield, municipals, investment grade corporate, mortgages and intermediate treasuries. The Alternative allocation may be invested in ETFs representing gold and real estate.

The fund may also invest in stocks (without restriction as to market capitalization), bonds (without restriction as to credit quality) and short-term securities.

In times of market weakness, the fund has the ability to move partially or fully to short-term cash equivalents.

The subadviser provides the adviser with a model portfolio weekly. The adviser is responsible for final portfolio allocation decisions and for placing all transactions. The adviser monitors the fund’s allocations to the underlying securities and is responsible for rebalancing assets to maintain target allocations among the underlying ETFs, while taking into account any other factors the adviser may deem relevant, such as cash flow and/or timing considerations.

Please see “More Information About Risks Related to Principal Investment Strategies” for information about the risks of investing in the fund.

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the securities and investment strategies described in this prospectus and about additional securities and investment strategies that may be used by the fund.

 

Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund     9   


Table of Contents

Virtus Global Premium AlphaSectorSM Fund

 

Non-Fundamental Investment Objective:

The fund has an investment objective of seeking long-term capital appreciation. There is no guarantee that the fund will achieve its investment objective.

Principal Investment Strategies:

The fund allocates assets to U.S. Equity and International Equity. Allocations within each asset class are based on proprietary quantitative models.

The U.S. Equity allocation may be invested in ETFs representing the primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index. The primary sectors of the S&P 500® Index represented by the ETFs are: consumer discretionary, consumer staples, energy, financials, healthcare, industrials, materials, technology, and utilities. The International Equity allocation may be invested in ETFs representing both developed markets (EAFE) and emerging markets.

The fund may also invest in stocks (without restriction as to market capitalization) and short-term securities.

In times of market weakness, the fund has the ability to move partially or fully to short-term cash equivalents.

Under normal circumstances, the fund intends to allocate at least 40% of its assets to ETFs representative of non-U.S. markets. Through its investments in these ETFs, the fund’s exposure to non-U.S. markets will be diversified among countries and will have represented the business activities of a number of different countries.

The subadviser provides the adviser with a model portfolio weekly. The adviser is responsible for final portfolio allocation decisions and for placing all transactions. The adviser monitors the fund’s allocations to the underlying securities and is responsible for rebalancing assets to maintain target allocations among the underlying ETFs, while taking into account any other factors the adviser may deem relevant, such as cash flow and/or timing considerations.

Please see “More Information About Risks Related to Principal Investment Strategies” for information about the risks of investing in the fund.

Please see the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the securities and investment strategies described in this prospectus and about additional securities and investment strategies that may be used by the fund.

 

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More Information About Risks Related to Principal Investment Strategies

 

The fund may not achieve its objectives, and is not intended to be a complete investment program.

Generally, the value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money.

Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected and investments may fail to perform as the adviser or subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease.

Specific risks of investing in the fund are described in detail below.

Commodity and Commodity-Linked Investment Risk

Investments by the fund in commodities or commodity-linked instruments may subject the fund’s portfolio to greater volatility than investments in traditional securities. The value of commodity-linked instruments may be affected by overall market movements, changes in interest rates or factors affecting a particular industry or commodity, such as drought, floods, weather, livestock disease, embargoes, tariffs and international economic, political and regulatory developments. Individual commodity prices can fluctuate widely over short time periods. Commodity investments typically do not have dividends or income and are dependent on price movements to generate returns. Commodity price movements can deviate from equity and fixed income price movements. The means by which the fund seeks exposure to commodities, both directly and indirectly through derivatives, may be limited by the fund’s intention to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

Debt Securities Risk

Debt securities are subject to various risks, the most prominent of which are credit risk and interest rate risk. These risks can affect a security’s price volatility to varying degrees, depending upon the nature of the instrument. Risks associated with investing in debt securities include the following:

 

·  

Credit Risk. The risk that the issuer of a security will fail to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or that negative perceptions of the issuer’s ability to make such payments will cause the price of the security to decline. Debt securities rated below investment-grade are especially susceptible to this risk. Senior Floating Rate Fund: Generally, Senior Loans are less susceptible to this risk than certain other types of fixed income securities, because the payment of principal and interest on Senior Loans will take precedence over other payment obligations of the borrower.

 

·  

Interest Rate Risk. The values of debt securities usually rise and fall in response to changes in interest rates. Declining interest rates generally increase the value of existing debt instruments, and rising interest rates generally decrease the value of existing debt instruments. Changes in a debt instrument’s value usually will not affect the amount of interest income paid to the fund, but will affect the value of the fund’s shares. Interest rate risk is generally greater for investments with longer maturities.

Certain securities pay interest at variable or floating rates. Variable rate securities reset at specified intervals, while floating rate securities reset whenever there is a change in a specified index rate. In most cases, these reset provisions reduce the effect of changes in market interest rates on the value of the security. However, some securities do not track the underlying index directly, but reset based on formulas that can produce an effect similar to leveraging; others may also provide for interest payments that vary inversely with market rates. The market prices of these securities may fluctuate significantly when interest rates change.

Some investments give the issuer the option to call or redeem an investment before its maturity date. If an issuer calls or redeems an investment during a time of declining interest rates, the fund might have to reinvest the proceeds in an investment offering a lower yield, and therefore it might not benefit from any increase in value as a result of declining interest rates.

 

·  

Limited Voting Rights. Debt securities typically do not provide any voting rights, except in cases when interest payments have not been made and the issuer is in default.

 

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·  

Liquidity. Certain debt securities may be substantially less liquid than many other securities, such as U.S. Government securities or common stocks.

 

·  

Long-Term Maturities/Durations Risk. The risk that fixed income securities with longer maturities or durations may be subject to greater price fluctuations due to interest rate, tax law, and general market changes than securities with shorter maturities or durations.

 

·  

Redemption Risk. Debt securities sometimes contain provisions that allow for redemption in the event of tax or security law changes, in addition to call features at the option of the issuer. In the event of a redemption, a fund may not be able to reinvest the proceeds at comparable rates of return.

Equity Securities Risk

Generally, prices of equity securities are more volatile than those of fixed income securities. The prices of equity securities will rise and fall in response to a number of different factors. In particular, equity securities will respond to events that affect entire financial markets or industries (such as changes in inflation or consumer demand) and to events that affect particular issuers (such as news about the success or failure of a new product). Equity securities also are subject to “stock market risk,” meaning that stock prices in general may decline over short or extended periods of time. When the value of the stocks held by the fund goes down, the value of the fund’s shares will be affected.

 

·  

Large Market Capitalization Companies. The risk that the value of investments in larger companies may not rise as much as smaller companies, or that larger companies may be unable to respond quickly to competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

 

·  

Small and Medium Market Capitalization Companies. Small and medium-sized companies often have narrower markets, fewer products or services to offer, and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, the performance of small and medium-sized companies may be more volatile, and they may face a greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility and risk of loss to the fund.

Exchange-Traded Funds (“ETFs”) Risk

ETFs invest in a portfolio of securities designed to track a particular market segment or index. The risks associated with investing in ETFs generally reflect the risks of owning shares of the underlying securities the ETF is designed to track, although lack of liquidity in an ETF could result in its value being more volatile than the underlying portfolio of securities. Assets invested in ETFs incur a layering of expenses, including operating costs and advisory fees that fund shareholders indirectly bear; such expenses may exceed the expenses the fund would incur if it invested directly in the underlying portfolio of securities the ETF is designed to track. Shares of ETFs trade on a securities exchange and may trade at, above, or below their net asset value.

Foreign Investing Risk

Investing in securities of non-U.S. companies involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. companies, and the values of non-U.S. securities may be more volatile than those of U.S. securities. The values of non-U.S. securities are subject to economic and political developments in countries and regions where the issuers operate or are domiciled, or where the securities are traded, such as changes in economic or monetary policies, and to changes in currency exchange rates. Values may also be affected by restrictions on receiving the investment proceeds from a non-U.S. country.

In general, less information is publicly available about non-U.S. companies than about U.S. companies. Non-U.S. companies are generally not subject to the same accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards as are U.S. companies. Certain foreign issuers classified as passive foreign investment companies may be subject to additional taxation risk.

 

·  

Currency Rate Risk. Because the foreign securities in which the fund invests generally trade in currencies other than the U.S. dollar, changes in currency exchange rates will affect the fund’s net asset value, the value of dividends and interest earned, and gains and losses realized on the sale of securities. Because the value of the fund’s shares

 

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is calculated in U.S. dollars, it is possible for the fund to lose money by investing in a foreign security if the local currency of a foreign market depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the fund’s holdings goes up. Generally, a strong U.S. dollar relative to such other currencies will adversely affect the value of the fund’s holdings in foreign securities.

 

·  

Emerging Market Investing Risk. The risks of foreign investments are generally greater in countries whose markets are still developing than they are in more developed markets. Emerging market countries typically have economic and political systems that are less fully developed, and can be expected to be less stable than those of more developed countries. For example, the economies of such countries can be subject to rapid and unpredictable rates of inflation or deflation. Since these markets are often small, they may be more likely to suffer sharp and frequent price changes or long-term price depression because of adverse publicity, investor perceptions or the actions of a few large investors. They may also have policies that restrict investment by foreigners, or that prevent foreign investors from withdrawing their money at will. Certain emerging markets may also face other significant internal or external risks, including the risk of war and civil unrest. For all of these reasons, investments in emerging markets may be considered speculative.

Market Volatility Risk

The risk that the value of the securities in which a fund invests may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be temporary or may last for extended periods.

Instability in the financial markets has exposed the funds to greater market and liquidity risk and potential difficulty in valuing portfolio instruments that it holds. In response to financial markets that experienced extreme volatility, and in some cases a lack of liquidity, the U.S. Government has taken a number of unprecedented actions, including acquiring distressed assets from financial institutions and acquiring ownership interests in those institutions. The implications of government ownership and disposition of these assets are unclear. Additional legislation or government regulation may also change the way in which funds themselves are regulated, which could limit or preclude a fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective.

Real Estate Investment Risk

Investments in companies that invest in real estate (“Real Estate Companies”), such as REITs or real estate holding companies, exposes the fund to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way in which Real Estate Companies are organized and operated. Real estate is highly sensitive to general and local economic conditions and developments, and characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Real Estate Companies may lack diversification due to ownership of a limited number of properties and concentration in a particular geographic region or property type.

Investing in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and REIT-like entities involves certain unique risks in addition to those risks associated with investing in the real estate industry in general. REITs and REIT-like entities are dependent upon management skill, may not be diversified, and are subject to heavy cash flow dependency and self-liquidation. REITs and REIT-like entities also are subject to the possibility of failing to qualify for tax-free pass-through of income. Also, because REITs and REIT-like entities typically are invested in a limited number of projects or in a particular market segment, these entities are more susceptible to adverse developments affecting a single project or market segment than more broadly diversified investments. In the event of a default by a borrower or lessee, a REIT may experience delays in enforcing its rights as a mortgagee or lessor and may incur substantial costs associated with protecting its investments. In addition, investment in REITs could cause the fund to possibly fail to qualify as a regulated investment company.

Sector Concentration Risk

The value of the investments of a fund that focuses its investments in a particular industry or market sector will be highly sensitive to financial, economic, political and other developments affecting that industry or market sector, and conditions that negatively impact that industry or market sector will have a greater impact on the fund as compared with a fund that does not have its holdings similarly concentrated. Events negatively affecting the industries or market

 

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sectors in which the fund has invested are therefore likely to cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

Short-Term Investments

The fund may invest in short-term investments, which may include money market instruments, repurchase agreements, certificates of deposits and bankers’ acceptances and other short-term instruments that are not U.S. Government securities. These securities generally present less risk than many other investments, but they are generally subject to credit risk and may be subject to other risks as well.

U.S. Government Securities Risk

Obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, its agencies, authorities and instrumentalities and backed by the full faith and credit of the United States only guarantee principal and interest will be timely paid to holders of the securities. The entities do not guarantee that the value of fund shares will increase, and in fact the market values of such obligations may fluctuate. In addition, not all U.S. Government securities are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States; some are the obligation solely of the entity through which they are issued. There is no guarantee that the U.S. Government would provide financial support to its agencies and instrumentalities if not required to do so by law.

Management of the Fund

 

The Adviser

Virtus Investment Advisers, Inc. (“VIA”) is the investment adviser to the fund and is located at 100 Pearl Street, Hartford, CT 06103. VIA acts as the investment adviser for over 50 mutual funds and as adviser to institutional clients. As of December 31, 2010, VIA had approximately $15.3 billion in assets under management. VIA has acted as an investment adviser for over 70 years and is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc., a publicly traded multi-manager asset management business.

Subject to the direction of the fund’s Board of Trustees, VIA is responsible for managing the fund’s investment programs and for the general operations of the fund, including oversight of the fund’s subadviser. VIA is responsible for providing final allocation and trading decisions following receipt of the subadviser’s weekly investment recommendations. VIA and the subadviser manage the fund’s assets to conform with the investment policies as described in this prospectus.

Management Fees

The fund pays VIA an investment management fee that is accrued daily against the value of each fund’s net assets at the following annual rates:

 

     First $2 billion    $2+ billion
through $4 billion
   $4+ billion
Virtus Allocator Premium AlphaSector Fund    1.10%    1.05%    1.00%
Virtus Global Premium AlphaSector Fund    1.10%    1.05%    1.00%

The Subadviser

F-Squared is located at 16 Laurel Avenue, Wellesley, Massachusetts 02481. F-Squared has been an investment adviser since 2006 and provides investment management and advisory services to institutional and separately managed accounts. As of December 31, 2010, F-Squared had approximately $476 million in assets under management.

VIA pays F-Squared a subadvisory fee which is paid at a rate of 50% of the net investment management fee.

 

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A discussion regarding the basis of the Board of Trustees approving the advisory and subadvisory agreements is expected to be available in the fund’s semiannual report for the period ended March 31, 2011.

Portfolio Management

F-Squared

Howard Present. Mr. Present is co-founder, President and CEO of F-Squared and has served as Portfolio Manager to the fund since its inception. As Portfolio Manager, he is responsible for providing the model portfolios to VIA on a weekly basis. Prior to F-Squared, he was founder and President of Helicon Partners LLC (2004-2006), a boutique management firm specializing in new business development within the financial services industry. Mr. Present also serves as Portfolio Manager for the Virtus AlphaSector Allocation Fund, Virtus AlphaSector Rotation Fund and Virtus Premium AlphaSector Fund. Mr. Present has over 20 years of investment management industry experience.

VIA

Amy Robinson. Ms. Robinson is Vice President of VIA (since 1992) and leads VIA’s equity trading function. In this role, Ms. Robinson is responsible for all trading activities of investment portfolios and mutual funds; she also manages strategic operational initiatives for the firm. She has served as Portfolio Manager for the fund since its inception, and as such is responsible for determining final allocation and trading decisions following receipt of the subadviser’s weekly investment recommendations. Ms. Robinson also serves as Portfolio Manager for the Virtus AlphaSector Allocation Fund, Virtus AlphaSector Rotation Fund and Virtus Premium AlphaSector Fund. Ms. Robinson has 29 years of investment experience and is former president of the Security Traders Association of Connecticut.

Please refer to the Statement of Additional Information for additional information about the fund’s portfolio managers, including the structure of and method of computing compensation, other accounts they manage and their ownership of shares of the fund.

 

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Additional Investment Techniques

 

In addition to the Principal Investment Strategies and Risks Related to Principal Investment Strategies, the funds may engage in Securities Lending. Other techniques that are relied upon to a lesser degree are described in more detail in the Statement of Additional Information.

Securities Lending

Each fund may loan portfolio securities with a value up to one-third of its total assets to increase its investment returns. If the borrower is unwilling or unable to return the borrowed securities when due, the fund can suffer losses. In addition, there is a risk of delay in receiving additional collateral or in the recovery of the securities, and a risk of loss of rights in the collateral, in the event that the borrower fails financially. There is also a risk that the value of the investment of the collateral could decline, causing a loss to the fund.

Pricing of Fund Shares

 

How is the Share Price determined?

Each fund calculates a share price for each class of its shares. The share price for each class is based on the net assets of the fund and the number of outstanding shares of that class. In general, each fund calculates a share price for each class by:

 

  ·  

adding the values of all securities and other assets of the fund;

 

  ·  

subtracting liabilities; and

 

  ·  

dividing the result by the total number of outstanding shares of that class.

Assets: ETFs, and equity securities held directly by the fund, are valued at the official closing price (typically last sale) on the exchange on which the securities are primarily traded, or, if no closing price is available, at the last bid price. Debt securities (other than short-term investments) held by the fund are valued on the basis of broker quotations or valuations provided by a pricing service, which in determining value utilizes information with respect to recent sales, market transactions in comparable securities, quotations from dealers, and various relationships between securities. Short-term investments having a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, which approximates market value. As required, some securities and assets held by the underlying affiliated mutual funds are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by, or under the direction of, the Board of Trustees. Other assets, such as accrued interest, accrued dividends and cash are also included in determining the fund’s net asset value.

Liabilities: Accrued liabilities for class-specific expenses (if any), distribution fees, service fees and other liabilities are deducted from the assets of each class. Accrued expenses and liabilities that are not class specific (such as management fees) are allocated to each class in proportion to each class’s net assets except where an alternative allocation can be more appropriately made.

Net Asset Value: The liabilities allocated to a class are deducted from the proportionate interest of such class in the assets of the applicable fund. The resulting amount for each class is then divided by the number of shares outstanding of that class to produce each class’s net asset value per share.

The net asset value per share of each class of the fund is determined as of the close of regular trading (normally 4:00 PM eastern time) on days when the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) is open for trading. The fund will not calculate its net asset value per share class on days when the NYSE is closed for trading. If the fund (or underlying fund, as applicable) holds securities that are traded on foreign exchanges that trade on weekends or other holidays when the fund does not price its shares, the net asset value of the fund’s shares may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem the fund’s shares.

 

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How are securities fair valued?

If market quotations are not readily available or available prices are not reliable, the fund (or underlying funds, as applicable) determine a “fair value” for an investment according to policies and procedures approved by the Board of Trustees. The types of assets for which such pricing might be required include (i) securities whose trading has been suspended; (ii) securities where the trading market is unusually thin or trades have been infrequent; (iii) debt securities that have recently gone into default and for which there is no current market quotation; (iv) a security whose market price is not available from an independent pricing source and for which otherwise reliable quotes are not available; (v) securities of an issuer that has entered into a restructuring; (vi) a security whose price as provided by any pricing source does not, in the opinion of the adviser/subadviser, reflect the security’s market value; (vii) foreign securities subject to trading collars for which no or limited trading takes place; and (viii) securities where the market quotations are not readily available as a result of “significant” events. This list is not inclusive of all situations that may require a security to be fair valued, nor is it intended to be conclusive in determining whether a specific event requires fair valuation.

The value of any portfolio security held by the fund for which market quotations are not readily available shall be determined in good faith and in a manner that assesses the security’s “fair value” on the valuation date (i.e., the amount that the fund might reasonably expect to receive for the security upon its current sale), based on a consideration of all available facts and all available information, including, but not limited to, the following: (i) the fundamental analytical data relating to the investment; (ii) an evaluation of the forces which influence the market in which these securities are purchased and sold (e.g., the existence of merger proposals or tender offers that might affect the value of the security); (iii) price quotes from dealers and/or pricing services; (iv) an analysis of the company’s financial statements; (v) trading volumes on markets, exchanges or among dealers; (vi) recent news about the security or issuer; (vii) changes in interest rates; (viii) information obtained from the issuer, analysts, other financial institutions and/or the appropriate stock exchange (for exchange traded securities); (ix) whether two or more dealers with whom the adviser/subadviser regularly effects trades are willing to purchase or sell the security at comparable prices; (x) other news events or relevant matters; and (xi) government (domestic or foreign) actions or pronouncements.

Certain foreign common stocks may be fair valued in cases where closing prices are not readily available or are deemed not reflective of readily available market prices. For example, events (such as movement in the U.S. securities market, or other regional and local developments) may occur between the time that foreign markets close (where the security is principally traded) and the time that the fund calculates its net asset value (generally, the close of regular trading on the NYSE) that may impact the value of securities traded in these foreign markets. In such cases, information from an external vendor may be utilized to adjust closing market prices of certain foreign common stocks to reflect their fair value. Because the frequency of significant events is not predictable, fair valuation of certain foreign common stocks may occur on a frequent basis.

The value of a security, as determined using the fund’s fair valuation procedures, may not reflect such security’s market value.

At what price are shares purchased?

All investments received by the fund’s authorized agents in good order prior to the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally 4:00 PM eastern time) will be executed based on that day’s net asset value. Shares credited to your account from the reinvestment of fund distributions will be in full and fractional shares that are purchased at the closing net asset value on the next business day on which the fund’s net asset value is calculated following the dividend record date.

Sales Charges

 

What are the classes and how do they differ?

Presently, the fund offers three classes of shares. With the exception of Class I Shares, each class of shares has different sales and distribution charges. (See “Fees and Expenses” in each fund’s “Fund Summary,” previously in this prospectus.) For certain classes of shares, the fund has adopted distribution and service plans allowed under Rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, that authorize the fund to pay distribution and service fees for the sale of its shares and for services provided to shareholders.

 

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What arrangement is best for you?

The different classes of shares permit you to choose the method of purchasing shares that is most beneficial to you. In choosing a class of shares, consider the amount of your investment, the length of time you expect to hold the shares, whether you decide to receive distributions in cash or to reinvest them in additional shares, and any other personal circumstances. Depending upon these considerations, the accumulated distribution and service fees and contingent deferred sales charges of one class of shares may be more or less than the initial sales charge and accumulated distribution and service fees of another class of shares bought at the same time. Because distribution and service fees are paid out of the fund’s assets on an ongoing basis, over time these fees will increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than paying other types of sales charges.

Your financial representative should recommend only those arrangements that are suitable for you based on known information. In certain instances, you may be entitled to a reduction or waiver of sales charges. For instance, you may be entitled to a sales charge discount on Class A Shares if you purchase more than certain breakpoint amounts. You should inform or inquire of your financial representative whether or not you may be entitled to a sales charge discount attributable to your total holdings in the fund or affiliated funds. To determine eligibility for a sales charge discount, you may aggregate all of your accounts (including joint accounts, retirement accounts such as IRAs, non-IRAs, etc.) and those of your spouse and minor children. The financial representative may request you to provide an account statement or other holdings information to determine your eligibility for a breakpoint and to make certain all involved parties have the necessary data. Additional information about the classes of shares offered, sales charges, breakpoints and discounts follows in this section and also may be found in the Statement of Additional Information in the section entitled “How to Buy Shares.” This information is available free of charge, and in a clear and prominent format, at the Individual Investors section of the Virtus Mutual Funds’ Web site at virtus.com. Please be sure that you fully understand these choices before investing. If you or your financial representative require additional assistance, you may also contact Mutual Fund Services by calling toll-free (800) 243-1574.

Class A Shares. If you purchase Class A Shares, you will pay a sales charge at the time of purchase of 5.75% of the offering price (6.10% of the amount invested). The sales charge may be reduced or waived under certain conditions. (See “Initial Sales Charge Alternative—Class A Shares” below.) Generally, Class A Shares are not subject to any charges by the fund when redeemed; however, a 0.50% contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) may be imposed on certain redemptions within 18 months on exchanges from a Virtus non-money market fund into a Virtus money market fund and purchases on which a finder’s fee has been paid. The 18-month period begins on the last day of the month preceding the month in which the purchase was made. Class A Shares have lower distribution and service fees (0.25%) and generally pay higher dividends than Class C Shares.

Class C Shares. If you purchase Class C Shares, you will not pay a sales charge at the time of purchase. If you sell your Class C Shares within the first year after they are purchased, you will pay a deferred sales charge of 1%. (See “Deferred Sales Charge Alternative—Class C Shares” below.) Class C Shares do not convert to any other class of shares of the fund, so the higher distribution and service fees paid by Class C Shares continue for the life of the account.

Class I Shares. Class I shares are offered primarily to clients of financial intermediaries that (i) charge such clients an ongoing fee for advisory, investment, consulting or similar services, or (ii) have entered into an agreement with the distributor to offer Class I shares through a no-load network or platform. Such clients may include pension and profit sharing plans, other employee benefit trusts, endowments, foundations and corporations. Class I shares are also offered to private and institutional clients of, or referred by, the adviser, the subadviser and their affiliates. If you are eligible to purchase and do purchase Class I Shares, you will pay no sales charge at any time. There are no distribution and service fees applicable to Class I Shares. For additional information about purchasing Class I Shares, please contact Mutual Fund Services by calling (800) 243-1574.

Initial Sales Charge Alternative—Class A Shares

The public offering price of Class A Shares is the net asset value plus a sales charge that varies depending on the size of your purchase. (See “Class A Shares—Reduced Initial Sales Charges” in the Statement of Additional Information.) Shares purchased based on the automatic reinvestment of income dividends or capital gain distributions are not subject to any sales charges. The sales charge is divided between your investment dealer and the Distributor.

 

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Sales Charge you may pay to purchase Class A Shares

 

       Sales Charge as a percentage of  
Amount of Transaction at Offering Price      Offering
Price
       Net
Amount
Invested
 
Under $50,000        5.75        6.10
$50,000 but under $ 100,000        4.75           4.99   
$100,000 but under $ 250,000        3.75           3.90   
$250,000 but under $ 500,000        2.75           2.83   
$500,000 but under $ 1,000,000        2.00           2.04   
$1,000,000 or more        None           None   

Class A Sales Charge Reductions and Waivers

Investors may reduce or eliminate sales charges applicable to purchases of Class A Shares through utilization of Combination Purchase Privilege, Letter of Intent, Right of Accumulation, Purchase by Associations or the Account Reinstatement Privilege. These programs are summarized below and are described in greater detail in the Statement of Additional Information. Investors buying Class A Shares on which a finder’s fee has been paid may incur a 0.50% deferred sales charge if they redeem their shares within 18 months of purchase.

Combination Purchase Privilege. Your purchase of any class of shares of the fund or any other Virtus Mutual Fund (other than any Virtus money market fund), if made at the same time by the same person, will be added together with any existing Virtus Mutual Fund account values to determine whether the combined sum entitles you to an immediate reduction in sales charges. A “person” is defined in this and the following sections as (a) any individual, his or her spouse and minor children purchasing shares for his or her own account (including an IRA account) including his or her own trust; (b) a trustee or other fiduciary purchasing for a single trust, estate or single fiduciary account (even though more than one beneficiary may exist); (c) multiple employer trusts or certain Section 403(b) plans for the same employer; (d) multiple accounts (up to 200) under a qualified employee benefit plan or administered by a third party administrator; or (e) trust companies, bank trust departments, registered investment advisers, and similar entities placing orders or providing administrative services with respect to accounts over which they exercise discretionary investment authority and which are held in a fiduciary, agency, custodial or similar capacity, provided all shares are held of record in the name, or nominee name, of the entity placing the order.

Letter of Intent. If you sign a Letter of Intent, your purchase of any class of shares of the fund or any other Virtus Mutual Fund (other than any Virtus money market fund), if made by the same person within a 13-month period, will be added together to determine whether you are entitled to an immediate reduction in sales charges. Sales charges are reduced based on the overall amount you indicate that you will buy under the Letter of Intent. The Letter of Intent is a mutually non-binding arrangement between you and the Distributor. Shares worth 5% of the amount of each purchase will be held in escrow (while remaining registered in your name) to secure payment of the higher sales charges applicable to the shares actually purchased in the event the full intended amount is not purchased.

Right of Accumulation. The value of your account(s) in any class of shares of the fund or any other Virtus Mutual Fund (other than any Virtus money market fund) if made over time by the same person, may be added together at the time of each purchase to determine whether the combined sum entitles you to a prospective reduction in sales charges. You must provide certain account information to the Distributor at the time of purchase to exercise this right.

Purchase by Associations. Certain groups or associations may be treated as a “person” and qualify for reduced Class A Share sales charges. The group or association must: (1) have been in existence for at least six months; (2) have a legitimate purpose other than to purchase mutual fund shares at a reduced sales charge; (3) work through an investment dealer; and (4) not be a group whose sole reason for existing is to consist of members who are credit card holders of a particular company, policyholders of an insurance company, customers of a bank or a broker-dealer or clients of an investment adviser.

Account Reinstatement Privilege. Subject to the fund’s policies and procedures regarding market timing, for 180 days after you sell your Class A or Class C Shares on which you have previously paid a sales charge, you may purchase Class A Shares of any Virtus Mutual Fund at net asset value, with no sales charge, by reinvesting all or part of your proceeds, but not more.

 

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Sales at Net Asset Value. In addition to the programs summarized above, the funds may sell their Class A Shares at net asset value without an initial sales charge to certain types of accounts or account holders, including, but not limited to: trustees of the Virtus Mutual Funds; directors, officers, employees and sales representatives of the adviser, subadviser (if any) or Distributor or a corporate affiliate of the adviser, subadviser or Distributor; private clients of an adviser or subadviser to any of the Virtus Mutual Funds; registered representatives and employees of dealers with which the Distributor has sales agreements; and certain qualified employee benefit plans, endowment funds or foundations. Please see the Statement of Additional Information for more information about qualifying for purchases of Class A Shares at net asset value.

Deferred Sales Charge Alternative—Class C Shares

Class C Shares are purchased without an initial sales charge; however, shares sold within a specified time period are subject to a declining CDSC at the rates listed below. The sales charge will be multiplied by the then current market value or the initial cost of the shares being redeemed, whichever is less. No sales charge will be imposed on increases in net asset value or on shares purchased through the reinvestment of income dividends or capital gain distributions. To minimize the sales charge, shares not subject to any charge will be redeemed first, followed by shares held the longest time. To calculate the number of shares owned and time period held, all Class C Shares are considered purchased on the trade date.

Deferred Sales Charge you may pay to sell Class C Shares

 

Year    1        2+                                                    
CDSC      1        0                         

Compensation to Dealers

Dealers with whom the Distributor has entered into sales agreements receive a discount or commission on Class A Shares as described below.

 

Amount of
Transaction
at Offering Price
    

Sales Charge as a
Percentage of

Offering Price

    

Sales Charge as a
Percentage of

Amount Invested

     Dealer Discount as a
Percentage of
Offering Price
 
Under $50,000        5.75      6.10      5.00
$50,000 but under $ 100,000        4.75         4.99         4.25   
$100,000 but under $ 250,000        3.75         3.90         3.25   
$250,000 but under $ 500,000        2.75         2.83         2.25   
$500,000 but under $ 1,000,000        2.00         2.04         1.75   
$1,000,000 or more        None         None         None   

With respect to Class C Shares, the Distributor intends to pay investment dealers a sales commission of 1% of the sale price of Class C Shares. (This sales commission will not be paid to dealers for sales of Class C Shares purchased by 401(k) participants of the Merrill Lynch Daily K Plan due to a waiver of the CDSC for these plan participants’ purchases.) Your broker, dealer or financial advisor may also charge you additional commissions or fees for their services in selling shares to you provided they notify the Distributor of their intention to do so.

Dealers and other entities that enter into special arrangements with the Distributor may receive compensation for the sale and promotion of shares of the fund and/or for providing other shareholder services. Such fees are in addition to the sales commissions referenced above and may be based upon the amount of sales of fund shares by a dealer; the provision of assistance in marketing of fund shares; access to sales personnel and information dissemination services; provision of recordkeeping and administrative services to qualified employee benefit plans; and other criteria as established by the Distributor. Depending on the nature of the services, these fees may be paid either from the funds through distribution fees, service fees or transfer agent fees or, in some cases, the Distributor may pay certain fees from its own profits and resources.

From its own profits and resources, the Distributor may, from time to time, make payments to qualified wholesalers, registered financial institutions and third party marketers for marketing support services and/or retention of assets. Among others, the Distributor has agreed to make such payments for marketing support services to AXA Advisors,

 

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LLC. Additionally, the Distributor may pay broker-dealers a finder’s fee in an amount equal to 0.50% of eligible Class A Share purchases from $1,000,000 to $3,000,000 and 0.25% on amounts greater than $3,000,000. Purchases by an account in the name of a qualified employee benefit plan are eligible for a finder’s fee only if such plan has at least 100 eligible employees. If all or part of a purchase on which a finder’s fee has been paid, including investments by qualified employee benefit plans, is subsequently redeemed within 18 months, a 0.50% CDSC may apply, except for redemptions of shares purchased on which a finder’s fee would have been paid where such investor’s dealer of record, due to the nature of the investor’s account, notifies the Distributor prior to the time of the investment that the dealer waives the finder’s fee otherwise payable to the dealer, or agrees to receive such finder’s fee ratably over a 18-month period. For purposes of determining the applicability of the CDSC, the 18-month CDSC period begins on the last day of the month preceding the month in which the purchase was made. The Distributor will also pay broker-dealers a service fee of 0.25% beginning in the thirteenth month following purchase of Class A Shares on which a finder’s fee has been paid. Any dealer who receives more than 90% of a sales charge may be deemed to be an “underwriter” under the Securities Act of 1933. VP Distributors reserves the right to discontinue or alter such fee payment plans at any time.

From its own resources or pursuant to the distribution and shareholder servicing plans, and subject to the dealers’ prior approval, the Distributor may provide additional compensation to registered representatives of dealers in the form of travel expenses, meals, and lodging associated with training and educational meetings sponsored by the Distributor. The Distributor may also provide gifts amounting in value to less than $100, and occasional meals or entertainment, to registered representatives of dealers. Any such travel expenses, meals, lodging, gifts or entertainment paid will not be preconditioned upon the registered representatives’ or dealers’ achievement of a sales target. The Distributor may, from time to time, reallow the entire portion of the sales charge on Class A Shares which it normally retains to individual selling dealers. However, such additional reallowance generally will be made only when the selling dealer commits to substantial marketing support such as internal wholesaling through dedicated personnel, internal communications and mass mailings.

The Distributor has agreed to pay fees to certain distributors for preferred marketing opportunities. These arrangements may be viewed as creating a conflict of interest between these distributors and investors. Investors should make due inquiry of their selling agents to ensure that they are receiving the requisite point of sale disclosures and suitable recommendations free of any influence by reason of these arrangements.

Your Account

 

Opening an Account

Your financial advisor can assist you with your initial purchase as well as all phases of your investment program. If you are opening an account by yourself, please follow the instructions outlined below. These procedures do not apply to purchases of Class I Shares. For information about purchasing Class I Shares, please contact Mutual Fund Services by calling (800) 243-1574.

The fund has established the following preferred methods of payment for fund shares:

 

  ·  

Checks drawn on an account in the name of the investor and made payable to Virtus Mutual Funds;

 

  ·  

Checks drawn on an account in the name of the investor’s company or employer and made payable to Virtus Mutual Funds; or

 

  ·  

Wire transfers or Automated Clearing House (ACH) transfers from an account in the name of the investor, or the investor’s company or employer.

Payment in other forms may be accepted at the discretion of the fund. Please specify the name(s) of the fund or funds in which you would like to invest on the check or transfer instructions.

To help the government fight the funding of terrorism and money laundering activities, federal law requires all financial institutions to obtain, verify and record information that identifies each person who opens an account. Accordingly, when you open an account, we will ask for your name, address, date of birth and other information that will allow us to identify you. We may check the information you provide against publicly available databases, information obtained from consumer reporting agencies, other financial institutions or other sources. If, after reasonable effort, we cannot verify your identity, we reserve the right to close the account and redeem the shares at the net asset value next calculated after the decision is made by us to close the account.

 

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Step 1.

Your first choice will be the initial amount you intend to invest.

Minimum initial investments:

 

  ·  

$100 for individual retirement accounts (IRAs), accounts that use the systematic exchange privilege or accounts that use the Systematic Purchase program. (See below for more information on the Systematic Purchase program.)

 

  ·  

There is no initial dollar requirement for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans. There is also no minimum for reinvesting dividends and capital gains into another account.

 

  ·  

$2,500 for all other accounts.

Minimum additional investments:

 

  ·  

$100 for any account.

 

  ·  

There is no minimum additional investment requirement for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans. There is also no minimum additional investment requirement for reinvesting dividends and capital gains into an existing account.

The fund reserves the right to refuse a purchase order for any reason.

Step 2.

Your second choice will be what class of shares to buy. Each share class has different sales and distribution charges. Because all future investments in your account will be made in the share class you choose when you open your account, you should make your decision carefully. Your financial advisor can help you pick the share class that makes the most sense for your situation.

Step 3.

Your next choice will be how you want to receive any dividends and capital gain distributions. Your options are:

 

  ·  

Receive both dividends and capital gain distributions in additional shares;

 

  ·  

Receive dividends in additional shares and capital gain distributions in cash;

 

  ·  

Receive dividends in cash and capital gain distributions in additional shares; or

 

  ·  

Receive both dividends and capital gain distributions in cash.

No interest will be paid on uncashed distribution checks.

 

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How to Buy Shares

 

 

     To Open An Account
(Class A and Class C Shares only)
Through a financial advisor   Contact your advisor. Some advisors may charge a fee and may set different minimum investments or limitations on buying shares.
Through the mail   Complete a New Account Application and send it with a check payable to the fund. Mail them to: State Street Bank, P.O. Box 8301, Boston, MA 02266-8301.
Through express delivery   Complete a New Account Application and send it with a check payable to the fund. Send them to: Boston Financial Data Services, Attn: Virtus Mutual Funds, 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809.
By Federal Funds wire   Call us at (800) 243-1574 (press 1, then 0).
By Systematic Purchase   Complete the appropriate section on the application and send it with your initial investment payable to the fund. Mail them to: State Street Bank, P.O. Box 8301, Boston, MA 02266-8301.
By telephone exchange   Call us at (800) 243-1574 (press 1, then 0).

The price at which a purchase is effected is based on the net asset value determined after receipt of a purchase order in good order by the fund’s Transfer Agent. A purchase order is generally in “good order” if an acceptable form of payment accompanies the purchase order and the order includes the appropriate application(s) and/or other form(s) and any supporting legal documentation required by the Transfer Agent, each in legible form.

The fund reserves the right to refuse any order that may disrupt the efficient management of the fund.

How to Sell Shares

 

You have the right to have the fund buy back shares at the net asset value next determined after receipt of a redemption order in good order by the fund’s Transfer Agent or an authorized agent. In the case of a Class C Share redemption, and certain Class A Share redemptions, you will be subject to the applicable contingent deferred sales charge, if any, for such shares. Subject to certain restrictions, shares may be redeemed by telephone or in writing. In addition, shares may be sold through securities dealers, brokers or agents who may charge customary commissions or fees for their services. The fund does not charge any redemption fees. Payment for shares redeemed is generally made within seven days; however, redemption proceeds will not be disbursed until each check used for purchases of shares has been cleared for payment by your bank, which may take up to 15 days after receipt of the check.

 

     To Sell Shares
(Class A and Class C Shares only)
Through a financial advisor   Contact your advisor. Some advisors may charge a fee and may set different minimums on redemptions of accounts.
Through the mail   Send a letter of instruction to: State Street Bank, P.O. Box 8301, Boston, MA 02266-8301. Be sure to include the registered owner’s name, fund and account number and number of shares or dollar value you wish to sell.
Through express delivery   Send a letter of instruction to: Boston Financial Data Services, Attn: Virtus Mutual Funds, 30 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021-2809. Be sure to include the registered owner’s name, fund and account number and number of shares or dollar value you wish to sell.
By telephone   For sales up to $50,000, requests can be made by calling (800) 243-1574.
By telephone exchange   Call us at (800) 243-1574 (press 1, then 0).
By check (fixed income funds only)   If you selected the checkwriting feature, you may write checks for amounts of $500 or more. Checks may not be used to close accounts.

 

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Things You Should Know When Selling Shares

 

You may realize a taxable gain or loss (for federal income tax purposes) if you redeem shares of the fund. The fund reserves the right to pay large redemptions “in kind” (i.e., in securities owned by the fund) rather than in cash. Large redemptions are those that exceed $250,000 or 1% of the fund’s net assets, whichever is less, over any 90-day period. Additional documentation will be required for redemptions by organizations, fiduciaries, or retirement plans, or if a redemption is requested by anyone but the shareholder(s) of record. Transfers between broker-dealer “street” accounts are governed by the accepting broker-dealer.

Questions regarding this type of transfer should be directed to your financial advisor. Redemption requests will not be honored until all required documents, in proper form, have been received. To avoid delay in redemption or transfer, shareholders having questions about specific requirements should contact the fund’s Transfer Agent at (800) 243-1574.

Redemptions by Mail

 

Þ  

If you are selling shares held individually, jointly, or as custodian under the Uniform Gifts to Minors Act or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act:

Send a clear letter of instruction if both of these apply:

 

  ·  

The proceeds do not exceed $50,000.

 

  ·  

The proceeds are payable to the registered owner at the address on record.

Send a clear letter of instruction with a signature guarantee when any of these apply:

 

  ·  

You are selling more than $50,000 worth of shares.

 

  ·  

The name or address on the account has changed within the last 30 days.

 

  ·  

You want the proceeds to go to a different name or address than on the account.

 

Þ  

If you are selling shares held in a corporate or fiduciary account, please contact the fund’s Transfer Agent at (800) 243-1574.

If required, the signature guarantee must be a STAMP 2000 Medallion guarantee and be made by an eligible guarantor institution as defined by the fund’s Transfer Agent in accordance with its signature guarantee procedures. Guarantees using previous technology medallions will not be accepted. Currently, the Transfer Agent’s signature guarantee procedures generally permit guarantees by banks, broker-dealers, credit unions, national securities exchanges, registered securities associations, clearing agencies and savings associations.

Selling Shares by Telephone

The Transfer Agent will use reasonable procedures to confirm that telephone instructions are genuine. Address and bank account information are verified, redemption instructions are taped, and all redemptions are confirmed in writing.

The individual investor bears the risk from instructions given by an unauthorized third-party that the Transfer Agent reasonably believed to be genuine.

The Transfer Agent may modify or terminate the telephone redemption privilege at any time with 60 days’ notice to shareholders, except for instances of disruptive trading or market timing; in such cases, the telephone redemption privilege may be suspended immediately, followed by written notice. (See “Disruptive Trading and Market Timing” in this prospectus.)

During times of drastic economic or market changes, telephone redemptions may be difficult to make or temporarily suspended.

 

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Account Policies

 

Account Reinstatement Privilege

Subject to the fund’s policies and procedures regarding market timing, for 180 days after you sell your Class A Shares or Class C Shares on which you have previously paid a sales charge, you may purchase Class A Shares of any Virtus Mutual Fund at net asset value, with no sales charge, by reinvesting all or part of your proceeds, but not more. Send your written request to State Street Bank, P.O. Box 8301, Boston, MA 02266-8301. You can call us at (800) 243-1574 for more information.

Please remember, a redemption and reinvestment are considered to be a sale and purchase for tax-reporting purposes. Class C shareholders who have had the contingent deferred sales charge waived because they are in the Systematic Withdrawal Program are not eligible for this reinstatement privilege.

Annual Fee on Small Accounts

To help offset the costs associated with maintaining small accounts, Virtus Mutual Funds reserve the right to assess an annual $25 small account fee on fund accounts with a balance below $2,500. The small account fee may be waived in certain circumstances, such as for accounts that have elected electronic delivery of statements/regulatory documents and accounts owned by shareholders having multiple accounts with a combined value of over $25,000. The small account fee does not apply to accounts held through a financial intermediary.

The small account fee will be collected through the automatic sale of shares in your account. We will send you written notice before we charge the $25 fee so that you may increase your account balance above the minimum, sign up for electronic delivery, consolidate your accounts or liquidate your account. You may take these actions at any time by contacting your investment professional of the Transfer Agent.

Redemption of Small Accounts

Due to the high cost of maintaining small accounts, if your redemption activity causes your account balance to fall below $200, you may receive a notice requesting you to bring the balance up to $200 within 60 days. If you do not, the shares in the account will be sold at net asset value, and a check will be mailed to the address of record.

Distributions of Small Amounts

Distributions in amounts less than $10 will automatically be reinvested in additional shares of the fund.

Uncashed Checks

If any correspondence sent by a fund is returned by the postal or other delivery service as “undeliverable,” your dividends or any other distribution may be automatically reinvested in the fund.

If your distribution check is not cashed within six months, the distribution may be reinvested in the fund at the current net asset value. You will not receive any interest on uncashed distribution or redemption checks. This provision may not apply to certain retirement or qualified accounts.

Inactive Accounts

As required by the laws of certain states, if no activity occurs in an account within the time period specified by your state law, the assets in your account may be transferred to the state.

 

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Exchange Privileges

You should read the prospectus of the Virtus Mutual Fund(s) into which you want to make an exchange before deciding to make an exchange. You can obtain a prospectus from your financial advisor or by calling us at (800) 243-4361, or accessing our Web site at virtus.com.

 

  ·  

You may exchange shares of one fund for the same class of shares of another Virtus Mutual Fund (e.g., Class A Shares for Class A Shares). Class C Shares are also exchangeable for Class T Shares of those Virtus Mutual Funds offering them. Exchange privileges may not be available for all Virtus Mutual Funds and may be rejected or suspended.

 

  ·  

On exchanges into Class A of a Virtus money market fund from Class A of a Virtus non-money market fund made within 18 months of a finder’s fee being paid on such Virtus non-money market fund shares, a 0.50% CDSC may be assessed on exchange proceeds. The CDSC may be waived upon return of the finder’s fee by the dealer.

 

  ·  

Exchanges may be made by telephone ((800) 243-1574) or by mail (State Street Bank, P.O. Box 8301, Boston, MA 02266-8301).

 

  ·  

The amount of the exchange must be equal to or greater than the minimum initial investment required, unless the minimum has been waived (as described in the Statement of Additional Information).

 

  ·  

The exchange of shares is treated as a sale and a purchase for federal income tax purposes.

 

  ·  

In certain circumstances, the fund or the distributor may enter into an agreement with a financial intermediary to permit exchanges from one class of a fund into another class of the same fund, subject to certain conditions. Such exchanges will only be permitted if, among other things, the financial intermediary agrees to follow procedures established by the fund or distributor, which generally will require that the exchanges be carried out (i) within accounts maintained and controlled by the intermediary, (ii) on behalf of all or a particular segment of beneficial owners holding shares of the affected fund within those accounts, and (iii) all at once or within a given time period, or as agreed upon in writing by the fund or the distributor and the financial intermediary. A shareholder’s ability to make this type of exchange may be limited by operational or other limitations of his or her financial intermediary or the fund.

Disruptive Trading and Market Timing

The fund is not suitable for market timers and market timers are discouraged from becoming investors. Your ability to make exchanges among Virtus Mutual Funds is subject to modification if we determine, in our sole opinion, that your exercise of the exchange privilege may disadvantage or potentially harm the rights or interests of other shareholders.

Frequent purchases, redemptions and exchanges, programmed exchanges, exchanges into and then out of a fund in a short period of time, and exchanges of large amounts at one time may be indicative of market timing and otherwise disruptive trading (“Disruptive Trading”) which can have risks and harmful effects for other shareholders. These risks and harmful effects include:

 

  ·  

dilution of the interests of long-term investors, if market timers or others exchange into a fund at prices that are below the true value or exchange out of a fund at prices that are higher than the true value;

 

  ·  

an adverse effect on portfolio management, as determined by portfolio management in its sole discretion, such as causing the fund to maintain a higher level of cash than would otherwise be the case, or causing the fund to liquidate investments prematurely; and

 

  ·  

reducing returns to long-term shareholders through increased brokerage and administrative expenses.

Additionally, the nature of the portfolio holdings of the funds and of the ETFs in which the fund may invest, may expose the fund to investors who engage in the type of market timing trading that seeks to take advantage of possible delays between the change in the value of a mutual fund’s portfolio holdings and the reflection of the change in the net asset value of the fund’s shares, sometimes referred to as “time-zone arbitrage.” Arbitrage market timers seek to exploit possible delays between the change in the value of a mutual fund’s portfolio holdings and the net asset value of the

 

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fund’s shares in funds that hold significant investments in foreign securities because certain foreign markets close several hours ahead of the U.S. markets. If an arbitrageur is successful, the value of the fund’s shares may be diluted if redeeming shareholders receive proceeds (and buying shareholders receive shares) based upon net asset values which do not reflect appropriate fair value prices.

In order to attempt to protect our shareholders from the potential harmful effects of Disruptive Trading, the fund’s Board of Trustees has adopted market timing policies and procedures designed to discourage Disruptive Trading. The Board has adopted these policies and procedures as a preventive measure to protect all shareholders from the potential effects of Disruptive Trading, while also abiding by any rights that shareholders may have to make exchanges and provide reasonable and convenient methods of making exchanges that do not have the potential to harm other shareholders.

Excessive trading activity is measured by the number of roundtrip transactions in an account. A roundtrip transaction is one where a shareholder buys and then sells, or sells and then buys, shares of any fund within 30 days. Shareholders of the fund are limited to one roundtrip transaction within any rolling 30-day period. Roundtrip transactions are counted at the shareholder level. In considering a shareholder’s trading activity, the fund may consider, among other factors, the shareholder’s trading history both directly and, if known, through financial intermediaries, in the fund, in other funds within the Virtus Mutual Fund complex, in non-Virtus mutual funds or in accounts under common control or ownership. We do not include exchanges made pursuant to the dollar cost averaging or other similar programs when applying our market timing policies. Systematic withdrawal and/or contribution programs, mandatory retirement distributions, and transactions initiated by a plan sponsor also will not count towards the roundtrip limits. The fund may permit exchanges that it believes, in the exercise of their judgment, are not disruptive. The size of the fund and the size of the requested transaction may be considered when determining whether or not the transaction would be disruptive.

Shareholders holding shares for at least 30 days following investment will ordinarily be in compliance with the fund’s policies regarding market timing. The fund may, however, take action if activity is deemed disruptive even if shares are held longer than 30 days, such as a request for a transaction of an unusually large size. The size of the fund and the size of the requested transaction may be considered when determining whether or not the transaction would be disruptive.

Under our market timing policies, we may modify your exchange privileges for some or all of the funds by not accepting an exchange request from you or from any person, asset allocation service, and/or market timing services made on your behalf. We may also limit the amount that may be exchanged into or out of any fund at any one time or could revoke your right to make Internet, telephone or facsimile exchanges. We may reinstate Internet, telephone and facsimile exchange privileges after they are revoked, but we will not reinstate these privileges if we have reason to believe that they might be used thereafter for Disruptive Trading.

The fund currently does not charge exchange or redemption fees, or any other administrative charges on fund exchanges. The fund reserves the right to impose such fees and/or charges in the future.

Orders for the purchase of fund shares are subject to acceptance by the fund. We reserve the right to reject, without prior notice, any exchange request into any fund if the purchase of shares in the corresponding fund is not accepted for any reason.

The fund does not have any arrangements with any person, organization or entity to permit frequent purchases and redemptions of fund shares.

We may, without prior notice, take whatever action we deem appropriate to comply with or take advantage of any state or federal regulatory requirement. The funds reserve the right to reject any purchase or exchange transaction at any time. If we reject a purchase or exchange for any reason, we will notify you of our decision in writing.

The fund cannot guarantee that its policies and procedures regarding market timing will be effective in detecting and deterring all Disruptive Trading.

Retirement Plans

Shares of the fund may be used as investments under the following retirement plans: traditional IRA, rollover IRA, SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Roth IRA, 401(k) plans, profit-sharing, money purchase plans, and certain 403(b) plans. For more information, call (800) 243-4361.

 

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Investor Services and Other Information

 

Systematic Purchase is a systematic investment plan that allows you to have a specified amount automatically deducted from your checking or savings account and then deposited into your mutual fund account. Just complete the Systematic Purchase Section on the application and include a voided check.

Systematic Exchange allows you to automatically move money from one Virtus Mutual Fund to another on a monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual basis. Shares of one Virtus Mutual Fund will be exchanged for shares of the same class of another Virtus Mutual Fund at the interval you select. To sign up, just complete the Systematic Exchange Section on the application. Exchange privileges may not be available for all Virtus Mutual Funds, and may be rejected or suspended.

Telephone Exchange lets you exchange shares of one Virtus Mutual Fund for the same class of shares in another Virtus Mutual Fund, using our customer service telephone service. (See the “Telephone Exchange” section on the application.) Exchange privileges may not be available for all Virtus Mutual Funds, and may be rejected or suspended.

Systematic Withdrawal allows you to periodically redeem a portion of your account on a predetermined monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual basis. Sufficient shares from your account will be redeemed at the closing net asset value on the applicable payment date, with proceeds to be mailed to you or sent through ACH to your bank (at your selection). For payments to be mailed, shares will be redeemed on the 15th of the month so that the payment is made about the 20th of the month. For ACH payments, you may select the day of the month for the payments to be made; if no date is specified, the payments will occur on the 15th of the month. The minimum withdrawal is $25, and minimum account balance requirements continue to apply. Shareholders in the program must own Virtus Mutual Fund shares worth at least $5,000.

Disclosure of Fund Holdings. A description of the fund’s policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the fund’s portfolio securities is available in the statement of additional information.

Tax Status of Distributions

 

The fund plans to make distributions from net investment income semiannually and to distribute net realized capital gains, if any, at least annually.

Distributions of short-term capital gains (gains on securities held for a year or less) and net investment income are taxable to shareholders as ordinary income. Under the Jobs and Growth Tax Reconciliation Act of 2003, certain distributions of long-term capital gains and certain dividends are taxable at a lower rate than ordinary income for a limited number of years. This lower rate terminates for tax years after 2010. Long-term capital gains, if any, distributed to shareholders and which are designated by a fund as capital gain distributions, are taxable to shareholders as long-term capital gain distributions regardless of the length of time you have owned your shares. The use of a fund of funds structure may affect the amount, timing and character of distributions to shareholders.

Unless you elect to receive distributions in cash, dividends and capital gain distributions are paid in additional shares. All distributions, cash or additional shares, are subject to federal income tax and may be subject to state, local and other taxes.

 

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LOGO

c/o State Street Bank and Trust Company

P.O. Box 8301

Boston, MA 02266-8301

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You can find more information about the Funds in the following documents:

Annual and Semiannual Reports

Annual and semiannual reports contain more information about the Funds’ investments. The annual report discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Funds’ performance during the last fiscal year.

Statement of Additional Information (SAI)

The SAI contains more detailed information about the Funds. It is incorporated by reference and is legally part of the prospectus.

To obtain free copies of these documents, you can download copies from the Individual Investors section of our Web site, Virtus.com, or you can request copies by calling us toll-free at 1-800-243-1574.

Information about the Funds (including the SAI) can be reviewed and copied at the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. For information about the operation of the Public Reference Room, call 1-202-551-8090. This information is also available on the SEC’s Internet site at sec.gov. You may also obtain copies upon payment of a duplicating fee by writing the Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, DC 20549-6009 or by electronic request at publicinfo@sec.gov.

Mutual Fund Services: 1-800-243-1574

Wouldn’t you rather have this

document e-mailed to you?

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Investment Company Act File No. 811-7455    3-11
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Table of Contents

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it meets all of the requirements for effectiveness of this registration statement under rule 485(b) of the Securities Act and has duly caused this amendment to the registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, duly authorized, in the City of Hartford and the State of Connecticut on the 15th day of March, 2011.

 

VIRTUS OPPORTUNITIES TRUST
By:   /s/    GEORGE R. AYLWARD        
  George R. Aylward
  President

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this amendment to the registration statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 15th day of March, 2011.

 

Signature

  

Title

/s/    GEORGE R. AYLWARD        

George R. Aylward

  

Trustee and President (principal executive officer)

 

/s/    W. PATRICK BRADLEY        

W. Patrick Bradley

  

Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

(principal financial and accounting officer)

 

/s/    LEROY KEITH, JR.        

Leroy Keith, Jr.*

  

Trustee

 

/s/    PHILIP R. MCLOUGHLIN        

Philip R. McLoughlin*

  

Trustee and Chairman

 

/s/    GERALDINE M. MCNAMARA        

Geraldine M. McNamara*

  

Trustee

 

/s/    JAMES M. OATES        

James M. Oates*

  

Trustee

 

/s/    RICHARD E. SEGERSON        

Richard E. Segerson*

  

Trustee

 

/s/    FERDINAND L.J. VERDONCK        

Ferdinand L.J. Verdonck*

  

Trustee

 

 

*By   /s/    GEORGE R. AYLWARD        
  *George R. Aylward, Attorney-in-Fact,
pursuant to a power of attorney