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First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund
First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund
Investment Objective
The First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund (the “Fund”) seeks to achieve growth of capital and inflation-protected income.
Fees and Expenses of the Fund
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
SHAREHOLDER FEES (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees
First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund
Class I
Redemption Fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed on shares held for 30 days or less) 2.00%
ANNUAL FUND OPERATING EXPENSES (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund
Class I
Management Fees 0.75%
Other Expenses (includes Shareholder Servicing Plan Fee) 2.84%
Shareholder Servicing Plan Fee 0.10%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 3.59%
Less: Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement (2.64%) [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and Expense Reimbursement 0.95%
[1] First State Investments (US) LLC (the "Adviser") has contractually agreed to waive a portion or all of its management fees and/or pay Fund expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses ("AFFE"), interest, taxes, extraordinary expenses and class specific expenses, such as the shareholder servicing plan fee of 0.10%) in order to limit the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses to 0.85% of average daily net assets of the Fund's Class I shares (the "Expense Cap"). The Expense Cap will remain in effect through at least February 27, 2020, and may be terminated only by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board"). The Adviser may request recoupment of previously waived fees and paid expenses from the Fund for three years from the date they were waived or paid, subject to the Expense Cap.
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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods.  The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same (taking into account the Expense Cap only in the first year).
Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund | Class I | USD ($) 97 855 1,634 3,680
Portfolio Turnover.
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (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.  During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 60.14% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategy
The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in securities of publicly traded infrastructure companies.  The Fund defines infrastructure companies as those companies that derive at least 65% of their operating earnings from the ownership or operation of infrastructure assets.  The Fund defines infrastructure assets as the physical structures, networks and systems of transportation, energy, water, waste, and communication.  The Fund typically invests in companies that can adjust the fees they charge customers and counterparties in line with inflation, in accordance with contractual terms or regulation, or through renegotiation due to the essential nature and pricing power of infrastructure assets.  Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in publicly traded equity securities of infrastructure companies listed on a domestic or foreign exchange, throughout the world (including emerging markets), including the United States. As part of the 80%, the Fund will invest at least 40% of its net assets, or if conditions are not favorable, invest at least 30% of its net assets, in publicly traded securities of infrastructure companies whose primary operations or principal trading market is in a foreign market, and that are not subject to the requirements of the U.S. securities laws, markets and accounting requirements, i.e., foreign securities.  The Fund considers an issuer’s “primary operations” to be in a foreign market if the issuer (i) is organized under the laws of that country, or (ii) derives at least 50% of its revenues or profits from goods produced or sold, investments made, services performed, or has at least 50% of its assets located within that country.  Under normal circumstances, the Fund will maintain exposure to securities of infrastructure companies in the United States and in at least three countries outside the United States.

The Fund seeks to invest in the securities of companies which have high barriers to entry, strong pricing power, sustainable growth and predictable cash flows.  The majority of infrastructure securities in which the Fund typically invests are within the following Global Industry Classification Standard (“GICS”) sectors:

1) oil and gas storage and transportation;

2) airport services;

3) highways and rail tracks;

4) marine ports and services; and

5) multi/electric/gas/water utilities.

However, given the evolving nature of the global listed infrastructure market, the Fund may hold securities outside of the above sectors as long as they meet the Fund’s definition of an infrastructure company.

Equity securities in which the Fund may invest include, but are not limited to, common and preferred stock of companies of any size market capitalizations.  The Fund may invest up to 75% of its net assets in depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”), European Depositary Receipts (“EDRs”) and Global Depositary Receipts (“GDRs”).  The Fund may also invest in stapled securities to gain exposure to infrastructure companies in Australia.  A stapled security, which is widely used in Australia, is a security that is comprised of two parts that cannot be separated from one another, a unit of a trust and a share of a company.  The Fund may also invest in initial public offerings (“IPOs”).

As part of the 80% of the Fund’s investments in publicly traded equity securities of infrastructure companies, the Fund may invest up to 30% of its net assets in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) listed on a domestic or foreign exchange and up to 20% of its net assets in limited partnerships and master limited partnerships (“MLPs”) listed on a domestic or foreign exchange.  All REITs and MLPs that the Fund may invest in must meet the Fund’s definition of an infrastructure company.

As a fundamental policy, the Fund will invest more than 25% of its net assets in the securities issued by companies operating in the infrastructure industry.

The Fund’s investment strategy is based on active, bottom-up stock selection which seeks to identify mispricing. The strategy seeks to minimize risk through on-the-ground research, a focus on quality, and sensible portfolio construction.

Colonial First State Asset Management (Australia) Limited (“CFSAMA” or the “Sub-Adviser”), an affiliate of the Adviser, has been engaged as sub-adviser to manage the investments of the Fund. CFSAMA is an Australian domiciled investment adviser regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and is registered with the SEC.
Principal Investment Risks
Losing a portion of your investment is a risk of investing in the Fund.  The following additional risks could affect the value of your investment:

 
Management Risk.  The Fund is an actively managed portfolio.  The Sub-Adviser’s management practices and investment strategies might not produce the desired results.  The Sub-Adviser may be incorrect in its assessment of a stock’s appreciation potential.

 
Market and Regulatory Risk.  Events in the financial markets and economy may cause volatility and uncertainty and adversely impact the Fund’s performance. Market events may affect a single issuer, industry, sector, or the market as a whole.  Traditionally liquid investments may experience periods of diminished liquidity. Governmental and regulatory actions, including tax law changes, may also impair portfolio management and have unexpected or adverse consequences on particular markets, strategies, or investments.

 
Equity Securities Risk.  The price of equity securities may rise or fall because of economic or political changes or changes in a company’s financial condition, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably. These price movements may result from factors affecting individual companies, sectors or industries selected for the Fund’s portfolio or the securities market as a whole, such as changes in economic or political conditions.

 
Infrastructure Companies Risk. Infrastructure companies may be subject to a variety of factors that may adversely affect their business or operations, including high interest costs in connection with capital construction programs, high leverage, costs associated with environmental and other regulations, the effects of economic slowdown, surplus capacity, increased competition from other providers of services, uncertainties concerning the availability of fuel at reasonable prices, the effects of energy conservation policies and other factors. Some of the specific risks that infrastructure companies may be particularly affected by, or subject to, include the following: regulatory risk, technology risk, regional or geographic risk, natural disasters risk, through-put risk, project risk, strategic asset risk, operation risk, customer risk, interest rate risk, inflation risk and financing risk.

In particular, the operations of infrastructure projects are exposed to unplanned interruptions caused by significant catastrophic events, such as cyclones, earthquakes, landslides, floods, explosion, fire, terrorist attack, major plant breakdown, pipeline or electricity line rupture or other disasters. Operational disruption, as well as supply disruption, could adversely impact the cash flows available from these assets.

Further, national and local environmental laws and regulations affect the operations of infrastructure projects.  Standards are set by these laws, and regulations are imposed regarding certain aspects of health and environmental quality, and they provide for penalties and other liabilities for the violation of such standards, and establish, in certain circumstances, obligations to remediate and rehabilitate current and former facilities and locations where operations are, or were, conducted. These laws and regulations may have a detrimental impact on the financial performance of infrastructure projects.

 
Concentration Risk.  Since the securities of companies in the same industry or group of industries will comprise a significant portion of the Fund’s portfolio, the Fund will be more significantly impacted by adverse developments in such industries than a fund that invests in a wider variety of industries.

 
Foreign Securities Risk.  Investing in foreign securities typically involves more risks than investing in U.S. securities, and includes risks associated with: (i) internal and external political and economic developments – e.g., the political, economic and social policies and structures of some foreign countries may be less stable and more volatile than those in the U.S. or some foreign countries may be subject to trading restrictions or economic sanctions; (ii) trading practices – e.g., government supervision and regulation of foreign securities and currency markets, trading systems and brokers may be less than in the U.S.; (iii) availability of information – e.g., foreign issuers may not be subject to the same disclosure, accounting and financial reporting standards and practices as U.S. issuers; (iv) limited markets – e.g., the securities of certain foreign issuers may be less liquid (harder to sell) and more volatile; and (v) currency exchange rate fluctuations and policies.

 
Emerging Markets Risk.  Emerging markets are markets of countries in the initial stages of industrialization and generally have low per capita income.  In addition to the risks of foreign securities in general, emerging markets are generally more volatile, have relatively unstable governments, social and legal systems that do not protect shareholders, economies based on only a few industries and securities markets that are substantially smaller, less liquid and more volatile with less government oversight than those of more developed countries.

Foreign Currency Risk.  Currency movements may negatively impact value even when there is no change in value of the security in the issuer’s home country.

 
Depositary Receipt Risk.  Depositary receipts may be purchased through “sponsored” or “unsponsored” facilities.  A sponsored facility is established jointly by the issuer of the underlying security and a depositary, whereas a depositary may establish an unsponsored facility without participation by the issuer of the depositary security.  Holders of unsponsored depositary receipts generally bear all the costs of such facilities and the depositary of an unsponsored facility frequently is under no obligation to distribute shareholder communications received from the issuer of the deposited security or to pass through voting rights to the holders of such receipts of the deposited securities.  In addition, investment in ADRs, EDRs and GDRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.

 
Stapled Securities Risk.   As discussed above, a stapled security is comprised of two different securities—a unit of a trust and a share of a company—that are "stapled" together and treated as a unit at all times, including for transfer or trading.  The characteristics and value of a stapled security are influenced by both underlying securities. The listing of stapled securities on a domestic or foreign exchange does not guarantee a liquid market for stapled securities.

 
Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Risk.  Investments in REITs will be subject to the risks associated with the direct ownership of real estate and annual compliance with tax rules applicable to REITs.  Risks commonly associated with the direct ownership of real estate include fluctuations in the value of underlying properties, defaults by borrowers or tenants, changes in interest rates and risks related to general or local economic conditions.  In addition, REITs have their own expenses, and the Fund will bear a proportionate share of those expenses.

 
Limited Partnership and MLP Risk.  Investments in securities (units) of partnerships, including MLPs, involve risks that differ from an investment in common stock.  Holders of the units of limited partnerships have more limited control and limited rights to vote on matters affecting the partnership.  Certain tax risks are associated with an investment in units of limited partnerships.  In addition, conflicts of interest may exist between common unit holders, subordinated unit holders and the general partner of a limited partnership, including a conflict arising as a result of incentive distribution payments.  In addition, investments in certain investment vehicles, such as limited partnerships and MLPs, may be illiquid.  Such partnership investments may also not provide daily pricing information to their investors, which will require the Fund to employ fair value procedures to value its holdings in such investments.

Initial Public Offering Risk.  The market value of IPO shares may fluctuate considerably due to factors such as the absence of a prior public market, unseasoned trading, the small number of shares available for trading and limited information about the issuer.  The purchase of IPO shares may involve high transaction costs.  IPO shares are subject to market risk and liquidity risk.

 
Small- and Medium-Sized Companies Risk.  Small- and medium-sized companies often have less predictable earnings, more limited product lines, markets, distribution channels or financial resources and the management of such companies may be dependent upon one or few key people.  The market movements of equity securities of small- and medium-sized companies may be more abrupt and volatile than the market movements of equity securities of larger, more established companies or the stock market in general and small-sized companies in particular, are generally less liquid than the equity securities of larger companies.

 
Interest Rate Risk.  Fixed income securities will change in value based on changes in interest rates.  If rates increase, the value of these investments generally declines.  Securities with greater interest rate sensitivity and longer maturities generally are subject to greater fluctuations in value.  Given that the Federal Reserve has begun to raise interest rates, there may be a heightened level of interest rate risk.

Newer Fund Risk.  The Fund is newer with limited operating history and there can be no assurance that the Fund will grow to or maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board may determine to liquidate the Fund.
Performance
The following information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund.  The bar chart shows the annual return for the Fund’s Class I shares for one year.  The table shows how the Fund’s average annual returns for 1 year and since inception compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.  The Fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available on the Fund’s website at www.firststatefunds.com or by calling the Fund toll-free at 1-888-898-5040.
Annual Returns as of December 31
Bar Chart
During the period of time shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a calendar quarter was 2.53% (quarter ended June 30, 2018) and the lowest return for a calendar quarter was –5.27% (quarter ended March 31, 2018).
Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended December 31, 2018)
Average Annual Returns - First State Global Listed Infrastructure Fund
Label
Average Annual Returns, 1 Year
Average Annual Returns, Since Inception
Average Annual Returns, Inception Date
Class I Return Before Taxes (7.17%) 1.87% Feb. 28, 2017
After Taxes on Distributions | Class I Return After Taxes on Distributions (8.01%) 0.08%  
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares | Class I Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares (4.03%) 0.91%  
FTSE Global Core Infrastructure 50/50 Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) FTSE Global Core Infrastructure 50/50 Net Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (3.99%) 4.09% Feb. 28, 2017
The after-tax returns were calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes.  Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown, and after-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Fund through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”).  The Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares is higher than other return figures when a capital loss occurs upon redemption and provides an assumed tax deduction that benefits the investor.