497K 1 gthiefsp.htm GT HEXAVEST INTERNATIONAL EQUITY FUND

Summary Prospectus dated December 1, 2020

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund

Class /Ticker     A / EHIAX     I / EHIIX

This Summary Prospectus is designed to provide investors with key fund information in a clear and concise format. Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, which contain more information about the Fund and its risks. The Fund’s Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated December 1, 2020, as may be amended or supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. For free paper or electronic copies of the Fund’s Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information, annual and semi-annual shareholder reports, and other information about the Fund, go to http://www.eatonvance.com/funddocuments, email a request to contact@eatonvance.com, call 1-800-262-1122, or ask any financial advisor, bank, or broker-dealer who offers shares of the Fund. Unless otherwise noted, page number references refer to the current Prospectus for this Fund.

Important Note. Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, paper copies of the Fund’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports will no longer be sent by mail unless you specifically request paper copies of the reports. Instead, the reports will be made available on the Fund’s website (http://www.eatonvance.com/funddocuments), and you will be notified by mail each time a report is posted and provided with a website address to access the report.

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. If you are a direct investor, you may elect to receive shareholder reports and other communications from the Fund electronically by signing up for e-Delivery at eatonvance.com/edelivery. If you own your shares through a financial intermediary (such as a broker-dealer or bank), you must contact your financial intermediary to sign up.

You may elect to receive all future Fund shareholder reports in paper free of charge. If you are a direct investor, you can inform the Fund that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of your shareholder reports by calling 1-800-262-1122. If you own these shares through a financial intermediary, you must contact your financial intermediary or follow instructions included with this disclosure, if applicable, to elect to continue to receive paper copies of your shareholder reports. Your election to receive reports in paper will apply to all Eaton Vance funds held directly or to all funds held through your financial intermediary, as applicable.

Investment Objective 

The Fund's investment objective is long-term capital appreciation. 

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. Investors may also pay commissions or other fees to their financial intermediary when they buy and hold shares of the Fund, which are not reflected below. You may qualify for a reduced sales charge on purchases of Class A shares if you invest, or agree to invest over a 13-month period, at least $50,000 in Eaton Vance funds. Certain financial intermediaries also may offer variations in Fund sales charges to their customers as described in Appendix A – Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations in the Fund's Prospectus. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and in Sales Charges beginning on page 26 of the Fund's Prospectus and page 23 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.75% None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of net asset value at time of purchase or redemption) None None
 
 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A Class I
Management Fees 0.80% 0.80%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% None
Other Expenses 0.35% 0.35%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.40% 1.15%
Expense Reimbursement(1) (0.25)% (0.25)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement 1.15% 0.90%
(1)The investment adviser and administrator and the sub-adviser have agreed to reimburse the Fund’s expenses to the extent that Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses exceed 1.15% for Class A shares and 0.90% for Class I shares. This expense reimbursement will continue through November 30, 2021. Any amendment to or termination of this reimbursement would require approval of the Board of Trustees. The expense reimbursement relates to ordinary operating expenses and acquired fund fees and expenses and does not include expenses such as: brokerage commissions, borrowing costs (including borrowing costs of any acquired funds), taxes or litigation expenses. Amounts reimbursed may be recouped by the investment adviser and administrator and the sub-adviser during the same fiscal year to the extent actual expenses are less than the contractual expense cap during such year.

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, that the operating expenses remain the same and that any expense reimbursement arrangement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Class A  shares $685 $969 $1,274 $2,138
Class I  shares $92 $341 $609 $1,375

Portfolio Turnover

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” the 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 168% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in equity securities of foreign companies (the “80% Policy”). A company will be considered a foreign company if it is domiciled in and tied economically to one or more countries represented in the MSCI Europe, Australasia, Far East Index (“MSCI EAFE Index”) and may include stocks of companies that trade in the form of depositary receipts. The MSCI EAFE Index is an unmanaged index of approximately 900 companies located in 21 countries. The Fund may also invest in securities issued by companies domiciled in emerging market countries.

The Fund may invest in securities issued by companies with a broad range of market capitalizations, including smaller companies. The Fund may invest in exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), a type of pooled investment vehicle, in order to manage cash positions or seek exposure to certain markets or markets sectors. The Fund may also invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”). The Fund will actively manage its exposure to foreign currencies and may seek to enhance return by increasing or decreasing its exposure to foreign currencies. The Fund expects to increase or decrease its foreign currency exposure primarily by entering into forward foreign currency exchange contracts. The Fund may also invest in futures contracts to enable changes in macroeconomic views to be efficiently and cost-effectively implemented, as well as to manage cash flows. Both forward foreign currency exchange contracts and futures contracts are types of derivative instruments. The Fund may also use derivatives consistent with its 80% Policy. The Fund may lend its securities.

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund2Summary Prospectus dated December 1, 2020
 

The Fund is managed using a predominately top-down investment style that incorporates proprietary fundamental research and quantitative models. The regional, country, currency, sector, and industry allocations of the portfolio are based primarily on the sub-adviser’s analysis of the macroeconomic environment, valuations of markets and the sentiment of investors (which often results in a contrarian view and value bias). Individual stock selection is based on fundamental research, optimization and quantitative screening to achieve desired market exposures and to emphasize stocks identified as having higher return potential. At the top-down level, sell decisions are based on a significant deterioration in the macroeconomic environment, valuation and/or sentiment. At the individual security level, sell decisions are based on a change in views at the top-down level or on a significant change in fundamentals or relative valuation of the security. The portfolio managers seek to manage investment risk by using quantitative tools to assist in portfolio construction and monitoring and maintaining desired market exposures across the Fund’s holdings.

Principal Risks

Market Risk. The value of investments held by the Fund may increase or decrease in response to economic, political, financial, public health crises (such as epidemics or pandemics) or other disruptive events (whether real, expected or perceived) in the U.S. and global markets. The frequency and magnitude of such changes in value cannot be predicted. Certain securities and other investments held by the Fund may experience increased volatility, illiquidity, or other potentially adverse effects in reaction to changing market conditions. Monetary and/or fiscal actions taken by U.S. or foreign governments to stimulate or stabilize the global economy may not be effective and could lead to high market volatility.

Equity Securities Risk. The value of equity securities and related instruments may decline in response to adverse changes in the economy or the economic outlook; deterioration in investor sentiment; interest rate, currency, and commodity price fluctuations; adverse geopolitical, social or environmental developments; issuer and sector-specific considerations; or other factors. Market conditions may affect certain types of stocks to a greater extent than other types of stocks. If the stock market declines in value, the value of the Fund’s equity securities will also likely decline. Although prices can rebound, there is no assurance that values will return to previous levels.

Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign investments can be adversely affected by political, economic and market developments abroad, including the imposition of economic and other sanctions by the United States or another country. There may be less publicly available information about foreign issuers because they may not be subject to reporting practices, requirements or regulations comparable to those to which United States companies are subject. Foreign markets may be smaller, less liquid and more volatile than the major markets in the United States and, as a result, Fund share values may be more volatile. Trading in foreign markets typically involves higher expense than trading in the United States. The Fund may have difficulties enforcing its legal or contractual rights in a foreign country. Depositary receipts are subject to many of the risks associated with investing directly in foreign instruments.

Emerging Markets Investment Risk. Investment markets within emerging market countries are typically smaller, less liquid, less developed and more volatile than those in more developed markets like the United States, and may be focused in certain economic sectors. Emerging market securities often involve greater risks than developed market securities. The information available about an emerging market issuer may be less reliable than for comparable issuers in more developed capital markets.

Currency Risk. Exchange rates for currencies fluctuate daily. The value of foreign investments may be affected favorably or unfavorably by changes in currency exchange rates in relation to the U.S. dollar. Currency markets generally are not as regulated as securities markets and currency transactions are subject to settlement, custodial and other operational risks.

Derivatives Risk. The Fund’s exposure to derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in securities and other investments. The use of derivatives can lead to losses because of adverse movements in the price or value of the security, instrument, index, currency, commodity, economic indicator or event underlying a derivative (“reference instrument”), due to failure of a counterparty or due to tax or regulatory constraints. Derivatives may create leverage in the Fund, which represents a non-cash exposure to the underlying reference instrument. Leverage can increase both the risk and return potential of the Fund. Derivatives risk may be more significant when derivatives are used to enhance return or as a substitute for a cash investment position, rather than solely to hedge the risk of a position held by the Fund. Use of derivatives involves the exercise of specialized skill and judgment, and a transaction may be unsuccessful in whole or in part because of market behavior or unexpected events. Changes in the value of a derivative (including one used for hedging) may not correlate perfectly with the underlying reference instrument. Derivative instruments traded in over-the-counter markets may be difficult to value, may be illiquid, and may be subject to wide swings in valuation caused by changes in the value of the underlying reference instrument. If a derivative’s counterparty is unable to honor its commitments, the value of Fund shares may decline and the Fund could experience delays in the return of collateral or other assets held by the counterparty. The loss on derivative transactions may substantially exceed the initial investment, particularly when there is no stated limit on the Fund’s use of derivatives. A derivative investment also involves the risks relating to the reference instrument underlying the investment.

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund3Summary Prospectus dated December 1, 2020
 

Smaller Company Risk. The stocks of smaller, less seasoned companies are generally subject to greater price fluctuations, limited liquidity, higher transaction costs and higher investment risk than the stocks of larger, more established companies. Such companies may have limited product lines, markets or financial resources, may be dependent on a limited management group, and may lack substantial capital reserves or an established performance record. There may be generally less publicly available information about such companies than for larger, more established companies. Stocks of these companies frequently have lower trading volumes making them more volatile and potentially more difficult to value.

ETF Risk. ETFs are subject to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or other investments. ETF shares may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value and are subject to secondary market trading risks. In addition, the Fund will bear a pro rata portion of the operating expenses of an ETF in which it invests. Other pooled investment vehicles generally are subject to risks similar to those of ETFs.

Real Estate Risk. Real estate investments are subject to risks associated with owning real estate, including declines in real estate values, increases in property taxes, fluctuations in interest rates, limited availability of mortgage financing, decreases in revenues from underlying real estate assets, declines in occupancy rates, changes in government regulations affecting zoning, land use, and rents, environmental liabilities, and risks related to the management skill and creditworthiness of the issuer. Companies in the real estate industry may also be subject to liabilities under environmental and hazardous waste laws, among others. REITs must satisfy specific requirements for favorable tax treatment and can involve unique risks in addition to the risks generally affecting the real estate industry. Changes in underlying real estate values may have an exaggerated effect to the extent that investments are concentrated in particular geographic regions or property types.

Securities Lending Risk. Securities lending involves a possible delay in recovery of the loaned securities or a possible loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower fails financially. The Fund could also lose money if the value of the collateral decreases.

Liquidity Risk. The Fund is exposed to liquidity risk when trading volume, lack of a market maker or trading partner, large position size, market conditions, or legal restrictions impair its ability to sell particular investments or to sell them at advantageous market prices. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell an investment or continue to hold it or keep the position open, sell other investments to raise cash or abandon an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. These effects may be exacerbated during times of financial or political stress.

Portfolio Turnover Risk. The annual portfolio turnover rate of the Fund may exceed 100%. A mutual fund with a high turnover rate (100% or more) may generate more capital gains and may involve greater expenses (which may reduce return) than a fund with a lower rate. Capital gains distributions will be made to shareholders if offsetting capital loss carry forwards do not exist.

Risks Associated with Active and Quantitative Management. The success of the Fund’s investment strategy depends on portfolio management’s successful application of analytical skills and investment judgment. Active management involves subjective decisions. The portfolio managers also use quantitative investment techniques and analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund. There can be no assurance that these techniques will achieve the desired results.

General Fund Investing Risks. The Fund is not a complete investment program and there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. It is possible to lose money by investing in the Fund. The Fund is designed to be a long-term investment vehicle and is not suited for short-term trading. Investors in the Fund should have a long-term investment perspective and be able to tolerate potentially sharp declines in value. Purchase and redemption activities by Fund shareholders may impact the management of the Fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). In addition, the redemption by one or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders of their holdings in the Fund could have an adverse impact on the remaining shareholders in the Fund. The Fund relies on various service providers, including the investment adviser, in its operations and is susceptible to operational, information security and related events (such as public health crises, cyber or hacking attacks) that may affect the service providers or the services that they provide to the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund4Summary Prospectus dated December 1, 2020
 

Performance

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year and how the Fund’s average annual returns over time compare with those of a broad-based securities market index. The returns in the bar chart are for Class A shares and do not reflect a sales charge. If the sales charge was reflected, the returns would be lower. Past performance (both before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. The Fund’s performance reflects the effects of expense reductions. Absent these reductions, performance would have been lower. Updated Fund performance information can be obtained by visiting www.eatonvance.com.

During the period from December 31, 2012 to December 31, 2019, the highest quarterly total return for Class A was 9.39%for the quarter ended September 30, 2013, and the lowest quarterly return was -8.10%for the quarter ended December 31, 2018. The year-to-date total return through the end of the most recent calendar quarter (December 31, 2019 to September 30, 2020) was -12.85%. 

 

Average Annual Total Return as of December 31, 2019

One Year Five Years Life of Fund
Class A Return Before Taxes 9.37% 2.77% 4.12%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions 9.07% 2.54% 3.56%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Class A Shares 6.40% 2.33% 3.29%
Class I Return Before Taxes 16.25% 4.25% 5.22%
MSCI EAFE Index  (reflects net dividends, which reflects the deduction of withholding taxes) 22.01% 5.67% 7.34%

These returns reflect the maximum sales charge for Class A (5.75%). Class A and Class I commenced operations on August 29, 2012. (Source for the MSCI EAFE Index: MSCI.) MSCI data may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. MSCI provides no warranties, has not prepared or approved this report, and has no liability hereunder. Investors cannot invest directly in an Index.

After-tax returns are calculated using the highest historical individual federal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on a shareholder’s tax situation and the actual characterization of distributions, and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to shareholders who hold shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. After-tax returns for other Classes of shares will vary from the after-tax returns presented for Class A shares. Return After Taxes on Distributions for a period may be the same as Return Before Taxes for that period because no taxable distributions were made during that period. Also, Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be greater than or equal to Return Before Taxes and/or Return After Taxes on Distributions for the same period because of losses realized on the sale of Fund shares.

Management

Investment Adviser. Eaton Vance Management (“Eaton Vance”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Hexavest Inc. (“Hexavest”).

Portfolio Managers. The Fund is managed by a team comprised of:

Vital Proulx, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012;

Jean-François Bérubé, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since July 2018;

Jean-Pierre Couture, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012;

Christian Crête, Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since December 2014; and

Marc Christopher Lavoie, President and Portfolio Manager at Hexavest, who has managed the Fund since its inception in August 2012.

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund5Summary Prospectus dated December 1, 2020
 

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares on any business day, which is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open for business.

You may purchase, redeem or exchange Fund shares either through your financial intermediary or directly from the Fund either by writing to the Fund, P.O. Box 9653, Providence, RI 02940-9653, or by calling 1-800-262-1122. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into the Fund is $1,000 for Class A and $250,000 for Class I (waived in certain circumstances). There is no minimum for subsequent investments.

Tax Information

If your shares are held in a taxable account, the Fund’s distributions will be taxed to you as ordinary income and/or capital gains, unless you are exempt from taxation. If your shares are held in a tax-advantaged account, you will generally be taxed only upon withdrawals from the account.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

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

6087 12.1.20 © 2020 Eaton Vance Management

 

 

Eaton Vance Hexavest International Equity Fund6Summary Prospectus dated December 1, 2020