497K 1 d104505d497k.htm INTERNATIONAL LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO International Large Cap Growth Portfolio

LOGO

International Large Cap Growth Portfolio

 

 

SHARE CLASS (TICKER): INSTITUTIONAL CLASS (DILRX)

 

 

Summary Prospectus

February 28, 2016

Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio’s Prospectus and other information about the Portfolio, including the Statement of Additional Information (SAI) and most recent reports to shareholders, when available, online at http://us.dimensional.com/other/prospectuses. You can also get this information at no cost by calling collect to (512) 306-7400 or by sending an e-mail request to document_requests@dimensional.com. The Portfolio’s Prospectus and SAI, both dated February 28, 2016, as may be supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.


Investment Objective

The investment objective of the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio is to achieve long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio.

 

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

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

 

Management Fee      0.25%   
Other Expenses      0.09%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses      0.34%   
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement*      0.04%   
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or
Expense Reimbursement
     0.30%   
* The Advisor has agreed to waive certain fees and in certain instances, assume certain expenses of the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio. The Amended and Restated Fee Waiver Agreement for the Portfolio will remain in effect through February 28, 2017, and may only be terminated by the Fund’s Board of Directors prior to that date. Under certain circumstances, the Advisor retains the right to seek reimbursement for any fees previously waived and/or expenses previously assumed up to thirty-six months after such fee waiver and/or expense assumption.

EXAMPLE

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. The costs for the Portfolio reflect the net expenses of the Portfolio that result from the contractual expense waiver in the first year only. 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  
$ 31       $ 105       $ 187       $ 427   

 

2    Dimensional Fund Advisors


PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when mutual 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 International Large Cap Growth Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 37% of the average value of its investment portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio, using a market capitalization weighted approach, purchases securities of large, non-U.S. companies in countries with developed markets that Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the “Advisor”) determines to have high profitability and valuation ratios relative to other non-U.S. large cap companies at the time of purchase. A company’s market capitalization is the number of its shares outstanding times its price per share. In general, the higher the relative market capitalization of a large company within an eligible country, the greater its representation in the Portfolio. The Advisor may also adjust the representation in the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio of an eligible company, or exclude a company, after considering such factors as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity management, profitability, and other factors that the Advisor determines to be appropriate, given market conditions. Companies are considered to have high valuation ratios primarily because a company’s shares have a high market value in relation to their book value (a “market to book ratio”) when compared with other non-U.S. large cap companies. In assessing high valuation ratio companies, the Advisor may consider additional factors such as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios, as well as economic conditions and developments in the issuer’s industry. Securities of companies that have high valuation ratios are often considered to be growth stocks. In assessing profitability, the Advisor may consider different ratios, such as that of earnings or profits from operations relative to book value or assets.

The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio intends to purchase securities of non-U.S. large cap companies that are eligible based on their valuation ratio and expected profitability and are associated with developed market countries that the Advisor has designated as approved markets. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities of large companies in the particular markets in which it invests. The Advisor determines the minimum market capitalization of a large company with respect to each country in which the Portfolio invests. In the countries or regions authorized for investment, the Advisor first ranks eligible companies listed on selected exchanges based on the companies’ market capitalizations. The Advisor then determines the universe of eligible stocks by defining the minimum market capitalization of a large company that may be

 

International Large Cap Growth Portfolio Summary Prospectus    3


purchased by the Portfolio with respect to each country or region. As of December 31, 2015, for the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio, the lowest minimum market capitalization of a large company in any country in which the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio would invest was $1,607 million. This threshold will vary by country or region. For example, as of December 31, 2015, the Advisor considered a large company in the European Monetary Union (“EMU”) to have a market capitalization of at least $6,036 million, a large company in Norway to have a market capitalization of at least $1,607 million, and a large company in Switzerland to have a market capitalization of at least $6,451 million. This threshold will change due to market conditions.

The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio may gain exposure to companies associated with approved markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuer’s domicile country. The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign and U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio. The Portfolio does not intend to use derivatives for purposes of speculation or leveraging investment returns.

The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income.

Principal Risks

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer specific events will cause the value of securities, and the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

Investment Strategy Risk: Securities that have high valuation ratios and high profitability may perform differently from the market as a whole and an investment strategy purchasing these securities may cause the Portfolio to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar). The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio does not hedge foreign currency risk.

 

4    Dimensional Fund Advisors


Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio uses derivatives, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of that derivative. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the principal amount invested.

Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio could also lose money if it does not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

Cyber Security Risk: The International Large Cap Growth Portfolio’s and its service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, amongst other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio and/or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

Performance

The bar chart and table immediately following illustrate the variability of the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio’s returns and are meant to provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. The bar chart shows the changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year. The table illustrates how annualized one year and since inception returns, both before and after taxes, compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Portfolio’s past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future results. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

The after-tax returns presented in the table for the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio are 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 in the table. In addition, the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold shares of the Portfolio through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

International Large Cap Growth Portfolio Summary Prospectus    5


 

International Large Cap Growth Portfolio Institutional Class Shares—Total Returns

 

LOGO

 

January 2013-December 2015

Highest Quarter

11.51% (7/13–9/13)

  

Lowest Quarter

-8.24% (7/15–9/15)

 

 

Annualized Returns (%)

Periods ending December 31, 2015

 

    1 YEAR     SINCE 12/20/12
INCEPTION
 
International Large Cap Growth Portfolio                

Return Before Taxes

    -0.01%        5.60%   

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    -0.57%        4.94%   

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares

    0.42%        4.26%   
MSCI World ex USA Growth Index (net dividends)
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes on sales)
    1.65%        5.53%   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio. Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd. and DFA Australia Limited serve as the sub-advisors for the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day to day management of the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio:

 

  Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager of the Portfolio since inception.

 

  Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager of the Portfolio since inception.

 

6    Dimensional Fund Advisors


  Henry F. Gray, Vice President of the Advisor, has been Head of Global Equity Trading and a portfolio manager of the Portfolio since inception.

 

  Bhanu P. Singh, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since 2012.

 

  Mary T. Phillips, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since 2016.

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is scheduled to be open for business by first contacting the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

Tax Information

The dividends and distributions you receive from the International Large Cap Growth Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case distributions generally will be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from the plan or account.

 

International Large Cap Growth Portfolio Summary Prospectus    7


 

 

 

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One

Austin, TX 78746

(512) 306-7400

 

RRD022816-DILRX

00161554

   LOGO      LOGO