497K 1 d299577d497k.htm VA INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO VA INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO

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VA International Value Portfolio

 

 

SHARE CLASS: INSTITUTIONAL CLASS

 

 

Summary Prospectus

February 28, 2017

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 https://us.dimensional.com/fund-documents. 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, 2017, as may be supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. Shares of the Portfolio are sold only to insurance company separate accounts or to other investment companies funded by insurance company separate accounts. This Summary Prospectus is not intended for use by other investors.


Investment Objective

The investment objective of the VA International Value 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 VA International Value Portfolio. The expenses in the table do not include any fees or charges imposed by the variable insurance contract. If such fees and charges were included, the expenses would be higher.

 

 

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

 

Management Fee      0.40%  
Other Expenses      0.06%  
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses      0.46%  

EXAMPLE

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the VA International Value Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example does not include any fees or charges imposed by the variable insurance contract and if such fees were included, expenses would be higher. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. 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  
$ 47      $ 148      $ 258      $ 579  

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The VA International Value Portfolio 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 Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its investment portfolio.

 

2    Dimensional Fund Advisors


Principal Investment Strategies

The VA International Value 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 be value stocks. 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 adjust the representation in the VA International Value Portfolio of an eligible company, or exclude a company, after considering such factors as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity, profitability, and other factors that the Advisor determines to be appropriate, given market conditions. Securities are considered value stocks primarily because a company’s shares have a high book value in relation to their market value. 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 VA International Value Portfolio intends to purchase securities of large companies associated with developed market countries that the Advisor has designated as approved markets. The Advisor determines the minimum market capitalization of a large company with respect to each country or region in which the Portfolio invests. Based on market capitalization data as of December 31, 2016, for the Portfolio, the lowest minimum market capitalization of a large company in any country or region in which the Portfolio invests would be $1,977 million. This threshold will change due to market conditions.

The VA International Value Portfolio also 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 VA International Value Portfolio may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio. The Portfolio does not intend to sell futures contracts to establish short positions in individual securities or to use derivatives for purposes of speculation or leveraging investment returns.

The VA International Value Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income.

Principal Risks

Because the value of your investment in the VA International Value Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money. The following is a description of principal risks of investing in the VA International Value Portfolio.

Equity Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, market, political, and issuer-specific conditions and events will

 

VA International Value Portfolio Summary Prospectus    3


cause the value of equity securities, and the Portfolio that owns them, to rise or fall. Stock markets tend to move in cycles, with periods of rising prices and periods of falling prices.

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value-oriented investment strategy 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 VA International Value Portfolio does not hedge foreign currency risk.

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 to carry more risk than other types of investments. When the VA International Value Portfolio uses derivatives, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. 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 VA International Value Portfolio may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The 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 VA International Value 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.

 

4    Dimensional Fund Advisors


Performance

The bar chart and table immediately following illustrate the variability of the VA International Value 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 performance reflected in the bar chart for the Portfolio does not reflect any insurance company separate account charges, which if reflected would lower returns. The table illustrates how annualized one year, five year and ten year 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 VA International Value 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-advantaged arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

 

 

VA International Value Portfolio—Total Returns

 

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January 2007-December 2016

Highest Quarter

  

Lowest Quarter

34.09% (4/09–6/09)

  

-24.61% (10/08–12/08)

 

VA International Value Portfolio Summary Prospectus    5


 

Annualized Returns (%)

Periods ending December 31, 2016

 

    1 Year     5 Years     10 Years  
VA International Value Portfolio                        

Return Before Taxes

    9.11     6.05     0.19

Return After Taxes on Distributions

    7.66     4.61     -1.12

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Portfolio Shares

    5.16     4.06     -0.04
MSCI World ex USA Index (net dividends)
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes on sales)
    2.75     6.07     0.86

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

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

 

  Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since 2005.

 

  Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since 2004.

 

  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 2014.

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

Shares of the VA International Value Portfolio are sold only to insurance company separate accounts or to other investment companies funded by insurance company separate accounts. Purchases and redemptions of shares of the Portfolio by a separate account will be effected at the net asset value per share. Contract owners do not deal directly with the Portfolio with respect to the acquisition or redemption of shares of the Portfolio. Please see the prospectus of the insurance company separate account for information regarding the purchase and redemption of shares of the Portfolio.

 

6    Dimensional Fund Advisors


Tax Information

The dividends and distributions paid from the VA International Value Portfolio to the insurance company separate accounts generally will consist of ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. Because shares of the Portfolio must be purchased through separate accounts, such distributions will be exempt from current taxation by contract holders if left to accumulate within the separate account, in which case distributions generally will be taxed as ordinary income when withdrawn from the account.

Payments to Insurance Companies and Financial Intermediaries

The Portfolio and its related companies may make payments to an insurance company (and/or its related companies). Such insurance companies (or their related companies) may pay a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), for the sale of the Portfolio shares and related services. When received by a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary from an insurance company (or its related companies), such payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary to recommend the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your financial advisor, visit your financial intermediary’s website or see the prospectus of the insurance company separate account for more information.

 

VA International Value Portfolio Summary Prospectus    7


 

 

 

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One

Austin, TX 78746

(512) 306-7400

 

RRD022817-004-3

00189135

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