497K 1 csifcefsp.htm CSIF CALVERT EQUITY FUND

Summary Prospectus dated February 1, 2021

Calvert Equity Fund

Class/Ticker     A / CSIEX     C / CSECX     I / CEYIX     R6 / CEYRX

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 February 1, 2021, 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.calvert.com/prospectus, email a request to Prospectusrequest@calvert.com, call 1-800-368-2745, 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.

Investment Objective

The Fund's investment objective is to seek growth of capital through investment in stocks believed to offer opportunities for potential capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. Investors may also pay commissions or other fees to their financial intermediary, which are not reflected below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Calvert mutual funds. Certain financial intermediaries also may offer variations in Fund sales charges to their customers as described in Appendix B – Financial Intermediary Sales Charge Variations in the Fund's Prospectus. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial intermediary and under Sales Charges on page 43 of the Fund's Prospectus and on page 22 of the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Class A Class C Class I Class R6
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 4.75% None None None
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lower of net asset value at purchase or redemption) None 1.00% None 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 Class R6
Management Fees 0.57% 0.57% 0.57% 0.57%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% None None
Other Expenses 0.12% 0.12% 0.12% 0.06%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 0.94% 1.69% 0.69% 0.63%

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:

  Expenses with Redemption Expenses without Redemption
  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years  1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years
Class A  shares $566 $760 $970 $1,575 $566 $760 $970 $1,575
Class C shares $272 $533 $918 $1,799 $172 $533 $918 $1,799
Class I shares $70 $221 $384 $859 $70 $221 $384 $859
Class R6 shares $64 $202 $351 $786 $64 $202 $351 $786
 
 

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 16% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, including borrowings for investment purposes, in equity securities (common stock) (the “80% Policy”).  The Fund will normally invest in common stocks of companies having market capitalizations that rank among the top 1,000 U.S. listed companies. The Fund may invest up to 25% of its assets in U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign companies that trade on U.S. exchanges or in the over-the-counter market (including depositary receipts which evidence ownership in underlying foreign stocks).  The Fund may invest in mid-cap stocks and in publicly traded real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).  The Fund may also lend its securities.

Through investment in high quality companies, portfolio management seeks to build a portfolio that may participate in rising markets while minimizing participation in declining markets. Quality is determined by analysis of a company’s financial statements and is measured by a company’s demonstrated ability to consistently grow earnings over the long-term. High quality companies typically have strong balance sheets, sustainable cash flow, enduring competitive advantages, long product cycles, and stable demand over a business cycle, among other characteristics. The portfolio managers may utilize “financial quality rankings” provided by nationally recognized rating services as additional information.

The portfolio managers are responsible for fundamental analysis and security selection, incorporating environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) information provided by ESG analysts at CRM. The portfolio managers typically favor high quality companies they believe have sustainable above-average earnings growth potential and are trading below intrinsic value. Sustainable earnings growth potential is determined by fundamental analysis of a company’s financial trends and management; products and services; industry position and conditions; and other factors. Further, the portfolio managers seek to invest in companies that manage ESG risk exposures adequately and that are not exposed to excessive ESG risk through their principal business activities. Companies are analyzed by CRM’s ESG analysts utilizing The Calvert Principles for Responsible Investment, a framework for considering ESG factors. Each company is evaluated relative to an appropriate peer group based on material ESG factors as determined by CRM. The portfolio managers seek to manage individual security risk through analysis of each security’s risk/reward potential and to manage portfolio risk by constructing a diversified portfolio of what they believe to be attractively valued growth companies. The portfolio managers may sell a security when its fundamentals deteriorate, when its valuation is no longer attractive, or when other securities are identified to displace a current holding.

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.

Large-Cap Growth Risk. Because the Fund normally invests primarily in stocks of large-cap growth companies, it is subject to the risk of underperforming the overall stock market during periods in which stocks of such companies are out of favor and generate lower returns than the market as a whole.

Calvert Equity Fund2Summary Prospectus dated February 1, 2021
 

Smaller and Mid-Sized Company Risk. The stocks of smaller and mid-sized 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.

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.

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.

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.

Sector Risk. Because the Fund may, under certain market conditions, invest a significant portion of its assets in one or more sectors, the value of Fund shares may be affected by events that adversely affect a particular sector and may fluctuate more than that of a fund that invests more broadly.

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.

Risks Associated with Active 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.

Responsible Investing Risk. Investing primarily in responsible investments carries the risk that, under certain market conditions, the Fund may underperform funds that do not utilize a responsible investment strategy. The application of responsible investment criteria may affect the Fund’s exposure to certain sectors or types of investments, and may impact the Fund’s relative investment performance depending on whether such sectors or investments are in or out of favor in the market. An investment’s ESG performance or the investment adviser's assessment of such performance may change over time, which could cause the Fund to temporarily hold securities that do not comply with the Fund’s responsible investment criteria. In evaluating an investment, the investment adviser is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could adversely affect the analysis of the ESG factors relevant to a particular investment. Successful application of the Fund’s responsible investment strategy will depend on the investment adviser's skill in properly identifying and analyzing material ESG issues.

Calvert Equity Fund3Summary Prospectus dated February 1, 2021
 

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.

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 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.

CRM became the investment adviser to the Fund on December 31, 2016. Performance reflected prior to such date is that of the Fund’s current sub-adviser, Atlanta Capital Management, Inc., and its former investment adviser.  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.calvert.com.

For the ten years ended December 31, 2020, the highest quarterly total return for Class A was 20.14% for the quarter ended June 30, 2020 and the lowest quarterly return was -15.12% for the quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2020 One Year Five Years Ten Years
Class A  Return Before Taxes 18.37% 16.89% 13.98%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions 17.67% 15.29% 12.19%
Class A Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Class A  Shares 11.45% 13.57% 11.26%
Class C Return Before Taxes 22.35% 17.15% 13.69%
Class I Return Before Taxes 24.59% 18.41% 15.02%
Class R6 Return Before Taxes 24.65% 18.44% 15.03%
Russell 1000® Growth Index  (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 38.49% 20.98% 17.19%

These returns reflect the maximum sales charge for Class A (4.75%) and any applicable contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC”) for Class C. The Class R6 performance shown above for the period prior to October 3, 2017 (commencement of operations) is the performance of Class I shares at net asset value without adjustment for any differences in the expenses of the two classes. If adjusted for such differences, returns would be different. 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.

Calvert Equity Fund4Summary Prospectus dated February 1, 2021
 

Management

Investment Adviser. Calvert Research and Management (“CRM” or the “Adviser”).

Investment Sub-Adviser. Atlanta Capital Management Company, LLC (“Atlanta Capital”).

Portfolio Managers

Joseph B. Hudepohl, CFA, Managing Director and Principal of Atlanta Capital, has managed the Fund since June 2015.

Lance V. Garrison, CFA, Vice President and Principal of Atlanta Capital, has managed the Fund since June 2015.

Jeffrey A. Miller, CFA, Vice President and Principal of Atlanta Capital, has managed the Fund since June 2015.

Robert R. Walton, Jr., CFA, Vice President and Principal of Atlanta Capital, has managed the Fund since June 2015.

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 (except for purchases of Class C shares by accounts with no specified financial intermediary) directly from the Fund either by writing to the Fund, P.O. Box 219544, Kansas City, MO 64121-9544, or by calling 1-800-368-2745. The minimum initial purchase or exchange into the Fund is $1,000 for Class A and Class C, $250,000 for Class I and $1,000,000 for Class R6 (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.

24129 2.1.21 © 2021 Calvert Research and Management

 

 

Calvert Equity Fund5Summary Prospectus dated February 1, 2021