N-CSR 1 d752238dncsr.htm AMG FUNDS III AMG Funds III
Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSR

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF

REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-03752

 

 

AMG FUNDS III

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

AMG Funds LLC

680 Washington Boulevard, Suite 500, Stamford, Connecticut 06901

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (203) 299-3500

Date of fiscal year end: DECEMBER 31

Date of reporting period: JANUARY 1, 2023 – DECEMBER 31, 2023

(Annual Shareholder Report)

 

 

 


Table of Contents
Item 1.

Reports to Shareholders


Table of Contents
LOGO   

ANNUAL REPORT

 

 

 

    

AMG Funds

 

December 31, 2023

 
    

 

LOGO

 
     AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund
 
     Class N: MGSEX  | Class I: MSEIX
 
    
 
    
 
    

 

    

 wealth.amg.com     

 

   123123    AR078


Table of Contents


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Funds

 

Annual Report — December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

 
      
     TABLE OF CONTENTS    PAGE  
 
   

 

 
 
   

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

     2  
 
   

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

     3  
 
    PORTFOLIO MANAGER’S COMMENTS, FUND SNAPSHOTS AND SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS      4  
 
    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS   
 
   

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     11  
 
   

Balance sheet, net asset value (NAV) per share computations
and cumulative distributable earnings (loss)

  
 
   

Statement of Operations

     13  
 
   

Detail of sources of income, expenses, and realized and
unrealized gains (losses) during the fiscal year

  
 
   

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     14  
 
   

Detail of changes in assets for the past two fiscal years

  
 
   

Financial Highlights

     15  
 
   

Historical net asset values per share, distributions, total returns, income
and expense ratios, turnover ratios and net assets

  
 
   

Notes to Financial Statements

     17  
 
   

Accounting and distribution policies, details of agreements and
transactions with Fund management and affiliates, and descriptions of
certain investment risks

  
 
    REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM      23  
 
    OTHER INFORMATION      24  
 
    TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS      25  
      

Nothing contained herein is to be considered an offer, sale or solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any series of the AMG Funds Family of Funds. Such offering is made only by prospectus, which includes details as to offering price and other material information.

 

 

 

 


Table of Contents

 

LOGO

 

 

 

 

Letter to Shareholders

 

 

 
 
 

 

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide this annual report for your investment with AMG Funds. Our foremost goal is to provide investment solutions that help our shareholders successfully achieve their long-term investment goals. We appreciate the privilege of providing you with investment tools.

Throughout most of the year, markets wrestled with uncertainties around tighter monetary policy, increased geopolitical tension, instability in the regional banking sector, and political handwringing over the U.S. debt ceiling. However, investors remained optimistic for an economic “soft landing” as inflation continued to ease and risk assets finally surged in the fourth quarter following a dovish pivot in the U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) policy. Bonds finished with a positive return; a remarkable development after struggling to move higher for most of the year as global central banks raised interest rates.

The S&P 500® Index gained 26.29% for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, fully recouping losses suffered in 2022. Large-cap stocks diverged from small-cap stocks, particularly driven by a handful of mega-cap technology and consumer discretionary stocks. The Russell 1000® Index gained 26.53% compared to the 16.93% return for the Russell 2000® Index. Nine out of eleven sectors posted positive returns, with information technology (60.93%), communication services (55.86%), and consumer discretionary (43.22%) leading the way. The weakest sectors were utilities (-7.08%), energy (-1.33%), and consumer staples (+0.55%). The strength in information technology drove growth stocks to strongly outperform value stocks with the Russell 1000® Growth Index gaining 42.68% compared to a 11.46% return for the Russell 1000® Value Index. Outside the U.S., foreign equity markets underperformed domestic equities, delivering a 15.62% return, as measured by the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA benchmark.

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, a broad measure of U.S. bond market performance, rebounded with a 5.53% return over the period. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to post-GFC (Global Financial Crisis) highs through October as the Fed tightened policy throughout the year, leading many to expect another year of negative bond returns. However, investors received much needed relief as interest rates fell sharply in the final two months of the year following the Fed’s message signaling rate cuts in 2024. Looking across the broadest sectors of the market, investment-grade corporate bonds gained 8.52% for the year, while agency mortgage-backed securities rose 5.05%. High yield bonds were the best performing sector with a 13.44% return as measured by the return of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index. Municipal bonds outperformed the broader market with a 6.40% gain for the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index. Outside the U.S., foreign bonds were also positive as the Bloomberg Global Aggregate ex-USD Index gained 5.72%.

 

AMG Funds provides access to a distinctive array of actively managed return-oriented investment strategies. You can rest assured that under all market conditions our team is focused on delivering excellent investment management services for your benefit. For more information about AMG Funds’ wide range of products and resources, please visit wealth.amg.com. We thank you for your investment and continued trust in AMG Funds.

Respectfully,

 

LOGO

Keitha Kinne

President

AMG Funds

 

        Periods ended  
Average Annual Total Returns   December 31, 2023*  
Stocks:        1 Year     3 Years     5 Years  
Large Cap   (S&P 500® Index)     26.29     10.00     15.69
Small Cap   (Russell 2000® Index)     16.93     2.22     9.97
International   (MSCI ACWI ex USA)     15.62     1.55     7.08
Bonds:                            
Investment Grade   (Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index)     5.53     (3.31 )%      1.10
High Yield  

(Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield

Bond Index)

    13.44     1.98     5.37
Tax-exempt   (Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index)     6.40     (0.40 )%      2.25
Treasury Bills  

(ICE BofAML U.S. 6-

Month Treasury Bill

Index)

    5.14     2.17     2.02

*Source: FactSet. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

 

 

2


Table of Contents
 
 

 

About Your Fund’s Expenses

 
 
 

 

As a shareholder of a Fund, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, which may include sales charges (loads) on purchase payments; redemption fees; and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

 

ACTUAL EXPENSES

 

The first section of the following table provides information about the actual account values and

    

 

actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During the Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

 

HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES

 

The second section of the following table provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Fund’s

      

actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds.

         

 

 

 

 Six Months Ended
 December 31, 2023
   Expense
Ratio for
the Period
  Beginning
Account
Value
07/01/23
   Ending
Account
Value
12/31/23
   Expenses
Paid
During
the Period*

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

Based on Actual Fund Return

Class N

   1.17%   $1,000      $983    $5.85

Class I

   0.93%   $1,000      $984    $4.65

Based on Hypothetical 5% Annual Return

Class N

   1.17%   $1,000    $1,019    $5.96

Class I

   0.93%   $1,000    $1,021    $4.74

 

 *

Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year (184), then divided by 365.

 

 

 

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AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (unaudited)

 
 
 

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund (the “Fund”) Class N shares returned -4.82%, compared with the 7.36% return for the MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index, the Fund’s benchmark.

 

MARKET OVERVIEW

 

The Asia Pacific market remained volatile throughout the review period. China, the largest market in the region, faced volatility throughout the year as investors searched for signs of a sustained recovery. After China opened its borders on January 8, 2023, travel surged across mainland China and its territories, fueling hope that consumption would quickly rebound to pre-pandemic levels. Over the lockdown period, Chinese households accumulated the biggest pool of new savings in history with $2.6 trillion of bank deposits. However, Chinese consumers remained cautious. The recovery in household consumption, which is crucial for sustainable growth, remained weak and uneven, underscoring the challenges faced by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP deployed a number of targeted economic policies to stimulate growth, including lowering interest rates, accelerating the issuance of local government bonds, taking measures to relieve financing strains for property companies, relaxing property policies for home buyers, implementing more friendly policies toward the private sector, especially the major internet platform companies, and extending tax breaks for new electric vehicles (NEVs). China also invited global CEOs and leaders to visit and reaffirm their commitments to investments by global companies into China. In the third quarter of the year, China issued a 1 trillion yuan ($137 billion) sovereign bond issuance aimed at boosting infrastructure spending for projects related to flood prevention, management, and natural disaster emergency response improvements. The bond issuance generated market excitement as it will raise China’s 2023 budget deficit to around 3.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which is up from the previously set 3%. This move is being interpreted as a clear signal to the market that the government is committed to supporting the equity market.

 

VERITAS ASIA PACIFIC FUND UPDATE

 

The Fund’s performance was affected by several factors. Primarily, there was a notable trend of investors gravitating toward the value areas of the market, particularly in sectors that are not typically within the Fund’s investment universe such as energy and financials, with Indian banks being an exception. Additionally, the selling of Chinese

 

equities by global fund managers and majority shareholders, including Softbank’s divestment of Alibaba, played a significant role. This selling activity disproportionately impacted the most liquid and large-cap stocks, precisely those that the Fund owns. Consequently, despite the sound fundamentals of many of the companies held by the Fund, their share prices either stagnated or experienced a decline.

 

The Fund’s performance was also impacted by some stock-specific detractors. The largest detractor was Meituan, a one-stop platform for food, transportation, travel, shopping, and entertainment. The company’s stock experienced a decline following fourth-quarter guidance that fell below expectations, prompting analysts to adopt a cautious stance and lower their price targets. While Meituan’s third-quarter results were generally in line with predictions, concerns arose regarding its guidance for the food delivery sector and the competitive challenges encountered by in-store, hotel, and travel operations that may potentially be impacting its stock performance; however, comparisons are difficult as the company’s performance was distorted during the pandemic. In addition, the current weakened economy, and heightened in-store business investments due to intensified competition, have had a lingering impact on food delivery volume growth. However, Meituan’s estimated 2024 valuation at 14 times earnings appears to incorporate prevailing market concerns. Additionally, the company continues to demonstrate one of the faster top-line growth rates, projecting a 20% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2023 to 2025. Fitch Ratings has also revised Meituan’s outlook from stable to positive, emphasizing the potential for further positive rating action with sustained disciplined investment practices from management. Separately, Meituan’s board decided to repurchase shares for as much as $1 billion in the open market starting on December 1, 2023, according to an exchange filing.

 

Over the year, the Veritas Team has looked to de-risk the geopolitical risk of the Fund, first by focusing investments on domestic Chinese exposure, and second on allies of the U.S. The Team’s approach has been to invest in quality Chinese or Hong Kong listed companies that gain most, if not all, of their economics from domestic markets and consumption (i.e., a local company with a local supply chain selling its product or service to local customers without reliance on overseas technology, parts, services, and customers). This means they are focused purely on domestic Chinese consumption and are therefore insulated from decisions made in Washington, Brussels, or elsewhere outside China.

 

Kweichow Moutai, one of the Fund’s largest holdings, is a prime example of this. Kweichow Moutai is a luxury spirit considered as a status symbol because of the high price and limited supply, which is part of the company’s marketing and sales strategy. Buyers regularly spend up to about $127 for a bottle of Kweichow Moutai baijiu, but the price can rise dramatically for rare and good vintages; with some bottles selling for up to $20,000. Although distribution and price setting are heavily controlled by the Chinese government, many people buy bottles as speculative investments to hold onto and sell at a higher price. Demand for Kweichow Moutai’s product massively outstrips supply, allowing the business to operate with exceptionally high net margins. The company can grow at a mid to high teens percentage per annum through a combination of price increases and by shifting supply from third-party wholesalers to its direct-to-consumer (D2C) platform, which now accounts for over 40% of sales. This shift delivers a sustainable and steady expansion of margins. In addition to this, geopolitical risks barely impact the company since virtually all its revenue comes from China. Over the year, the company continued to execute exceptionally well and its share price rose by over 25%.

 

OUTLOOK

 

China closed out “Golden Week,” a collection of four national holidays spanning eight days in October, with marked robust spending. During the period, domestic travel totaling 826 million journeys equated to a 71.3% increase from the year before and a 4.1% increase from 2019. Domestic consumption also rose and achieved its strongest performance since 2019. Average daily consumption in the service retail sector surged by 153% compared to the same period in 2019, while dine-in consumption saw an increase of 254%, as reported by Meituan, one of China’s largest e-commerce platforms. The robust activity data improved optimism into China’s overall growth outlook. However, just a few weeks later, China’s economy edged back into deflation, dragged down by falling pork prices. The mixed signs of recovery in China are bringing forth debate over whether the country will be able to meet its GDP target for 2023. However, despite the recent disappointing inflation figures, expectations are for an improvement in retail sales and stable industrial production following a rebound in factory activity. This stands in contrast to the earlier outlook in August, when concerns over policy support and the property market contagion led to a downward revision of the full-year growth forecast to 4.7%.

     
     

 

 

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AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

China’s annual Central Economic Work Conference (CEWC), held in December 2023, conveyed a message that economic growth is the top priority. Each year, the CEWC is one of the most closely scrutinized gatherings for China observers, as it serves as a comprehensive evaluation of the prevailing economic landscape and establishes the macroeconomic objectives for the upcoming year. Thus, the signals emerging from this year’s CEWC has provided insights into China’s economic trajectory in 2024. Despite admitting challenges such as inadequate demand, industrial overcapacity, weak expectations, financial risks, and external pressure, the CEWC did not express panic about China’s economy and gave no suggestion of fundamental shifts or large-scale stimulus. Instead, the message was that “China’s economic recovery is improving, and high-quality development is steadily advancing” and that it would maintain its “active fiscal policy” and “prudent monetary policy.” Nonetheless, the CEWC also suggested that Beijing will shift its policy settings moderately toward growth in 2024. A further directive to “build the new first and discard the old later” underscores the Party’s newfound determination to favor incremental and well-planned reforms over sudden policy shocks. The last thing President Xi Jinping wants is a repeat of 2021, when the “compounding errors” of a policy-induced property crisis, tutoring crackdown, tech rectification, and power shortage all combined to create an economic funk, from which the country is still struggling to emerge.

 

India continues to have attractive opportunities given its potential growth. It recently passed through the important barrier of average GDP per capita of $2,000. This is important because over this level the growth in disposable income rises disproportionately. We believe India has the potential to drive GDP growth of high single digits per annum for the next 10+ years with the growth in India’s young demographic. The workforce population will

 

be growing in the next 20 years compared to a declining and aging workforce in many other countries. In recent years, the Modi government has implemented several reforms to make the economy more productive and generate jobs for the aspiring, young generation. The government has successfully managed twin deficits, and its banking system’s non-performing loans remain low. Fiscal challenges could increase with fluctuations in oil prices, especially if they exceed $100 per barrel, but the Indian government is financially stronger than a decade ago and that should contribute to macroeconomic stability.

 

Over the period, the Fund increased its exposure to Indian consulting and IT outsourcing companies through the purchase of Infosys. IT services spending is witnessing a revival in demand supported by three megatrends: scale adoption of digital transformation, hybrid cloud migration, and AI adoption. Indian IT services firms have pivoted successfully to these new technology areas. Digital now forms 33% of revenues for leading IT services firms and has reached a critical mass. Given that this is growing at 30-40%, this underwrites double-digit growth for most firms. We expect this to rise to 66% of revenues over the next five years, driving double-digit growth. A key element of digital transformation for large enterprises is the ability to increase the responsiveness of the enterprise to deal with competition from digital-native firms and keep up with customer demand for innovation. This has driven up the need for using automation of legacy processes to speed up the enterprise and usage of advanced analytics to create new areas of differentiation.

 

The Fund also increased its positioning in South Korean electric vehicle battery makers that are likely to benefit from growing global demand in electric vehicles (EVs). One such position is LG Chem, South Korea’s largest chemical company and one of the world’s leading EV battery makers. The company has

 

been restructuring its business that previously focused on petrochemicals to a company that now leads in the development of advanced materials such as batteries in EVs and IT devices and life sciences. The proportion of the company’s petrochemical business has fallen from 71.4% in 2010 to 40.7% in 2022 while the share of its sustainable materials development business has expanded. It is also the first Korean chemical company to declare carbon neutral growth by the year 2050 by curbing carbon emissions to 10 million tons. LG Chem is continuously refining its strategy to mitigate carbon emissions. The company plans to reduce direct emissions through the introduction of innovative processes and the conversion to eco-friendly fuels and raw materials, avoidance of further emissions through the expansion of renewable energy use, and compensation for unavoidable emissions through carbon offsets. The company will benefit greatly from the increasing adoption of EVs globally and its structural growth, thereby remaining a highly attractive long-term investment.

 

Growth globally is forecasted to slow. However, the strongest growth is set to be in emerging economies such as India and China. The Conference Board projects India’s GDP growth to be 6.9% in 2023 and average 4.7% between 2024 and 2029. China’s average GDP growth between 2024 and 2029 is expected to be 4.4%, while mature economies are forecasted to average 1.4%. Therefore, despite the current adverse and challenging environment, we continue to maintain conviction that investing in high quality companies with strong growth potential in emerging economies will provide attractive growth to investors over the longer term.

 

The views expressed represent the opinions of Veritas Asset Management, LLP as of December 31, 2023, and are not intended as a forecast or guarantee of future results, and are subject to change without notice.

     
     

 

 

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AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN PERFORMANCE

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund’s cumulative total return is based on the daily change in net asset value (NAV), and assumes that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. The graph compares a hypothetical $10,000 investment made in the AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund’s Class N shares on December 31, 2013, to a $10,000 investment made in the MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index for the same time period. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on a Fund distribution or redemption of shares. The listed returns for the Fund are net of expenses and the returns for the index exclude expenses. Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.

 

LOGO

The table below shows the average annual total returns for the AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund and MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index for the same time periods ended December 31, 2023.

 

Average Annual Total Returns1   

One

 Year 

   

Five

  Years  

    

Ten

  Years  

 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22

 

Class N

     (4.82%     4.30%        4.99%  

Class I

     (4.58%     4.56%        5.25%  

MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex Japan Index23

     7.36%       4.65%        3.94%  

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

 

Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. For performance information through the most recent month end, current net asset values per share for the Fund and other information, please call 800.548.4539 or visit our website at wealth.amg.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before investing or sending money.

Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

1 

Total return equals income yield plus share price change and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns are net of fees and may reflect offsets of Fund expenses as described in the prospectus. No adjustment has been made for taxes payable by shareholders on their reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The listed returns on the Fund are net of expenses and based on the published NAV as of December 31, 2023. All returns are in U.S. Dollars ($).

 

2 

As of March 19, 2021, the Fund’s Subadviser was changed to Veritas Asset Management LLP. Prior to March 19, 2021, the Fund was known as the AMG Managers Special Equity Fund, and had different principal investment

strategies and corresponding risks. Performance shown for periods prior to March 19, 2021 reflects the performance and investment strategies of the Fund’s previous subadvisers, Federated MDTA LLC, Lord, Abbett & Co. LLC, Ranger Investment Management L.P. and Smith Asset Management Group, L.P. The Fund’s past performance would have been different if the Fund were managed by the current Subadviser and strategy, and the Fund’s prior performance record might be less pertinent for investors considering whether to purchase shares of the Fund.

 

3   From time to time, the Fund’s Investment Manager has waived its fees and/or absorbed Fund expenses, which has resulted in higher returns.

 

4   Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including economic, political, or market conditions, or other factors including terrorism, war, natural disasters and the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including epidemics or pandemics, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

 

5   The stocks of large-capitalization companies are generally more mature and may not be able to reach the same levels of growth as the stocks of small- or mid-capitalization companies.

 

6   The stocks of small- and mid-capitalization companies often have greater price volatility, lower trading volume, and less liquidity than the stocks of larger, more established companies.

 

7   Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and may be undervalued by the market for a long period of time.

 

8   The Fund may not be able to dispose of particular investments, such as illiquid securities, readily at favorable times or prices or the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

 

9   Because the Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, security selection or focus on securities in a particular style, market sector or group of companies may cause the Fund to incur losses or underperform relative to its benchmark or other funds with a similar investment objective. There can be no guarantee that the Subadviser’s investment techniques and risk analysis will produce the desired result.

 

10  The Fund is non-diversified and therefore a greater percentage of holdings may be focused in a small number of issuers or a single issuer, which can place the Fund at greater risk. Notwithstanding the Fund’s status as a “non-diversified” investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), the Fund intends to qualify as a regulated investment company accorded favorable tax treatment under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, which imposes its own diversification requirements that are less restrictive than the requirements applicable to “diversified” investment companies under the 1940

 
 

 

 

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AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

   Act. The Fund’s intention to qualify as a regulated investment company may limit its pursuit of its investment strategy and its investment strategy could limit its ability to so qualify.

 

11  To the extent the Fund invests a substantial portion of its assets in a relatively small number of securities or a particular market, industry, group of industries, country, region, group of countries, asset class or sector, it generally will be subject to greater risk than a fund that invests in a more diverse investment portfolio. In addition, the value of the Fund would be more susceptible to any single economic, market, political or regulatory occurrence affecting, for example, that particular market, industry, region or sector.

 

12  Issuers and companies that are in similar industry sectors may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events; to the extent the Fund has substantial holdings within a particular sector, the risks associated with that sector increase.

 

13  Investments in foreign issuers involve additional risks (such as risks arising from less frequent trading, changes in political or social conditions, and less publicly available information about non-U.S. issuers) that differ from those associated with investments in U.S. issuers and may result in greater price volatility.

 

14  Investments in emerging markets are subject to the general risks of foreign investments, as well as additional risks which can result in greater price volatility. Such additional risks include the risk that markets in emerging market countries are typically less developed and less liquid than markets in developed countries and such markets are subjected to increased economic, political, or regulatory uncertainties.

 

15  Changes in the general political and social environment of a country can have substantial effects on the value of investments exposed to that country.

 

16  Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect the total loss or gain on a non-U.S. Dollar investment when converted back to U.S. Dollars and exposure to non-U.S. currencies may subject the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. Dollar.

 

17  To the extent the Fund focuses its investments in a particular country, group of countries or geographic region, the Fund is particularly susceptible to economic, political, regulatory or other events or conditions affecting such countries or region, and the Fund’s NAV may be more volatile than the NAV of a more geographically diversified fund and may result in losses.

 

   The Fund is particularly susceptible to risks in the Greater China region, which consists of Hong Kong, The People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”) and

 

   Taiwan, among other countries. Economies in the Greater China region are dependent on the economies of other countries and can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and increasing competition from other emerging economies in Asia with lower costs. Adverse events in any one country within the region may impact the other countries in the region or Asia as a whole. Markets in the Greater China region can experience significant volatility due to social, economic, regulatory and political uncertainties. Significant portions of the Chinese securities markets may become rapidly illiquid, as Chinese issuers have the ability to suspend the trading of their equity securities, and have shown a willingness to exercise that option in response to market volatility and other events. U.S. or foreign government restrictions or intervention could negatively affect the implementation of the Fund’s investment strategies, for example by precluding the Fund from making certain investments or causing the Fund to sell investments at disadvantageous times. China has yet to develop comprehensive securities, corporate, or commercial laws, its market is relatively new and less developed, and its economy may be adversely impacted by a slowdown in export growth.

 

   In India, the government has exercised and continues to exercise significant influence over many aspects of the economy. Government actions, bureaucratic obstacles and inconsistent economic reform within the Indian government have had a significant effect on its economy and could adversely affect market conditions, economic growth and the profitability of private enterprises in India. Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. Large portions of many Indian companies remain in the hands of their founders (including members of their families). Corporate governance standards of family-controlled companies may be weaker and less transparent, which increases the potential for loss and unequal treatment of investors. India experiences many of the risks associated with developing economies, including relatively low levels of liquidity, which may result in extreme volatility in the prices of Indian securities. Religious, cultural and military disputes persist in India, and between India and Pakistan (as well as sectarian groups within each country).

 

18  The Fund may gain investment exposure to certain Chinese companies through variable interest entity (“VIE”) structures. A VIE structure enables foreign investors, such as the Fund, to obtain investment exposure to a Chinese company in situations in which the Chinese government has limited or prohibited non-Chinese ownership of such company. A VIE does not have equity ownership in

 

   its corresponding China-based company but has claims to the China-based company’s profits and control of its assets through contractual arrangements. VIEs are a common industry practice and well known to officials and regulators in China; however, VIEs are not formally recognized under Chinese law. If the Chinese government takes action adversely affecting VIEs, the market value of the Fund’s associated portfolio holdings would likely suffer significant, detrimental, and possibly permanent consequences, which could result in substantial investment losses.

 

19  Trading in China A-Shares through Stock Connect is subject to sudden changes in quota limitations, application of trading suspensions, differences in trading days between the PRC and Stock Connect, operational risk, clearing and settlement risk and regulatory and taxation risk.

 

20  An investment in participatory notes is subject to market risk. The performance results of participatory notes may not exactly replicate the performance of the underlying securities. An investment in participatory notes is also subject to counterparty risk, relating to the non-U.S. bank or broker-dealer that issues the participatory notes, and may be subject to liquidity risk.

 

21  The application of the tax laws and regulations of the PRC to income, including capital gains, derived from certain investments of the Fund remains unclear, and may well continue to evolve, possibly with retroactive effect. Any taxes imposed on the investments of the Fund pursuant to such laws and regulations will reduce the Fund’s overall returns.

 

22  When the Fund has a significant cash balance for a sustained period, the benefit to the Fund of any market upswing may likely be reduced, and the Fund’s performance may be adversely affected.

 

23  The MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index captures large- and mid- capitalization representation across certain Developed and Emerging Market countries in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan). Unlike the Fund, the MSCI AC Asia Pacific ex-Japan Index is unmanaged, is not available for investment and does not incur expenses.

 

All MSCI data is provided “as is.” The products described herein are not sponsored or endorsed and have not been reviewed or passed on by MSCI. In no event shall MSCI, its affiliates or any MSCI data provider have any liability of any kind in connection with the MSCI data or the products described herein. Copying or redistributing the MSCI data is strictly prohibited.

 

Not FDIC Insured, nor bank guaranteed. May lose value.

     

 

 

7


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Fund Snapshots (unaudited)

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN

 

Sector   

% of

 Net Assets 

 

Information Technology

   27.8 
 

Consumer Discretionary

   19.8 
 

Financials

   14.4 
 

Communication Services

   10.1 
 

Health Care

    7.5 
 

Real Estate

    5.2 
 

Consumer Staples

    4.4 
 

Materials

    2.7 
 

Energy

    2.1 
 

Industrials

    1.0 
 

Short-Term Investments

    5.8 
 

Other Assets, less Liabilities

    (0.8)

TOP TEN HOLDINGS

 

Security Name       

% of

 Net Assets 

 

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Taiwan)

    9.8
 

Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. (China)

    9.3
 

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea)

    8.2
 

Tencent Holdings, Ltd. (China)

    5.5
 

HDFC Bank, Ltd., ADR (India)

    5.3
 

Goodman Group (Australia)

    5.2
 

REA Group, Ltd. (Australia)

    4.7
 

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.) (India)

    4.5
 

Kweichow Moutai Co., Ltd., Class A (China)

    4.4
 

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, Ltd. (Hong Kong)

    4.2
 

Top Ten as a Group

    61.1
     
 

 

Because a fund’s strategy may result in multiple investments in particular sectors of the economy, its performance may depend on the performance of those sectors and may fluctuate more widely than investments diversified across more sectors. For additional information on these and other risk considerations, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

Any sectors, industries, or securities discussed should not be perceived as investment recommendations. Mention of a specific security should not be considered a recommendation to buy or solicitation to sell that security. Specific securities mentioned in this report may have been sold from the Fund’s portfolio of investments by the time you receive this report.

 

 

8


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

     

  Shares  

      Value    

Common Stocks - 81.6%

 

 

Communication Services - 10.1%

 

 

REA Group, Ltd. (Australia)

     33,400        $4,118,533   

Tencent Holdings, Ltd. (China)

     126,739       4,785,015  

Total Communication Services

       8,903,548  

Consumer Discretionary - 17.1%

 

 

Alibaba Group Holding, Ltd. (China)

     847,350       8,162,135  

Li Auto, Inc., Class A (China)*

     25,000       468,403  

Meituan, Class B (China)*,1

     93,072       977,142  

Sands China, Ltd. (Macau)*

     700,000       2,048,876  

Yum China Holdings, Inc. (China)

     66,424       2,818,370  

Zomato, Ltd. (India)*

     351,452       521,653  

Total Consumer Discretionary

       14,996,579  

Consumer Staples - 4.4%

 

 

Kweichow Moutai Co., Ltd., Class A (China)

     16,000       3,894,754  

Energy - 0.8%

 

 

Reliance Industries, Ltd. (India)

     23,200       720,080  

Financials - 11.1%

 

 

AIA Group, Ltd. (Hong Kong)

     123,000       1,070,455  

HDFC Bank, Ltd., ADR (India)

     69,772       4,682,399  

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, Ltd. (Hong Kong)

     107,600       3,690,708  

Ping An Insurance Group Co. of China, Ltd., Class A (China)

     50,000       284,451  

Total Financials

       9,728,013  

Health Care - 3.0%

 

 

CSL, Ltd. (Australia)

     5,938       1,157,608  

CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, Ltd. (China)

     500,000       465,360  

Innovent Biologics, Inc. (China)*,1

     100,000       547,646  

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd., Class A (China)

     10,000       410,048  

Total Health Care

       2,580,662  

Industrials - 1.0%

 

 

Shenzhen Inovance Technology Co., Ltd., Class A (China)

     102,100       909,433  

Information Technology - 26.2%

 

 

Infosys, Ltd., Sponsored ADR (India)

     120,000       2,205,600  

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea)

     118,150       7,171,332  

Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. (South Korea)*

     6,700       2,439,409  

SK Hynix, Inc. (South Korea)

     19,000       2,073,621  
     

  Shares  

       Value    

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Taiwan)

     450,400        $8,634,867  

Unimicron Technology Corp. (Taiwan)

     83,000        474,220  

Total Information Technology

        22,999,049  

Materials - 2.7%

 

  

LG Chem, Ltd. (South Korea)

     6,090        2,342,357  

Real Estate - 5.2%

 

  

Goodman Group, REIT (Australia)

     265,846        4,577,033  

Total Common Stocks
(Cost $81,264,298)

 

     71,651,508  
Participation Notes - 13.4%

 

  

Consumer Discretionary - 2.7%

 

  

Titan Co., Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.), 06/30/28 (India)

     20,000        882,740  

Zomato, Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.), 07/22/26 (India)

     1,000,000        1,484,279  

Total Consumer Discretionary

        2,367,019  

Energy - 1.3%

 

  

Reliance Industries Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.), 06/30/25 (India)

     36,895        1,145,145  

Financials - 3.3%

 

  

Kotak Mahindra Bank, Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.), 06/02/25 (India)

     127,500        2,921,351  

Health Care - 4.5%

 

  

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise, Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.), 06/30/27 (India)

     58,000        3,973,248  

Information Technology - 1.6%

 

  

Tata Consultancy Services, Ltd. (CLSA Ltd.), 02/25/25 (India)

     30,365        1,382,941  

Total Participation Notes
(Cost $10,048,273)

 

     11,789,704  
Short-Term Investments - 5.8%

 

  

Other Investment Companies - 5.8%

 

  

Dreyfus Government Cash Management Fund, Institutional Shares, 5.25%2

     2,035,632        2,035,632  

Dreyfus Institutional Preferred Government Money Market Fund, Institutional Shares, 5.32%2

     3,053,449        3,053,449  

Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost $5,089,081)

 

     5,089,081  

Total Investments - 100.8%
(Cost $96,401,652)

 

     88,530,293  

Other Assets, less Liabilities - (0.8)%

        (702,544

Net Assets - 100.0%

        $87,827,749  
     
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

9


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

*

Non-income producing security.

 

1 

Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2023, the value of these securities amounted to $1,524,788 or 1.7% of net assets.

 

2 

Yield shown represents the December 31, 2023, seven day average yield, which refers to the sum of the previous seven days’ dividends paid, expressed as an annual percentage.

ADR   American Depositary Receipt
REIT   Real Estate Investment Trust
 

 

The following table summarizes the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments by the fair value hierarchy levels as of December 31, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 21      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities

           

Common Stocks

           

Information Technology

     $2,205,600        $20,793,449               $22,999,049  

Consumer Discretionary

     2,818,370        12,178,209               14,996,579  

Financials

     4,682,399        5,045,614               9,728,013  

Communication Services

            8,903,548               8,903,548  

Real Estate

            4,577,033               4,577,033  

Consumer Staples

            3,894,754               3,894,754  

Health Care

            2,580,662               2,580,662  

Materials

            2,342,357               2,342,357  

Industrials

            909,433               909,433  

Energy

            720,080               720,080  

Participation Notes

            11,789,704               11,789,704  

Short-Term Investments

           

Other Investment Companies

     5,089,081                      5,089,081  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     $14,795,450        $73,734,843               $88,530,293  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

All participation notes held in the Fund are Level 2 securities. For a detailed breakout of participation notes by major industry classification, please refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments.

 

1 

An external pricing service is used to reflect any impact on security value due to market movements between the time the Fund valued such foreign securities and the earlier closing of foreign markets.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no transfers in or out of Level 3.

The country allocation in the Schedule of Portfolio Investments at December 31, 2023, was as follows:

 

Country    % of Long-Term
Investments
Australia      11.8   
China      28.4  
Hong Kong      5.7  
India      23.9  
Macau      2.5  
Country    % of Long-Term
Investments
South Korea      16.8  
Taiwan      10.9  
  

 

 

 

     100.0  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

10


Table of Contents
 
 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

     AMG Veritas
Asia
Pacific Fund
 

 Assets:

  

 Investments at value1

     $88,530,293  

 Receivable for investments sold

     434,705  

 Dividend and interest receivables

     338,489  

 Securities lending income receivable

     27  

 Receivable for Fund shares sold

     5,997  

 Receivable from affiliate

     11,824  

 Prepaid expenses and other assets

     11,736  

 Total assets

     89,333,071  

 Liabilities:

  

 Payable for investments purchased

     845,723  

 Payable for Fund shares repurchased

     196,964  

 Payable for foreign capital gains tax

     324,076  

 Accrued expenses:

  

 Investment advisory and management fees

     51,896  

 Administrative fees

     10,964  

 Shareholder service fees

     16,283  

 Other

     59,416  

 Total liabilities

     1,505,322  

 Commitments and Contingencies (Notes 2 & 8)

  

 Net Assets

     $87,827,749  

1 Investments at cost

     $96,401,652  

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

11


Table of Contents
 
 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities (continued)

 
 
 

 

     AMG Veritas
Asia
Pacific Fund

 Net Assets Represent:

    

 Paid-in capital

       $140,881,285

 Total distributable loss

       (53,053,536 )

 Net Assets

       $87,827,749

 Class N:

    

 Net Assets

       $80,639,874

 Shares outstanding

       1,427,532

 Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share

       $56.49

 Class I:

    

 Net Assets

       $7,187,875

 Shares outstanding

       116,049

 Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share

       $61.94

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

12


Table of Contents
 
 

Statement of Operations

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

     AMG Veritas
Asia
Pacific Fund

 Investment Income:

    

 Dividend income

       $1,427,591

 Interest income

       758

 Securities lending income

       222

 Foreign withholding tax

       (123,933 )

 Total investment income

       1,304,638

 Expenses:

    

 Investment advisory and management fees

       709,834

 Administrative fees

       149,965

 Shareholder servicing fees - Class N

       223,488

 Professional fees

       56,137

 Custodian fees

       42,517

 Registration fees

       31,861

 Reports to shareholders

       25,482

 Transfer agent fees

       16,994

 Trustee fees and expenses

       7,216

 Interest expense

       1,928

 Miscellaneous

       12,055

 Total expenses before offsets

       1,277,477

 Expense reimbursements

       (122,278 )

 Net expenses

       1,155,199
    

 Net investment income

       149,439

 Net Realized and Unrealized Loss:

    

 Net realized loss on investments

       (15,052,901 )1

 Net realized loss on foreign currency transactions

       (29,936 )

 Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments

       9,846,435 2  
   

 Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on foreign currency translations

       (861 )

 Net realized and unrealized loss

       (5,237,263 )
    

 Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

       $(5,087,824)  

 

1 

Net of foreign capital gains tax of $46,038.

 

2 

Net of change in accrued foreign capital gains tax of $(437,797).

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Table of Contents
 
 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

For the fiscal years ended December 31,

 
 
 

 

     AMG Veritas
Asia Pacific Fund
 
     2023            2022  

 Decrease in Net Assets Resulting From Operations:

           

 Net investment income (loss)

     $149,439          $(62,027

 Net realized loss on investments

     (15,082,837        (29,453,618

 Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments

     9,845,574          (20,514,544

 Net decrease in net assets resulting from operations

     (5,087,824        (50,030,189

 Distributions to Shareholders:

       

 Class N

     (93,333         

 Class I

     (25,321         

 Total distributions to shareholders

     (118,654         

 Capital Share Transactions:1

       

 Net decrease from capital share transactions

     (19,983,339        (25,186,161
       

 Total decrease in net assets

     (25,189,817        (75,216,350

 Net Assets:

       

 Beginning of year

     113,017,566          188,233,916  

 End of year

     $87,827,749          $113,017,566  

1 See Note 1(g) of the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

14


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class N    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $59.41       $82.42       $147.58       $111.15       $114.95  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

 Net investment income (loss)1,2

     0.07       (0.05     (0.67     (1.03     (1.03

 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     (2.93     (22.96     4.55       43.88       30.19  

 Total income (loss) from investment operations

     (2.86     (23.01     3.88       42.85       29.16  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

 Net investment income

     (0.06                        

 Net realized gain on investments

                 (56.87     (6.42     (32.96

 Paid in capital

                 (12.17            

 Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.06           (69.04     (6.42     (32.96

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $56.49       $59.41       $82.42       $147.58       $111.15  

 Total Return2,3

     (4.82 )%      (27.91 )%      3.16     38.74     25.69

 Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     1.17     1.18     1.27 %4       1.36 %4       1.36 %4  

 Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets5

     1.29     1.29     1.31     1.42     1.42

 Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets2

     0.13     (0.07 )%      (0.69 )%      (0.89 )%      (0.76 )% 

 Portfolio turnover

     44     54     222     100     96

 Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $80,640       $100,679       $166,168       $204,794       $171,801  
                                          

 

 

15


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class I    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $65.15       $90.15       $154.81       $116.08       $118.57  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

 Net investment income (loss)1,2

     0.24       0.13       (0.48     (0.77     (0.72

 Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     (3.23     (25.13     4.86       45.92       31.19  

 Total income (loss) from investment operations

     (2.99     (25.00     4.38       45.15       30.47  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

 Net investment income

     (0.22                        

 Net realized gain on investments

                 (56.87     (6.42     (32.96

 Paid in capital

                 (12.17            

 Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.22           (69.04     (6.42     (32.96

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $61.94       $65.15       $90.15       $154.81       $116.08  

 Total Return2,3

     (4.58 )%      (27.73 )%      3.43     39.08     26.02

 Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.93     0.93     1.02 %4       1.11 %4       1.11 %4  

 Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets5

     1.05     1.04     1.06     1.17     1.17

 Ratio of net investment income (loss) to average net assets2

     0.37     0.18     (0.44 )%      (0.64 )%      (0.51 )% 

 Portfolio turnover

     44     54     222     100     96

 Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $7,188       $12,339       $22,066       $44,593       $38,093  
                                          

 

1 

Per share numbers have been calculated using average shares.

 

2 

Total returns and net investment income (loss) would have been lower had certain expenses not been offset.

 

3 

The total return is calculated using the published Net Asset Value as of fiscal year end.

 

4 

Includes reduction from broker recapture amounting to less than 0.01% for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 

5 

Excludes the impact of expense reimbursement or fee waivers and expense reductions such as brokerage credits, but includes expense repayments and non-reimbursable expenses, if any, such as interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses. (See Note 1(c) and 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.)

 

 

16


Table of Contents
 
 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

1. ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

AMG Funds III (the “Trust”) is an open-end management investment company, organized as a Massachusetts business trust, and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Currently, the Trust consists of a number of different funds, each having distinct investment management objectives, strategies, risks, and policies. Included in this report is AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund (the “Fund”).

The Fund offers Class N and Class I shares. Each class represents an interest in the same assets of the Fund. Although all share classes generally have identical voting rights, each share class votes separately when required by law. Different share classes may have different net asset values per share to the extent the share classes pay different distribution amounts and/or the expenses of such share classes differ. Each share class has its own expense structure. Please refer to a current prospectus for additional information on each share class.

The Fund is non-diversified. A greater percentage of the Fund’s holdings may be focused in a smaller number of securities which may place the Fund at greater risk than a more diversified fund.

Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of economic or political factors, market conditions, disasters or public health issues, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

The Fund’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), including accounting and reporting guidance pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 applicable to investment companies. U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements:

a. VALUATION OF INVESTMENTS

Equity securities traded on a national securities exchange or reported on the NASDAQ national market system (“NMS”) are valued at the last quoted sales price on the primary exchange or, if applicable, the NASDAQ official closing price or the official closing price of the relevant exchange or, lacking any sales, at the last quoted bid price. Equity securities held by the Fund that are traded in the over-the-counter market (other than NMS securities) are valued at the bid price. Foreign equity securities (securities principally traded in markets other than U.S. markets) held by the Fund are valued at the official closing price on the primary exchange or, for markets that either do not offer an official closing price or where the official closing price may not be representative of the overall market, the last quoted sale price.

Fixed income securities purchased with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, provided that the amortized cost value is approximately the same as the fair value of the security valued without the use of amortized cost. Investments in other open-end registered investment companies are valued at their end of day net asset value per share.

Participation notes (“P-Notes”) are valued using the underlying equity security’s official closing price on the primary exchange or, for markets that either do not offer an official closing price or where the official closing price may not be representative of the overall market, the last quoted sale price.

The Fund’s portfolio investments are generally valued based on independent market quotations or prices or, if none, “evaluative” or other market based valuations provided by third party pricing services. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) designated AMG Funds LLC (the “Investment Manager”) as the Fund’s Valuation Designee to perform the Fund’s fair value determinations. Such determinations are subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to ensure that the Board receives the information it needs to oversee the Investment Manager’s fair value determinations.

Under certain circumstances, the value of certain Fund portfolio investments may be based on an evaluation of fair value, pursuant to procedures established by the Investment Manager and under the general supervision of the Board. The Fund may use the fair value of a portfolio investment to calculate its net asset value (“NAV”) in the event that the market quotation, price or market based valuation for the portfolio investment is not readily available or otherwise not determinable pursuant to the Fund’s valuation procedures, if the Investment Manager believes the quotation, price or market based valuation to be unreliable, or in certain other circumstances. When determining the fair value of an investment, the Investment Manager seeks to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from current sale of that portfolio investment in an arms-length transaction. Fair value determinations shall be based upon consideration of all available facts and information, including, but not limited to (i) attributes specific to the investment; (ii) fundamental and analytical data relating to the investment; and (iii) the value of other comparable securities or relevant financial instruments, including derivative securities, traded on other markets or among dealers.

The values assigned to fair value portfolio investments are based on available information and do not necessarily represent amounts that might ultimately be realized in the future, since such amounts depend on future developments inherent in long-term investments. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market for the investments existed, and the differences could be material. The Board will be presented with quarterly reports, as of the most recent quarter end, summarizing all fair value activity, material fair value matters that occurred during the quarter, and all outstanding securities fair valued by the Fund. Additionally, the Board will be presented with an annual report that assesses the adequacy and effectiveness of the Investment Manager’s process for determining the fair value of the Fund’s investments.

With respect to foreign equity securities and certain foreign fixed income securities, securities held in the Fund that can be fair valued by the applicable fair value pricing service are fair valued on each business day provided that each individual price exceeds a pre-established confidence level.

U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price that a fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP also establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability. Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability

 

 

 

 

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based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Fund. Unobservable inputs reflect the Fund’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation.

The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below:

Level 1 – inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical investments (e.g., equity securities, open-end investment companies)

Level 2 – other observable inputs (including, but not limited to: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates) or other market corroborated inputs) (e.g., debt securities, government securities, foreign currency exchange contracts, P-Notes, foreign securities utilizing international fair value pricing, fair valued securities with observable inputs)

Level 3 – inputs are significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments) (e.g., fair valued securities with unobservable inputs)

Changes in inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments may result in a transfer in or out of levels within the fair value hierarchy. The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments may not necessarily be an indication of the risk associated with investing in those investments.

b. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS

Security transactions are accounted for as of trade date. Realized gains and losses on securities sold are determined on the basis of identified cost.

c. INVESTMENT INCOME AND EXPENSES

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Dividends from foreign securities are recorded on the ex-dividend date, and if after the fact, as soon as the Fund becomes aware of the ex-dividend date, except for Korean securities where dividends are recorded on confirmation date. Interest income, which includes amortization of premium and accretion of discount on debt securities, is accrued as earned. Dividend and interest income on foreign securities is recorded gross of any withholding tax. Non-cash dividends included in dividend income, if any, are reported at the fair market value of the securities received. Other income and expenses are recorded on an accrual basis. Expenses that cannot be directly attributed to the Fund are apportioned among the funds in the Trust and other trusts or funds within the AMG Funds Family of Funds (collectively, the “AMG Funds Family”) based upon their relative average net assets or number of shareholders. Investment income, realized and unrealized capital gains and losses, the common expenses of the Fund, and certain fund level expense reductions, if any, are allocated on a pro-rata basis to each class based on the relative net assets of each class to the total net assets of the Fund.

d. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Fund distributions resulting from either net investment income or realized net capital gains, if any, will normally be declared and paid at least annually in December. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from net investment income and net realized capital gains for financial statement purposes (U.S. GAAP). Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Permanent book and tax basis differences, if any, relating to shareholder distributions will result in reclassifications to paid-in capital. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense and gain or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. There were no permanent differences during the period. Temporary differences are primarily due to wash sale loss deferrals and cost adjustments on dividend income received from spinoffs.

 

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was as follows:

 

 Distributions paid from:      2023           2022     

 Ordinary income *

     $118,654         
  

 

 

    

 

 

 
          $118,654           —  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

* For tax purposes, short-term capital gain distributions, if any, are considered ordinary income distributions.

 

As of December 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings (excluding unrealized appreciation/depreciation) on a tax basis consisted of:

 

 Capital loss carryforward

     $44,115,649  

 Undistributed ordinary income

     361,998  

At December 31, 2023, the cost of investments and the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

 Cost    Appreciation      Depreciation     Net Depreciation  

 $97,393,973

     $5,657,839        $(14,957,724     $(9,299,885
 

 

 

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e. FEDERAL TAXES

The Fund currently qualifies as an investment company and intends to comply with the requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to distribute substantially all of its taxable income and gains to its shareholders and to meet certain diversification and income requirements with respect to investment companies. The Investment Manager has analyzed the Fund’s tax positions taken on federal income tax returns as of December 31, 2023, and for all open tax years (generally, the three prior taxable years), and has concluded that no provision for federal income tax is required in the Fund’s financial statements. Additionally, the Investment Manager is not aware of any tax position for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefit/detriment will change materially in the next twelve months.

Furthermore, based on the Fund’s understanding of the tax rules and rates related to income, gains and transactions for the foreign jurisdictions in which it invests, the Fund will provide for foreign taxes, and where appropriate, deferred foreign taxes.

f. CAPITAL LOSS CARRYOVERS AND DEFERRALS

As of December 31, 2023, the Fund had capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes as shown in the following chart. These amounts may be used to offset future realized capital gains indefinitely, and retain their character as short-term and/or long-term.

 

Short-Term     Long-Term     Total  
    $21,979,638         $22,136,011         $44,115,649   
 

 

g. CAPITAL STOCK

The Trust’s Declaration of Trust authorizes for the Fund the issuance of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, without par value. The Fund records sales and repurchases of its capital stock on the trade date.

For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the capital stock transactions by class for the Fund were as follows:

 

     December 31, 2023      December 31, 2022  
       Shares          Amount        Shares       Amount   

 Class N:

           

 Shares sold

     13,202         $769,999         20,954         $1,393,716   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

     1,666         90,774         —         —   

 Shares redeemed

     (281,875)        (16,206,613)        (342,453)        (22,253,505)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 Net decrease

      (267,007)         $(15,345,840)         (321,499)         $(20,859,789)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 Class I:

           

 Shares sold

     20,098         $1,294,720         58,053         $4,112,834   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

     413         24,694         —         —   

 Shares redeemed

      (93,867)        (5,956,913)         (113,414)        (8,439,206)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 Net decrease

     (73,356)         $(4,637,499)        (55,361)         $(4,326,372)  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

h. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND JOINT REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS

The Fund may enter into third-party and bilateral repurchase agreements for temporary cash management purposes and for reinvestment of cash collateral on securities lending transactions under the securities lending program offered by The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) (the “Securities Lending Program”) (collectively, “Repurchase Agreements”). The value of the underlying collateral, including accrued interest, must equal or exceed the value of the Repurchase Agreements during the term of the agreement. For joint repurchase agreements, the Fund participates on a pro rata basis with other clients of BNYM in its share of the underlying collateral under such joint repurchase agreements and in its share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of the underlying collateral.

The underlying collateral for all Repurchase Agreements is held by the Fund’s custodian or at the Federal Reserve Bank. If the seller defaults and the value of the collateral declines, or if bankruptcy proceedings commence with respect to the seller of the security, realization of the collateral by the Fund may be delayed or limited. Pursuant to the Securities Lending Program, the Fund is indemnified for such losses by BNYM on joint repurchase agreements.

At December 31, 2023, there are no outstanding Repurchase Agreements for the Fund.

 

 

 

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i. FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSLATION

The books and records of the Fund are maintained in U.S. Dollars. The value of investments, assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than U.S. Dollars are translated into U.S. Dollars based upon current foreign exchange rates. Purchases and sales of foreign investments, income and expenses are converted into U.S. Dollars based on currency exchange rates prevailing on the respective dates of such transactions. Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on foreign currency transactions represent: (1) foreign exchange gains and losses from the sale and holdings of foreign currencies; (2) gains and losses between trade date and settlement date on investment securities transactions and foreign currency exchange contracts; and (3) gains and losses from the difference between amounts of interest and dividends recorded and the amounts actually received.

The Fund does not isolate the net realized and unrealized gain or loss resulting from changes in exchange rates from the fluctuations in market prices of securities held. Such fluctuations are included with the net realized and unrealized gain or loss on investments.

2. AGREEMENTS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

The Trust has entered into an investment advisory agreement under which the Investment Manager, a subsidiary and the U.S. wealth platform of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (“AMG”), serves as investment manager to the Fund and is responsible for the Fund’s overall administration and operations. The Investment Manager selects and recommends, subject to the approval of the Board and, in certain circumstances, shareholders, the Fund’s subadviser and monitors the subadviser’s investment performance, security holdings and investment strategies. The Fund’s investment portfolio is managed by Veritas Asset Management LLP (“Veritas”) who serves as subadviser pursuant to a subadvisory agreement with the Investment Manager. AMG indirectly owns a majority interest in Veritas.

Investment management fees are paid directly by the Fund to the Investment Manager based on average daily net assets. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Fund paid an investment management fee at the annual rate of 0.71% of the average daily net assets of the Fund.

The fee paid to Veritas for its services as subadviser is paid out of the fee the Investment Manager receives from the Fund and does not increase the expenses of the Fund.

The Investment Manager has contractually agreed, through at least May 1, 2024, to waive management fees and/or pay or reimburse fund expenses in order to limit total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and expense reimbursements (exclusive of taxes, interest (including interest incurred in connection with bank and custody overdrafts, and in connection with securities sold short), shareholder servicing fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, dividends payable with respect to securities sold short, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) to the annual rate of 0.93% of the Fund’s average daily net assets (this annual rate or such other annual rate that may be in effect from time to time, the “Expense Cap”), subject to later reimbursement by the Fund in certain circumstances.

In general, for a period of up to 36 months after the date any amounts are paid, waived or reimbursed by the Investment Manager, the Investment Manager may recover such amounts from the Fund, provided that such repayment would not cause the Fund’s total annual operating expenses after fee waiver and expense

reimbursements (exclusive of the items noted in the parenthetical above) to exceed either (i) the Expense Cap in effect at the time such amounts were paid, waived or reimbursed, or (ii) the Expense Cap in effect at the time of such repayment by the Fund.

The contractual expense limitation may only be terminated in the event the Investment Manager or a successor ceases to be the investment manager of the Fund or a successor fund, by mutual agreement between the Investment Manager and the Board, or in the event of the Fund’s liquidation unless the Fund is reorganized or is a party to a merger in which the surviving entity is successor to the accounting and performance information of the Fund.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Investment Manager reimbursed the Fund $122,278, and did not recoup any previously reimbursed expenses. At December 31, 2023, the Fund’s expiration of reimbursements subject to recoupment is as follows:

 

 Expiration

 Period

    

 Less than 1 year

   $95,606

 1-2 years

   143,886

 2-3 years

   122,278
  

 

 Total

   $361,770
  

 

The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has entered into an amended and restated Administration Agreement under which the Investment Manager serves as the Fund’s administrator (the “Administrator”) and is responsible for certain aspects of managing the Fund’s operations, including administration and shareholder services to the Fund. The Fund pays a fee to the Administrator at the rate of 0.15% per annum of the Fund’s average daily net assets for this service.

The Fund is distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Investment Manager. The Distributor serves as the distributor and underwriter for the Fund and is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). Shares of the Fund will be continuously offered and will be sold directly to prospective purchasers and through brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries who have executed selling agreements with the Distributor. Generally, the Distributor bears all or a portion of the expenses of providing services pursuant to the distribution agreement, including the payment of the expenses relating to the distribution of prospectuses for sales purposes and any advertising or sales literature.

For Class N shares, the Board has approved reimbursement payments to the Investment Manager for shareholder servicing expenses (“shareholder servicing fees”) incurred. Shareholder servicing fees include payments to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers (including fund supermarket platforms), banks, and trust companies who provide shareholder recordkeeping, account servicing and other services. The Class N shares may reimburse the Investment Manager for the actual amount incurred up to a maximum annual rate of the Class’s average daily net assets as shown in the table below.

The impact on the annualized expense ratios for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, was as follows:

 

 

 

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     Maximum Annual
Amount
Approved
     Actual
Amount
Incurred
 

Class N

     0.25%        0.24%  

The Board provides supervision of the affairs of the Trust and other trusts within the AMG Funds Family. The Trustees of the Trust who are not affiliated with the Investment Manager receive an annual retainer and per meeting fees for regular, special and telephonic meetings, and they are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred while carrying out their duties as Board members. The Chairman of the Board and the Audit Committee Chair receive additional annual retainers. On October 10, 2023, the shareholders of the Trust elected Trustees, including two new Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Fund within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Certain Trustees and Officers of the Fund are Officers and/or Directors of the Investment Manager, AMG and/or the Distributor.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) granted an exemptive order that permits certain eligible funds in the AMG Funds Family to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other eligible funds in the AMG Funds Family. Participation in this interfund lending program is voluntary for both the borrowing and lending funds, and an interfund loan is only made if it benefits each participating fund. The Administrator manages the program according to procedures approved by the Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. An interfund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemptive order, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating funds. The interest earned and interest paid on interfund loans are included on the Statement of Operations as interest income and interest expense, respectively. At December 31, 2023, the Fund had no interfund loans outstanding.

The Fund utilized the interfund loan program during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 as follows:

 

Average
Lent
     Number
of Days
     Interest
Earned
    

Average 

Interest Rate 

 
  $2,220,805        2        $758        6.226%  
Average
Borrowed
     Number
of Days
     Interest
Paid
    

Average

Interest Rate

 
  $1,842,987        7        $1,928        5.454%  

3. PURCHASES AND SALES OF SECURITIES

Purchases and sales of securities (excluding short-term securities and U.S. Government Obligations) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, were $42,728,591 and $66,516,013, respectively.

The Fund had no purchases or sales of U.S. Government Obligations during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

4. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES LOANED

The Fund participates in the Securities Lending Program providing for the lending of securities to qualified borrowers. Securities lending income includes earnings of such temporary cash investments, plus or minus any rebate to a borrower. These earnings (after any rebate) are then divided between BNYM, as a fee for its services under the Securities Lending Program, and the Fund, according to agreed-upon rates. Collateral on all securities loaned is accepted in cash, U.S. Treasury Obligations or U.S. Government Agency Obligations. Collateral is

maintained at a minimum level of 102% (105% in the case of certain foreign securities) of the market value, plus interest, if applicable, of investments on loan. It is the Fund’s policy to obtain additional collateral from or return excess collateral to the borrower by the end of the next business day, following the valuation date of the securities loaned. Therefore, the value of the collateral held may be temporarily less than the value of the securities on loan. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to the Fund if and to the extent that the market value of the securities loaned were to increase and the borrower did not increase the collateral accordingly, and the borrower fails to return the securities. Under the terms of the Securities Lending Program, the Fund is indemnified for such losses by BNYM. Cash collateral is held in separate omnibus accounts managed by BNYM, who is authorized to exclusively enter into joint repurchase agreements for that cash collateral. Securities collateral is held in separate omnibus accounts managed by BNYM and cannot be sold or pledged. BNYM bears the risk of any deficiency in the amount of the cash collateral available for return to the borrower due to any loss on the collateral invested. Loans of securities are terminable at any time and the borrower, after notice, is required to return borrowed securities as soon as practical, which is normally within three business days.

The Fund did not have any securities on loan at December 31, 2023.

5. FOREIGN SECURITIES

The Fund invests in securities of foreign entities and in instruments denominated in foreign currencies which involve risks not typically associated with investments in domestic securities, such as exposure to currency fluctuations, less developed or less efficient trading markets, political instability, a lack of company information, differing auditing and legal standards, and, potentially, less liquidity. The Fund’s investments in emerging market countries are exposed to additional risks. The Fund’s performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting companies in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries generally have economic structures that are less diverse and mature, and political systems that are less stable, than those of developed countries. Realized gains in certain countries may be subject to foreign taxes at the Fund level and the Fund would pay such foreign taxes at the appropriate rate for each jurisdiction.

6. GEOGRAPHIC FOCUS RISK

As the Fund invests a significant portion of its net assets in India and the Greater China region, which consists of the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”), Hong Kong, and Taiwan, among other countries, the Fund is particularly susceptible to economic, political, regulatory or other events or conditions of those countries. Therefore, the Fund’s NAV may be more volatile than the NAV of a more geographically diversified fund and may result in losses.

The Indian government has exercised and continues to exercise significant influence over many aspects of the economy. Government actions, bureaucratic obstacles and inconsistent economic reform within the Indian government have had a significant effect on its economy and could adversely affect market conditions, economic growth and the profitability of private enterprises in India. Global factors and foreign actions may inhibit the flow of foreign capital on which India is dependent to sustain its growth. Large portions of many Indian companies remain in the hands of their founders (including members of their families). Corporate governance standards of family-controlled companies may be weaker and less transparent, which increases the potential for loss and unequal treatment of investors. India experiences many of the risks associated with developing economies, including relatively low levels of liquidity, which may result in extreme

 

 

 

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volatility in the prices of Indian securities. Religious, cultural and military disputes persist in India, and between India and Pakistan (as well as sectarian groups within each country).

Economies in the Greater China region are dependent on the economies of other countries and can be significantly affected by currency fluctuations and increasing competition from other emerging economies in Asia with lower costs. Adverse events in any one country within the region may impact the other countries in the region or Asia as a whole. Markets in the Greater China region can experience significant volatility due to social, economic, regulatory and political uncertainties. Significant portions of the Chinese securities markets may become rapidly illiquid, as Chinese issuers have the ability to suspend the trading of their equity securities and have shown a willingness to exercise that option in response to market volatility and other events. U.S. or foreign government restrictions or intervention could negatively affect the implementation of the Fund’s investment strategies, for example by precluding the Fund from making certain investments or causing the Fund to sell investments at disadvantageous times. China has yet to develop comprehensive securities, corporate, or commercial laws, its market is relatively new and less developed, and its economy may be adversely impacted by a slowdown in export growth. Additionally, the Fund invests in China A-Shares through Stock Connect and is subject to sudden changes in quota limitations, application of trading suspensions, differences in trading days between the PRC and Stock Connect, operational risk, clearing and settlement risk, and regulatory and taxation risk.

7. PARTICIPATION NOTES

The Fund invests in P-Notes to gain exposure to issuers in India. P-Notes are a type of equity-linked derivative that are traded in the over-the-counter market and constitute general unsecured contractual obligations of the banks or broker-dealers that issue them. Generally, banks and broker-dealers associated with non-U.S.-based brokerage firms buy securities listed on certain foreign exchanges and then issue P-Notes which are designed to replicate the performance of those underlying foreign securities. The performance results of P-Notes will not replicate exactly the performance of the issuers or markets that the P-Notes seek to replicate due to dividends paid in connection with the underlying security, transaction costs and other expenses. The Fund’s investment in P-Notes is susceptible to similar risks of the underlying security, but typically the Fund does not receive voting or other rights as it would if the Fund directly owned the underlying security. Additionally, P-Notes entail the risks that the counterparties or issuers of the P-Notes may not be able to fulfill their obligations, that the Fund and counterparties or issuers may disagree as to the meaning or application of contractual terms, and/or that the P-Notes may not perform as expected. Although P-Notes may be listed on an exchange, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist or that the counterparties or issuers of P-Notes will be willing to repurchase such instrument when the Fund wishes to sell it.

8. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Under the Trust’s organizational documents, its Trustees and Officers are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties

to the Trust. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts and agreements that contain a variety of representations and warranties, which provide general indemnifications. The maximum exposure to the Fund under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the Fund had no prior claims or losses and expects the risks of loss to be remote.

9. CREDIT AGREEMENT

Effective April 12, 2023, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund and another fund in the Trust, became party to a Credit Agreement among BNYM, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds IV (together with the Trust and AMG Funds II, the “Participating Trusts”) (the “Credit Agreement”) that provided a revolving line of credit of up to $50 million to certain funds in the Participating Trusts (such funds, the “Participating Funds”). On December 31, 2023, the Credit Agreement was terminated. The facility was shared by the Participating Funds, and was available for temporary, emergency purposes including liquidity needs in meeting redemptions. The interest rate on outstanding Alternate Base Rate Loans was equal to the greater of the Prime Rate plus 1.25%, or 0.50% plus the Federal Funds Effective Rate plus 1.25%. The interest rate on outstanding Overnight Loans was equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate plus 1.25%, or the Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR plus 1.25%. The aforementioned Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR was the sum of Daily Simple SOFR plus 0.10% plus a floor rate of 0.00%. The Participating Funds paid a commitment fee on the unutilized commitment amount of 0.175% per annum, which was allocated to the Participating Funds based on average daily net assets and is included in miscellaneous expense on the Participating Funds’ Statement of Operations. Interest incurred on loans utilized, if any, is included in the Statement of Operations as interest expense.

The Fund did not utilize the line of credit during the period April 12, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

10. MASTER NETTING AGREEMENTS

The Fund may enter into master netting agreements with its counterparties for the Securities Lending Program and Repurchase Agreements, which provide the right, in the event of default (including bankruptcy or insolvency) for the non-defaulting party to liquidate the collateral and calculate net exposure to the defaulting party or request additional collateral. For financial reporting purposes, the Fund does not offset financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to master netting agreements in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. For securities lending transactions, see Note 4. At December 31, 2023, the Fund had no Repurchase Agreements outstanding.

11. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Fund has determined that no material events or transactions occurred through the issuance date of the Fund’s financial statements which require an additional disclosure in or adjustment of the Fund’s financial statements.

 

 

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 
 
 

 

To the Board of Trustees of AMG Funds III and Shareholders of AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities, including the schedule of portfolio investments, of AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund (one of the funds constituting AMG Funds III, referred to hereafter as the “Fund”) as of December 31, 2023, the related statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2023 (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of December 31, 2023, the results of its operations for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023 and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period ended December 31, 2023 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2023 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

February 27, 2024

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the AMG Funds Family since 1993.

 

 

 

23


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Other Information (unaudited)

 
 
 

 

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund hereby designates the maximum amount allowable of its net taxable income as qualified dividends as provided in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. The 2023 Form 1099-DIV you receive for the Fund will show the tax status of all distributions paid to you during the year.

In accordance with federal tax law, AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund elects to provide foreign taxes paid and the income sourced from foreign countries. Accordingly, AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund hereby makes the following designations regarding its taxable period ended December 31, 2023:

LOGO The total amount of taxes paid and income sourced from foreign countries was $126,892 and $1,772,135, respectively.

Pursuant to section 852 of the Internal Revenue Code, AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund hereby designates $0 as a capital gain distribution with respect to the taxable year ended December 31, 2023, or if subsequently determined to be different, the net capital gains of such fiscal year.

 

 

 

PROXY VOTE

A special meeting of the shareholders of AMG Funds III (the “Trust”) was held on October 10, 2023, to vote on proposals to elect trustees to the Board of Trustees of the Trust and to amend certain fundamental restrictions of AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund (the “Fund”). With respect to the proposal to amend certain fundamental restrictions of the Fund, the meeting was adjourned to October 31, 2023 and to November 21, 2023. Jill R. Cuniff, Kurt A. Keilhacker, Peter W. MacEwen, Steven J. Paggioli, Eric Rakowski, Victoria L. Sassine and Garret W. Weston were elected by shareholders at the special meeting on October 10, 2023. Bruce B. Bingham, an incumbent Trustee, served as a Trustee of the Trust until his retirement on December 31, 2023. The proposals and results of the votes are described below.

 

 AMG Funds III  

All Funds in Trust*

 
 Election of Trustees 1        For             Withheld    

 Jill R. Cuniff

       16,176,146           1,292,448    

 Kurt A. Keilhacker

       16,195,091           1,273,503    

 Peter W. MacEwen

 

     16,181,186                   1,287,408    

 Steven J. Paggioli

       16,171,262           1,297,332    

 Eric Rakowski

       16,234,882           1,233,712    

 Victoria L. Sassine

       16,232,798           1,235,796    

 Garret W. Weston

       16,302,659           1,165,935    

 

   

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund*

 
 To approve the amendment of the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions      For      Against      Abstain     

Broker  

Non-Vote  

 

 Borrowing

       667,491        59,731        81,349        171,763    

 Issuing Senior Securities

       664,454        62,340        81,777        171,763    

1 Ms. Cuniff and Mr. MacEwen were newly elected to the Boards of Trustees on October 10, 2023; Messrs. Keilhacker, Paggioli, Rakowski, and Weston and Ms. Sassine are incumbent Trustees.

* Rounded to the nearest share.

 

 

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AMG Funds

Trustees and Officers

 
 
 

 

The Trustees and Officers of the Trust, their business addresses, principal occupations for the past five years and ages are listed below. The Trustees provide broad supervision over the affairs of the Trust and the Fund. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the Fund’s activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Fund, and   

review the Fund’s performance. Unless otherwise noted, the address of each Trustee or Officer is the address of the Trust: 680 Washington Blvd., Suite 500, Stamford, CT. 06901.

 

There is no stated term of office for Trustees. Trustees serve until their resignation, retirement or removal in accordance with the Trust’s organizational documents and policies adopted by the Board from time to time.

   The Chairman of the Board, the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary and such other Officers as the Trustees may in their discretion from time to time elect each hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each Officer holds office at the pleasure of the Trustees.

 

Independent Trustees

The following Trustees are not “interested persons” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act:

Number of Funds Overseen in

Fund Complex

   Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Other Directorships Held by
Trustee
 

• Trustee since 2012

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Bruce B. Bingham, 75*

Partner, Hamilton Partners (real estate development firm) (1987-Present); Director of The Yacktman Funds, Inc. (2 portfolios) (2000-2012).

 

• Trustee since 2023

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Jill R. Cuniff, 59**

Director of Harding, Loevner Funds, Inc. (12 portfolios) (2018-Present); Retired (2016-Present); President & Portfolio Manager, Edge Asset Management (2009-2016); President & Chief Investment Officer, Morley Financial Services (2001-2009); President, Union Bond & Trust Company (2001-2009).

 

• Trustee since 2013

• Chairman of the Audit Committee since 2021

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Kurt A. Keilhacker, 60

Managing Partner, Elementum Ventures (2013-Present); Managing Partner, TechFund Europe (2000-Present); Managing Partner, TechFund Capital (1997-Present); Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco (2022-Present); Trustee, Wheaton College (2018-Present); Director, Wheaton College Trust Company, N.A. (2018-Present).

 

• Trustee since 2023

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Peter W. MacEwen, 59**

Private investor (2019-Present); Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (2003-2018): Chief Administrative Officer, Office of the CEO (2013-2018); Senior Vice President, Finance (2007-2013); Vice President, Finance (2003-2007).

 

• Trustee since 1993

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Steven J. Paggioli, 73

Independent Consultant (2002-Present); Trustee, Professionally Managed Portfolios (28 portfolios); Independent Director, Muzinich BDC, Inc. (business development company) (2019-Present); Director, The Wadsworth Group; Independent Director, Chase Investment Counsel (2008–2019); Executive Vice President, Secretary and Director, Investment Company Administration, LLC and First Fund Distributors, INC. (1990-2001).

 

• Independent Chairman of the Board of Trustees since 2017

• Chairman of the Governance Committee since 2017

• Trustee since 1999

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Eric Rakowski, 65

Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley School of Law (1990-Present); Tax Attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell and clerked for Judge Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and for Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court; Trustee of Parnassus Funds (4 portfolios) (2021-Present); Trustee of Parnassus Income Funds (2 portfolios) (2021-Present); Director of Harding, Loevner Funds, Inc. (10 portfolios); Trustee of Third Avenue Trust (3 portfolios) (2002-2019); Trustee of Third Avenue Variable Trust (1 portfolio) (2002-2019).

 

• Trustee since 2013

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Victoria L. Sassine, 58

Adjunct Professor, Babson College (2007–Present); Director, Board of Directors, PRG Group (2017-Present); CEO, Founder, Scale Smarter Partners, LLC (2018-Present); Adviser, EVOFEM Biosciences (2019-Present); Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Business Management Associates (2018-2019).

*Mr. Bingham retired from the Board of Trustees of AMG Funds III on December 31, 2023.

**Ms. Cuniff and Mr. MacEwen were elected to the Board of Trustees by the shareholders of AMG Funds III on October 10, 2023.

 

 

25


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG Funds

 

Trustees and Officers (continued)

 
 
 

 

Interested Trustee

The Trustee in the following table is an “interested person” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act.

Number of Funds Overseen in

Fund Complex

   Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Other Directorships Held by
Trustee
 

• Trustee since 2021

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Garret W. Weston, 42

Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (2008-Present): Managing Director, Head of Affiliate Product Strategy and Development (2023-Present), Managing Director, Co-Head of Affiliate Engagement, Distribution (2021-2022), Senior Vice President, Office of the CEO (2019-2021), Senior Vice President, Affiliate Development (2016-2019), Vice President, Office of the CEO (2015-2016), Vice President, New Investments (2008-2015); Associate, Madison Dearborn Partners (2006-2008); Analyst, Merrill Lynch (2004-2006).

 

 

Officers

    

 Position(s) Held with Fund and

 Length of Time Served

   Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years
 

• President since 2018

• Principal Executive Officer since 2018

• Chief Executive Officer since 2018

• Chief Operating Officer since 2007

  

Keitha L. Kinne, 65

Managing Director, Head of Platform and Operations, AMG Funds LLC (2023-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2007-Present); Chief Investment Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2008-Present); President and Principal, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2018-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2007-Present); President, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2018-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds III (2007-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Funds IV (2016-Present); Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Aston Asset Management, LLC (2016); President and Principal Executive Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II and AMG Funds III (2012-2014); Managing Partner, AMG Funds LLC (2007-2014); President and Principal, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2012-2014); Managing Director, Legg Mason & Co., LLC (2006-2007); Managing Director, Citigroup Asset Management (2004-2006).

 

• Secretary since 2015

• Chief Legal Officer since 2015

  

Mark J. Duggan, 58

Managing Director and Senior Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2021-Present); Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2015-2021); Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2015-Present); Attorney, K&L Gates, LLP (2009-2015).

 

• Chief Financial Officer since 2017

• Treasurer since 2017

• Principal Financial Officer since 2017

• Principal Accounting Officer since 2017

  

Thomas G. Disbrow, 57

Vice President, Mutual Fund Treasurer & CFO, AMG Funds, AMG Funds LLC (2017-Present); Chief Financial Officer, Principal Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2017-Present); Managing Director - Global Head of Traditional Funds Product Control, UBS Asset Management (Americas), Inc. (2015-2017); Managing Director - Head of North American Funds Treasury, UBS Asset Management (Americas), Inc. (2011-2015).

 

• Deputy Treasurer since 2017

  

John A. Starace, 53

Vice President, Mutual Fund Accounting, AMG Funds LLC (2021-Present); Director, Mutual Fund Accounting, AMG Funds LLC (2017-2021); Vice President, Deputy Treasurer of Mutual Funds Services, AMG Funds LLC (2014-2017); Deputy Treasurer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2017-Present); Vice President, Citi Hedge Fund Services (2010-2014); Audit Senior Manager (2005-2010) and Audit Manager (2001-2005), Deloitte & Touche LLP.

 

• Chief Compliance Officer and Sarbanes-Oxley Code of Ethics Compliance Officer since 2019

• Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer since 2022

  

Patrick J. Spellman, 49

Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2017-Present); Chief Compliance Officer, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2010-Present); Chief Compliance Officer and Sarbanes-Oxley Code of Ethics Compliance Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2019-Present); Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds III (2014-2019; 2022-Present); Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, AMG Funds IV (2016-2019; 2022-Present); Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2011-2017); Compliance Manager, Legal and Compliance, Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (2005-2011).

 

• Assistant Secretary since 2016

  

Maureen M. Kerrigan, 38

Vice President, Senior Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2021-Present); Vice President, Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2019-2021); Director, Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2017-2018); Vice President, Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2015-2017); Assistant Secretary, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2016-Present); Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP (2011-2015); Law Fellow, Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (2010-2011).

 

 

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LOGO

 

 

INVESTMENT MANAGER AND ADMINISTRATOR

 

AMG Funds LLC

680 Washington Blvd., Suite 500

Stamford, CT 06901

800.548.4539

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

AMG Distributors, Inc.

680 Washington Blvd., Suite 500

Stamford, CT 06901

800.548.4539

 

SUBADVISER

 

Veritas Asset Management LLP

1 Smart’s Place

London, WC2B 5LW

 

CUSTODIAN

 

The Bank of New York Mellon

Mutual Funds Custody

6023 Airport Road

Oriskany, NY 13424

    

LEGAL COUNSEL

 

Ropes & Gray LLP

Prudential Tower, 800 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02199-3600

 

TRANSFER AGENT

 

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc. AMG Funds

Attn: 534426 AIM 154-0520

500 Ross Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15262

800.548.4539

    

This report is prepared for the Fund’s shareholders. It is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus. To receive a free copy of the prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, which includes additional information about Fund Trustees, please contact us by calling 800.548.4539. Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

Current net asset values per share for the Fund are available on the Fund’s website at wealth.amg.com.

 

A description of the policies and procedures the Fund uses to vote its proxies is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 800.548.4539, or (ii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) website at sec.gov. For information regarding the Fund’s proxy voting record for the 12-month period ended June 30, call 800.548.4539 or visit the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s portfolio holdings on Form N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov and the Fund’s website at wealth.amg.com. To review a complete list of the Fund’s portfolio holdings, or to view the most recent semi-annual report or annual report, please visit wealth.amg.com.

           

 

 

 

 

wealth.amg.com      


Table of Contents

LOGO

 

 

EQUITY FUNDS

AMG Beutel Goodman International Equity

Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd.

 

AMG Boston Common Global Impact

Boston Common Asset Management, LLC

 

AMG Frontier Small Cap Growth

Frontier Capital Management Co., LLC

 

AMG GW&K Small Cap Core

AMG GW&K Small Cap Value

AMG GW&K Small/Mid Cap Core

AMG GW&K Small/Mid Cap Growth

AMG GW&K International Small Cap

GW&K Investment Management, LLC

 

AMG Montrusco Bolton Large Cap Growth

Montrusco Bolton Investments, Inc.

 

AMG Renaissance Large Cap Growth

The Renaissance Group LLC

    

AMG River Road Dividend All Cap Value

AMG River Road Focused Absolute Value

AMG River Road Large Cap Value Select

AMG River Road Mid Cap Value

AMG River Road Small-Mid Cap Value

AMG River Road Small Cap Value

River Road Asset Management, LLC

 

AMG TimesSquare Emerging Markets Small Cap

AMG TimesSquare Global Small Cap

AMG TimesSquare International Small Cap

AMG TimesSquare Mid Cap Growth

AMG TimesSquare Small Cap Growth

TimesSquare Capital Management, LLC

 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific

AMG Veritas China

AMG Veritas Global Focus

AMG Veritas Global Real Return

Veritas Asset Management LLP

 

AMG Yacktman

AMG Yacktman Focused

AMG Yacktman Global

AMG Yacktman Special Opportunities

Yacktman Asset Management LP

    

FIXED INCOME FUNDS

AMG Beutel Goodman Core Plus Bond

Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd.

 

AMG GW&K Core Bond ESG

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG

AMG GW&K ESG Bond

AMG GW&K High Income

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield

GW&K Investment Management, LLC

             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             

 

 

 

 

 

wealth.amg.com    123123    AR078


Table of Contents
LOGO   

ANNUAL REPORT

 

 

 

 

 

    

AMG Funds

 

December 31, 2023

 
    

 

LOGO

 
     AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund
 
     Class N: MGFIX  | Class I: MGBIX
 
     AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund
 
     Class N: MFDAX | Class I: MFDSX | Class Z: MFDYX
 
     AMG GW&K High Income Fund
 
     Class N: MGGBX | Class I: GWHIX
 
     AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund
 
     Class N: GWMTX | Class I: GWMIX
 
     AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund
 
     Class N: GWMNX | Class I: GWMEX | Class Z: GWMZX
 
    
 
    

 

 

 

 

 

    

 wealth.amg.com     

 

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Table of Contents


Table of Contents
    

AMG Funds

Annual Report — December 31, 2023

 

 

 
      
     TABLE OF CONTENTS    PAGE  
   

 

 
   

LETTER TO SHAREHOLDERS

     2  
 
   

ABOUT YOUR FUND’S EXPENSES

     3  
 
    PORTFOLIO MANAGER’S COMMENTS, FUND SNAPSHOTS AND SCHEDULES OF PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS   
 
   

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

     4  
 
   

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

     14  
 
   

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

     23  
 
   

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

     30  
 
   

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

     40  
 
    FINANCIAL STATEMENTS   
 
   

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

     48  
 
   

Balance sheets, net asset value (NAV) per share computations
and cumulative distributable earnings (loss)

  
 
   

Statement of Operations

     50  
 
   

Detail of sources of income, expenses, and realized and
unrealized gains (losses) during the fiscal year

  
 
   

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

     51  
 
   

Detail of changes in assets for the past two fiscal years

  
 
   

Financial Highlights

     53  
 
   

Historical net asset values per share, distributions, total returns, income
and expense ratios, turnover ratios and net assets

  
 
   

Notes to Financial Statements

     65  
 
   

Accounting and distribution policies, details of agreements and
transactions with Fund management and affiliates, and descriptions of
certain investment risks

  
 
    REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM      74  
 
    OTHER INFORMATION      75  
 
    TRUSTEES AND OFFICERS      77  
      

Nothing contained herein is to be considered an offer, sale or solicitation of an offer to buy shares of any series of the AMG Funds Family of Funds. Such offering is made only by prospectus, which includes details as to offering price and other material information.

 

 

 


Table of Contents
LOGO   Letter to Shareholders
 
 
 

 

Dear Shareholder:

We are pleased to provide this annual report for your investment with AMG Funds. Our foremost goal is to provide investment solutions that help our shareholders successfully achieve their long-term investment goals. We appreciate the privilege of providing you with investment tools.

Throughout most of the year, markets wrestled with uncertainties around tighter monetary policy, increased geopolitical tension, instability in the regional banking sector, and political handwringing over the U.S. debt ceiling. However, investors remained optimistic for an economic “soft landing” as inflation continued to ease and risk assets finally surged in the fourth quarter following a dovish pivot in the U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) policy. Bonds finished with a positive return; a remarkable development after struggling to move higher for most of the year as global central banks raised interest rates.

The S&P 500® Index gained 26.29% for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, fully recouping losses suffered in 2022. Large-cap stocks diverged from small-cap stocks, particularly driven by a handful of mega-cap technology and consumer discretionary stocks. The Russell 1000® Index gained 26.53% compared to the 16.93% return for the Russell 2000® Index. Nine out of eleven sectors posted positive returns, with information technology (60.93%), communication services (55.86%), and consumer discretionary (43.22%) leading the way. The weakest sectors were utilities (-7.08%), energy (-1.33%), and consumer staples (+0.55%). The strength in information technology drove growth stocks to strongly outperform value stocks with the Russell 1000® Growth Index gaining 42.68% compared to a 11.46% return for the Russell 1000® Value Index. Outside the U.S., foreign equity markets underperformed domestic equities, delivering a 15.62% return, as measured by the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA benchmark.

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, a broad measure of U.S. bond market performance, rebounded with a 5.53% return over the period. The 10-year Treasury yield climbed to post-GFC (Global Financial Crisis) highs through October as the Fed tightened policy throughout the year, leading many to expect another year of negative bond returns. However, investors received much needed relief as interest rates fell sharply in the final two months of the year following the Fed’s message signaling rate cuts in 2024. Looking across the broadest sectors of the market, investment-grade corporate bonds gained 8.52% for the year, while agency mortgage-backed securities rose 5.05%. High yield bonds were the best performing sector with a 13.44% return as measured by the return of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index. Municipal bonds outperformed the broader market with a 6.40% gain for the Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index. Outside the U.S., foreign bonds were also positive as the Bloomberg Global Aggregate ex-USD Index gained 5.72%.

 

 

AMG Funds provides access to a distinctive array of actively managed return-oriented investment strategies. You can rest assured that under all market conditions our team is focused on delivering excellent investment management services for your benefit. For more information about AMG Funds’ wide range of products and resources, please visit wealth.amg.com. We thank you for your investment and continued trust in AMG Funds.

Respectfully,

 

LOGO

 

Keitha Kinne
President
AMG Funds

 

        Periods ended  
Average Annual Total Returns   December 31, 2023*  
Stocks:        1 Year     3 Years     5 Years  

Large Cap

  (S&P 500® Index)     26.29     10.00     15.69

Small Cap

  (Russell 2000® Index)     16.93     2.22     9.97

International

  (MSCI ACWI ex USA)     15.62     1.55     7.08

Bonds:

                           

Investment Grade

  (Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index)     5.53     (3.31 )%      1.10

High Yield

  (Bloomberg U.S. Corporate High Yield Bond Index)     13.44     1.98     5.37

Tax-exempt

  (Bloomberg Municipal Bond Index)     6.40     (0.40 )%      2.25

Treasury Bills

  (ICE BofAML U.S. 6-Month Treasury Bill Index)     5.14     2.17     2.02

*Source: FactSet. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

 

About Your Fund’s Expenses

 
 
 

 

As a shareholder of a Fund, you may incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, which may include sales charges (loads) on purchase payments; redemption fees; and exchange fees; and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Fund expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds. The example is based on $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

 

ACTUAL EXPENSES

 

The first section of the following table provides information about the actual account values and

    

actual expenses. You may use the information in this section, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first section under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During the Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period.

 

HYPOTHETICAL EXAMPLE FOR COMPARISON PURPOSES

 

The second section of the following table provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Fund’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Fund’s

    

actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Fund and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds.

 

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), redemption fees, or exchange fees. Therefore, the second section of the table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds.

         

 

 

 

 Six Months Ended

 December 31, 2023

   Expense
Ratio for
the Period
  Beginning
Account
Value
07/01/23
   Ending
Account
Value
12/31/23
     Expenses
Paid
During
the Period*

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

Based on Actual Fund Return

Class N

   0.68%   $1,000      $1,037      $3.49

Class I

   0.48%   $1,000      $1,038      $2.47

Based on Hypothetical 5% Annual Return

Class N

   0.68%   $1,000      $1,022      $3.47

Class I

   0.48%   $1,000      $1,023      $2.45

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

Based on Actual Fund Return

Class N

   0.73%   $1,000      $1,033      $3.74

Class I

   0.56%   $1,000      $1,032      $2.87

Class Z

   0.48%   $1,000      $1,034      $2.46

Based on Hypothetical 5% Annual Return

Class N

   0.73%   $1,000      $1,022      $3.72

Class I

   0.56%   $1,000      $1,022      $2.85

Class Z

   0.48%   $1,000      $1,023      $2.45

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

Based on Actual Fund Return

Class N

   0.84%   $1,000      $1,053      $4.35

Class I

   0.64%   $1,000      $1,054      $3.31

Based on Hypothetical 5% Annual Return

Class N

   0.84%   $1,000      $1,021      $4.28

Class I

   0.64%   $1,000      $1,022      $3.26

 

 Six Months Ended

 December 31, 2023

   Expense
Ratio for
the Period
  Beginning
Account
Value
07/01/23
   Ending
Account
Value
12/31/23
     Expenses
Paid
During
the Period*

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

Based on Actual Fund Return

Class N

   0.72%   $1,000      $1,037      $3.70

Class I

   0.39%   $1,000      $1,039      $2.00

Based on Hypothetical 5% Annual Return

Class N

   0.72%   $1,000      $1,022      $3.67

Class I

   0.39%   $1,000      $1,023      $1.99

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

Based on Actual Fund Return

Class N

   0.99%   $1,000      $1,044      $5.10

Class I

   0.64%   $1,000      $1,046      $3.30

Class Z

   0.59%   $1,000      $1,046      $3.04

Based on Hypothetical 5% Annual Return

Class N

   0.99%   $1,000      $1,020      $5.04

Class I

   0.64%   $1,000      $1,022      $3.26

Class Z

   0.59%   $1,000      $1,022      $3.01

 

 *

Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by the number of days in the most recent fiscal half-year (184), then divided by 365.

 

 

 

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AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (unaudited)

 
 
 

 

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund Class N (the “Fund”) shares returned 6.69% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with the 5.53% return for its current benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (the “Index”).

 

MARKET OVERVIEW

 

The fixed income market experienced a solid rally in the first quarter of 2023, rebounding from its worst year on record. Much of the period saw a continuation of the tension that drove trading in 2022: inflation continued to slow, but at a glacial pace; a moribund housing market and downbeat consumer had yet to manifest as a slowdown in spending; and a record pace of rate hikes was unable to cool a stubbornly hot labor market. Investors also struggled to anticipate the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (the “Fed) reaction function amid the various crosscurrents, while Chair Powell’s commentary offered few concrete insights beyond a firm resolve and data dependence. But the narrative shifted abruptly in the final weeks, as signs of systemic instability flared up amid a flurry of bank failures. The implications of this turmoil for financial conditions were not yet evident, but the stress in the banking sector was a complicating factor for both the Fed and the bond market.

 

The market posted a small loss in the second quarter, giving back a portion of the banking crisis-inspired rally that occurred in the closing days of March. Sentiment was cautious at the outset and investors sought haven assets on the possibility of contagion in the financial sector. But as it became clear that fallout from the failure of several regional lenders was likely to be contained, attention returned to the underlying strength of the economy and the stubborn persistence of inflation. The labor market gave only the slightest indications of softening, the buoyant housing sector continued to defy higher mortgage rates, and consumer spending once again proved irrepressible. Inflation showed limited progress on its path lower, plateauing at a level solidly above the Fed’s 2% target. Against this backdrop, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) endeavored to maintain restrictive financial conditions by raising rates and providing hawkish guidance. There was nevertheless scant evidence of the Fed’s success in curbing aggregate demand away from some narrow segments of the commercial real estate and consumer finance markets.

 

Fixed income markets posted a significant loss in the third quarter that more than offset the gains achieved in the first half of the year. The

      

higher-for-longer Fed narrative increasingly took center stage, driven by a surprisingly resilient economy, surging oil prices, and inflation that persisted well above the Fed’s 2% target. While there were subtle signs that the labor market and consumer credit metrics might be softening, the unemployment rate remained near cycle lows and the consumer continued to spend robustly. The undeniably strong cadence of the economy left economists upgrading their third-quarter GDP growth estimates and recharging optimism for a soft landing. Fed officials held rates steady at the September FOMC meeting, but thwarted hopes for a pivot by signaling the possibility of one more hike during the year and projecting less easing in 2024/2025.

 

The market experienced an extraordinary rally in the fourth quarter on elevated odds of an economic soft landing and dovish signals from the Fed. The strong performance was a sharp reversal from the prior quarter, which briefly raised the specter of an unprecedented third consecutive annual loss for the bond market. Sentiment was bolstered first by news that the US Treasury’s borrowing needs were lower than feared and then lifted further by a series of upbeat economic readings and moderating price pressure. The final stage of the rally was powered by the arrival of the long-awaited Fed pivot, which left little doubt that the hiking cycle had concluded. Both the rates market and credit swiftly repriced to reflect a more rapid series of cuts and narrower risk premia, lifting asset prices across the board, and broadly easing financial conditions.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The Fund outperformed the Index for 2023. The Fund’s overweight to spread product was the main driver of outperformance, particularly the overweight to Corporates. Our out-of-benchmark allocation to high yield Corporates and overweight to lower rated investment grade Corporates were also significant positive contributors along with our overweight to Taxable Municipals. The Fund also benefited from its underweight to, and allocation within, Securitized. This was offset somewhat by modestly negative security selection within BBB-rated Corporates, particularly within the communications, basic industry, and banking sectors. The effects from duration and yield curve were muted given our general neutral positioning.

 

The corporate bond market remains in a transition period with respect to ESG and sustainability. Many companies have set sustainability targets and are

 

      

now shifting into the implementation phase, at times supported by public funds and incentives. However, higher inflation and increased regulatory costs of reporting have kept progress slow. Still, despite a sometimes-downbeat portrayal in media, investors continue to show a strong interest in ESG and sustainability, with fund flows and ESG bond issuance remaining roughly steady from last year. 2024 promises to be another important year for global ESG topics with many important regions poised for elections that could have a meaningful impact on the direction of ESG initiatives globally. Overall, we believe ESG and sustainability concerns will remain key issues for both companies and investors in the coming year. We continue to integrate ESG as a core part of our fundamental investment process and will closely monitor regulatory and policy actions that could influence the ESG investing landscape.

 

OUTLOOK

 

After a brief period in the second quarter that saw the bond market converge with the Fed’s dot plot, a rift has once again formed. The Fed projects three rate cuts in 2024 while the Fed Funds futures market expects more than six. Similarly, the persistent inversion of the yield curve suggests the bond market is pricing in elevated odds of a recession, while the Fed’s median projections don’t see Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth falling below 1.4%. The inversion of the yield curve seems less likely to persist indefinitely, especially if rates normalize into a soft landing.

 

A soft landing would provide a favorable backdrop for corporate fundamentals. By creating conditions that allow the Fed to cut rates, it would both support topline growth and promote favorable liquidity conditions, thereby easing future refinancing needs. It would also be constructive on a technical basis, given it would enhance the appeal of spread product. Valuations at current levels are less appealing, with breakevens versus Treasuries at the lower end of their historical range and leaving little room for error. As such, we believe this backdrop supports a neutral view of credit. Within the space, we favor names with defensive operating and financial metrics, given that investors do not seem to be assigning a meaningful discount to riskier business profiles. Within the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) space, we see a continued interest from banks helping support demand as valuations

         

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

edge closer to long-term averages. We continue to favor seasoned, high-coupon pools that offer higher carry and better convexity profiles.

 

The views expressed represent the opinions of GW&K Investment Management, LLC as of December 31, 2023, and are not intended as a forecast or guarantee of future results, and are subject to change without notice.

             

 

 

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AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN PERFORMANCE

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund’s cumulative total return is based on the daily change in net asset value (NAV), and assumes that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. The graph compares a hypothetical $10,000 investment made in the AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund’s Class N shares on December 31, 2013, to a $10,000 investment made in the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index for the same time period. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on a Fund distribution or redemption of shares. The listed returns for the Fund are net of expenses and the returns for the index exclude expenses. Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.

 

LOGO

The table below shows the average annual total returns for the AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index for the same time periods ended December 31, 2023.

 

     One     Five     Ten  
 Average Annual Total Returns1    Year     Years     Years  

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23

 

Class N

     6.69     1.75     2.21

Class I

     6.85     1.96     2.37

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index24

     5.53     1.10     1.81

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. For performance information through the most recent month end, current net asset values per share for the Fund and other information, please call 800.548.4539 or visit our website at wealth.amg.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before investing or sending money.

Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

1 

Total return equals income yield plus share price change and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns are net of fees and may reflect offsets of Fund expenses as described in the prospectus. No adjustment has been made for taxes payable by shareholders on their reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The listed returns on the Fund are net of expenses and based on the published NAV as of December 31, 2023. All returns are in U.S. Dollars($).

 

2 

As of March 19, 2021, the Fund’s Subadviser was changed to GW&K Investment Management, LLC. Prior to

   March 19, 2021, the Fund was known as the AMG Managers Loomis Sayles Bond Fund and had different principal investment strategies and corresponding risks. Performance shown for periods prior to March 19, 2021, reflects the performance and investment strategies of the Fund’s previous Subadviser, Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. The Fund’s past performance would have been different if the Fund were managed by the current Subadviser and strategy, and the Fund’s prior performance record might be less pertinent for investors considering whether to purchase shares of the Fund.

 

3 From time to time, the Fund’s Investment Manager has waived fees and/or absorbed Fund expenses, which has resulted in higher returns.

 

4 Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including economic, political, or market conditions, or other factors including terrorism, war, natural disasters and the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including epidemics or pandemics, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

 

5 The Fund may not be able to dispose of particular investments, such as illiquid securities, readily at favorable times or prices or the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

 

6 Because the Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, security selection or focus on securities in a particular style, market sector or group of companies may cause the Fund to incur losses or underperform relative to its benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. There can be no guarantee that the Subadviser’s investment techniques and risk analysis will produce the desired result.

 

7 The value of a debt security changes in response to various factors, including, for example, market-related factors, such as changes in interest rates or changes in the actual or perceived ability of an issuer to meet its obligations. Investments in debt securities are subject to, among other risks, credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and liquidity risk.

 

8 Fixed coupon payments (cash flows) of bonds and debt securities may become less competitive with the market in periods of rising interest rates and cause bond prices to decline. During periods of increasing interest rates, the Fund may experience high levels of volatility and shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices, which could reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

9 The Fund will normally receive income which may include interest, dividends and/or capital gains, depending upon its investments. The distribution

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

  amount paid by the Fund will vary and generally depends on the amount of income the Fund earns (less expenses) on its portfolio holdings, and capital gains or losses it recognizes. A decline in the Fund’s income or net capital gains arising from its investments may reduce its distribution level.

 

10  During periods of rising interest rates, a debtor may pay back a bond or other fixed income security slower than expected or required, and the value of such security may fall.

 

11  Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future. Inflation rates may change frequently and drastically as a result of various factors and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund investors or adversely affect the real value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund. As inflation rates increase, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate volatility and liquidity risk. Deflation risk is the risk that the prices throughout the economy decline over time – the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

12  Factors unique to the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of municipal bonds.

 

13  A debtor may exercise its right to pay back a bond or other debt security earlier than expected or required during periods of decreasing interest rates.

 

14  The Fund may have difficulty reinvesting payments from debtors and may receive lower rates than from its original investments.

 

15  The issuer of bonds or other debt securities may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely interest or principal payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

16  Below investment grade debt securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds” or “high yield securities”) may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit, liquidity, and market risk than higher-rated securities. These securities are

  

  considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.

 

17  Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities, or sponsored enterprises such as Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, while obligations issued by others, such as Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government and are backed solely by the entity’s own resources or by the ability of the entity to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. If one of these agencies defaults on a loan, there is no guarantee that the U.S. Government will provide financial support.

 

18  Investments in asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities involve risk of severe credit downgrades, loss due to prepayments that occur earlier or later than expected, illiquidity and default.

 

19  Investments in foreign issuers involve additional risks (such as risks arising from less frequent trading, changes in political or social conditions, and less publicly available information about non-U.S. issuers) that differ from those associated with investments in U.S. issuers and may result in greater price volatility.

 

20  Investments in emerging markets are subject to the general risks of foreign investments, as well as additional risks which can result in greater price volatility. Such additional risks include the risk that markets in emerging market countries are typically less developed and less liquid than markets in developed countries and such markets are subjected to increased economic, political, or regulatory uncertainties.

 

21  Fluctuations in exchange rates may affect the total loss or gain on a non-U.S. dollar investment when converted back to U.S. dollars and exposure to non-U.S. currencies may subject the Fund to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar.

 

22  Because exchange-traded funds incur their own

  

  costs, investing in them could result in a higher cost to the investor.

 

23  Because applying the Fund’s ESG investment criteria may result in the selection or exclusion of securities of certain issuers for reasons other than financial performance, the Fund’s investment returns may underperform funds that do not incorporate ESG factors into their investment process. The incorporation of ESG criteria into the investment process may affect the Fund’s investment exposure to certain companies, sectors, regions, countries or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor. Applying ESG criteria to investment decisions is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by the Subadviser or any judgment exercised by the Subadviser will improve the financial performance of the Fund or reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. ESG standards differ by region and industry, and a company’s ESG practices or the Subadviser’s assessment of a company’s ESG practices may change over time.

 

24  The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an index of the U.S. investment-grade fixed-rate bond market, including both government and corporate bonds. Unlike the Fund, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is unmanaged, is not available for investment and does not incur expenses.

 

“Bloomberg®” and any Bloomberg index described herein are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by AMG Funds LLC. Bloomberg is not affiliated with AMG Funds LLC, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the fund described herein. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information relating to such fund.

 

Not FDIC insured, nor bank guaranteed. May lose value.

 

 

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AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Fund Snapshots (unaudited)

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN

 

  Category    % of
Net Assets
 

Corporate Bonds and Notes

   52.4 
 

U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

   39.3 
 

Municipal Bonds

    6.3
 

Asset-Backed Securities

    1.2
 

Short-Term Investments

    3.3
 

Other Assets, less Liabilities

   (2.5)

 

  Rating    % of Market Value1
 

U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

   39.6
 

Aaa/AAA

    3.4
 

Aa/AA

    7.2
 

A

    9.2
 

Baa/BBB

   20.5
 

Ba/BB

   19.8
 

B

    0.3

 

1 

Includes market value of long-term fixed-income securities only.

TOP TEN HOLDINGS

 

  Security Name    % of
Net Assets
 

FHLMC, 3.000%, 04/01/51

    3.1
 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 2.250%, 05/15/41

    2.5
 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 1.875%, 02/15/51

    2.2
 

FNMA, 3.500%, 08/01/49

    2.2
 

FNMA, 3.500%, 02/01/35

    2.2
 

Freddie Mac Multifamily Structured Pass Through Certificates, Series K134, Class A2, 2.243%, 10/25/31

    2.1
 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 3.125%, 05/15/48

    2.1
 

FHLMC, 5.500%, 07/01/53

    2.1
 

FNMA, 3.500%, 02/01/47

    2.0
 

FNMA, 5.500%, 11/01/52

    1.9
    

 

 

Top Ten as a Group

    22.4 
  

 

 

 

 

Credit quality ratings shown above reflect the highest rating assigned by either Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch. These rating agencies are independent, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and are widely used. Investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BBB- or higher. Below investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BB+ or lower. Investments designated N/R are not rated by any of the rating agencies. Unrated investments do not necessarily indicate low credit quality. Credit quality ratings are subject to change.

Because a fund’s strategy may result in multiple investments in particular sectors of the economy, its performance may depend on the performance of those sectors and may fluctuate more widely than investments diversified across more sectors. For additional information on these and other risk considerations, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

Any sectors, industries, or securities discussed should not be perceived as investment recommendations. Mention of a specific security should not be considered a recommendation to buy or solicitation to sell that security. Specific securities mentioned in this report may have been sold from the Fund’s portfolio of investments by the time you receive this report.

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Corporate Bonds and Notes - 52.4%

 

 

Financials - 11.0%

    

American Express Co.

    

(3.550% to 09/15/26 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 2.854%), 3.550%, 09/15/261,2,3

     $1,195,000        $1,024,473   

Bank of America Corp.

    

MTN, (4.330% to 03/15/49 then 3 month SOFR + 1.782%), 4.330%, 03/15/501,3

     2,775,000       2,442,491  

(5.872% to 09/15/33 then SOFR + 1.840%), 5.872%, 09/15/341,3,4

     3,100,000       3,244,988  

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

    

Series G, (4.700% to 09/20/25 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 4.358%), 4.700%, 09/20/251,2,3

     4,100,000       3,995,562  

Citigroup, Inc.

    

Series P, (5.950% to 05/15/25 then 3 month SOFR + 4.167%), 5.950%, 05/15/251,2,3

     1,550,000       1,517,152  

Series T, (6.250% to 08/15/26 then 3 month SOFR + 4.779%), 6.250%, 08/15/261,2,3,4

     1,075,000       1,061,022  

Crown Castle, Inc.
4.000%, 03/01/27

     2,300,000       2,223,045  

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

    

Series O, (5.300% to 11/10/26 then 3 month SOFR + 4.096%), 5.300%, 11/10/261,2,3,4

     1,125,000       1,098,853  

6.750%, 10/01/37

     1,850,000       2,036,362  

Huntington Bancshares, Inc.

    

(4.443% to 08/04/27 then SOFR + 1.970%), 4.443%, 08/04/281,3

     2,430,000       2,355,353  

Morgan Stanley
3.950%, 04/23/27

     2,200,000       2,135,560  

(4.431% to 01/23/29 then 3 month SOFR + 1.890%), 4.431%, 01/23/301,3

     2,948,000       2,871,285  

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

    

(5.068% to 01/24/33 then SOFR + 1.933%), 5.068%, 01/24/341,3

     2,386,000       2,334,607  

SBA Communications Corp.
3.875%, 02/15/27

     2,950,000       2,832,926  

SLM Corp.
3.125%, 11/02/26

     3,365,000       3,137,644  

4.200%, 10/29/25

     838,000       812,860  

Starwood Property Trust, Inc.
4.750%, 03/15/25

     1,700,000       1,677,390  

Truist Financial Corp., MTN

    

(5.867% to 06/08/33 then SOFR + 2.361%), 5.867%, 06/08/341,3

     2,288,000       2,333,975  

US Bancorp

    

(5.775% to 06/12/28 then SOFR + 2.020%), 5.775%, 06/12/291,3

     2,350,000       2,414,282  

Wells Fargo & Co.

    

Series U, 5.875%, 06/15/252,3

     3,400,000       3,364,560  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Weyerhaeuser Co.
6.875%, 12/15/33

     $2,600,000        $2,857,623   

Total Financials

       47,772,013  

Industrials - 39.7%

    

Advocate Health & Hospitals Corp.
4.272%, 08/15/48

     1,700,000       1,528,686  

AECOM
5.125%, 03/15/27

     1,650,000       1,638,118  

Air Canada (Canada)
3.875%, 08/15/265

     1,200,000       1,146,468  

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
2.700%, 05/15/40

     1,950,000       1,485,379  

4.800%, 03/03/334

     1,171,000       1,208,340  

Alcoa Nederland Holding, B.V. (Netherlands)
4.125%, 03/31/294,5

     5,150,000       4,775,665  

Anheuser-Busch InBev Worldwide, Inc.
4.375%, 04/15/38

     2,200,000       2,086,313  

APi Group DE, Inc.
4.125%, 07/15/294,5

     1,275,000       1,160,194  

Aramark Services, Inc.
5.000%, 02/01/284,5

     3,020,000       2,929,520  

Ashtead Capital, Inc.
1.500%, 08/12/265

     3,536,000       3,205,920  

AT&T, Inc.
4.300%, 02/15/30

     2,200,000       2,154,253  

Ball Corp.
2.875%, 08/15/30

     3,625,000       3,110,195  

Broadcom, Inc.
4.300%, 11/15/32

     2,820,000       2,705,407  

BWX Technologies, Inc.
4.125%, 06/30/285

     1,225,000       1,135,930  

Campbell Soup Co.
2.375%, 04/24/30

     2,680,000       2,322,904  

CCO Holdings LLC/CCO Holdings Capital Corp.
5.500%, 05/01/265

     2,000,000       1,986,680  

Celanese US Holdings LLC
6.550%, 11/15/30

     4,249,000       4,491,732  

Centene Corp.
3.375%, 02/15/30

     3,650,000       3,274,890  

CF Industries, Inc.
5.150%, 03/15/344

     1,170,000       1,157,459  

Cisco Systems, Inc.
5.500%, 01/15/40

     1,400,000       1,490,285  

Clean Harbors, Inc.
4.875%, 07/15/275

     2,520,000       2,469,328  

Clearwater Paper Corp.
4.750%, 08/15/285

     1,950,000       1,807,654  

Cogent Communications Group, Inc.
3.500%, 05/01/265

     3,365,000       3,221,533  

Comcast Corp.
4.650%, 02/15/334

     3,217,000       3,236,379  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

9


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Industrials - 39.7% (continued)

    

CommonSpirit Health
3.347%, 10/01/29

     $1,950,000        $1,780,459   

Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc.
3.000%, 02/15/294

     1,285,000       1,161,289  

Crown Americas LLC/Crown Americas Capital Corp. V
4.250%, 09/30/26

     2,850,000       2,764,505  

Dell International LLC/EMC Corp.
8.100%, 07/15/36

     972,000       1,195,462  

Delta Air Lines, Inc.
7.375%, 01/15/264

     2,475,000       2,558,531  

Discovery Communications LLC
3.950%, 03/20/28

     2,047,000       1,947,032  

FMG Resources August 2006 Pty, Ltd. (Australia)
4.500%, 09/15/275

     2,750,000       2,642,157  

The Ford Foundation
Series 2020, 2.415%, 06/01/50

     2,725,000       1,793,247  

Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.
4.625%, 08/01/304

     2,961,000       2,893,538  

Graphic Packaging International LLC
3.500%, 03/01/295

     2,850,000       2,566,093  

Hasbro, Inc.
3.900%, 11/19/294

     3,120,000       2,901,510  

HB Fuller Co.
4.250%, 10/15/28

     3,150,000       2,945,419  

HCA, Inc.
3.500%, 09/01/304

     3,050,000       2,764,905  

Hilton Domestic Operating Co., Inc.
4.875%, 01/15/30

     2,600,000       2,519,808  

The Home Depot, Inc.
5.875%, 12/16/36

     1,450,000       1,620,728  

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.
6.875%, 05/01/25

     1,050,000       1,063,611  

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
5.900%, 03/01/33

     4,293,000       4,382,461  

KB Home
4.800%, 11/15/29

     1,222,000       1,167,621  

6.875%, 06/15/27

     1,751,000       1,819,724  

Kraft Heinz Foods Co.
4.625%, 10/01/39

     2,480,000       2,305,206  

Lamar Media Corp.
4.875%, 01/15/294

     3,250,000       3,137,287  

Methanex Corp. (Canada)
5.125%, 10/15/27

     1,205,000       1,177,166  

Microsoft Corp.
2.525%, 06/01/50

     2,450,000       1,672,549  

MSCI, Inc.
3.250%, 08/15/335

     2,015,000       1,684,111  

Mueller Water Products, Inc.
4.000%, 06/15/295

     3,000,000       2,732,997  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
4.750%, 09/15/29

     $3,250,000        $3,079,375   

Novelis Corp.
3.250%, 11/15/265

     3,175,000       2,988,941  

Owens Corning
7.000%, 12/01/366

     1,800,000       2,064,599  

Packaging Corp. of America
5.700%, 12/01/33

     2,155,000       2,268,525  

Parker-Hannifin Corp.
3.250%, 06/14/29

     1,650,000       1,552,487  

Penske Automotive Group, Inc.
3.500%, 09/01/25

     2,000,000       1,940,316  

Prime Security Services Borrower LLC/Prime Finance, Inc.
5.750%, 04/15/265

     2,800,000       2,815,170  

PulteGroup, Inc.
6.000%, 02/15/35

     2,050,000       2,152,619  

Sensata Technologies, B.V.
4.000%, 04/15/295

     1,275,000       1,184,877  

SK Hynix, Inc. (South Korea)
2.375%, 01/19/315

     3,000,000       2,431,860  

Sonoco Products Co.
2.850%, 02/01/32

     1,822,000       1,550,301  

Sysco Corp.
2.400%, 02/15/30

     3,975,000       3,506,270  

Teleflex, Inc.
4.250%, 06/01/285

     3,100,000       2,938,133  

Tenet Healthcare Corp.
4.875%, 01/01/26

     3,250,000       3,213,380  

Teva Pharmaceutical Finance Netherlands III, B.V. (Netherlands)
5.125%, 05/09/294

     2,300,000       2,196,607  

Toll Brothers Finance Corp.
4.875%, 03/15/274

     2,750,000       2,734,033  

Travel + Leisure Co.
5.650%, 04/01/246

     2,300,000       2,297,125  

Twilio, Inc.
3.625%, 03/15/294

     600,000       547,372  

3.875%, 03/15/31

     2,194,000       1,953,768  

United Parcel Service, Inc.
6.200%, 01/15/38

     1,500,000       1,715,088  

United Rentals North America, Inc.
3.875%, 02/15/314

     3,400,000       3,089,240  

Verizon Communications, Inc.
3.875%, 02/08/29

     4,408,000       4,273,476  

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
3.200%, 04/15/304

     1,225,000       1,078,332  

4.800%, 11/18/44

     2,520,000       2,099,608  

Walmart, Inc.
4.050%, 06/29/48

     1,850,000       1,689,895  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

10


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Industrials - 39.7% (continued)

    

Western Digital Corp.
4.750%, 02/15/26

     $1,916,000        $1,879,631   

Yum! Brands, Inc.
3.625%, 03/15/314

     3,050,000       2,750,472  

Total Industrials

       172,918,148  

Utilities - 1.7%

    

National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp.
1.350%, 03/15/31

     4,635,000       3,635,963  

Northern States Power Co.
2.900%, 03/01/50

     5,365,000       3,758,287  

Total Utilities

       7,394,250  

Total Corporate Bonds and Notes

 

 

(Cost $243,221,612)

       228,084,411  

Asset-Backed Securities - 1.2%

    

American Express Credit Account Master Trust
Series 2022-4, Class A
4.950%, 10/15/27

     2,145,000       2,151,940  

Ford Credit Auto Owner Trust
Series 2022-B, Class A4
3.930%, 08/15/27

     2,193,000       2,155,037  

Toyota Auto Receivables Owner Trust
Series 2021-B, Class A4
0.530%, 10/15/26

     858,000       811,310  

Total Asset-Backed Securities

 

 

(Cost $5,073,748)

       5,118,287  

Municipal Bonds - 6.3%

    

California Health Facilities Financing Authority
4.190%, 06/01/37

     3,500,000       3,237,206  

California State General Obligation, School Improvements, Build America Bonds
7.550%, 04/01/39

     2,300,000       2,903,999  

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Series B
4.110%, 07/15/31

     2,380,694       2,361,371  

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Series A
4.507%, 11/01/51

     1,000,000       933,500  

JobsOhio Beverage System, Series A
2.833%, 01/01/38

     3,700,000       3,015,869  

Los Angeles Unified School District, School Improvements, Build America Bonds
5.750%, 07/01/34

     3,225,000       3,423,646  

Massachusetts School Building Authority,
Series B, 1.753%, 08/15/30

     4,500,000       3,867,779  

New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Pension Funding, Series A (National Insured)
7.425%, 02/15/29

     3,300,000       3,565,910  

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
6.040%, 12/01/29

     2,000,000       2,159,850  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

University of California, Series BI
1.697%, 05/15/29

     $2,400,000        $2,092,272   

Total Municipal Bonds

    

(Cost $31,662,496)

       27,561,402  
U.S. Government and Agency Obligations - 39.3%     

Fannie Mae - 16.4%

    

FNMA
3.500%, 02/01/35 to 02/01/51

     35,224,804       33,399,236  

4.000%, 07/01/44 to 01/01/51

     21,674,568       20,868,127  

4.500%, 05/01/48 to 06/01/49

     6,084,577       6,054,691  

5.000%, 05/01/50

     2,762,454       2,775,736  

5.500%, 11/01/52

     8,270,894       8,450,458  

Total Fannie Mae

       71,548,248  

Freddie Mac - 13.3%

    

FHLMC
2.000%, 03/01/36

     7,738,239       6,980,786  

3.000%, 04/01/51

     15,264,033       13,544,148  

3.500%, 02/01/50

     8,607,304       8,010,947  

4.500%, 10/01/48 to 12/01/48

     9,140,912       9,011,400  

5.500%, 07/01/53

     8,859,092       8,945,263  

Freddie Mac Multifamily Structured Pass Through Certificates

    

Series K134, Class A2
2.243%, 10/25/313

     10,730,000       9,195,313  

Freddie Mac REMICS

    

Series 5297, Class DA
5.000%, 12/25/52

     2,148,576       2,130,912  

Total Freddie Mac

       57,818,769  

Ginnie Mae - 0.5%

    

GNMA

    

Series 2023-111, Class FD
(SOFR + 1.000%, Cap 7.000%, Floor 1.000%), 6.338%, 08/20/533

     2,122,350       2,116,379  

U.S. Treasury Obligations - 9.1%

    

U.S. Treasury Bonds
1.250%, 05/15/50

     4,625,000       2,492,261  

1.875%, 02/15/51

     15,247,000       9,668,146  

2.250%, 05/15/41

     14,109,000       10,746,539  

2.500%, 02/15/46

     2,096,000       1,572,737  

3.125%, 05/15/48

     10,968,000       9,137,715  

3.500%, 02/15/39

     6,477,000       6,134,174  

Total U.S. Treasury Obligations

       39,751,572  

Total U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

 

 

(Cost $195,408,520)

       171,234,968  

Short-Term Investments - 3.3%

    

Joint Repurchase
Agreements - 3.2%
7

    

Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, Inc., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.470% total to be received $3,008,261 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations, 0.000% - 7.613%, 08/01/25 - 09/20/73, totaling $3,066,563)

     3,006,434       3,006,434  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

11


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Joint Repurchase
Agreements - 3.2%7 (continued)

    

Daiwa Capital Markets America, dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.380% total to be received $632,324 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations and U.S. Treasuries, 0.000% - 7.500%, 03/22/24 - 01/01/54, totaling $644,663)

     $631,946        $631,946   

RBC Dominion Securities, Inc., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.340% total to be received $3,533,991 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations and U.S. Treasuries, 0.000% - 7.500%, 01/15/24 - 12/01/53, totaling $3,602,533)

     3,531,895       3,531,895  

Santander U.S. Capital Markets LLC, dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.390% total to be received $3,498,670 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations, 1.500% - 6.838%, 10/25/30 - 03/20/71, totaling $3,566,507)

     3,496,576       3,496,576  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

State of Wisconsin Investment Board, dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.470% total to be received $3,463,361 (collateralized by various U.S. Treasuries, 0.125% - 3.625%, 04/15/25 - 02/15/53, totaling $3,527,941)

     $3,461,257        $3,461,257   

Total Joint Repurchase Agreements

       14,128,108  

Repurchase Agreements - 0.1%

    

Fixed Income Clearing Corp., dated 12/29/23 due 01/02/24, 5.150% total to be received $293,168 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury, 4.125%, 09/30/27, totaling $298,920)

     293,000       293,000  

Total Short-Term Investments

 

 

(Cost $14,421,108)

 

    14,421,108  

Total Investments - 102.5%

 

 

(Cost $489,787,484)

 

    446,420,176  

Other Assets, less Liabilities - (2.5)%

 

    (10,998,720

Net Assets - 100.0%

 

    $435,421,456  
 

 

1 

Fixed to variable rate investment. The rate shown reflects the fixed rate in effect at December 31, 2023. Rate will reset at a future date.

 

2 

Perpetuity Bond. The date shown represents the next call date.

 

3 

Variable rate security. The rate shown is based on the latest available information as of December 31, 2023. Certain variable rate securities are not based on a published reference rate and spread but are determined by the issuer or agent and are based on current market conditions. These securities do not indicate a reference rate and spread in their description above.

 

4 

Some of these securities, amounting to $22,416,408 or 5.1% of net assets, were out on loan to various borrowers and are collateralized by cash and various U.S. Treasury Obligations. See Note 4 of Notes to Financial Statements.

 

5 

Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2023, the value of these securities amounted to $45,823,231 or 10.5% of net assets.

6 

Step Bond: A debt instrument with either deferred interest payments or an interest rate that resets at specific times during its term.

 

7 

Cash collateral received for securities lending activity was invested in these joint repurchase agreements.

 

CMT   Constant Maturity Treasury
FHLMC   Freddie Mac
FNMA   Fannie Mae
GNMA   Ginnie Mae
MTN   Medium-Term Note
National Insured   National Public Finance Guarantee Corp.
REMICS   Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit
SOFR   Secured Overnight Financing Rate
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

12


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

The following table summarizes the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments by the fair value hierarchy levels as of December 31, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities

           

Corporate Bonds and Notes

            $228,084,411               $228,084,411  

Asset-Backed Securities

            5,118,287               5,118,287  

Municipal Bonds

            27,561,402               27,561,402  

U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

            171,234,968               171,234,968  

Short-Term Investments

           

Joint Repurchase Agreements

            14,128,108               14,128,108  

Repurchase Agreements

            293,000               293,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

            $446,420,176               $446,420,176  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

All corporate bonds and notes, municipal bonds, and U.S. government and agency obligations held in the Fund are Level 2 securities. For a detailed breakout of corporate bonds and notes, municipal bonds, and U.S. government and agency obligations by major industry or agency classification, please refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no transfers in or out of Level 3.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

13


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (unaudited)

 
 
 

 

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

 

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund (the “Fund”) Class N shares returned 5.89% for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the return of 5.53% for Fund’s benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index.

 

MARKET OVERVIEW

 

The fixed income market experienced a solid rally in the first quarter of 2023, rebounding from its worst year on record. Much of the period saw a continuation of the tension that drove trading in 2022: inflation continued to slow, but at a glacial pace; a moribund housing market and downbeat consumer had yet to manifest as a slowdown in spending; and a record pace of rate hikes was unable to cool a stubbornly hot labor market. Investors also struggled to anticipate the U.S, Federal Reserve (the Fed)’s reaction function amid the various crosscurrents, while Chair Powell’s commentary offered few concrete insights beyond a firm resolve and data dependence. But the narrative shifted abruptly in the final weeks, as signs of systemic instability flared up amid a flurry of bank failures. The implications of this turmoil for financial conditions were not yet evident, but the stress in the banking sector was a complicating factor for both the Fed and the bond market.

 

The market posted a small loss in the second quarter, giving back a portion of the banking crisis-inspired rally that occurred in the closing days of March. Sentiment was cautious at the outset and investors sought haven assets on the possibility of contagion in the financial sector. But as it became clear that fallout from the failure of several regional lenders was likely to be contained, attention returned to the underlying strength of the economy and the stubborn persistence of inflation. The labor market gave only the slightest indications of softening, the buoyant housing sector continued to defy higher mortgage rates, and consumer spending once again proved irrepressible. Inflation showed limited progress on its path lower, plateauing at a level solidly above the Fed’s 2% target. Against this backdrop, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) endeavored to maintain restrictive financial conditions by raising rates and providing hawkish guidance. There was nevertheless scant evidence of the Fed’s success in curbing aggregate demand away from some narrow segments of the commercial real estate and consumer finance markets.

  

The market posted a significant loss in the third quarter that more than offset the gains achieved in the first half of the year. The higher-for-longer Fed narrative increasingly took center stage, driven by a surprisingly resilient economy, surging oil prices, and inflation that persisted well above the Fed’s 2% target. While there were subtle signs that the labor market and consumer credit metrics might be softening, the unemployment rate remained near cycle lows and the consumer continued to spend robustly. The undeniably strong cadence of the economy left economists upgrading their third-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth estimates and recharging optimism for a soft landing. Fed officials held rates steady at the September FOMC meeting, but thwarted hopes for a pivot by signaling the possibility of one more hike during the year and projecting less easing in 2024/2025.

 

The market experienced an extraordinary rally in the fourth quarter on elevated odds of an economic soft landing and dovish signals from the Fed. The strong performance was a sharp reversal from the prior quarter, which briefly raised the specter of an unprecedented third consecutive annual loss for the bond market. Sentiment was bolstered first by news that the U.S. Treasury’s borrowing needs were lower than feared and then lifted further by a series of upbeat economic readings and moderating price pressure. The final stage of the rally was powered by the arrival of the long-awaited Fed pivot, which left little doubt that the hiking cycle had concluded. Both the rates market and credit swiftly repriced to reflect a more rapid series of cuts and narrower risk premia, lifting asset prices across the board, and broadly easing financial conditions.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The Fund outperformed the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index for 2023. The Fund’s overweight to spread product was the main driver of outperformance, particularly the overweight to Corporates. Our out-of-benchmark allocations to high yield Corporates and Preferreds were also positive contributors along with our overweight to Taxable Municipals and overweight to lower rated investment grade Corporates. This was offset somewhat by negative security selection within BBB-rated Corporates, particularly within the communications, consumer cyclical and finance companies sectors. The effects from duration and yield curve were negative, mostly from our overweight to intermediate rates which underperformed other parts of the curve.

 

  

The corporate bond market remains in a transition period with respect to ESG and sustainability. Many companies have set sustainability targets and are now shifting into the implementation phase, at times supported by public funds and incentives. However, higher inflation and increased regulatory costs of reporting have kept progress slow. Still, despite a sometimes-downbeat portrayal in media, investors continue to show a strong interest in ESG and sustainability, with fund flows and ESG bond issuance remaining roughly steady from last year. 2024 promises to be another important year for global ESG topics with many important regions poised for elections that could have a meaningful impact on the direction of ESG initiatives globally. Overall, we believe ESG and sustainability concerns will remain key issues for both companies and investors in the coming year. We continue to integrate ESG as a core part of our fundamental investment process and will closely monitor regulatory and policy actions that could influence the ESG investing landscape.

 

OUTLOOK

 

After a brief period in the second quarter that saw the bond market converge with the Fed’s dot plot, a rift has once again formed. The Fed projects three rate cuts in 2024 while the Fed funds futures market expects more than six. Similarly, the persistent inversion of the yield curve suggests the bond market is pricing in elevated odds of a recession, while the Fed’s median projections don’t see GDP growth falling below 1.4%. The inversion of the yield curve seems less likely to persist indefinitely, especially if rates normalize into a soft landing.

 

A soft landing would provide a favorable backdrop for corporate fundamentals. By creating conditions that allow the Fed to cut rates, it would both support topline growth and promote favorable liquidity conditions, thereby easing future refinancing needs. It would also be constructive on a technical basis, given that it would enhance the appeal of spread product. Valuations at current levels are less appealing, with breakevens versus Treasuries at the lower end of their historical range and leaving little room for error. As such, we believe this backdrop supports a neutral view of credit. Within the space, we favor names with defensive operating and financial metrics, given that investors do not seem to be assigning a meaningful discount to riskier business profiles. Within the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) space, we see a continued interest from banks helping support demand as valuations

 

 

 

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Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

edge closer to long-term averages. We continue to favor seasoned, high-coupon pools that offer higher carry and better convexity profiles.

 

The views expressed represent the opinions of GW&K Investment Management, LLC as of December 31, 2023, and are not intended as a forecast or guarantee of future results, and are subject to change without notice.

 

     

 

 

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Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN PERFORMANCE

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund’s cumulative total return is based on the daily change in net asset value (NAV), and assumes that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. The graph compares a hypothetical $10,000 investment made in the AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund’s Class N shares on December 31, 2013, to a $10,000 investment made in the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index for the same time period. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on a Fund distribution or redemption of shares. The listed returns for the Fund are net of expenses and the returns for the index exclude expenses. Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.

 

LOGO

The table below shows the average annual total returns for the AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index for the same time periods ended December 31, 2023.

 

Average Annual Total Returns1   

One

 Year 

   

Five

  Years  

   

Ten

  Years  

 

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

 

Class N

     5.89     1.62     1.54

Class I

     6.05     1.77     1.72

Class Z

     6.13     1.86     1.79

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index19

     5.53     1.10     1.81

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. For performance information through the most recent month end, current net asset values per share for the Fund and other information, please call 800.548.4539 or visit our website at wealth.amg.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before investing or sending money.

Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

1 

Total return equals income yield plus share price change and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns are net of fees and may reflect offsets of Fund expenses as described in the prospectus. No adjustment has been made for taxes payable by shareholders on their reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The listed returns on the Fund are net of expenses and based on the published NAV as of December 31, 2023. All returns are in U.S. Dollars ($).

2 From time to time, the Fund’s Investment Manager has waived its fees and/or absorbed Fund expenses, which has resulted in higher returns.

 

3 Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including economic, political, or market conditions, or other factors including terrorism, war, natural disasters and the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including epidemics or pandemics, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

 

4 The Fund may not be able to dispose of particular investments, such as illiquid securities, readily at favorable times or prices or the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

 

5 Because the Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, security selection or focus on securities in a particular style, market sector or group of companies may cause the Fund to incur losses or underperform relative to its benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. There can be no guarantee that the Subadviser’s investment techniques and risk analysis will produce the desired result.

 

6 The value of a debt security changes in response to various factors, including, for example, market-related factors, such as changes in interest rates or changes in the actual or perceived ability of an issuer to meet its obligations. Investments in debt securities are subject to, among other risks, credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and liquidity risk.

 

7 Fixed coupon payments (cash flows) of bonds and debt securities may become less competitive with the market in periods of rising interest rates and cause bond prices to decline. During periods of increasing interest rates, the Fund may experience high levels of volatility and shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices, which could reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

8 The Fund will normally receive income which may include interest, dividends and/or capital gains, depending upon its investments. The distribution amount paid by the Fund will vary and generally depends on the amount of income the Fund earns (less expenses) on its portfolio holdings, and capital gains or losses it recognizes. A decline in the Fund’s income or net capital gains arising from its investments may reduce its distribution level.

 

9 During periods of rising interest rates, a debtor may pay back a bond or other fixed income security slower than expected or required, and the value of such security may fall.

 

10 Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the

 

 

 

 

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Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

    future. Inflation rates may change frequently and drastically as a result of various factors and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund investors or adversely affect the real value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund. As inflation rates increase, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate volatility and liquidity risk. Deflation risk is the risk that the prices throughout the economy decline over time – the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

11  Factors unique to the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of municipal bonds.

 

12  A debtor may exercise its right to pay back a bond or other debt security earlier than expected or required during periods of decreasing interest rates.

 

13  The Fund may have difficulty reinvesting payments from debtors and may receive lower rates than from its original investments.

 

14  The issuer of bonds or other debt securities may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely interest or principal payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

15  Below investment grade debt securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds” or “high yield securities”) may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit, liquidity, and market risk than

  

    higher-rated securities. These securities are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.

 

16  Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities, or sponsored enterprises such as Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, while obligations issued by others, such as Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government and are backed solely by the entity’s own resources or by the ability of the entity to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. If one of these agencies defaults on a loan, there is no guarantee that the U.S. Government will provide financial support.

 

17  Investments in asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities involve risk of severe credit downgrades, loss due to prepayments that occur earlier or later than expected, illiquidity and default.

 

18  Because applying the Fund’s ESG investment criteria may result in the selection or exclusion of securities of certain issuers for reasons other than financial performance, the Fund’s investment returns may underperform funds that do not incorporate ESG factors into their investment process. The incorporation of ESG criteria into the investment process may affect the Fund’s investment exposure to certain companies, sectors, regions, countries or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance

 

  

    depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor. Applying ESG criteria to investment decisions is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by the Subadviser or any judgment exercised by the Subadviser will improve the financial performance of the Fund or reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. ESG standards differ by region and industry, and a company’s ESG practices or the Subadviser’s assessment of a company’s ESG practices may change over time.

 

19  The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is an index of the U.S. investment-grade fixed-rate bond market, including both government and corporate bonds. Unlike the Fund, the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is unmanaged, is not available for investment and does not incur expenses.

 

“Bloomberg®” and any Bloomberg index described herein are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by AMG Funds LLC. Bloomberg is not affiliated with AMG Funds LLC, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the fund described herein. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information relating to such fund.

 

Not FDIC insured, nor bank guaranteed. May lose value.

 

 

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AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Fund Snapshots (unaudited)

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN

 

Category   

% of

 Net Assets 

 

U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

   48.4
 

Corporate Bonds and Notes

   42.6
 

Municipal Bonds

    5.6
 

Asset-Backed Securities

    1.3
 

Short-Term Investments

    5.3
 

Other Assets, less Liabilities

    (3.2)

 

Rating     % of Market Value1
 

U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

   49.4
 

Aaa/AAA

    4.3
 

Aa/AA

    5.2
 

A

    8.9
 

Baa/BBB

   20.0
 

Ba/BB

   12.0
 

B

    0.2

 

1 

Includes market value of long-term fixed-income securities only.

TOP TEN HOLDINGS

 

Security Name       

% of

 Net Assets 

 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 2.250%, 05/15/41

     2.8
 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 3.500%, 02/15/39

     2.7
 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 1.875%, 02/15/51

     2.3
 

FNMA, 3.500%, 02/01/47

     2.1
 

FNMA, 4.000%, 10/01/43

     1.9
 

Freddie Mac Multifamily Structured Pass Through Certificates, Series K133, Class A2, 2.096%, 09/25/31

     1.8
 

FNMA, 4.500%, 09/01/46

     1.8
 

FHLMC, 3.000%, 03/01/51

     1.6
 

U.S. Treasury Bonds, 3.125%, 05/15/48

     1.6
 

California State General Obligation, School Improvements, Build America Bonds, 7.550%, 04/01/39

     1.6
 

Top Ten as a Group

    20.2
     

 

 

 

Credit quality ratings shown above reflect the highest rating assigned by either Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch. These rating agencies are independent, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and are widely used. Investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BBB- or higher. Below investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BB+ or lower. Investments designated N/R are not rated by any of the rating agencies. Unrated investments do not necessarily indicate low credit quality. Credit quality ratings are subject to change.

Because a fund’s strategy may result in multiple investments in particular sectors of the economy, its performance may depend on the performance of those sectors and may fluctuate more widely than investments diversified across more sectors. For additional information on these and other risk considerations, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

Any sectors, industries, or securities discussed should not be perceived as investment recommendations. Mention of a specific security should not be considered a recommendation to buy or solicitation to sell that security. Specific securities mentioned in this report may have been sold from the Fund’s portfolio of investments by the time you receive this report.

 

 

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AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Corporate Bonds and Notes - 42.6%

    

Financials - 11.7%

    

AerCap Ireland Capital DAC/AerCap Global Aviation Trust (Ireland)
1.650%, 10/29/24

     $450,000        $434,297   

Air Lease Corp.
2.875%, 01/15/26

     248,000       236,260  

American Express Co.

    

(3.550% to 09/15/26 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 2.854%), 3.550%, 09/15/261,2,3

     445,000       381,498  

Bank of America Corp.

    

MTN, (4.330% to 03/15/49 then 3 month SOFR + 1.782%), 4.330%, 03/15/501,3,4

     390,000       343,269  

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

    

Series I, (3.750% to 12/20/26 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 2.630%), 3.750%, 12/20/261,2,3

     61,000       52,724  

Series G, (4.700% to 09/20/25 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 4.358%), 4.700%, 09/20/251,2,3

     206,000       200,753  

Citigroup, Inc.

    

Series P, (5.950% to 05/15/25 then 3 month SOFR + 4.167%), 5.950%, 05/15/251,2,3

     140,000       137,033  

Crown Castle, Inc.
4.300%, 02/15/29

     375,000       360,892  

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

    

Series O, (5.300% to 11/10/26 then 3 month SOFR + 4.096%), 5.300%, 11/10/261,2,3,4

     193,000       188,514  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

    

(6.254% to 10/23/33 then SOFR + 1.810%), 6.254%, 10/23/341,3,4

     370,000       401,075  

Morgan Stanley

    

(4.431% to 01/23/29 then 3 month SOFR + 1.890%), 4.431%, 01/23/301,3

     415,000       404,201  

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

    

(5.068% to 01/24/33 then SOFR + 1.933%), 5.068%, 01/24/341,3

     412,000       403,126  

SBA Communications Corp.
3.875%, 02/15/27

     200,000       192,063  

SLM Corp.
3.125%, 11/02/26

     275,000       256,420  

US Bancorp

    

(5.775% to 06/12/28 then SOFR + 2.020%), 5.775%, 06/12/291,3

     375,000       385,258  

Wells Fargo & Co.

    

MTN, (2.879% to 10/30/29 then 3 month SOFR + 1.432%), 2.879%, 10/30/301,3

     450,000       400,033  

Total Financials

       4,777,416  

Industrials - 30.3%

    

AECOM
5.125%, 03/15/27

     223,000       221,394  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Air Canada (Canada)
3.875%, 08/15/265

     $105,000        $100,316   

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
4.800%, 03/03/334

     246,000       253,844  

Alcoa Nederland Holding, B.V. (Netherlands)
4.125%, 03/31/294,5

     480,000       445,111  

APi Group DE, Inc.
4.125%, 07/15/294,5

     105,000       95,545  

Aramark Services, Inc.
5.000%, 02/01/284,5

     207,000       200,798  

Ashtead Capital, Inc.
1.500%, 08/12/265

     308,000       279,249  

AT&T, Inc.
1.650%, 02/01/28

     205,000       182,553  

4.300%, 02/15/30

     190,000       186,049  

Ball Corp.
2.875%, 08/15/30

     223,000       191,331  

Broadcom, Inc.
4.150%, 11/15/30

     333,000       318,075  

BWX Technologies, Inc.
4.125%, 06/30/285

     110,000       102,002  

Campbell Soup Co.
2.375%, 04/24/30

     230,000       199,354  

Celanese US Holdings LLC
6.550%, 11/15/30

     370,000       391,137  

Charter Communications Operating LLC/Charter Communications Operating Capital
4.908%, 07/23/25

     307,000       304,082  

Clean Harbors, Inc.
4.875%, 07/15/275

     195,000       191,079  

Clearwater Paper Corp.
4.750%, 08/15/285

     214,000       198,378  

Cogent Communications Group, Inc.
3.500%, 05/01/265

     267,000       255,616  

Comcast Corp.
4.150%, 10/15/28

     85,000       83,816  

4.650%, 02/15/334

     105,000       105,633  

CommonSpirit Health
3.347%, 10/01/29

     403,000       367,962  

Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc.
3.000%, 02/15/294

     218,000       197,012  

Crown Americas LLC/Crown Americas Capital Corp. V
4.250%, 09/30/264

     252,000       244,440  

Delta Air Lines, Inc.
4.375%, 04/19/28

     70,000       67,726  

Fiserv, Inc.
4.200%, 10/01/284

     353,000       344,984  

FMG Resources August 2006 Pty, Ltd. (Australia)
4.500%, 09/15/275

     72,000       69,177  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Industrials - 30.3% (continued)

    

The Ford Foundation
Series 2020, 2.415%, 06/01/50

     $468,000        $307,978   

Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.
4.625%, 08/01/304

     306,000       299,028  

Graphic Packaging International LLC
4.750%, 07/15/275

     60,000       58,200  

HB Fuller Co.
4.250%, 10/15/28

     71,000       66,389  

HCA, Inc.
3.500%, 09/01/304

     332,000       300,967  

Hillenbrand, Inc.
5.000%, 09/15/266

     60,000       59,312  

Hilton Domestic Operating Co., Inc.
4.875%, 01/15/30

     217,000       210,307  

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.
5.900%, 02/01/274

     151,000       154,875  

Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.
5.900%, 03/01/33

     360,000       367,502  

KB Home
4.800%, 11/15/29

     236,000       225,498  

Kraft Heinz Foods Co.
4.250%, 03/01/314

     366,000       358,517  

Lamar Media Corp.
3.750%, 02/15/28

     60,000       56,281  

McDonald’s Corp.
4.800%, 08/14/28

     279,000       283,813  

Merck & Co., Inc.
1.900%, 12/10/284

     159,000       143,091  

Meritage Homes Corp.
5.125%, 06/06/27

     60,000       59,120  

Methanex Corp. (Canada)
5.125%, 10/15/27

     97,000       94,759  

Microsoft Corp.
2.525%, 06/01/50

     484,000       330,414  

MSCI, Inc.
3.250%, 08/15/335

     273,000       228,170  

Mueller Water Products, Inc.
4.000%, 06/15/295

     55,000       50,105  

Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
4.750%, 09/15/29

     75,000       71,063  

5.625%, 05/01/27

     125,000       123,911  

Novelis Corp.
3.250%, 11/15/265

     215,000       202,401  

Packaging Corp. of America
5.700%, 12/01/33

     190,000       200,009  

Prime Security Services Borrower LLC/Prime Finance, Inc.
5.750%, 04/15/265

     149,000       149,807  

Sealed Air Corp.
4.000%, 12/01/275

     70,000       65,700  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Sensata Technologies, B.V.
4.000%, 04/15/295

     $200,000        $185,863   

Sonoco Products Co.
2.850%, 02/01/32

     279,000       237,395  

Sysco Corp.
2.400%, 02/15/30

     420,000       370,474  

Teleflex, Inc.
4.250%, 06/01/285

     70,000       66,345  

Tenet Healthcare Corp.
4.875%, 01/01/26

     160,000       158,197  

Teva Pharmaceutical Finance Netherlands III, B.V. (Netherlands)
5.125%, 05/09/29

     200,000       191,009  

United Rentals North America, Inc.
3.875%, 02/15/314

     195,000       177,177  

Verizon Communications, Inc.
3.875%, 02/08/294

     374,000       362,586  

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.
3.200%, 04/15/304

     469,000       412,847  

WESCO Distribution, Inc.
7.250%, 06/15/285

     140,000       143,896  

Total Industrials

       12,369,669  

Utilities - 0.6%

    

National Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corp.
1.350%, 03/15/31

     332,000       260,440  

Total Corporate Bonds and Notes

    

(Cost $18,153,700)

       17,407,525  

Asset-Backed Securities - 1.3%

    

American Express Credit Account Master Trust
Series 2022-4, Class A
4.950%, 10/15/27

     200,000       200,647  

Ford Credit Auto Owner Trust
Series 2022-B, Class A4
3.930%, 08/15/27

     205,000       201,451  

Toyota Auto Receivables Owner Trust

    

Series 2021-B, Class A3
0.260%, 11/17/25

     40,731       39,855  

Series 2021-B, Class A4
0.530%, 10/15/26

     85,000       80,375  

Total Asset-Backed Securities

    

(Cost $517,991)

       522,328  

Municipal Bonds - 5.6%

    

California Health Facilities Financing Authority
4.190%, 06/01/37

     240,000       221,980  

California State General Obligation, School Improvements, Build America Bonds
7.550%, 04/01/39

     500,000       631,304  

Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Series B
4.110%, 07/15/31

     226,015       224,181  

County of Miami-Dade Florida Aviation Revenue
Series C, 4.280%, 10/01/41

     430,000       390,437  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Municipal Bonds - 5.6% (continued)

 

 

Los Angeles Unified School District, School Improvements, Build America Bonds
5.750%, 07/01/34

     $360,000        $382,174   

Massachusetts School Building Authority, Series B,
1.753%, 08/15/30

     368,000       316,298  

University of California, University & College Improvements, Series BD
3.349%, 07/01/29

     120,000       114,103  

Total Municipal Bonds

    

(Cost $2,495,536)

       2,280,477  

U.S. Government and Agency
Obligations - 48.4%

    

Fannie Mae - 24.8%

    

FNMA
3.000%, 06/01/33 to 05/01/50

     999,842       934,815  

3.500%, 04/01/34 to 05/01/52

     4,062,167       3,831,516  

4.000%, 10/01/43 to 06/01/49

     2,335,784       2,264,693  

4.500%, 04/01/39 to 05/01/53

     2,274,263       2,249,179  

5.000%, 07/01/47

     487,714       495,597  

5.500%, 11/01/52

     326,519       333,608  

Total Fannie Mae

       10,109,408  

Freddie Mac - 9.2%

    

FHLMC
2.000%, 09/01/35

     240,315       216,981  

3.000%, 03/01/50 to 03/01/51

     1,233,841       1,105,846  

4.000%, 07/01/48

     297,395       286,860  

4.500%, 10/01/41

     430,385       429,830  

5.500%, 06/01/53

     482,060       486,818  

FHLMC Gold Pool
3.500%, 02/01/30 to 01/01/31

     222,381       217,047  

Freddie Mac Multifamily Structured Pass Through Certificates

    

Series K133, Class A2
2.096%, 09/25/31

     880,000       746,511  

Series K134, Class A2
2.243%, 10/25/313

     95,000       81,412  

Freddie Mac REMICS

    

Series 5297, Class DA
5.000%, 12/25/52

     204,853       203,169  

Total Freddie Mac

       3,774,474  

Ginnie Mae - 0.5%

    

GNMA

    

Series 2023-111, Class FD
(SOFR + 1.000%, Cap 7.000%, Floor 1.000%),
6.338%, 08/20/533

     197,428       196,873  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

U.S. Treasury Obligations - 13.9%

 

 

U.S. Treasury Bonds
1.875%, 02/15/51

     $1,487,000        $942,909   

2.250%, 05/15/41

     1,508,000       1,148,613  

2.500%, 02/15/46

     338,000       253,619  

3.125%, 05/15/48

     771,000       642,339  

3.500%, 02/15/39

     1,148,000       1,087,237  

3.625%, 02/15/53

     225,000       207,774  

3.875%, 02/15/43

     397,000       378,515  

5.000%, 05/15/37

     163,000       182,286  

U.S. Treasury Inflation Indexed Notes
0.250%, 01/15/25

     292,273       283,689  

0.500%, 01/15/28

     293,120       277,345  

1.125%, 01/15/33

     263,385       249,135  

Total U.S. Treasury Obligations

       5,653,461  

Total U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

 

 

(Cost $21,531,747)

       19,734,216  

Short-Term Investments - 5.3%

    

Joint Repurchase Agreements - 5.3%7

 

 

Daiwa Capital Markets America, dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.380% total to be received $1,000,598 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations and U.S. Treasuries, 0.000% - 7.500%, 03/22/24 -01/01/54, totaling $1,020,123)

     1,000,000       1,000,000  

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.350% total to be received $185,684 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations, 2.000% -6.500%, 09/01/46 - 06/01/62, totaling $189,285)

     185,574       185,574  

RBC Dominion Securities, Inc., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.340% total to be received $1,000,593 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations and U.S. Treasuries, 0.000% - 7.500%, 01/15/24 -12/01/53, totaling $1,020,000)

     1,000,000       1,000,000  

Total Joint Repurchase Agreements

       2,185,574  

Total Short-Term Investments

 

 

(Cost $2,185,574)

       2,185,574  

Total Investments - 103.2%

 

 

(Cost $44,884,548)

       42,130,120  

Other Assets, less Liabilities - (3.2)%

 

    (1,313,459

Net Assets - 100.0%

 

    $40,816,661  
 

 

1 

Fixed to variable rate investment. The rate shown reflects the fixed rate in effect at December 31, 2023. Rate will reset at a future date.

 

2 

Perpetuity Bond. The date shown represents the next call date.

3 

Variable rate security. The rate shown is based on the latest available information as of December 31, 2023. Certain variable rate securities are not based on a published reference rate and spread but are determined by the issuer or agent and are based on current market conditions. These securities do not indicate a reference rate and spread in their description above.

 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

4 

Some of these securities, amounting to $4,139,635 or 10.1% of net assets, were out on loan to various borrowers and are collateralized by cash and various U.S. Treasury Obligations. See Note 4 of Notes to Financial Statements.

5 

Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2023, the value of these securities amounted to $3,087,758 or 7.6% of net assets.

6 

Step Bond: A debt instrument with either deferred interest payments or an interest rate that resets at specific times during its term.

7 

Cash collateral received for securities lending activity was invested in these joint repurchase agreements.

CMT    Constant Maturity Treasury
FHLMC    Freddie Mac
FNMA    Fannie Mae
GNMA    Ginnie Mae
MTN    Medium-Term Note
REMICS    Real Estate Mortgage Investment Conduit
SOFR    Secured Overnight Financing Rate
 

 

The following table summarizes the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments by the fair value hierarchy levels as of December 31, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities

           

Corporate Bonds and Notes

            $17,407,525               $17,407,525  

Asset-Backed Securities

            522,328               522,328  

Municipal Bonds

            2,280,477               2,280,477  

U.S. Government and Agency Obligations

            19,734,216               19,734,216  

Short-Term Investments

           

Joint Repurchase Agreements

            2,185,574               2,185,574  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

            $42,130,120               $42,130,120  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

All corporate bonds and notes, municipal bonds, and U.S. government agency obligations held in the Fund are Level 2 securities. For a detailed breakout of corporate bonds and notes, municipal bonds, and U.S. government agency obligations by major industry or agency classification, please refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no transfers in or out of Level 3.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (unaudited)

 
 
 

 

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund (the “Fund”) Class N shares returned 9.13% during the year ended December 31, 2023, compared to the 9.65% return for the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 1–5 Year Ba Index.

 

MARKET OVERVIEW

 

The fixed income market experienced a solid rally in the first quarter of 2023, rebounding from its worst year on record. Much of the period saw a continuation of the tension that drove trading in 2022: inflation continued to slow, but at a glacial pace; a moribund housing market and downbeat consumer had yet to manifest as a slowdown in spending; and a record pace of rate hikes was unable to cool a stubbornly hot labor market. Investors also struggled to anticipate the U. S Federal Reserve’s (the Fed) reaction function amid the various crosscurrents, while Chair Powell’s commentary offered few concrete insights beyond a firm resolve and data dependence. But the narrative shifted abruptly in the final weeks, as signs of systemic instability flared up amid a flurry of bank failures. The implications of this turmoil for financial conditions were not yet evident, but the stress in the banking sector was a complicating factor for both the Fed and the bond market.

 

The market posted a small loss in the second quarter, giving back a portion of the banking crisis-inspired rally that occurred in the closing days of March. Sentiment was cautious at the outset and investors sought haven assets on the possibility of contagion in the financial sector. But as it became clear that fallout from the failure of several regional lenders was likely to be contained, attention returned to the underlying strength of the economy and the stubborn persistence of inflation. The labor market gave only the slightest indications of softening, the buoyant housing sector continued to defy higher mortgage rates, and consumer spending once again proved irrepressible. Inflation showed limited progress on its path lower, plateauing at a level solidly above the Fed’s 2% target. Against this backdrop, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) endeavored to maintain restrictive financial conditions by raising rates and providing hawkish

  

guidance. There was nevertheless scant evidence of the Fed’s success in curbing aggregate demand away from some narrow segments of the commercial real estate and consumer finance markets.

 

The market posted a significant loss in the third quarter that more than offset the gains achieved in the first half of the year. The higher-for-longer Fed narrative increasingly took center stage, driven by a surprisingly resilient economy, surging oil prices, and inflation that persisted well above the Fed’s 2% target. While there were subtle signs that the labor market and consumer credit metrics might be softening, the unemployment rate remained near cycle lows and the consumer continued to spend robustly. The undeniably strong cadence of the economy left economists upgrading their third-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth estimates and recharging optimism for a soft landing. Fed officials held rates steady at the September FOMC meeting, but thwarted hopes for a pivot by signaling the possibility of one more hike during the year and projecting less easing in 2024/2025.

 

The market experienced an extraordinary rally in the fourth quarter on elevated odds of an economic soft landing and dovish signals from the Fed. The strong performance was a sharp reversal from the prior quarter, which briefly raised the specter of an unprecedented third consecutive annual loss for the bond market. Sentiment was bolstered first by news that the US Treasury’s borrowing needs were lower than feared and then lifted further by a series of upbeat economic readings and moderating price pressure. The final stage of the rally was powered by the arrival of the long-awaited Fed pivot, which left little doubt that the hiking cycle had concluded. Both the rates market and credit swiftly repriced to reflect a more rapid series of cuts and narrower risk premia, lifting asset prices across the board, and broadly easing financial conditions.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The Fund underperformed the Bloomberg U.S High Yield 1-5 Year Ba Index for 2023. The Fund’s out-of-benchmark allocation to BBB-rated

 

  

Corporates was the main detractor from performance amidst the lower quality rally. Our longer duration and exposure to intermediate rates, particularly the 10- and 20-year part of the curve, detracted from returns given the re-steepening. This was mostly offset by the Fund’s out-of-benchmark allocation to single B-rated Corporates, which was a positive contributor. Security selection was similarly positive, particularly within the BB-rated consumer cyclical, utilities, and capital goods sectors.

 

OUTLOOK

 

After a brief period in the second quarter that saw the bond market converge with the Fed’s dot plot, a rift has once again formed. The Fed projects three rate cuts in 2024 while the Federal Funds futures market expects more than six. Similarly, the persistent inversion of the yield curve suggests the bond market is pricing in elevated odds of a recession, while the Fed’s median projections do not see GDP growth falling below 1.4%. The inversion of the yield curve seems less likely to persist indefinitely, especially if rates normalize into a soft landing.

 

A soft landing would provide a favorable backdrop for corporate fundamentals. By creating conditions that allow the Fed to cut rates, it would both support topline growth and promote favorable liquidity conditions, thereby easing future refinancing needs. It would also be constructive on a technical basis, given that it would enhance the appeal of spread product. Valuations at current levels are less appealing, with breakevens versus Treasuries at the lower end of their historical range and leaving little room for error. As such, we believe this backdrop supports a neutral view of credit. Within the space, we favor names with defensive operating and financial metrics, given that investors do not seem to be assigning a meaningful discount to riskier business profiles.

 

The views expressed represent the opinions of GW&K Investment Management, LLC as of December 31, 2023, and are not intended as a forecast or guarantee of future results, and are subject to change without notice.

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN PERFORMANCE

AMG GW&K High Income Fund’s cumulative total return is based on the daily change in net asset value (NAV), and assumes that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. The graph compares a hypothetical $10,000 investment made in the AMG GW&K High Income Fund’s Class N shares on December 31, 2013, to a $10,000 investment made in the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 1-5 Year Ba Index for the same time period. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on a Fund distribution or redemption of shares. The listed returns for the Fund are net of expenses and the returns for the index exclude expenses. Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.

 

LOGO

The table below shows the average annual total returns for the AMG GW&K High Income Fund and the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 1-5 Year Ba Index for the same time periods ended December 31, 2023.

 

     One     Five     Ten     Since     Inception  
 Average Annual Total Returns1    Year     Years     Years     Inception     Date  

AMG GW&K High Income Fund2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19

 

Class N

     9.13     4.95     3.05     4.69     03/25/94  

Class I

     9.35                 2.05     03/15/21  

Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 1-5 Year Ba Index20

     9.65     5.04     4.21     6.49      03/25/94  

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. For performance information through the most recent month end, current net asset values per share for the Fund and other information, please call 800.548.4539 or visit our website at wealth.amg.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before investing or sending money.

Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

 

Date reflects the inception date of the Fund, not the index.

 

1 

Total return equals income yield plus share price change and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns are net of fees and may reflect offsets of Fund expenses as described in the prospectus. No adjustment has been made for taxes payable by shareholders on their reinvested dividends and

   capital gain distributions. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The listed returns on the Fund are net of expenses and based on the published NAV as of December 31, 2023. All returns are in U.S. Dollars($).

 

2 From time to time, the Fund’s Investment Manager has waived its fees and/or absorbed Fund expenses, which has resulted in higher returns.

 

3 Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including economic, political, or market conditions, or other factors including terrorism, war, natural disasters and the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including epidemics or pandemics, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

 

4 The Fund may not be able to dispose of particular investments, such as illiquid securities, readily at favorable times or prices or the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

 

5 Because the Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, security selection or focus on securities in a particular style, market sector or group of companies may cause the Fund to incur losses or underperform relative to its benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. There can be no guarantee that the Subadviser’s investment techniques and risk analysis will produce the desired result.

 

6 As of December 4, 2020, the Fund’s Subadviser was changed to GW&K Investment Management, LLC. Prior to December 4, 2020, the Fund was known as the AMG Managers Global Income Opportunity Fund, and had different principal investment strategies and corresponding risks. Performance shown for periods prior to December 4, 2020 reflects the performance and investment strategies of the Fund’s previous Subadviser, Loomis, Sayles & Company, L.P. The Fund’s past performance would have been different if the Fund were managed by the current Subadviser and strategy, and the Fund’s prior performance record might be less pertinent for investors considering whether to purchase shares of the Fund.

 

7 The value of a debt security changes in response to various factors, including, for example, market-related factors, such as changes in interest rates or changes in the actual or perceived ability of an issuer to meet its obligations. Investments in debt securities are subject to, among other risks, credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and liquidity risk.

 

8 Fixed coupon payments (cash flows) of bonds and debt securities may become less competitive with the market in periods of rising interest rates and cause bond prices to decline. During periods of increasing interest rates, the Fund may experience high levels of volatility and shareholder

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

    redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices, which could reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

9  The Fund will normally receive income which may include interest, dividends and/or capital gains, depending upon its investments. The distribution amount paid by the Fund will vary and generally depends on the amount of income the Fund earns (less expenses) on its portfolio holdings, and capital gains or losses it recognizes. A decline in the Fund’s income or net capital gains arising from its investments may reduce its distribution level.

 

10  During periods of rising interest rates, a debtor may pay back a bond or other fixed income security slower than expected or required, and the value of such security may fall.

 

11  Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future. Inflation rates may change frequently and drastically as a result of various factors and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund investors or adversely affect the real value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund. As inflation rates increase, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate volatility and liquidity risk. Deflation risk is the risk that the prices throughout the economy decline over time – the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

12  Factors unique to the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of municipal bonds.

 

13  A debtor may exercise its right to pay back a bond or other debt security earlier than expected or required during periods of decreasing interest rates.

 

14  The Fund may have difficulty reinvesting payments from debtors and may receive lower rates than from its original investments.

  

15  The issuer of bonds or other debt securities may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely interest or principal payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

16  Below investment grade debt securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds” or “high yield securities”) may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit, liquidity, and market risk than higher-rated securities. These securities are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.

 

17  Obligations issued by some U.S. Government agencies, authorities, instrumentalities, or sponsored enterprises such as Government National Mortgage Association (“GNMA”) are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government, while obligations issued by others, such as Federal National Mortgage Association (“FNMA”), Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“FHLMC”), and Federal Home Loan Banks (“FHLBs”), are not backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government and are backed solely by the entity’s own resources or by the ability of the entity to borrow from the U.S. Treasury. If one of these agencies defaults on a loan, there is no guarantee that the U.S. Government will provide financial support.

 

18  Investing in restricted securities (including, without limitation, Rule 144A securities) may reduce the liquidity of the Fund’s investments in the event that an adequate trading market does not exist for these securities. Limitations on the resale of restricted securities could adversely affect the marketability of the securities, and the Fund may be unable to sell the security at the desired time or price, if at all. The purchase price and subsequent valuation of restricted securities normally reflect a discount, which may be significant, from the market price of comparable unrestricted securities for which a liquid trading market exists.

 

19  Because applying the Fund’s ESG investment criteria may result in the selection or exclusion of securities of certain issuers for reasons other than

 

  

    financial performance, the Fund’s investment returns may underperform funds that do not incorporate ESG factors into their investment process. The incorporation of ESG criteria into the investment process may affect the Fund’s investment exposure to certain companies, sectors, regions, countries or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance depending on whether such investments are in or out of favor. Applying ESG criteria to investment decisions is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the criteria utilized by the Subadviser or any judgment exercised by the Subadviser will improve the financial performance of the Fund or reflect the beliefs or values of any particular investor. ESG standards differ by region and industry, and a company’s ESG practices or the Subadviser’s assessment of a company’s ESG practices may change over time.

 

20  The Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 1-5 Year Ba Index, a subset of the Bloomberg High Yield Index, is an unmanaged index comprised of fixed rate, publicly issued, non-investment grade debt registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) where the middle rating of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch is BB and maturities range from 1 to 5 years. Unlike the Fund, the Bloomberg U.S. High Yield 1-5 Year Ba Index is unmanaged, is not available for investment and does not incur expenses.

 

“Bloomberg®” and any Bloomberg index described herein are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by AMG Funds LLC. Bloomberg is not affiliated with AMG Funds LLC, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the fund described herein. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information relating to such fund.

 

Not FDIC insured, nor bank guaranteed. May lose value.

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Fund Snapshots (unaudited)

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN

 

Category    % of
 Net Assets 
 

Corporate Bonds and Notes

   97.9
 

Short-Term Investments1

   15.7
 

Other Assets, less Liabilities2

    (13.6)

 

1 

Includes reinvestment of cash collateral into joint repurchase agreements on security lending transactions.

2 

Includes repayment of cash collateral on security lending transactions.

 

Rating     % of Market Value1
 

A

    1.0
 

Baa/BBB

   25.4
 

Ba/BB

   68.5
 

B

    5.1

 

1 

Includes market value of long-term fixed-income securities only.

TOP TEN HOLDINGS

 

Security Name        % of
 Net Assets 
 

NuStar Logistics LP, 5.625%, 04/28/27

     2.0
 

SLM Corp., 4.200%, 10/29/25

     1.8
 

SM Energy Co., 5.625%, 06/01/25

     1.8
 

Matador Resources Co., 5.875%, 09/15/26

     1.6
 

Southwestern Energy Co., 8.375%, 09/15/28

     1.6
 

Citigroup, Inc., 3.875%, 02/18/26

     1.6
 

Prime Security Services Borrower LLC/Prime Finance, Inc., 5.750%, 04/15/26

     1.6
 

Starwood Property Trust, Inc., 4.750%, 03/15/25

     1.6
 

Navient Corp., 5.000%, 03/15/27

     1.5
 

MGM Resorts International, 5.750%, 06/15/25

     1.5
 

Top Ten as a Group

    16.6
     
 

 

Credit quality ratings shown above reflect the highest rating assigned by either Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch. These rating agencies are independent, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and are widely used. Investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BBB- or higher. Below investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BB+ or lower. Investments designated N/R are not rated by any of the rating agencies. Unrated investments do not necessarily indicate low credit quality. Credit quality ratings are subject to change.

Because a fund’s strategy may result in multiple investments in particular sectors of the economy, its performance may depend on the performance of those sectors and may fluctuate more widely than investments diversified across more sectors. For additional information on these and other risk considerations, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

Any sectors, industries, or securities discussed should not be perceived as investment recommendations. Mention of a specific security should not be considered a recommendation to buy or solicitation to sell that security. Specific securities mentioned in this report may have been sold from the Fund’s portfolio of investments by the time you receive this report.

 

 

26


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Corporate Bonds and Notes - 97.9%

    

Financials - 17.5%

    

American Express Co.
(3.550% to 09/15/26 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 2.854%), 3.550%, 09/15/261,2,3

     $186,000        $159,458   

Citigroup, Inc.
(3.875% to 02/18/26 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 3.417%), 3.875%, 02/18/261,2,3

     255,000       225,758  

Fifth Third Bancorp
3.650%, 01/25/24

     25,000       24,959  

The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
Series U
(3.650% to 08/10/26 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 2.915%), 3.650%, 08/10/261,2,3,4

     151,000       133,902  

Huntington Bancshares, Inc.
2.625%, 08/06/24

     75,000       73,598  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Series S
(6.750% to 02/01/24 then 3 month SOFR + 4.042%), 6.750%, 02/01/241,2,3

     167,000       166,661  

KeyCorp
(3.878% to 05/23/24 then SOFR Index + 1.250%), 3.878%, 05/23/251,3

     75,000       73,324  

M&T Bank Corp.
(4.553% to 08/16/27 then SOFR Index + 1.780%), 4.553%, 08/16/281,3

     39,000       37,571  

MetLife, Inc.
Series G
(3.850% to 09/15/25 then U.S. Treasury Yield Curve CMT 5 year + 3.576%), 3.850%, 09/15/251,2,3,4

     135,000       127,791  

Morgan Stanley
Series M
5.875%, 09/15/262,3

     174,000       166,248  

Navient Corp.
5.000%, 03/15/274

     220,000       212,400  

SBA Communications Corp.
3.875%, 02/15/27

     198,000       190,142  

SLM Corp.
4.200%, 10/29/25

     264,000       256,080  

Starwood Property Trust, Inc.
4.750%, 03/15/25

     223,000       220,034  

Wells Fargo & Co.
Series U
5.875%, 06/15/252,3,4

     209,000       206,821  

Wynn Las Vegas LLC/Wynn Las Vegas Capital Corp.
5.500%, 03/01/255

     170,000       169,135  

Total Financials

       2,443,882  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Industrials - 77.3%

    

AECOM
5.125%, 03/15/27

     $167,000        $165,797   

Air Canada (Canada)
3.875%, 08/15/265

     195,000       186,301  

Alcoa Nederland Holding BV (Netherlands)
6.125%, 05/15/285

     200,000       201,151  

American Airlines Inc/AAdvantage Loyalty IP, Ltd.
5.500%, 04/20/265

     149,167       148,091  

Apache Corp.
4.250%, 01/15/304

     148,000       138,287  

APi Group DE, Inc.
4.125%, 07/15/294,5

     200,000       181,991  

Aramark Services, Inc.
5.000%, 02/01/284,5

     146,000       141,626  

ATI, Inc.
4.875%, 10/01/29

     78,000       72,693  

Avient Corp.
5.750%, 05/15/255

     66,000       66,002  

Ball Corp.
5.250%, 07/01/25

     70,000       69,913  

BWX Technologies, Inc.
4.125%, 06/30/285

     195,000       180,822  

Caesars Entertainment, Inc.
6.250%, 07/01/255

     175,000       175,476  

Callon Petroleum Co.
6.375%, 07/01/264

     185,000       184,122  

CCO Holdings LLC/CCO Holdings Capital Corp.
5.500%, 05/01/265

     179,000       177,808  

Celanese US Holdings LLC
6.330%, 07/15/29

     149,000       156,193  

Centene Corp.
4.250%, 12/15/27

     93,000       89,610  

Cheniere Energy Partners LP
4.500%, 10/01/29

     155,000       148,252  

Chord Energy Corp.
6.375%, 06/01/265

     175,000       175,000  

Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.
5.875%, 06/01/274

     172,000       171,385  

Cogent Communications Group, Inc.
3.500%, 05/01/265

     188,000       179,985  

Commercial Metals Co.
3.875%, 02/15/31

     124,000       109,712  

Crown Cork & Seal Co., Inc.
7.375%, 12/15/26

     185,000       194,250  

Dana, Inc.
5.625%, 06/15/28

     123,000       121,268  

Embraer Netherlands Finance BV (Netherlands)
5.400%, 02/01/27

     110,000       109,283  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

27


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Industrials - 77.3% (continued)

    

Encompass Health Corp.
4.500%, 02/01/28

     $146,000        $139,687   

EnLink Midstream LLC
5.375%, 06/01/29

     180,000       176,122  

EQT Corp.
5.700%, 04/01/28

     105,000       106,556  

FMG Resources August 2006 Pty, Ltd. (Australia)
4.500%, 09/15/275

     152,000       146,039  

Ford Motor Credit Co. LLC
4.134%, 08/04/25

     200,000       194,389  

General Motors Co.
6.800%, 10/01/27

     70,000       74,204  

Graphic Packaging International LLC
3.500%, 03/01/295

     165,000       148,563  

HB Fuller Co.
4.250%, 10/15/28

     154,000       143,998  

Hudbay Minerals, Inc. (Canada)
4.500%, 04/01/265

     95,000       91,891  

KB Home
4.000%, 06/15/31

     85,000       76,128  

Lamar Media Corp.
4.875%, 01/15/29

     173,000       167,000  

Matador Resources Co.
5.875%, 09/15/264

     231,000       229,082  

Mattel, Inc.
3.375%, 04/01/265

     216,000       205,408  

MEG Energy Corp. (Canada)
5.875%, 02/01/295

     185,000       179,754  

Meritage Homes Corp.
6.000%, 06/01/25

     92,000       91,754  

Methanex Corp. (Canada)
5.125%, 10/15/27

     183,000       178,773  

MGM Resorts International
5.750%, 06/15/25

     210,000       209,190  

Mueller Water Products, Inc.
4.000%, 06/15/295

     186,000       169,446  

Murphy Oil Corp.
6.375%, 07/15/28

     170,000       170,773  

Murphy Oil USA, Inc.
5.625%, 05/01/27

     178,000       176,449  

Novelis Corp.
3.250%, 11/15/265

     192,000       180,749  

NuStar Logistics LP
5.625%, 04/28/27

     276,000       274,824  

Occidental Petroleum Corp.
7.875%, 09/15/31

     150,000       170,634  

Olin Corp.
5.125%, 09/15/27

     202,000       195,846  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Penn Entertainment, Inc.
4.125%, 07/01/294,5

     $181,000        $154,755   

Penske Automotive Group, Inc.
3.500%, 09/01/25

     184,000       178,509  

Permian Resources Operating LLC
5.375%, 01/15/265

     190,000       187,470  

Prime Security Services Borrower LLC/Prime Finance, Inc.
5.750%, 04/15/265

     223,000       224,208  

Sealed Air Corp.
5.500%, 09/15/255

     165,000       165,000  

Sensata Technologies, B.V.
4.000%, 04/15/295

     200,000       185,863  

Silgan Holdings, Inc.
4.125%, 02/01/284

     155,000       148,031  

Southwestern Energy Co.
8.375%, 09/15/28

     220,000       227,608  

Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
9.375%, 11/30/294,5

     165,000       180,555  

Teleflex, Inc.
4.250%, 06/01/285

     155,000       146,907  

Tenet Healthcare Corp.
4.875%, 01/01/26

     180,000       177,972  

Teva Pharmaceutical Finance Netherlands III, B.V. (Netherlands)
3.150%, 10/01/26

     199,000       184,254  

Toll Brothers Finance Corp.
4.350%, 02/15/284

     120,000       117,236  

Travel + Leisure Co.
6.000%, 04/01/276

     70,000       69,610  

6.600%, 10/01/256

     75,000       75,075  

Trinity Industries, Inc.
4.550%, 10/01/24

     112,000       110,320  

United Rentals North America, Inc.
4.875%, 01/15/284

     181,000       176,699  

United States Steel Corp.
6.875%, 03/01/294

     133,000       136,067  

Wabash National Corp.
4.500%, 10/15/285

     163,000       147,078  

WESCO Distribution, Inc.
7.250%, 06/15/285

     103,000       105,866  

Western Digital Corp.
4.750%, 02/15/26

     137,000       134,399  

Western Midstream Operating LP
4.650%, 07/01/26

     162,000       159,161  

Total Industrials

       10,834,920  

Utilities - 3.1%

    

NRG Energy, Inc.
5.250%, 06/15/295

     195,000       188,835  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

28


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

Utilities - 3.1% (continued)

    

SM Energy Co.
5.625%, 06/01/25

     $253,000        $250,018   

Total Utilities

       438,853  

Total Corporate Bonds and Notes

    

(Cost $13,776,553)

       13,717,655  

Short-Term Investments - 15.7%

    

Joint Repurchase
Agreements - 14.7%7

    

Daiwa Capital Markets America, dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.380% total to be received $1,000,598 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations and U.S. Treasuries, 0.000% - 7.500%, 03/22/24 - 01/01/54, totaling $1,020,123)

     1,000,000       1,000,000  

Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.350% total to be received $57,825 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations, 2.000% - 6.500%, 09/01/46 - 06/01/62, totaling $58,947)

     57,791       57,791  
     

 Principal 

Amount

      Value    

RBC Dominion Securities, Inc., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.340% total to be received $1,000,593 (collateralized by various U.S. Government Agency Obligations and U.S. Treasuries, 0.000% - 7.500%, 01/15/24 - 12/01/53, totaling $1,020,000)

     $1,000,000        $1,000,000   

Total Joint Repurchase Agreements

       2,057,791  

Repurchase Agreements - 1.0%

    

Fixed Income Clearing Corp., dated 12/29/23 due 01/02/24, 5.150% total to be received $140,080 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury, 4.125%, 09/30/27, totaling $142,856)

     140,000       140,000  

Total Short-Term Investments

    

(Cost $2,197,791)

       2,197,791  

Total Investments - 113.6%

    

(Cost $15,974,344)

       15,915,446  

Other Assets, less Liabilities - (13.6)%

       (1,900,272

Net Assets - 100.0%

       $14,015,174  
 

 

1 

Fixed to variable rate investment. The rate shown reflects the fixed rate in effect at December 31, 2023. Rate will reset at a future date.

 

2 

Perpetuity Bond. The date shown represents the next call date.

 

3 

Variable rate security. The rate shown is based on the latest available information as of December 31, 2023. Certain variable rate securities are not based on a published reference rate and spread but are determined by the issuer or agent and are based on current market conditions. These securities do not indicate a reference rate and spread in their description above.

 

4 

Some of these securities, amounting to $2,406,325 or 17.2% of net assets, were out on loan to various borrowers and are collateralized by cash and various U.S. Treasury Obligations. See Note 4 of Notes to Financial Statements.

5 

Security exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities may be resold in transactions exempt from registration, normally to qualified institutional buyers. At December 31, 2023, the value of these securities amounted to $4,791,775 or 34.2% of net assets.

 

6 

Step Bond: A debt instrument with either deferred interest payments or an interest rate that resets at specific times during its term.

 

7 

Cash collateral received for securities lending activity was invested in these joint repurchase agreements.

CMT    Constant Maturity Treasury
SOFR    Secured Overnight Financing Rate
 

 

The following table summarizes the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments by the fair value hierarchy levels as of December 31, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities

           

Corporate Bonds and Notes

            $13,717,655               $13,717,655  

Short-Term Investments

           

Joint Repurchase Agreements

            2,057,791               2,057,791  

Repurchase Agreements

            140,000               140,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

            $15,915,446               $15,915,446  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

All corporate bonds and notes held in the Fund are level 2 securities. For a detailed breakout of corporate bonds and notes by major industry classification, please refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no transfers in or out of Level 3.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

29


Table of Contents
    

 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (unaudited)

 

   

 

      

 

 

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

 

For the year ended December 31, 2023, AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund (the “Fund”) Class N shares returned 5.72%, compared to the 5.78% return for its benchmark, the Bloomberg 10-Year Municipal Bond Index (the “Index”).

 

Municipal bonds posted solid gains in the first quarter, piggybacking a strong but extremely volatile rally in Treasuries. Although interest rates ultimately finished lower for the quarter, each month produced wildly different results. In January yields declined sharply as weak economic data fueled speculation of a U.S. Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) pivot. That notion gained more currency after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) executed a slimmed-down quarter-point hike at its meeting on February 1, 2023. Two days later, however, a blowout jobs report undermined any thoughts of a slowdown, setting the stage for a violent reversal in rates. Worries over a recession faded, giving way to talk of a potential “no landing” scenario, where the economy continues to grow despite the Fed’s efforts to tame inflation. By early March, the yield curve had reached its deepest inversion in 40 years. The no-landing theory was ultimately done in, however, by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and subsequent turmoil in the banking industry. Rates plummeted into quarter end in a classic flight to safety, as investors worried that a pullback in lending posed a serious threat to future economic growth. As March ended, markets were anticipating multiple Fed cuts by year-end, even as central bank officials continued to forecast at least one more hike and no cuts until 2024.

 

Municipal bonds posted modest losses in the second quarter, following the lead of a Treasury market that finally stopped fighting the Fed. Coming into April, investors were confident that the central bank would be forced to reverse its tightening campaign before year end. But that conviction didn’t last. Economic data stood firm against the torrent of rate hikes, defying predictions for a near-term recession. Regional banks earned back investor confidence, despite a third major failure. And while inflation slowed, it remained well above its 2% target, still threatening to become entrenched. Even when the FOMC stood pat in June, its first pause in 18 months of constant hiking, the committee refused to signal the all-clear, guiding for two more increases in 2023. The Street got the message. Short-term rates spiked more than 80 basis points over the quarter while the futures market erased bets that cuts would come later in the year. Long-term rates rose less dramatically, leading the yield curve to nearly match

      

its March inversion, the deepest in over 40 years. An eventual recession is still the market’s base case, but exactly when or how deep remain open questions.

 

The municipal market was a full participant in the global bond rout that unfolded over the third quarter. Broad fixed income losses piled up each month, but accelerated after the September FOMC meeting, where the Fed policymakers signaled a determination to hold interest rates higher for longer. Investors were taken off guard by the hawkish messaging, given the trajectory toward lower inflation and reduced froth in the labor markets, particularly over the last three months. But as Jay Powell pointed out in his post-meeting press conference, the recent jump in Treasury yields was less about inflation and more about real yields rising in response to stronger-than-expected economic data. The Fed Chair listed a number of plausible explanations for the economy’s surprising resilience (lagged effects of tightening, higher neutral rate, more durable consumer and business balance sheets), but emphasized the need to guard against overheated growth, lest it threaten the headway made to date in restoring price stability and full employment. The markets shared his caution, as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed 73 basis points over the quarter, closing September at 4.57%, its highest level since 2007.

 

As we ended the year, municipal bonds posted their best quarterly performance in nearly four decades, transforming 2023 into a year of solid gains after it looked like we were headed for a second consecutive annual loss. The remarkable turnaround was fueled by macro forces that unfolded over the final two months of the year. Recall that in October interest rates were still in selloff mode, as a stubbornly strong economy and persistently high inflation gave teeth to the Fed’s “higher-for-longer” mantra. Later that month, the yield on the 10-year Treasury had risen to 5%, a 16-year high. From that point on, however, the data began to shift. Job growth softened meaningfully while price pressures eased, increasing the odds of a soft landing and fueling speculation of an impending monetary pivot. Fed officials virtually confirmed this view when they unexpectedly penciled in 75 basis points of cuts for 2024 in the December FOMC projection materials. The bond market, already rallying coming into the meeting, continued to surge into the yearend. By the end of December, the 10-year yield had fallen to 3.88%, down almost 70 basis points for the quarter.

      

While the Treasury rally was the key factor driving performance to finish the year, municipal bonds received additional boosts from limited issuance and skyrocketing demand. Even during the October selloff, retail investors were jumping at the chance to lock in tax-equivalent yields not seen in over a decade, keeping municipals relatively well bid. When the market then started to turn, a healthy appetite for paper turned into a mad scramble, reflecting a fierce competition for bonds amid an end-of-year slowdown in issuance. The frenzy was amplified by a spike in rollover flows as well as an explosion of tax-loss harvesting, as participants hastened to reinvest proceeds before the market moved away from them. Over the final two months of the year, the

10-year municipal yield fell 133 basis points. And when it was all said and done, you had to go back to 1986 to find a better quarterly return. 2023 now enters the history books as the sixth best annual return in the last two decades, an extraordinary outcome for a year that brought so much handwringing.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The Fund performed in line with the Bloomberg Municipal 10-Year Index for the year. A longer duration and an extension trade overweighting longer-term bonds were positives. An underweight to lower coupon structures and BBB-rated bonds were negatives.

 

OUTLOOK

 

Looking ahead to January, the combination of seasonally low supply, still-heavy reinvestment needs and an end to tax-loss selling should continue to foster the momentum built up over the past two months. Demand will be supported by a healthy fundamental backdrop and historically attractive tax-equivalent yields. The outlook for state and local governments remains solid, with most looking at low-single-digit revenue increases, manageable expense growth and significant financial flexibility, a product of record-high reserves. Investors will need to be alert to future volatility, especially with the market anticipating a sea change in monetary policy followed by a fast-approaching national election. One area to keep an eye on is how expensive valuations to Treasuries have become in the wake of the recent rally. While we don’t necessarily expect a quick unwind of these historically stretched ratios, municipal bonds are less likely to outperform Treasuries until we see those metrics improve. Even so, heading into a year with so much uncertainty, the

 

 

30


Table of Contents
    

 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 

   

 

      

 

 

high-quality stability offered by municipal bonds promises to draw even more interest to the asset class in 2024.

 

The views expressed represent the opinions of GW&K Investment Management, LLC as of December 31, 2023, and are not intended as a forecast or guarantee of future results, and are subject to change without notice.

             

 

 

31


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN PERFORMANCE

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund’s cumulative total return is based on the daily change in net asset value (NAV), and assumes that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. The graph compares a hypothetical $10,000 investment made in the AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund’s Class N shares on December 31, 2013, to a $10,000 investment made in the Bloomberg 10-Year Municipal Bond Index for the same time period. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on a Fund distribution or redemption of shares. The listed returns for the Fund are net of expenses and the returns for the index exclude expenses. Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.

 

LOGO

The table below shows the average annual total returns for the AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund and the Bloomberg 10-Year Municipal Bond Index for the same time periods ended December 31, 2023.

 

 Average Annual Total Returns1    One
 Year 
     Five
  Years  
     Ten
  Years  
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

 

Class N

     5.72%        1.77%        2.35%  

Class I

     6.04%        2.11%        2.71%  

Bloomberg 10-Year Municipal Bond Index16

     5.78%        2.57%        3.22%  

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

 

Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. For performance information through the most recent month end, current net asset values per share for the Fund and other information, please call 800.548.4539 or visit our website at wealth.amg.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before investing or sending money.

Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

1 

Total return equals income yield plus share price change and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns are net of fees and may reflect offsets of Fund expenses as described in the prospectus. No adjustment has been made for taxes payable by shareholders on their reinvested dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The listed returns on the Fund are net of expenses and based on the published NAV as of December 31, 2023. All returns are in U.S. Dollars ($).

2 From time to time, the Fund’s Investment Manager has waived its fees and/or absorbed Fund expenses, which has resulted in higher returns.

 

3 Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including economic, political, or market conditions, or other factors including terrorism, war, natural disasters and the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including epidemics or pandemics, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

 

4 The Fund may not be able to dispose of particular investments, such as illiquid securities, readily at favorable times or prices or the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

 

5 Because the Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, security selection or focus on securities in a particular style, market sector or group of companies may cause the Fund to incur losses or underperform relative to its benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. There can be no guarantee that the Subadviser’s investment techniques and risk analysis will produce the desired result.

 

6 The value of a debt security changes in response to various factors, including, for example, market-related factors, such as changes in interest rates or changes in the actual or perceived ability of an issuer to meet its obligations. Investments in debt securities are subject to, among other risks, credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and liquidity risk.

 

7 Fixed coupon payments (cash flows) of bonds and debt securities may become less competitive with the market in periods of rising interest rates and cause bond prices to decline. During periods of increasing interest rates, the Fund may experience high levels of volatility and shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices, which could reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

8 The Fund will normally receive income which may include interest, dividends and/or capital gains, depending upon its investments. The distribution amount paid by the Fund will vary and generally depends on the amount of income the Fund earns (less expenses) on its portfolio holdings, and capital gains or losses it recognizes. A decline in the Fund’s income or net capital gains arising from its investments may reduce its distribution level.

 

9 During periods of rising interest rates, a debtor may pay back a bond or other fixed income security slower than expected or required, and the value of such security may fall.

 

10  Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the

 

 

 

 

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AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 

   

 

      

 

 

   future. Inflation rates may change frequently and drastically as a result of various factors and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund investors or adversely affect the real value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund. As inflation rates increase, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate volatility and liquidity risk. Deflation risk is the risk that the prices throughout the economy decline over time – the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

11  Factors unique to the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of municipal bonds.

 

12  A debtor may exercise its right to pay back a bond or other debt security earlier than expected or required during periods of decreasing interest rates.

      

13  The Fund may have difficulty reinvesting payments from debtors and may receive lower rates than from its original investments.

 

14  The issuer of bonds or other debt securities may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely interest or principal payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

15  Issuers and companies that are in similar industry sectors may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events; to the extent the Fund has substantial holdings within a particular sector, the risks associated with that sector increase.

 

16  The Bloomberg 10-Year Municipal Bond Index is the 10 Year (8-12) component of the Municipal Bond Index. It is a rules based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the tax-exempt bond market. The Index tracks general obligation bonds, revenue bonds, insured bonds, and prerefunded bonds rated Baa3/BBB- or higher by at least two of the

 

      

   ratings agencies: Moody’s, S&P, Fitch. Unlike the Fund, the Bloomberg 10-Year Municipal Bond Index is unmanaged, is not available for investment and does not incur expenses.

 

“Bloomberg®” and any Bloomberg index described herein are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by AMG Funds LLC. Bloomberg is not affiliated with AMG Funds LLC, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the fund described herein. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information relating to such fund.

 

Not FDIC insured, nor bank guaranteed. May lose value.

 

 

33


Table of Contents
    

 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

Fund Snapshots (unaudited)

December 31, 2023

 

   

 

      

 

 

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN

 

  Category    % of
Net Assets
 
General Obligation    39.9
 
Transportation    18.2
 
Airport    10.0
 
Medical     8.7
 
Water     6.1
 
Utilities     5.4
 
Education     5.4
 
Power     2.7
 
Tobacco Settlement     0.8
 
Development     0.8
 
Short term investments     1.5
 
Other assets and liabilities     0.5

 

 Rating    % of Market Value1
 
Aaa/AAA    21.6
 
Aa/AA    46.6
 
A    23.5
 
Baa/BBB    8.3

 

1 

Includes market value of long-term fixed-income securities only.

TOP TEN HOLDINGS

 

  Security Name         

% of

Net Assets

 
 

Iowa Finance Authority, State Revolving Fund Green Bond, 5.000%, 08/01/30

      1.6   
 

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Green Bond, Series B, 5.000%, 11/15/27

      1.5   
 

State of Maryland, Department of Transportation, 5.000%, 09/01/29

      1.3   
 

State of Maryland, Department of Transportation, 5.000%, 10/01/28

      1.3   
 

Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District, Series A, 5.000%, 07/01/42

      1.2   
 

City of San Antonio Electric & Gas Systems, Series A, 5.000%, 02/01/31

      1.2   
 

Illinois State Finance Authority, Clean Water Initiative, 5.000%, 07/01/27

      1.1   
 

State of Wisconsin Transportation, Series 2, 5.000%, 07/01/29

      1.1   
 

State of Illinois, Series B, 5.000%, 05/01/34

      1.1   
 

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Senior Revenue, Series A, 5.000%, 01/01/30

      1.1   
   

Top Ten as a Group

       12.5   
         
 

 

Credit quality ratings shown above reflect the highest rating assigned by either Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch. These rating agencies are independent, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and are widely used. Investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BBB- or higher. Below investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BB+ or lower. Investments designated N/R are not rated by any of the rating agencies. Unrated investments do not necessarily indicate low credit quality. Credit quality ratings are subject to change.

Because a fund’s strategy may result in multiple investments in particular sectors of the economy, its performance may depend on the performance of those sectors and may fluctuate more widely than investments diversified across more sectors. For additional information on these and other risk considerations, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

Any sectors, industries, or securities discussed should not be perceived as investment recommendations. Mention of a specific security should not be considered a recommendation to buy or solicitation to sell that security. Specific securities mentioned in this report may have been sold from the Fund’s portfolio of investments by the time you receive this report.

 

 

34


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Municipal Bonds - 98.0%

 

  

Alabama - 0.8%

     

Alabama Public School and College Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 11/01/34

     $7,500,000        $8,679,221  

California - 4.0%

     

California Municipal Finance Authority, Community Medical Centers, Series A,

     

5.000%, 02/01/31

     900,000        942,015  

5.000%, 02/01/32

     1,855,000        1,941,330  

City of Los Angeles Department of Airports, Series C

     

5.000%, 05/15/30

     5,515,000        6,147,060  

San Francisco City & County Airport Commission, San Francisco International Airport, Series A,

     

5.000%, 05/01/32

     3,000,000        3,366,044  

5.000%, 05/01/34

     5,010,000        5,459,889  

5.000%, 05/01/35

     5,800,000        6,305,526  

State of California,

     

5.000%, 09/01/29

     4,075,000        4,327,770  

5.000%, 09/01/35

     5,000,000        6,117,302  

5.000%, 10/01/36

     5,000,000        6,020,468  

Total California

        40,627,404  

Colorado - 0.5%

     

Colorado Health Facilities Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 08/01/33

     4,260,000        4,659,865  

Connecticut - 4.0%

     

Connecticut State Health & Educational Facilities Authority,

     

5.000%, 07/01/31

     6,205,000        6,886,101  

5.000%, 07/01/33

     2,750,000        3,068,705  

5.000%, 07/01/34

     3,100,000        3,451,072  

State of Connecticut Special Tax Obligation, Transportation Infrastructure, Series A

     

5.000%, 01/01/30

     10,180,000        11,168,692  

State of Connecticut Special Tax Obligation, Transportation Infrastructure, Series B

     

5.000%, 10/01/35

     7,500,000        8,298,373  

State of Connecticut, Series A

     

5.000%, 01/15/31

     7,650,000        8,772,215  

Total Connecticut

        41,645,158  

District of Columbia - 3.0%

     

District of Columbia, Series A

     

5.000%, 06/01/30

     6,020,000        6,348,425  

District of Columbia, Series B

     

5.000%, 06/01/31

     5,080,000        5,622,556  

District of Columbia, Series C,

     

5.000%, 12/01/33

     5,000,000        6,067,577  

5.000%, 12/01/34

     6,000,000        7,258,290  
      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Washington DC Convention & Sports Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 10/01/27

     $4,845,000        $5,273,602  

Total District of Columbia

        30,570,450  

Florida - 3.4%

     

Escambia County Health Facilities Authority

     

5.000%, 08/15/37

     6,000,000        6,270,378  

Florida Development Finance Corp.

     

4.000%, 11/15/33

     10,000,000        10,683,637  

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, Department of Transportation, Series C

     

5.000%, 07/01/28

     7,075,000        7,462,288  

Lee Memorial Health System, Series A1

     

5.000%, 04/01/34

     5,645,000        6,140,364  

Orange County Health Facilities Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 10/01/31

     4,525,000        4,733,609  

Total Florida

        35,290,276  

Illinois - 8.3%

     

Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Series A

     

5.000%, 01/01/35

     5,010,000        5,677,060  

Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Senior Lien, Series A,

     

5.000%, 01/01/36

     10,050,000        10,771,569  

5.000%, 01/01/38

     5,500,000        5,805,216  

Illinois Finance Authority, Series A

     

4.000%, 08/15/37

     5,910,000        6,115,466  

Illinois State Finance Authority, Clean Water Initiative

     

5.000%, 07/01/27

     11,000,000        11,500,487  

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority, Senior Revenue, Series A

     

5.000%, 01/01/30

     10,110,000        11,297,940  

Illinois State Toll Highway Authority,
Series A,

     

5.000%, 12/01/31

     9,735,000        10,144,240  

5.000%, 01/01/361

     3,000,000        3,647,038  

State of Illinois, Series A

     

5.250%, 03/01/37

     8,500,000        9,590,052  

State of Illinois, Series B

     

5.000%, 05/01/34

     10,000,000        11,298,538  

Total Illinois

        85,847,606  

Indiana - 2.3%

     

Indiana Finance Authority, Series 1,

     

5.000%, 10/01/28

     1,000,000        1,112,994  

5.000%, 10/01/29

     3,555,000        4,029,228  

Indiana Finance Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 02/01/32

     5,000,000        5,844,870  

Indiana Finance Authority, Series B

     

5.000%, 02/01/34

     5,815,000        6,902,059  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

35


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Indiana - 2.3% (continued)

     

Indiana Finance Authority, Series C

     

5.000%, 06/01/29

     $4,800,000        $5,445,089  

Total Indiana

        23,334,240  

Iowa - 1.6%

     

Iowa Finance Authority, State Revolving Fund Green Bond

     

5.000%, 08/01/30

     15,025,000        16,350,860  

Kentucky - 0.6%

     

Louisville/Jefferson County Metropolitan Government, Norton Healthcare Inc.

     

5.000%, 10/01/29

     5,505,000        5,736,199  

Louisiana - 1.8%

     

Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District, Series A,

     

5.000%, 07/01/40

     2,750,000        3,091,859  

5.000%, 07/01/42

     11,500,000        12,803,435  

State of Louisiana, Series A

     

5.000%, 09/01/30

     2,000,000        2,196,939  

Total Louisiana

        18,092,233  

Maryland - 5.6%

     

Maryland State Transportation Authority

     

5.000%, 07/01/33

     6,350,000        7,293,513  

State of Maryland, Department of Transportation,

     

5.000%, 10/01/28

     12,365,000        13,185,922  

5.000%, 09/01/29

     12,205,000        13,278,244  

State of Maryland, Series C

     

4.000%, 03/01/29

     9,245,000        10,033,854  

State of Maryland, Series D

     

4.000%, 08/01/29

     6,500,000        7,092,470  

State of Maryland, State & Local Facilities Loan of 2019, 1st Series

     

5.000%, 03/15/30

     6,000,000        6,797,039  

Total Maryland

        57,681,042  

Massachusetts - 0.5%

     

Massachusetts Development Finance Agency

     

5.250%, 07/01/48

     4,250,000        4,650,377  

Michigan - 1.8%

     

Michigan Finance Authority, Henry Ford Health System

     

5.000%, 11/15/29

     8,000,000        8,407,222  

Michigan State Building Authority, Series I

     

5.000%, 04/15/27

     5,700,000        5,925,402  

Wayne County Airport Authority, Series A,

     

5.000%, 12/01/37

     2,285,000        2,622,409  

5.000%, 12/01/39

     1,800,000        2,027,813  

Total Michigan

        18,982,846  

New Jersey - 6.1%

     

New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Series A

     

5.250%, 11/01/40

     7,000,000        8,004,278  
      Principal
Amount
     Value  

New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Series SSS,

     

5.250%, 06/15/361

     $3,000,000        $3,578,244  

5.250%, 06/15/371

     2,000,000        2,361,193  

New Jersey State Turnpike Authority, Series D

     

5.000%, 01/01/28

     6,000,000        6,328,709  

New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Series A,

     

5.250%, 06/15/41

     2,700,000        3,101,473  

5.250%, 06/15/42

     2,500,000        2,853,906  

New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Series B,

     

5.000%, 06/15/30

     6,255,000        7,145,934  

5.000%, 06/15/31

     7,615,000        8,837,368  

5.000%, 06/15/32

     5,750,000        6,658,256  

5.000%, 06/15/33

     6,000,000        6,923,775  

New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Series BB

     

4.000%, 06/15/37

     3,000,000        3,120,802  

South Jersey Transportation Authority,

     

5.000%, 11/01/39

     1,150,000        1,254,629  

5.000%, 11/01/41

     2,565,000        2,772,413  

Total New Jersey

        62,940,980  

New Mexico - 0.8%

     

New Mexico Finance Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 06/15/30

     7,500,000        8,678,672  

New York - 19.9%

     

City of New York

     

5.000%, 08/01/34

     5,000,000        6,080,926  

City of New York, Series B-1

     

5.000%, 08/01/32

     3,000,000        3,602,456  

City of New York, Series C,

     

5.000%, 08/01/33

     1,500,000        1,734,229  

5.000%, 08/01/34

     3,250,000        3,749,886  

City of New York, Series L-5

     

5.000%, 04/01/33

     6,500,000        7,611,207  

Long Island Power Authority

     

5.000%, 09/01/35

     5,030,000        5,548,408  

Long Island Power Authority, Series F

     

5.000%, 09/01/33

     3,000,000        3,657,701  

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Green Bond, Series B

     

5.000%, 11/15/27

     14,225,000        15,339,569  

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Series F

     

5.000%, 11/15/28

     4,760,000        4,891,584  

New York City Transitional Finance Authority Building Aid Revenue,
Series 1A, (State Aid Withholding)

     

5.000%, 07/15/32

     9,485,000        11,114,279  

New York City Transitional Finance Authority Building Aid Revenue,
Series S-3, (State Aid Withholding)

     

5.000%, 07/15/31

     5,080,000        5,620,307  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

36


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

New York - 19.9% (continued)

     

New York City Transitional Finance Authority, Future Tax Secured Subordinate, Series A-1,

     

5.000%, 05/01/40

     $2,500,000        $2,897,950  

5.000%, 05/01/41

     3,000,000        3,456,590  

New York City Transitional Finance Authority, Future Tax Secured Subordinate, Series E-1

     

5.000%, 02/01/37

     7,000,000        8,063,556  

New York City Transitional Finance Authority, Future Tax Secured Subordinate, Series F-1,

     

5.000%, 11/01/31

     2,500,000        2,949,430  

5.000%, 11/01/32

     4,000,000        4,716,026  

5.000%, 02/01/39

     4,000,000        4,586,182  

New York State Dormitory Authority

     

4.000%, 05/01/39

     2,000,000        2,006,465  

New York State Dormitory Authority, Series 1

     

5.000%, 03/15/30

     5,000,000        5,755,145  

New York State Dormitory Authority, Series 2,

     

5.000%, 09/15/30

     5,000,000        5,787,733  

5.000%, 09/15/33

     5,000,000        6,090,618  

New York State Dormitory Authority, Series A,

     

5.000%, 03/15/31

     7,670,000        8,508,497  

5.000%, 03/15/32

     8,000,000        9,412,502  

5.000%, 03/15/32

     3,000,000        3,584,186  

5.000%, 03/15/33

     3,200,000        3,828,325  

New York State Dormitory Authority, Series E

     

5.000%, 03/15/32

     8,410,000        8,659,439  

New York State Urban Development Corp.

     

5.000%, 03/15/32

     7,000,000        8,137,707  

New York Transportation Development Corp.,

     

4.000%, 10/31/41

     1,250,000        1,193,464  

4.000%, 10/31/46

     1,500,000        1,376,950  

5.000%, 12/01/30

     1,000,000        1,113,142  

5.000%, 12/01/31

     1,100,000        1,219,769  

5.000%, 12/01/32

     1,450,000        1,602,216  

5.000%, 12/01/33

     1,000,000        1,100,873  

5.000%, 12/01/36

     10,000,000        10,993,744  

5.000%, 06/30/49

     2,000,000        2,089,260  

6.000%, 06/30/54

     3,000,000        3,312,704  

Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, Series 221

     

5.000%, 07/15/32

     6,545,000        7,309,965  

Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority,

     

5.000%, 11/15/30

     7,500,000        8,759,409  

5.000%, 11/15/33

     3,970,000        4,881,630  

Triborough Bridge & Tunnel Authority, Series C

     

5.000%, 11/15/35

     2,000,000        2,442,017  

Total New York

        204,786,046  

North Carolina - 2.2%

     

County of Union NC Enterprise System Revenue,

     

1.750%, 06/01/34

     3,300,000        2,721,036  

1.750%, 06/01/35

     4,225,000        3,419,927  

1.850%, 06/01/36

     4,315,000        3,446,981  

2.125%, 06/01/40

     3,350,000        2,480,530  
      Principal
Amount
     Value  

North Carolina State Limited Obligation, Series B

     

5.000%, 05/01/28

     $10,000,000        $10,832,374  

Total North Carolina

        22,900,848  

Ohio - 0.8%

     

Ohio State General Obligation, Series T

     

5.000%, 05/01/30

     5,000,000        5,386,875  

Ohio Water Development Authority Water Pollution Control Loan Fund, Series B

     

5.000%, 06/01/35

     2,500,000        3,032,038  

Total Ohio

        8,418,913  

Pennsylvania - 3.1%

     

Allegheny County Airport Authority, Series A,

     

5.000%, 01/01/31

     1,350,000        1,498,974  

5.000%, 01/01/32

     2,215,000        2,451,339  

Commonwealth Financing Authority, Pennsylvania Tobacco

     

5.000%, 06/01/32

     7,910,000        8,557,422  

Hospitals & Higher Education Facilities Authority of Philadelphia, (AGM)

     

4.000%, 07/01/38

     2,500,000        2,568,917  

4.000%, 07/01/39

     2,000,000        2,038,301  

Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority,

     

5.250%, 06/30/35

     3,000,000        3,367,654  

5.750%, 06/30/48

     5,000,000        5,483,578  

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Series A

     

5.000%, 12/01/33

     5,000,000        5,887,018  

Total Pennsylvania

        31,853,203  

South Carolina - 1.2%

     

Richland County School District No 2, Series A, (South Carolina School District)

     

2.000%, 03/01/38

     6,190,000        4,728,082  

2.000%, 03/01/39

     10,080,000        7,484,863  

Total South Carolina

        12,212,945  

Tennessee - 0.6%

     

City of Chattanooga Electric System Revenue

     

2.000%, 09/01/39

     8,925,000        6,582,298  

Texas - 12.8%

     

City of Corpus Christi Utility System, Junior Lien Revenue Improvement

     

5.000%, 07/15/29

     3,125,000        3,451,227  

City of Houston Airport System, Series A,

     

4.000%, 07/01/35

     1,100,000        1,131,542  

4.000%, 07/01/36

     1,100,000        1,124,142  

5.000%, 07/01/34

     2,835,000        3,168,552  

City of San Antonio Electric & Gas Systems, Series A,

     

5.000%, 02/01/31

     10,715,000        12,475,630  

5.000%, 02/01/34

     5,460,000        6,592,220  

5.000%, 02/01/35

     3,000,000        3,602,705  

5.000%, 02/01/37

     3,010,000        3,411,025  

5.000%, 02/01/38

     2,985,000        3,337,551  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

37


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Texas - 12.8% (continued)

     

County of Harris Toll Road First Lien, Series A

     

5.000%, 08/15/34

     $5,000,000        $6,046,013  

Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Senior Lien, (AMBAC)

     

5.250%, 12/01/28

     8,865,000        10,040,691  

Denton Independent School District, (PSF-GTD)

     

5.000%, 08/15/33

     5,000,000        6,096,790  

5.000%, 08/15/35

     3,000,000        3,631,424  

Lamar Consolidated Independent School District

     

5.000%, 02/15/34

     7,965,000        9,466,377  

Leander Independent School District, (PSF-GTD)

     

5.000%, 02/15/32

     6,795,000        8,100,928  

Lower Colorado River Authority

     

5.000%, 05/15/31

     6,000,000        6,950,513  

North Texas Municipal Water District Water System Revenue Refunding and Improvement

     

5.000%, 09/01/29

     7,350,000        7,736,567  

North Texas Tollway Authority, 2nd Tier, Series B,

     

5.000%, 01/01/31

     2,000,000        2,073,525  

5.000%, 01/01/32

     3,010,000        3,209,603  

North Texas Tollway Authority, Series A

     

5.250%, 01/01/38

     4,500,000        5,184,275  

Prosper Independent School District, Series A, (PSF-GTD)

     

1.750%, 02/15/34

     3,565,000        2,993,858  

1.750%, 02/15/35

     5,155,000        4,250,035  

State of Texas, Series A

     

5.000%, 10/01/29

     5,000,000        5,180,485  

Texas Private Activity Bond Surface Transportation Corp.,

     

5.500%, 06/30/41

     1,000,000        1,074,602  

5.500%, 06/30/42

     1,000,000        1,073,747  

5.500%, 06/30/43

     1,000,000        1,072,449  

Texas Private Activity Bond Surface Transportation Corp., Series A,

     

4.000%, 12/31/37

     5,000,000        5,042,783  

4.000%, 12/31/38

     3,735,000        3,748,732  

Total Texas

        131,267,991  

Utah - 3.4%

     

Intermountain Power Agency,

     

5.000%, 07/01/33

     3,500,000        4,199,534  

5.000%, 07/01/34

     3,500,000        4,189,452  

5.000%, 07/01/35

     3,250,000        3,870,903  

Intermountain Power Agency, Series A

     

5.000%, 07/01/34

     5,250,000        6,196,768  

Salt Lake City Corp. Airport Revenue, Series A,

     

5.000%, 07/01/29

     3,450,000        3,716,844  

5.000%, 07/01/30

     6,585,000        7,063,449  

University of Utah/The, Series B

     

5.000%, 08/01/37

     5,000,000        5,880,418  

Total Utah

        35,117,368  
      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Virginia - 1.6%

     

Virginia College Building Authority

     

5.000%, 02/01/33

     $8,250,000        $10,027,020  

Virginia Small Business Financing Authority,

     

4.000%, 01/01/37

     3,000,000        3,007,895  

4.000%, 01/01/38

     3,000,000        2,961,831  

Total Virginia

        15,996,746  

Washington - 4.0%

     

Energy Northwest, Series A

     

5.000%, 07/01/35

     8,000,000        9,620,579  

Port of Seattle, Series C

     

5.000%, 08/01/31

     5,000,000        5,574,888  

State of Washington School Improvements, Series C

     

5.000%, 02/01/28

     7,370,000        7,719,258  

State of Washington, Series B

     

5.000%, 08/01/31

     4,680,000        4,942,310  

State of Washington, Series R

     

5.000%, 07/01/31

     9,975,000        10,171,281  

Washington Health Care Facilities Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 08/01/38

     3,270,000        3,474,167  

Total Washington

        41,502,483  

West Virginia - 1.6%

     

West Virginia Hospital Finance Authority, Series B

     

6.000%, 09/01/48

     5,250,000        5,995,954  

West Virginia Parkways Authority,

     

5.000%, 06/01/37

     1,750,000        2,001,874  

5.000%, 06/01/38

     2,000,000        2,265,797  

5.000%, 06/01/39

     5,150,000        5,807,313  

Total West Virginia

        16,070,938  

Wisconsin - 1.7%

     

State of Wisconsin Transportation, Series 2

     

5.000%, 07/01/29

     10,405,000        11,331,694  

State of Wisconsin, Series 2

     

5.000%, 05/01/35

     5,000,000        6,049,663  

Total Wisconsin

        17,381,357  

Total Municipal Bonds
(Cost $1,014,813,167)

        1,007,858,565  

Short-Term Investments - 1.5%

     

Repurchase Agreements - 1.5%

 

  

Fixed Income Clearing Corp., dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.150% total to be received $7,903,520 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury, 4.125%, 09/30/27, totaling $8,057,021)

     7,899,000        7,899,000  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Repurchase Agreements - 1.5% (continued)

     

Fixed Income Clearing Corp., dated 12/29/23 due 01/02/24, 5.150% total to be received $7,321,187 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury, 3.875%, 12/31/27, totaling $7,463,368)

     $7,317,000        $7,317,000  

Total Repurchase Agreements

        15,216,000  

Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost $15,216,000)

        15,216,000  

 

1

All or part of a security is delayed delivery transaction. The market value for delayed delivery securities at December 31, 2023, amounted to $9,586,475, or 0.9% of net assets.

AGM    Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp.
           
     Value  

Total Investments - 99.5%
(Cost $1,030,029,167)

        $1,023,074,565  

Other Assets, less Liabilities - 0.5%

        5,613,991  

Net Assets - 100.0%

        $1,028,688,556  

 

 

AMBAC    American Municipal Bond Assurance Corp.
PSF-GTD    Permanent School Fund Guaranteed
 

 

The following table summarizes the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments by the fair value hierarchy levels as of December 31, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities

           

Municipal Bonds

          $ 1,007,858,565             $ 1,007,858,565  

Short-Term Investments

           

Repurchase Agreements

            15,216,000               15,216,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

          $ 1,023,074,565             $ 1,023,074,565  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

All municipal bonds held in the Fund are Level 2 securities. For a detailed breakout of municipal bonds by major classification, please refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no transfers in or out of Level 3.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (unaudited)

 

   

 

      

 

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

 

For the year ended December 31, 2023, AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund’s (the “Fund”) Class N shares returned 10.53%, compared to the Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond BAA Index (the “Index”), which returned 8.93%.

 

Municipal bonds posted solid gains in the first quarter, piggybacking a strong but extremely volatile, rally in Treasuries. Although interest rates ultimately finished lower for the quarter, each month produced wildly different results. In January, yields declined sharply as weak economic data fueled speculation of a U.S Federal Reverse (the “Fed”) pivot. That notion gained more currency after the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) executed a slimmed-down quarter-point hike at its meeting on February 1, 2023. Two days later, however, a blowout jobs report undermined any thoughts of a slowdown, setting the stage for a violent reversal in rates. Worries over a recession faded, giving way to talk of a potential “no landing” scenario, where the economy continues to grow despite the Fed’s efforts to tame inflation. By early March the yield curve had reached its deepest inversion in 40 years. The no-landing theory was ultimately done in, however, by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and subsequent turmoil in the banking industry. Rates plummeted into quarter end in a classic flight to safety, as investors worried that a pullback in lending posed a serious threat to future economic growth. As March ended, markets were anticipating multiple Fed cuts by year-end, even as central bank officials continued to forecast at least one more hike and no cuts until 2024.

 

Municipal bonds posted modest losses in the second quarter, following the lead of a Treasury market that finally stopped fighting the Fed. Coming into April, investors were confident that the central bank would be forced to reverse its tightening campaign before year end. But that conviction didn’t last. Economic data stood firm against the torrent of rate hikes, defying predictions for a near-term recession. Regional banks earned back investor confidence, despite a third major failure. And while inflation slowed, it remained well above its 2% target, still threatening to become entrenched. Even when the FOMC stood pat in June, its first pause in 18 months of constant hiking, the committee refused to signal the all-clear, guiding for two more increases in 2023. The Street got the message. Short-term rates spiked more than 80 basis points over the quarter while the futures market erased bets that cuts would come later in the year. Long-term rates rose less dramatically, leading the yield curve to nearly match

      

its March inversion, the deepest in over 40 years. An eventual recession is still the market’s base case, but exactly when or how deep remain open questions.

 

The municipal market was a full participant in the global bond rout that unfolded over the third quarter. Broad fixed income losses piled up each month, but accelerated after the September FOMC meeting, where Fed policymakers signaled a determination to hold interest rates higher for longer. Investors were taken off guard by the hawkish messaging, given the trajectory toward lower inflation and reduced froth in the labor markets, particularly over the last three months. But as Jay Powell pointed out in his post-meeting press conference, the recent jump in Treasury yields was less about inflation and more about real yields rising in response to stronger-than-expected economic data. The Fed Chair listed a number of plausible explanations for the economy’s surprising resilience (lagged effects of tightening, higher neutral rate, more durable consumer and business balance sheets), but emphasized the need to guard against overheated growth, lest it threaten the headway made to date in restoring price stability and full employment. The markets shared his caution, as the yield on the 10-year Treasury note climbed 73 basis points over the quarter, closing September at 4.57%, its highest level since 2007.

 

As we ended the year, municipal bonds posted their best quarterly performance in nearly four decades, transforming 2023 into a year of solid gains after it looked like we were headed for a second consecutive annual loss. The remarkable turnaround was fueled by macro forces that unfolded over the final two months of the year. Recall that in October interest rates were still in selloff mode, as a stubbornly strong economy and persistently high inflation gave teeth to the Feds “higher-for-longer” mantra. Later that month, the yield on the 10-year Treasury had risen to 5%, a 16-year high. From that point on, however, the data began to shift. Job growth softened meaningfully while price pressures eased, increasing the odds of a soft landing and fueling speculation of an impending monetary pivot. Fed officials virtually confirmed this view when they unexpectedly penciled in 75 basis points of cuts for 2024 in the December FOMC projection materials. The bond market, already rallying coming into the meeting, continued to surge into year-end. By the end of December, the 10-year yield had fallen to 3.88%, down almost 70 basis points for the quarter.

 

While the Treasury rally was the key factor driving performance in the fourth quarter, municipal bonds received additional boosts from limited issuance and

 

      

sky-rocketing demand. Even during the October selloff, retail investors were jumping at the chance to lock in tax-equivalent yields not seen in over a decade, keeping municipals relatively well bid. When the market then started to turn, a healthy appetite for paper turned into a mad scramble, reflecting a fierce competition for bonds amid an end-of-year slowdown in issuance. The frenzy was amplified by a spike in rollover flows as well as an explosion of tax-loss harvesting, as participants hastened to reinvest proceeds before the market moved away from them. Over the final two months of the year, the 10-year municipal yield fell 133 basis points. And when it was all said and done, you had to go back to 1986 to find a better quarterly return. 2023 now enters the history books as the sixth best annual return in the last two decades, an extraordinary outcome for a year that brought so much handwringing.

 

FUND PERFORMANCE

 

The Fund outperformed the Index for the year. The strong rally in the fourth quarter transformed 2023 into a year of solid gains and outweighed the performance of the previous three quarters. The Fund’s outperformance was driven mainly by its longer duration, its overweight to longer maturities, and the significant decline in interest rates in the quarter. Additionally, the Fund’s overweights to the hospital and transportation sectors contributed to performance. Lower quality benefited from the rally in the fourth quarter. The Fund’s higher quality bias detracted from performance, specifically the Fund’s overweight to Single A versus the BBB-rated bonds of the Index. An underweight to lower coupon bonds and security selection in the tobacco and housing sectors were also detractors from performance.

 

OUTLOOK

 

Looking ahead to January, the combination of seasonally low supply, still-heavy reinvestment needs and an end to tax-loss selling should continue to foster the momentum built up over the past two months. Demand will be supported by a healthy fundamental backdrop and historically attractive tax-equivalent yields. The outlook for state and local governments remains solid, with most looking at low-single-digit revenue increases, manageable expense growth and significant financial flexibility, a product of record-high reserves. Investors will need to be alert to future volatility, especially with the market anticipating a sea change in monetary policy

 

 

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Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 

   

 

      

 

followed by a fast-approaching national election. One area to keep an eye on is how expensive valuations to Treasuries have become in the wake of the recent rally. While we don’t necessarily expect a quick unwind of these historically stretched ratios, municipal bonds are less likely to outperform

 

       Treasuries until we see those metrics improve. Even so, heading into a year with so much uncertainty, the high-quality stability generally offered by municipal bonds promises to draw even more interest to the asset class in 2024.        The views expressed represent the opinions of GW&K Investment Management, LLC as of December 31, 2023, and are not intended as a forecast or guarantee of future results, and are subject to change without notice.

 

 

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AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

CUMULATIVE TOTAL RETURN PERFORMANCE

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund’s cumulative total return is based on the daily change in net asset value (NAV), and assumes that all dividends and distributions were reinvested. The graph compares a hypothetical $10,000 investment made in the AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund’s Class N shares on December 31, 2013, to a $10,000 investment made in the Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond BAA Index for the same time period. The graph and table do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on a Fund distribution or redemption of shares. The listed returns for the Fund are net of expenses and the returns for the index exclude expenses. Total returns would have been lower had certain expenses not been reduced.

 

LOGO

The table below shows the average annual total returns for the AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund and the Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond BAA Index for the same time periods ended December 31, 2023.

 

    One   Five     Ten      Since      Inception  
 Average Annual Total Returns1   Year   Years     Years      Inception      Date  

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17

 

Class N

  10.53%     1.94%       3.83%        4.77%        07/27/09  

Class I

  10.89%     2.29%       4.23%        3.92%        12/30/05  

Class Z

  10.95%     2.37%              2.89%        02/24/17  

Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond BAA Index18

  8.93%     3.02%       4.42%        4.81%         07/27/09  

The performance data shown represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Current performance may be lower or higher than the performance data quoted. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

 

 

Investors should carefully consider the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses before investing. For performance information through the most recent month end, current net asset values per share for the Fund and other information, please call 800.548.4539 or visit our website at wealth.amg.com for a free prospectus. Read it carefully before investing or sending money.

Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

 

Date reflects the inception date of the Fund, not the index.

 

1 

Total return equals income yield plus share price change and assumes reinvestment of all dividends and capital gain distributions. Returns are net of fees and may reflect offsets of Fund expenses as described in the prospectus. No adjustment has been made for taxes payable by shareholders on their reinvested dividends and

   capital gain distributions. Returns for periods greater than one year are annualized. The listed returns on the Fund are net of expenses and based on the published NAV as of December 31, 2023. All returns are in U.S. Dollars ($).

 

2 From time to time, the Fund’s Investment Manager has waived its fees and/or absorbed Fund expenses, which has resulted in higher returns.

 

3 Market prices of investments held by the Fund may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of factors, including economic, political, or market conditions, or other factors including terrorism, war, natural disasters and the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, including epidemics or pandemics, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

 

4 The Fund may not be able to dispose of particular investments, such as illiquid securities, readily at favorable times or prices or the Fund may have to sell them at a loss.

 

5 Because the Fund is an actively managed investment portfolio, security selection or focus on securities in a particular style, market sector or group of companies may cause the Fund to incur losses or underperform relative to its benchmarks or other funds with a similar investment objective. There can be no guarantee that the Subadviser’s investment techniques and risk analysis will produce the desired result.

 

6 The value of a debt security changes in response to various factors, including, for example, market-related factors, such as changes in interest rates or changes in the actual or perceived ability of an issuer to meet its obligations. Investments in debt securities are subject to, among other risks, credit risk, interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and liquidity risk.

 

7 Fixed coupon payments (cash flows) of bonds and debt securities may become less competitive with the market in periods of rising interest rates and cause bond prices to decline. During periods of increasing interest rates, the Fund may experience high levels of volatility and shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices, which could reduce the returns of the Fund.

 

8 The Fund will normally receive income which may include interest, dividends and/or capital gains, depending upon its investments. The distribution amount paid by the Fund will vary and generally depends on the amount of income the Fund earns (less expenses) on its portfolio holdings, and capital gains or losses it recognizes. A decline in the Fund’s income or net capital gains arising from its investments may reduce its distribution level.

 

9 During periods of rising interest rates, a debtor may

 

 

 

 

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AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Portfolio Manager’s Comments (continued)

 
 
 

 

    pay back a bond or other fixed income security slower than expected or required, and the value of such security may fall.

 

10  Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be worth less in the future. Inflation rates may change frequently and drastically as a result of various factors and the Fund’s investments may not keep pace with inflation, which may result in losses to Fund investors or adversely affect the real value of shareholders’ investments in the Fund. As inflation rates increase, fixed income securities markets may experience heightened levels of interest rate volatility and liquidity risk. Deflation risk is the risk that the prices throughout the economy decline over time – the opposite of inflation. Deflation may have an adverse effect on the creditworthiness of issuers and may make issuer default more likely, which may result in a decline in the value of the Fund’s portfolio.

 

11  Factors unique to the municipal bond market may negatively affect the value of municipal bonds.

 

12  A debtor may exercise its right to pay back a bond or other debt security earlier than expected or required during periods of decreasing interest rates.

 

13  The Fund may have difficulty reinvesting payments

      

    from debtors and may receive lower rates than from its original investments.

 

14  Below investment grade debt securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as “junk bonds” or “high yield securities”) may be subject to greater levels of interest rate, credit, liquidity, and market risk than higher-rated securities. These securities are considered predominately speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make principal and interest payments.

 

15  Issuers and companies that are in similar industry sectors may be similarly affected by particular economic or market events; to the extent the Fund has substantial holdings within a particular sector, the risks associated with that sector increase.

 

16  The issuer of bonds or other debt securities or a counterparty to a derivatives contract may be unable or unwilling, or may be perceived as unable or unwilling, to make timely interest, principal or settlement payments or otherwise honor its obligations.

 

17  The use of derivatives involves costs, the risk that the value of derivatives may not correlate perfectly with their underlying assets, rates or indices, liquidity risk, and the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. The use of derivatives may not succeed for various reasons, and the complexity and rapidly

 

      

    changing structure of derivatives markets may increase the possibility of market losses.

 

18  The Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond BAA Index is a subset of the Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond Index with an index rating of Baa1, Baa2, or Baa3. The Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond Index is a rules-based, market-value-weighted index engineered for the long-term, tax-exempt bond market. Unlike the Fund, the Bloomberg U.S. Municipal Bond BAA Index is unmanaged, is not available for investment and does not incur expenses.

 

“Bloomberg®” and any Bloomberg index described herein are service marks of Bloomberg Finance L.P. and its affiliates, including Bloomberg Index Services Limited (“BISL”), the administrator of the index (collectively, “Bloomberg”) and have been licensed for use for certain purposes by AMG Funds LLC. Bloomberg is not affiliated with AMG Funds LLC, and Bloomberg does not approve, endorse, review, or recommend the fund described herein. Bloomberg does not guarantee the timeliness, accurateness, or completeness of any data or information relating to such fund.

 

Not FDIC insured, nor bank guaranteed. May lose value.

 

 

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AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Fund Snapshots (unaudited)

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN

 

  Category    % of Net
Assets
 
Transportation    26.9
 
Medical    22.3
 
General Obligation    17.0
 
Higher Education     7.0
 
Airport     6.6
 
Industrial Development     5.8
 
Tobacco Settlement     4.4
 
Housing     3.1
 
School District     2.9
 
Utilities     2.6
 
Short-Term Investments     2.5
 
Other Assets, less Liabilities     (1.1)

 

  Rating    % of Market Value1
 
Aa/AA    10.9
 
A    41.3
 
Baa/BBB    47.8

 

1 

Includes market value of long-term fixed-income securities only.

TOP TEN HOLDINGS

 

  Security Name   

% of

Net Assets

 
 

Texas Private Activity Bond Surface Transportation Corp., 5.000%, 06/30/58

     3.7   
 

Public Authority for Colorado Energy Natural Gas Purchase Revenue, 6.500%, 11/15/38

     3.2   
 

Richland County School District No 2, Series A, 1.875%, 03/01/38

     3.0   
 

City of Chattanooga Electric, 2.000%, 09/01/40

     2.6   
 

Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development, 5.250%, 11/01/52

     2.6   
 

Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, 5.250%, 06/30/53

     2.5   
 

Central Plains Energy Project #3, Series A, 5.000%, 09/01/42

     2.4   
 

New York Transportation Development Corp., 4.000%, 04/30/53

     2.4   
 

Escambia County Health Facilities Authority, 4.000%, 08/15/50

     2.1   
 

Colorado Health Facilities Authority, Series A, 5.000%, 08/01/44

     2.1   
    

 

 

 
 

Top Ten as a Group

      26.6   
  

 

 

 
 

 

Credit quality ratings shown above reflect the highest rating assigned by either Standard & Poor’s (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch. These rating agencies are independent, nationally recognized statistical rating organizations and are widely used. Investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BBB- or higher. Below investment grade ratings are credit ratings of BB+ or lower. Investments designated N/R are not rated by any of the rating agencies. Unrated investments do not necessarily indicate low credit quality. Credit quality ratings are subject to change.

Because a fund’s strategy may result in multiple investments in particular sectors of the economy, its performance may depend on the performance of those sectors and may fluctuate more widely than investments diversified across more sectors. For additional information on these and other risk considerations, please see the Fund’s prospectus.

Any sectors, industries, or securities discussed should not be perceived as investment recommendations. Mention of a specific security should not be considered a recommendation to buy or solicitation to sell that security. Specific securities mentioned in this report may have been sold from the Fund’s portfolio of investments by the time you receive this report.

 

 

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AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Municipal Bonds - 98.6%

 

  

California - 5.5%

     

California Municipal Finance Authority,

     

5.000%, 05/15/43

     $2,515,000        $2,589,281  

5.000%, 05/15/48

     3,855,000        3,940,708  

California Municipal Finance Authority, Series A

     

4.000%, 02/01/51

     1,260,000        1,142,127  

Riverside County Transportation Commission, Series B1

     

4.000%, 06/01/46

     1,095,000        1,096,857  

Riverside County Transportation Commission, Series C

     

4.000%, 06/01/47

     2,870,000        2,818,641  

Total California

        11,587,614  

Colorado - 5.3%

     

Colorado Health Facilities Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 08/01/44

     4,185,000        4,358,208  

Public Authority for Colorado Energy Natural Gas Purchase Revenue

     

6.500%, 11/15/38

     5,395,000        6,797,330  

Total Colorado

        11,155,538  

Connecticut - 2.0%

     

Connecticut State Health & Educational Facilities Authority,

     

4.000%, 07/01/40

     2,845,000        2,808,496  

4.000%, 07/01/42

     1,465,000        1,421,282  

Total Connecticut

        4,229,778  

Florida - 12.5%

     

Brevard County Health Facilities Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 04/01/47

     4,025,000        4,327,055  

City of Tampa, Series B

     

5.000%, 07/01/50

     2,065,000        2,165,619  

County of Miami-Dade Florida Seaport Department, Series 1, (AGM)

     

4.000%, 10/01/45

     2,730,000        2,604,753  

County of Miami-Dade Florida Seaport Department, Series A

     

5.250%, 10/01/52

     1,260,000        1,370,269  

Escambia County Health Facilities Authority

     

4.000%, 08/15/50

     5,065,000        4,455,095  

Florida Development Finance Corp.,

     

4.000%, 02/01/52

     2,515,000        1,932,696  

5.000%, 02/01/52

     1,675,000        1,552,354  

Hillsborough County Industrial Development Authority

     

4.000%, 08/01/50

     4,185,000        3,907,709  

Miami Beach Health Facilities Authority

     

4.000%, 11/15/46

     4,185,000        4,023,004  

Total Florida

        26,338,554  
      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Illinois - 8.3%

     

Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Senior Lien, Series A

     

5.000%, 01/01/48

     $3,000,000        $3,091,419  

Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority,

     

4.000%, 12/15/42

     1,675,000        1,673,996  

4.000%, 06/15/52

     2,515,000        2,366,020  

5.000%, 06/15/50

     4,185,000        4,324,762  

State of Illinois

     

5.750%, 05/01/45

     2,515,000        2,767,863  

State of Illinois, Series A,

     

4.000%, 03/01/40

     1,260,000        1,265,476  

5.000%, 03/01/46

     1,870,000        1,980,535  

Total Illinois

        17,470,071  

Louisiana - 0.8%

     

Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District, Series A

     

5.250%, 07/01/53

     1,500,000        1,657,513  

Massachusetts - 3.2%

     

Massachusetts Development Finance Agency,

     

4.000%, 07/01/51

     4,340,000        3,649,185  

5.250%, 07/01/52

     2,795,000        3,037,554  

Total Massachusetts

        6,686,739  

Minnesota - 1.0%

     

Duluth Economic Development Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 02/15/48

     2,140,000        2,178,542  

Nebraska - 2.4%

     

Central Plains Energy Project #3, Series A

     

5.000%, 09/01/42

     4,655,000        5,111,377  

New Jersey - 7.7%

     

New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Series AA,

     

4.000%, 06/15/50

     1,675,000        1,623,985  

5.000%, 06/15/50

     1,000,000        1,066,287  

South Jersey Transportation Authority,

     

4.625%, 11/01/47

     2,930,000        3,029,722  

5.250%, 11/01/52

     3,770,000        4,051,910  

Tobacco Settlement Financing Corp., Series A,

     

5.000%, 06/01/46

     2,095,000        2,130,536  

5.250%, 06/01/46

     2,755,000        2,840,056  

Tobacco Settlement Financing Corp., Series B

     

5.000%, 06/01/46

     1,605,000        1,629,093  

Total New Jersey

        16,371,589  

New York - 13.9%

     

Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Series 1,

     

4.750%, 11/15/45

     2,660,000        2,739,335  

5.000%, 11/15/50

     1,955,000        2,053,715  

5.250%, 11/15/55

     2,530,000        2,681,198  

New York State Dormitory Authority, Series A,

     

4.000%, 07/01/47

     1,675,000        1,592,446  

4.000%, 07/01/52

     1,775,000        1,626,697  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

45


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

New York - 13.9% (continued)

     

New York Transportation Development Corp.,

     

4.000%, 12/01/39

     $1,000,000        $1,011,564  

4.000%, 04/30/53

     5,790,000        5,077,717  

5.000%, 12/01/40

     1,000,000        1,068,287  

5.000%, 12/01/41

     2,185,000        2,315,847  

5.625%, 04/01/40

     4,000,000        4,303,295  

6.000%, 04/01/35

     2,500,000        2,784,990  

6.000%, 06/30/54

     2,000,000        2,208,469  

Total New York

        29,463,560  

Pennsylvania - 10.8%

     

Allegheny County Airport Authority, Series A

     

5.000%, 01/01/51

     4,185,000        4,353,788  

Geisinger Authority

     

4.000%, 04/01/50

     1,610,000        1,507,435  

Montgomery County Higher Education and Health Authority, Series B

     

5.000%, 05/01/52

     3,980,000        4,195,197  

Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority

     

5.250%, 06/30/53

     5,025,000        5,259,596  

Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Series A

     

4.000%, 12/01/50

     2,065,000        2,023,281  

Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development

     

5.250%, 11/01/52

     5,185,000        5,538,519  

Total Pennsylvania

        22,877,816  

Rhode Island - 1.3%

     

Tobacco Settlement Financing Corp., Series A

     

5.000%, 06/01/40

     2,755,000        2,776,829  

South Carolina - 2.9%

     

Richland County School District No 2, Series A, (South Carolina School District)

     

1.875%, 03/01/38

     8,290,000        6,198,756  

Tennessee - 3.7%

     

City of Chattanooga Electric

     

2.000%, 09/01/40

     7,710,000        5,547,400  

Metropolitan Government Nashville & Davidson County Health & Educational Facilities

     

5.250%, 05/01/53

     2,000,000        2,173,140  

Total Tennessee

        7,720,540  

Texas - 9.7%

     

Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority, Series B

     

4.000%, 01/01/51

     1,705,000        1,675,799  

AGM Assured Guaranty Municipal Corp.

      Principal
Amount
     Value  

Texas Private Activity Bond Surface Transportation Corp.,

     

5.000%, 12/31/40

     $3,315,000        $3,341,377  

5.000%, 12/31/45

     3,250,000        3,269,647  

5.000%, 06/30/58

     7,800,000        7,881,991  

5.500%, 12/31/58

     1,120,000        1,214,576  

Texas Private Activity Bond Surface Transportation Corp., Series A

     

4.000%, 12/31/39

     3,155,000        3,148,465  

Total Texas

        20,531,855  

Virginia - 6.2%

     

Lynchburg Economic Development Authority

     

4.000%, 01/01/55

     1,260,000        1,207,190  

Virginia Small Business Financing Authority,

     

4.000%, 01/01/39

     2,515,000        2,471,081  

4.000%, 01/01/40

     2,515,000        2,460,321  

5.000%, 12/31/47

     2,145,000        2,256,075  

5.000%, 12/31/49

     2,095,000        2,104,292  

5.000%, 12/31/52

     2,655,000        2,663,413  

Total Virginia

        13,162,372  

West Virginia - 1.4%

     

West Virginia Hospital Finance Authority, Series B

     

6.000%, 09/01/53

     2,625,000        2,973,614  

Total Municipal Bonds
(Cost $219,058,013)

        208,492,657  

Short-Term Investments - 2.5%

     

Repurchase Agreements - 2.5%

     

Fixed Income Clearing Corp., dated 12/29/23 due 01/02/24, 5.150% total to be received $3,320,899 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury, 3.875%, 08/15/33, totaling $3,385,422)

     3,319,000        3,319,000  

Fixed Income Clearing Corp. dated 12/29/23, due 01/02/24, 5.150% total to be received $1,866,067 (collateralized by a U.S. Treasury, 4.125%, 09/30/27, totaling $1,902,338)

     1,865,000        1,865,000  

Total Repurchase Agreements

        5,184,000  

Total Short-Term Investments

     

(Cost $5,184,000)

        5,184,000  

Total Investments - 101.1%

     

(Cost $224,242,013)

        213,676,657  

Other Assets, less Liabilities - (1.1)%

        (2,268,391

Net Assets - 100.0%

        $211,408,266  
 

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

46


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Schedule of Portfolio Investments (continued)

 
 
 

 

The following table summarizes the inputs used to value the Fund’s investments by the fair value hierarchy levels as of December 31, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities

           

Municipal Bonds

          $ 208,492,657             $ 208,492,657  

Short-Term Investments

           

Repurchase Agreements

            5,184,000               5,184,000  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

          $ 213,676,657             $ 213,676,657  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

 

All municipal bonds held in the Fund are Level 2 securities. For a detailed breakout of municipal bonds by major classification, please refer to the Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, there were no transfers in or out of Level 3.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

47


Table of Contents
 
 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

 

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

  AMG GW&K
ESG

Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Enhanced
Core Bond

ESG Fund
  AMG
GW&K High
Income Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Enhanced

Yield Fund

 Assets:

 Investments at value1 (including securities on loan valued at $22,416,408, $4,139,635, $2,406,325, $0, and $0, respectively)

  $431,999,068   $39,944,546   $13,717,655   $1,007,858,565   $208,492,657

 Repurchase Agreements at value2

  14,421,108   2,185,574   2,197,791   15,216,000   5,184,000

 Cash

  764     576   635,673   217,952

 Receivable for investments sold

    751,395      

 Interest receivables

  4,126,109   334,577   193,387   13,533,410   2,783,924

 Securities lending income receivable

  7,508   742   1,343    

 Receivable for Fund shares sold

  240,282   395,372   8   1,971,322   541,498

 Receivable from affiliate

  6,679   11,110   10,493   66,004   21,319

 Prepaid expenses and other assets

  19,278   12,838   9,238   17,465   20,027

 Total assets

  450,820,796   43,636,154   16,130,491   1,039,298,439   217,261,377

 Liabilities:

 Payable upon return of securities loaned

  14,128,108   2,185,574   2,057,791    

 Payable for delayed delivery investments purchased

        8,929,520  

 Payable for Fund shares repurchased

  972,511   32,479   1,357   1,215,964   5,679,877

 Due to custodian

    523,529      

 Accrued expenses:

 Investment advisory and management fees

  84,894   10,570   4,607   180,610   82,176

 Administrative fees

  55,366   5,285   1,772   129,884   27,392

 Distribution fees

    2,374     2,545   1,110

 Shareholder service fees

  64,138   1,956   1,775   43,538   9,570

 Other

  94,323   57,726   48,015   107,822   52,986

 Total liabilities

  15,399,340   2,819,493   2,115,317   10,609,883   5,853,111

 Commitments and Contingencies (Notes 2 & 5)

 Net Assets

  $435,421,456   $40,816,661   $14,015,174   $1,028,688,556   $211,408,266 

1 Investments at cost

  $475,366,376   $42,698,974   $13,776,553   $1,014,813,167   $219,058,013

2 Repurchase agreements at cost

  $14,421,108   $2,185,574   $2,197,791   $15,216,000   $5,184,000

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

48


Table of Contents
 
 

 

Statement of Assets and Liabilities (continued)

 
 
 

 

     AMG GW&K
ESG
Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Enhanced
Core Bond

ESG Fund
  AMG
GW&K High

Income Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Enhanced

Yield Fund

 Net Assets Represent:

                    

 Paid-in capital

       $519,006,605       $50,366,220       $15,538,229       $1,062,346,645       $238,125,011

 Total distributable loss

       (83,585,149 )       (9,549,559 )       (1,523,055 )       (33,658,089 )       (26,716,745 )

 Net Assets

       $435,421,456       $40,816,661       $14,015,174       $1,028,688,556       $211,408,266

 Class N:

                    

 Net Assets

       $269,529,427       $11,370,215       $7,061,496       $12,081,330       $5,963,753

 Shares outstanding

       12,337,059       1,242,810       337,682       1,047,721       648,395

 Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share

       $21.85       $9.15       $20.91       $11.53       $9.20

 Class I:

                    

 Net Assets

       $165,892,029       $21,804,982       $6,953,678       $1,016,607,226       $205,321,568

 Shares outstanding

       7,592,307       2,374,504       332,687       87,642,830       23,045,193

 Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share

       $21.85       $9.18       $20.90       $11.60       $8.91

 Class Z:

                    

 Net Assets

             $7,641,464                   $122,945

 Shares outstanding

             832,312                   13,803

 Net asset value, offering and redemption price per share

             $9.18                   $8.91

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

49


Table of Contents
 
 

Statement of Operations

 

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

  AMG GW&K
ESG

Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Enhanced
Core Bond

ESG Fund
  AMG
GW&K High
Income Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Enhanced

Yield Fund
 

 Investment Income:

 Interest income

  $16,708,574   $1,555,978   $843,707   $26,960,615   $9,453,149

 Securities lending income

  54,288   11,281   29,590    

 Foreign withholding tax

  (17,309 )   (257 )   (500 )    

 Total investment income

  16,745,553     1,567,002     872,797     26,960,615     9,453,149  

 Expenses:

 Investment advisory and management  fees

  1,063,895   119,542   61,171   2,184,142   1,101,809

 Administrative fees

  693,844   59,771   23,527   1,572,482   367,270

 Distribution fees - Class N

    27,445     32,772   9,305

 Shareholder servicing fees - Class N

  707,619     16,782   16,950   5,583

 Shareholder servicing fees - Class I

  89,758   16,980   4,486   517,606   120,504

 Professional fees

  86,687   55,137   49,306   123,287   57,519

 Reports to shareholders

  52,174   10,858   5,364   52,620   18,220

 Registration fees

  50,458   37,163   26,291   129,134   48,578

 Custodian fees

  46,034   25,189   21,895   81,896   31,805

 Trustee fees and expenses

  34,002   2,963   1,140   77,317   17,753

 Transfer agent fees

  25,407   2,940   1,177   37,460   8,680

 Interest expense

    990     1,144   3,962

 Miscellaneous

  27,341   5,133   3,059   55,697   14,624

 Total expenses before offsets

  2,877,219   364,111   214,198   4,882,507   1,805,612

 Expense reimbursements

  (90,822 )   (127,203 )   (100,391 )   (749,681 )   (221,214 )

 Net expenses

  2,786,397   236,908   113,807   4,132,826   1,584,398
 

 Net investment income

  13,959,156   1,330,094   758,990   22,827,789   7,868,751

 Net Realized and Unrealized Gain:

 Net realized loss on investments

  (19,675,989 )   (1,593,070 )   (225,634 )   (16,640,418 )   (10,403,174 )1

 Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments

  34,991,525   2,720,322   825,281   53,394,216   24,812,114

 Net realized and unrealized gain

  15,315,536   1,127,252   599,647   36,753,798   14,408,940
 

 Net increase in net assets resulting from operations

  $29,274,692     $2,457,346     $1,358,637     $59,581,587     $22,277,691  

1 Includes realized losses of $4,997,167 relating to redemptions in-kind. See note 1(g) of the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

50


Table of Contents
 
 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

 

For the fiscal years ended December 31,

 
 
 

 

     AMG GW&K
ESG Bond Fund
    AMG
GW&K
Enhanced
Core Bond ESG Fund
    AMG
GW&K High
Income Fund
 
     2023     2022     2023     2022     2023     2022  

 Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting From Operations:

            

Net investment income

     $13,959,156       $12,222,196       $1,330,094       $1,041,080       $758,990       $618,650  

Net realized loss on investments

     (19,675,989     (19,299,747     (1,593,070     (2,654,300     (225,634     (1,149,384

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments

     34,991,525       (84,052,548     2,720,322       (5,951,857     825,281       (961,928
            

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

     29,274,692       (91,130,099     2,457,346       (7,565,077     1,358,637       (1,492,662

 Distributions to Shareholders:

            

Class N

     (8,492,938     (7,736,535     (347,751     (235,849     (325,482     (277,251

Class I

     (5,729,614     (5,885,301     (691,238     (537,618     (446,846     (410,014

Class Z

                 (280,142     (268,295            

Total distributions to shareholders

     (14,222,552     (13,621,836     (1,319,131     (1,041,762     (772,328     (687,265

 Capital Share Transactions:1

            

Net decrease from capital share transactions

     (72,637,330     (157,179,741     (768,427     (11,796,222     (3,839,684     (1,875,236
            

Total increase (decrease) in net assets

     (57,585,190     (261,931,676     369,788       (20,403,061     (3,253,375     (4,055,163

 Net Assets:

            

Beginning of year

     493,006,646       754,938,322       40,446,873       60,849,934       17,268,549       21,323,712  
            

End of year

     $435,421,456       $493,006,646       $40,816,661       $40,446,873       $14,015,174       $17,268,549  

1 See Note 1(g) of the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

51


Table of Contents
 
 

Statements of Changes in Net Assets (continued)

 

For the fiscal years ended December 31,

 
 
 

 

     AMG
GW&K Municipal
Bond Fund
  AMG
GW&K Municipal
Enhanced Yield Fund
     2023   2022   2023   2022

 Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting From Operations:

        

Net investment income

     $22,827,789       $19,705,256       $7,868,751       $8,043,373  

Net realized loss on investments

     (16,640,418     (10,312,359     (10,403,174     (10,807,395

Net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation on investments

     53,394,216       (113,439,737     24,812,114       (60,592,633
        

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations

     59,581,587       (104,046,840     22,277,691       (63,356,655

 Distributions to Shareholders:

        

Class N

     (240,964     (212,610     (109,195     (79,222

Class I

     (22,338,212     (21,345,146     (7,709,369     (8,871,256

Class Z

                 (3,806     (3,685

Total distributions to shareholders

     (22,579,176     (21,557,756     (7,822,370     (8,954,163

 Capital Share Transactions:1

        

Net decrease from capital share transactions

     (89,576,367     (142,203,031     (62,041,101     (53,225,598
        

Total decrease in net assets

     (52,573,956     (267,807,627     (47,585,780     (125,536,416

 Net Assets:

        

Beginning of year

     1,081,262,512       1,349,070,139       258,994,046       384,530,462  
        

End of year

     $1,028,688,556       $1,081,262,512       $211,408,266       $258,994,046  

1 See Note 1(g) of the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

52


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class N    2023   2022   2021   2020   2019

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $21.11       $24.88       $28.12       $27.14       $25.49  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.63       0.44       0.44       0.90       0.94  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.75       (3.70     (0.83     1.03       1.85  

  

          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     1.38       (3.26     (0.39     1.93       2.79  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.64     (0.47     (0.47     (0.88     (0.98

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.04     (2.38     (0.07     (0.16

  

          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.64     (0.51     (2.85     (0.95     (1.14

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $21.85       $21.11       $24.88       $28.12       $27.14  

  

          

 Total Return2,3

     6.69     (13.17 )%      (1.29 )%      7.34     11.10

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.68     0.68     0.69 %4      0.71     0.72 %5 

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets6

     0.70     0.69     0.69 %4      0.72     0.73 %5 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     2.94     1.98     1.71     3.31     3.53

Portfolio turnover

     27     23     186     25     20

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $269,529       $301,028       $427,818       $555,124       $618,381  
                                          

 

 

53


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class I    2023   2022   2021   2020   2019

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $21.12       $24.89       $28.13       $27.14       $25.49  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.67       0.49       0.50       0.95       0.99  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.75       (3.71     (0.83     1.05       1.85  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     1.42       (3.22     (0.33     2.00       2.84  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.69     (0.51     (0.53     (0.94     (1.03

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.04     (2.38     (0.07     (0.16
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.69     (0.55     (2.91     (1.01     (1.19

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $21.85       $21.12       $24.89       $28.13       $27.14  
          

 Total Return2,3

     6.85     (12.99 )%      (1.05 )%      7.57     11.32

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.48     0.48     0.49 %4      0.50     0.52 %5 

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets6

     0.50     0.49     0.49 %4      0.51     0.53 %5 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     3.14     2.18     1.91     3.52     3.73

Portfolio turnover

     27     23     186     25     20

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $165,892       $191,979       $327,121       $546,698       $605,353  
                                          

 

1

Per share numbers have been calculated using average shares.

 

2

Total returns and net investment income would have been lower had certain expenses not been offset.

 

3 

The total return is calculated using the published Net Asset Value as of fiscal year end.

 

4 

Ratio includes recapture of reimbursed fees from prior years amounting to less than 0.01% for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

 

5 

Includes 0.01% of extraordinary expense related to legal expense in support of an investment held in the portfolio.

 

6 

Excludes the impact of expense reimbursement or fee waivers and expense reductions such as brokerage credits, but includes expense repayments and non-reimbursable expenses, if any, such as interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses. (See Note 1(c) and 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.)

 

 

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AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
Class N    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $8.92       $10.61       $10.90       $10.15       $9.43  

Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.29       0.19       0.14       0.20       0.24  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.22       (1.69     (0.28     0.75       0.73  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.51       (1.50     (0.14     0.95       0.97  

Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.28     (0.19     (0.14     (0.20     (0.25

Paid in capital

                 (0.01            
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.28     (0.19     (0.15     (0.20     (0.25

Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $9.15       $8.92       $10.61       $10.90       $10.15  
          

Total Return2,3

     5.89     (14.17 )%      (1.26 )%      9.41     10.35

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.73     0.73     0.73     0.73     0.73

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     1.05     1.00     0.93     1.06     1.16

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     3.20     1.99     1.32     1.86     2.43

Portfolio turnover

     51     54     86     101     71

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $11,370       $10,680       $13,736       $15,794       $14,779  
                                          

 

 

55


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class I    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $8.95       $10.65       $10.94       $10.19       $9.47  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.30       0.21       0.16       0.22       0.26  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.23       (1.70     (0.28     0.75       0.73  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.53       (1.49     (0.12     0.97       0.99  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.30     (0.21     (0.16     (0.22     (0.27

Paid in capital

                 (0.01            
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.30     (0.21     (0.17     (0.22     (0.27

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $9.18       $8.95       $10.65       $10.94       $10.19  
          

 Total Return2,3

     6.05     (14.07 )%      (1.07 )%      9.57     10.51

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.56     0.56     0.56     0.55     0.55

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     0.88     0.83     0.76     0.88     0.98

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     3.37     2.16     1.49     2.04     2.62

Portfolio turnover

     51     54     86     101     71

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $21,805       $19,890       $33,402       $27,800       $8,502  
                               

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund 

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class Z    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $8.95       $10.65       $10.93       $10.18       $9.46  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.31       0.21       0.17       0.22       0.27  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.23       (1.69     (0.27     0.75       0.72  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.54       (1.48     (0.10     0.97       0.99  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.31     (0.22     (0.17     (0.22     (0.27

Paid in capital

                 (0.01            
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.31     (0.22     (0.18     (0.22     (0.27

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $9.18       $8.95       $10.65       $10.93       $10.18  
          

 Total Return2,3

     6.13     (14.00 )%      (0.92 )%      9.65     10.59

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.48     0.48     0.48     0.48     0.48

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     0.80     0.75     0.68     0.81     0.91

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     3.45     2.24     1.57     2.11     2.72

Portfolio turnover

     51     54     86     101     71

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $7,641       $9,877       $13,712       $11,552       $10,080  
                               

 

1 

Per share numbers have been calculated using average shares.

 

2 

Total returns and net investment income would have been lower had certain expenses not been offset.

 

3 

The total return is calculated using the published Net Asset Value as of fiscal year end.

 

4 

Excludes the impact of expense reimbursement or fee waivers and expense reductions such as brokerage credits, but includes expense repayments and non-reimbursable expenses, if any, such as interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses. (See Note 1(c) and 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.)

 

 

57


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
Class N    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $20.11       $22.46       $22.23       $21.52       $20.04  

Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.96       0.67       0.53       0.51       0.57  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.83       (2.20     0.28       2.09       0.98  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     1.79       (1.53     0.81       2.60       1.55  

Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.99     (0.77     (0.53     (0.48     (0.07

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.05     (0.05     (1.41      
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.99     (0.82     (0.58     (1.89     (0.07

Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $20.91       $20.11       $22.46       $22.23       $21.52  
          

Total Return2,3

     9.13     (6.80 )%      3.67     12.16     7.67

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.84     0.86 %4      0.84     0.89     0.89

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets5

     1.48     1.32     1.37     1.70     1.87

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     4.72     3.22     2.36     2.28     2.70

Portfolio turnover

     25     74     97     157     52

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $7,061       $6,528       $8,157       $10,302       $9,638  
                               

 

 

58


Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal period

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,   For the fiscal
period ended
December 31,
Class I    2023   2022   20216

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Period

     $20.10       $22.45       $22.27  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

      

Net investment income1,2

     1.00       0.71       0.46  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.83       (2.20     0.35  
      

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     1.83       (1.49     0.81  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

      

Net investment income

     (1.03     (0.81     (0.58

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.05     (0.05
      

Total distributions to shareholders

     (1.03     (0.86     (0.63
      

 Net Asset Value, End of Period

     $20.90       $20.10       $22.45  
      

 Total Return2,3

     9.35     (6.63 )%      3.68 %7 

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.64     0.66 %4      0.64 %8 

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets5

     1.28     1.12     1.17 %8 

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     4.92     3.42     2.56 %8 

Portfolio turnover

     25     74     97

Net assets end of period (000’s) omitted

     $6,954       $10,740       $13,166  
                          

 

1 

Per share numbers have been calculated using average shares.

 

2

Total returns and net investment income would have been lower had certain expenses not been offset.

 

3 

The total return is calculated using the published Net Asset Value as of fiscal year end.

 

4 

Includes interest expense totaling 0.02% related to participation in the interfund lending program.

 

5 

Excludes the impact of expense reimbursement or fee waivers and expense reductions such as brokerage credits, but includes expense repayments and non-reimbursable expenses, if any, such as interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses. (See Note 1(c) and 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.)

 

6 

Commencement of operations was on March 15, 2021.

 

7 

Not annualized.

 

8 

Annualized.

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class N    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $11.11       $12.24       $12.45       $12.12       $11.48  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.21       0.15       0.13       0.15       0.19  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.42       (1.10     (0.11     0.33       0.64  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.63       (0.95     0.02       0.48       0.83  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.21     (0.16     (0.13     (0.15     (0.19

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.02     (0.10            
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.21     (0.18     (0.23     (0.15     (0.19

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $11.53       $11.11       $12.24       $12.45       $12.12  
          

 Total Return2,3

     5.72     (7.80 )%      0.10     4.31     7.29

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.72     0.72     0.71     0.71     0.71

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     0.79     0.78     0.76     0.77     0.78

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     1.85     1.35     1.01     1.25     1.59

Portfolio turnover

     29     20     24     17     18

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $12,081       $12,972       $17,112       $18,153       $18,711  
                               

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class I    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $11.18       $12.31       $12.52       $12.18       $11.54  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.25       0.19       0.17       0.19       0.23  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.41       (1.11     (0.11     0.34       0.64  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.66       (0.92     0.06       0.53       0.87  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.24     (0.19     (0.17     (0.19     (0.23

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.02     (0.10            
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.24     (0.21     (0.27     (0.19     (0.23

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $11.60       $11.18       $12.31       $12.52       $12.18  
          

 Total Return2,3

     6.04     (7.45 )%      0.43     4.70     7.58

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.39     0.39     0.39     0.39     0.39

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     0.46     0.45     0.44     0.45     0.46

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     2.18     1.68     1.33     1.57     1.91

Portfolio turnover

     29     20     24     17     18

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $1,016,607       $1,068,290       $1,331,958       $1,287,667       $1,014,514  
                               

 

1 

Per share numbers have been calculated using average shares.

 

2 

Total returns and net investment income would have been lower had certain expenses not been offset.

 

3 

The total return is calculated using the published Net Asset Value as of fiscal year end.

 

4 

Excludes the impact of expense reimbursement or fee waivers and expense reductions such as brokerage credits, but includes expense repayments and non-reimbursable expenses, if any, such as interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses. (See Note 1(c) and 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.)

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
Class N    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $8.56       $10.74       $10.69       $10.42       $9.69  

Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.25       0.22       0.20       0.23       0.26  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.64       (2.17     0.18       0.37       0.78  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.89       (1.95     0.38       0.60       1.04  

Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.25     (0.20     (0.19     (0.21     (0.25

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.03     (0.14     (0.12     (0.06

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.25     (0.23     (0.33     (0.33     (0.31
          

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $9.20       $8.56       $10.74       $10.69       $10.42  

 Total Return2,3

     10.53     (18.19 )%      3.59     5.95     10.92
          

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.99     0.99     0.99     0.99     0.99

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     1.08     1.07     1.05     1.07     1.08

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     2.87     2.39     1.85     2.17     2.56

Portfolio turnover

     24     45     61     81     40

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $5,964       $2,955       $14,923       $5,015       $5,722  
                               

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
 Class I    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

 Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $8.30       $10.43       $10.40       $10.15       $9.45  

 Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.27       0.24       0.23       0.25       0.29  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.62       (2.09     0.17       0.37       0.76  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.89       (1.85     0.40       0.62       1.05  

 Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.28     (0.25     (0.23     (0.25     (0.29

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.03     (0.14     (0.12     (0.06
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.28     (0.28     (0.37     (0.37     (0.35

 Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $8.91       $8.30       $10.43       $10.40       $10.15  
          

 Total Return2,3

     10.89     (17.86 )%      3.94     6.31     11.28

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.64     0.64     0.64     0.64     0.64

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     0.73     0.72     0.70     0.72     0.73

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     3.22     2.74     2.20     2.52     2.91

Portfolio turnover

     24     45     61     81     40

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $205,322       $255,928       $369,473       $323,439       $273,228  
                               

 

 

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Table of Contents
 
 

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund 

 

Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each fiscal year

 
 
 

 

     For the fiscal years ended December 31,
Class Z    2023    2022    2021    2020    2019 

Net Asset Value, Beginning of Year

     $8.30       $10.43       $10.40       $10.15       $9.44  

Income (loss) from Investment Operations:

          

Net investment income1,2

     0.28       0.25       0.24       0.26       0.30  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments

     0.61       (2.10     0.17       0.37       0.76  
          

Total income (loss) from investment operations

     0.89       (1.85     0.41       0.63       1.06  

Less Distributions to Shareholders from:

          

Net investment income

     (0.28     (0.25     (0.24     (0.26     (0.29

Net realized gain on investments

           (0.03     (0.14     (0.12     (0.06
          

Total distributions to shareholders

     (0.28     (0.28     (0.38     (0.38     (0.35

Net Asset Value, End of Year

     $8.91       $8.30       $10.43       $10.40       $10.15  
          

Total Return2,3

     10.95     (17.82 )%      3.99     6.37     11.45

Ratio of net expenses to average net assets

     0.59     0.59     0.59     0.59     0.59

Ratio of gross expenses to average net assets4

     0.68     0.67     0.65     0.67     0.68

Ratio of net investment income to average net assets2

     3.27     2.79     2.25     2.57     2.96

Portfolio turnover

     24     45     61     81     40

Net assets end of year (000’s) omitted

     $123       $111       $135       $130       $120  
                               

 

1 

Per share numbers have been calculated using average shares.

 

2 

Total returns and net investment income would have been lower had certain expenses not been offset.

 

3 

The total return is calculated using the published Net Asset Value as of fiscal year end.

 

4 

Excludes the impact of expense reimbursement or fee waivers and expense reductions such as brokerage credits, but includes expense repayments and non-reimbursable expenses, if any, such as interest, taxes, and extraordinary expenses. (See Note 1(c) and 2 in the Notes to Financial Statements.)

 

 

64


Table of Contents
 
 

Notes to Financial Statements

 

December 31, 2023

 
 
 

 

1. ORGANIZATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

AMG Funds, AMG Funds II (“Trust II”) and AMG Funds III (“Trust III”) (the “Trusts”) are open-end management investment companies, organized as Massachusetts business trusts, and registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”). Currently, the Trusts consist of a number of different funds, each having distinct investment management objectives, strategies, risks, and policies. Included in this report are AMG Funds: AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund (“Municipal Bond”), AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund (“Municipal Enhanced”), Trust II: AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund (“Enhanced Core Bond ESG”) and Trust III: AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund (“ESG Bond”) and AMG GW&K High Income Fund (“High Income”), each a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”.

Each Fund offers different classes of shares. All Funds offer Class N shares and Class I shares; and Enhanced Core Bond ESG and Municipal Enhanced offer Class Z shares. Each class represents an interest in the same assets of the respective Fund. Although all share classes generally have identical voting rights, each share class votes separately when required by law. Different share classes may have different net asset values per share to the extent the share classes pay different distribution amounts and/or the expenses of such share classes differ. Each share class has its own expense structure. Please refer to a current prospectus for additional information on each share class.

Market prices of investments held by the Funds may fall rapidly or unpredictably due to a variety of economic or political factors, market conditions, disasters or public health issues, or in response to events that affect particular industries or companies.

The Funds’ financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), including accounting and reporting guidance pursuant to Accounting Standards Codification Topic 946 applicable to investment companies. U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Funds in the preparation of their financial statements:

a. VALUATION OF INVESTMENTS

Fixed income securities purchased with a remaining maturity exceeding 60 days are valued at the evaluated bid price provided by an authorized pricing service or, if an evaluated price is not available, by reference to other securities which are considered comparable in credit rating, interest rate, due date and other features (generally referred to as “matrix pricing”) or other similar pricing methodologies. Investments in certain mortgage-backed and stripped mortgage-backed securities, convertible securities, derivatives and other debt securities not traded on an organized securities market are valued on the basis of valuations provided by dealers or by a pricing service which uses information with respect to transactions in such securities and various relationships between such securities and yield to maturity in determining value.

Fixed income securities purchased with a remaining maturity of 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, provided that the amortized cost value is approximately the same as the fair value of the security valued without the use of

amortized cost. Investments in other open-end registered investment companies are valued at their end of day net asset value per share.

The Funds’ portfolio investments are generally valued based on independent market quotations or prices or, if none, “evaluative” or other market based valuations provided by third party pricing services. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, the Funds’ Boards of Trustees (the “Board”) designated AMG Funds LLC (the “Investment Manager”) as the Funds’ Valuation Designee to perform the Funds’ fair value determinations. Such determinations are subject to Board oversight and certain reporting and other requirements intended to ensure that the Board receives the information it needs to oversee the Investment Manager’s fair value determinations.

Under certain circumstances, the value of certain Fund portfolio investments may be based on an evaluation of fair value, pursuant to procedures established by the Investment Manager and under the general supervision of the Board. The Funds may use the fair value of a portfolio investment to calculate its net asset value (“NAV”) in the event that the market quotation, price or market based valuation for the portfolio investment is not readily available or otherwise not determinable pursuant to the Funds’ valuation procedures, if the Investment Manager believes the quotation, price or market based valuation to be unreliable, or in certain other circumstances. When determining the fair value of an investment, the Investment Manager seeks to determine the price that the Funds might reasonably expect to receive from current sale of that portfolio investment in an arms-length transaction. Fair value determinations shall be based upon consideration of all available facts and information, including, but not limited to (i) attributes specific to the investment; (ii) fundamental and analytical data relating to the investment; and (iii) the value of other comparable securities or relevant financial instruments, including derivative securities, traded on other markets or among dealers.

The values assigned to fair value portfolio investments are based on available information and do not necessarily represent amounts that might ultimately be realized in the future, since such amounts depend on future developments inherent in long-term investments. Because of the inherent uncertainty of valuation, those estimated values may differ significantly from the values that would have been used had a ready market for the investments existed, and the differences could be material. The Board will be presented with quarterly reports, as of the most recent quarter end, summarizing all fair value activity, material fair value matters that occurred during the quarter, and all outstanding securities fair valued by the Funds. Additionally, the Board will be presented with an annual report that assesses the adequacy and effectiveness of the Investment Manager’s process for determining the fair value of the Funds’ investments.

With respect to foreign equity securities and certain foreign fixed income securities, securities held in the Funds that can be fair valued by the applicable fair value pricing service are fair valued on each business day provided that each individual price exceeds a pre-established confidence level.

U.S. GAAP defines fair value as the price that a fund would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP also establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability. Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Funds. Unobservable inputs reflect the Funds’ own assumptions about the assumptions

 

 

 

 

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that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation.

The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below:

Level 1 – inputs are quoted prices in active markets for identical investments (e.g., equity securities, open-end investment companies)

Level 2 – other observable inputs (including, but not limited to: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in markets that are active, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the assets or liabilities (such as interest rates, yield curves, volatilities, prepayment speeds, loss severities, credit risks and default rates) or other market corroborated inputs) (e.g., debt securities, government securities, foreign currency exchange contracts, foreign securities utilizing international fair value pricing, fair valued securities with observable inputs)

Level 3 – inputs are significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions used to determine the fair value of investments) (e.g., fair valued securities with unobservable inputs)

Changes in inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments may result in a transfer in or out of levels within the fair value hierarchy. The inputs or methodologies used for valuing investments may not necessarily be an indication of the risk associated with investing in those investments.

b. SECURITY TRANSACTIONS

Security transactions are accounted for as of trade date. Realized gains and losses on securities sold are determined on the basis of identified cost.

c. INVESTMENT INCOME AND EXPENSES

Interest income, which includes amortization of premium and accretion of discount on debt securities, is accrued as earned. Interest income on foreign

securities is recorded gross of any withholding tax. Other income and expenses are recorded on an accrual basis. Expenses that cannot be directly attributed to a Fund are apportioned among the funds in the Trusts and other trusts or funds within the AMG Funds Family of Funds (collectively, the “AMG Funds Family”) based upon their relative average net assets or number of shareholders. Investment income, realized and unrealized capital gains and losses, the common expenses of each Fund, and certain fund level expense reductions, if any, are allocated on a pro-rata basis to each class based on the relative net assets of each class to the total net assets of each Fund.

d. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS

Fund distributions resulting from net investment income, if any, will normally be declared and paid monthly by the Funds. Fund distributions resulting from realized net capital gains, if any, will normally be declared and paid at least annually in December. Distributions to shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Distributions are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from net investment income and net realized capital gains for financial statement purposes (U.S. GAAP). Differences may be permanent or temporary. Permanent differences are reclassified among capital accounts in the financial statements to reflect their tax character. Permanent book and tax basis differences, if any, relating to shareholder distributions will result in reclassifications to paid-in capital. Temporary differences arise when certain items of income, expense and gain or loss are recognized in different periods for financial statement and tax purposes; these differences will reverse at some time in the future. Permanent differences are primarily due to redemptions in kind for Municipal Enhanced. There were no permanent differences for ESG Bond, Enhanced Core Bond ESG, High Income or Municipal Bond. Temporary differences are primarily due to wash sale loss deferrals for ESG Bond, Enhanced Core Bond ESG, High Income and Municipal Enhanced and premium amortization on callable bonds for ESG Bond and High Income. Municipal Bond had no temporary differences.

 

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022 was as follows:

 

     ESG Bond      Enhanced Core Bond ESG      High Income  
 Distributions paid from:     2023           2022           2023           2022           2023           2022      

 Ordinary income *

     $14,222,552        $12,655,107        $1,319,131        $1,041,762        $772,328        $684,311  

 Tax-exempt income

                                         

 Long-term capital gains

            966,729                             2,954  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        $14,222,552           $13,621,836           $1,319,131           $1,041,762           $772,328           $687,265  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

     Municipal Bond      Municipal Enhanced  

 Distributions paid from:

        2023              2022              2023             2022     

 Ordinary income *

     $1,247,248        $551,119        $367,083        $207,654  

 Tax-exempt income

     21,331,928        19,272,793        7,455,287        7,931,831  

 Long-term capital gains

            1,733,844               814,678  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
        $22,579,176           $21,557,756           $7,822,370           $8,954,163  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

* For tax purposes, short-term capital gain distributions, if any, are considered ordinary income distributions.

 

 

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As of December 31, 2023, the components of distributable earnings (excluding unrealized appreciation/depreciation) on a tax basis consisted of:

 

     ESG Bond      Enhanced Core Bond ESG      High Income      Municipal Bond      Municipal Enhanced  

 Capital loss carryforward

     $39,808,360        $6,549,700        $1,435,297        $26,952,777        $16,215,360  

 Undistributed ordinary income

     82,816        10,963        9,749                

 Undistributed tax-exempt income

                          249,290        76,439  

At December 31, 2023, the cost of investments and the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation for federal income tax purposes were as follows:

 

 Fund    Cost      Appreciation      Depreciation     Net Depreciation  

 ESG Bond

     $490,317,269        $4,059,983        $(47,919,588     $(43,859,605

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

     45,140,942        274,109        (3,284,931     (3,010,822

 High Income

     16,013,211        116,928        (214,435     (97,507

 Municipal Bond

     1,030,029,167        16,415,545        (23,370,147     (6,954,602

 Municipal Enhanced

     224,254,481        3,241,997        (13,819,821     (10,577,824

 

e. FEDERAL TAXES

Each Fund currently qualifies as an investment company and intends to comply with the requirements under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”), and to distribute substantially all of its taxable income and gains to its shareholders and to meet certain diversification and income requirements with respect to investment companies. The Investment Manager has analyzed the Funds’ tax positions taken on federal income tax returns as of December 31, 2023, and for all open tax years (generally, the three prior taxable years), and has concluded that no provision for federal income tax is required in the Funds’ financial statements. Additionally, the Investment Manager is not aware of any tax position for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefit/detriment will change materially in the next twelve months.

Furthermore, based on each Fund’s understanding of the tax rules and rates related to income, gains and transactions for the foreign jurisdictions in which it invests, each Fund will provide for foreign taxes, and where appropriate, deferred foreign taxes.

f. CAPITAL LOSS CARRYOVERS AND DEFERRALS

As of December 31, 2023, the Funds had capital loss carryovers for federal income tax purposes as shown in the following chart. These amounts may be used to offset future realized capital gains indefinitely, and retain their character as short-term and/or long-term.

 

 Fund    Short-Term      Long-Term      Total  

 ESG Bond

     $9,213,293        $30,595,067        $39,808,360  

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

     2,675,067        3,874,633        6,549,700  

 High Income

     398,620        1,036,677        1,435,297  

 Municipal Bond

     1,211,437        25,741,340        26,952,777  

 Municipal Enhanced

     4,404,660        11,810,700        16,215,360  
 

g. CAPITAL STOCK

Each of AMG Funds’ Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust, AMG Funds II’s Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, and AMG Funds III’s Declaration of Trust authorizes for each applicable Fund the issuance of an unlimited number of shares of beneficial interest, without par value. Each Fund records sales and repurchases of its capital stock on the trade date. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, Municipal Enhanced delivered securities, and cash in connection with redemptions in-kind transactions in the amount of $46,736,183 for subscriptions in-kind to AMG Municipal Enhanced SMA Shares, an affiliated fund, and a related party. For the purposes of U.S. GAAP, the transactions were treated as sales of securities and the resulting gain or loss was recognized based on the market value of the securities on the date of the transfer. For tax purposes, no gains or losses were recognized.

 

 

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For the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the capital stock transactions by class for the Funds were as follows:

 

    ESG Bond     Enhanced Core Bond ESG  
    December 31, 2023     December 31, 2022     December 31, 2023     December 31, 2022  
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount  

 Class N:

               

 Shares sold

    502,045        $10,618,434        434,859        $9,802,580        384,052        $3,446,741        151,245        $1,447,268   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    395,272        8,384,556        345,800        7,627,326        32,277        287,738        20,650        192,586   

 Shares redeemed

    (2,817,229)       (59,923,434)       (3,716,450)       (83,888,821)       (370,741)       (3,342,409)       (268,963)       (2,557,723)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net increase (decrease)

    (1,919,912)       $(40,920,444)       (2,935,791)       $(66,458,915)       45,588       $392,070       (97,068)       $(917,869)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Class I:

               

 Shares sold

    1,156,432        $24,647,398        1,292,769        $29,148,121        1,011,926        $9,000,136        1,447,204        $13,969,790   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    259,536        5,507,823        256,042        5,663,172        74,147        663,551        55,346        519,860   

 Shares redeemed

    (2,914,785)       (61,872,107)       (5,602,000)       (125,532,119)       (933,098)       (8,401,244)       (2,416,748)       (23,744,821)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net increase (decrease)

    (1,498,817)       $(31,716,886)       (4,053,189)       $(90,720,826)       152,975        $1,262,443        (914,198)       $(9,255,171)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Class Z:

               

 Shares sold

    —        —        —        —        143,285        $1,297,193        147,673        $1,476,721   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    —        —        —        —        30,302        271,456        27,916        261,662   

 Shares redeemed

    —        —        —        —        (444,712)       (3,991,589)       (359,946)       (3,361,565)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net decrease

    —        —        —        —        (271,125)       $(2,422,940)       (184,357)       $(1,623,182)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    High Income     Municipal Bond  
    December 31, 2023     December 31, 2022     December 31, 2023     December 31, 2022  
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount  

 Class N:

               

 Shares sold

    80,767        $1,656,985        18,712        $389,945        418,863        $4,709,065        647,098        $7,349,629   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    15,456        314,368        13,040        267,721        18,635        207,971        16,904        188,374   

 Shares redeemed

    (83,177)       (1,699,230)       (70,270)       (1,469,556)       (556,927)       (6,183,058)       (895,246)       (10,012,745)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net increase (decrease)

    13,046        $272,123        (38,518)       $(811,890)       (119,429)       $(1,266,022)       (231,244)       $(2,474,742)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Class I:

               

 Shares sold

    58,087        $1,187,228        484,312        $9,834,594        37,373,757        $421,157,504        81,732,933        $917,700,640   

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    21,980        446,846        19,941        410,014        1,488,315        16,699,309        1,484,035        16,631,130   

 Shares redeemed

    (281,706)       (5,745,881)       (556,443)       (11,307,954)       (46,781,942)       (526,167,158)       (95,879,229)       (1,074,060,059)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net decrease

    (201,639)       $(4,111,807)       (52,190)       $(1,063,346)       (7,919,870)       $(88,310,345)       (12,662,261)       $(139,728,289)  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
    Municipal Enhanced                          
    December 31, 2023     December 31, 2022                          
    Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount                          

 Class N:

               

 Shares sold

    1,862,046        $16,341,115        616,950        $5,797,292           

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    8,269        72,921        5,976        53,425           

 Shares redeemed

    (1,567,017)       (13,721,798)       (1,667,635)       (16,584,715)          
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

         

 Net increase (decrease)

    303,298        $2,692,238        (1,044,709)       $(10,733,998)          
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

         

 

 

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     Municipal Enhanced  
     December 31, 2023     December 31, 2022  
     Shares     Amount     Shares     Amount  

 Class I:

        

 Shares sold

     14,554,470       $124,614,205       12,933,675       $112,341,447  

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

     330,028       2,811,647       534,430       4,664,114  

 Shares redeemed

     (22,667,440     (192,162,997 )1      (18,061,842     (159,500,846
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net decrease

     (7,782,942     $(64,737,145     (4,593,737     $(42,495,285
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Class Z:

        

 Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

     448       $3,806       423       $3,685  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Net increase

     448       $3,806       423       $3,685  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

1 Includes redemption in-kind in the amount of $46,736,183.

 

h. REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS AND JOINT REPURCHASE AGREEMENTS

The Funds may enter into third-party and bilateral repurchase agreements for temporary cash management purposes and for reinvestment of cash collateral on securities lending transactions under the securities lending program offered by The Bank of New York Mellon (“BNYM”) (the “Securities Lending Program”) (collectively, “Repurchase Agreements”). The value of the underlying collateral, including accrued interest, must equal or exceed the value of the Repurchase Agreements during the term of the agreement. For joint repurchase agreements, the Funds participate on a pro rata basis with other clients of BNYM in their share of the underlying collateral under such joint repurchase agreements and in their share of proceeds from any repurchase or other disposition of the underlying collateral. The underlying collateral for all Repurchase Agreements is held by the Funds’ custodian or at the Federal Reserve Bank. If the seller defaults and the value of the collateral declines, or if bankruptcy proceedings commence with respect to the seller of the security, realization of the collateral by the Funds may be delayed or limited. Pursuant to the Securities Lending Program, the Funds are indemnified for such losses by BNYM on joint repurchase agreements.

At December 31, 2023, the market value of Repurchase Agreements outstanding for ESG Bond, Enhanced Core Bond ESG, High Income, Municipal Bond and Municipal Enhanced was $14,421,108, $2,185,574, $2,197,791, $15,216,000 and $5,184,000, respectively.

i. DELAYED DELIVERY TRANSACTIONS AND WHEN-ISSUED SECURITIES

The Funds may enter into securities transactions on a delayed delivery or when issued basis. Payment and delivery may take place after the customary settlement period for that security. The price of the underlying securities and the date when the securities will be delivered and paid for are fixed at the time the transaction is negotiated. During the time a delayed delivery sell is outstanding, the contract is marked to market daily and equivalent deliverable securities are held for the transaction. The value of the securities purchased on a delayed delivery or when-issued basis are identified as such in each Fund’s Schedule of Portfolio Investments. With respect to purchase commitments, the Funds identify securities as segregated in their records with a value at least equal to the amount of the commitment. Delayed delivery or when-issued securities that have been purchased from and sold to different brokers are reflected as an investment in

securities and a forward sale commitment in the Fund’s Statement of Assets and Liabilities. For financial reporting purposes, the Fund does offset the receivable and payable for delayed delivery investments purchased and sold. Losses may arise due to changes in the value of the underlying securities or if the counterparty does not perform under the contract, or if the issuer does not issue the securities due to political, economic, or other factors.

At December 31, 2023, the market value of delayed delivery securities held in Municipal Bond amounted to $9,586,475.

2. AGREEMENTS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH AFFILIATES

For each of the Funds, the Trusts have entered into investment advisory agreements under which the Investment Manager, a subsidiary and the U.S. wealth platform of Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (“AMG”), serves as investment manager to the Funds and is responsible for the Funds’ overall administration and operations. The Investment Manager selects and recommends, subject to the approval of the Boards and, in certain circumstances, shareholders, the subadviser for the Funds and monitors the subadviser’s investment performance, security holdings and investment strategies. Each Fund’s investment portfolio is managed by GW&K Investment Management, LLC (“GW&K”), who serves as subadviser pursuant to a subadvisory agreement with the Investment Manager. AMG indirectly owns a majority interest in GW&K.

Investment management fees are paid directly by the Funds to the Investment Manager based on average daily net assets. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Funds’ investment management fees were paid at the following annual rates of each Fund’s respective average daily net assets:

 

 ESG Bond

     0.23%  

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

     0.30%  

 High Income

     0.39%  

 Municipal Bond

  

  on first $25 million

     0.35%  

  on next $25 million

     0.30%  
 

 

 

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  on next $50 million

     0.25%  

  on balance over $100 million

     0.20%  

 Municipal Enhanced

     0.45%  

The fee paid to GW&K for its services as subadviser is paid out of the fee the Investment Manager receives from each Fund and does not increase the expenses of each Fund.

The Investment Manager has contractually agreed, through at least May 1, 2024, to waive management fees and/or pay or reimburse fund expenses in order to limit total annual Fund operating expenses after fee waiver and expense reimbursements (exclusive of taxes, interest (including interest incurred in connection with bank and custody overdrafts, and in connection with securities sold short), shareholder servicing fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees, brokerage commissions and other transaction costs, dividends payable with respect to securities sold short, acquired fund fees and expenses and extraordinary expenses) of ESG Bond, Enhanced Core Bond ESG, High Income, Municipal Bond, and Municipal Enhanced to the annual rate of 0.43%, 0.48%, 0.59%, 0.34%, and 0.59%, respectively, of each Fund’s average daily net assets (this annual rate or such other annual rate that may be in effect from time to time, the “Expense Cap”), subject to later reimbursement by the Funds in certain circumstances.

In general, for a period of up to 36 months after the date any amounts are paid, waived or reimbursed by the Investment Manager, the Investment Manager may recover such amounts from a Fund, provided that such repayment would not cause the Fund’s total annual operating expenses after fee waiver and expense reimbursements (exclusive of the items noted in the parenthetical above) to exceed either (i) the Expense Cap in effect at the time such amounts were paid, waived or reimbursed, or (ii) the Expense Cap in effect at the time of such repayment by the Fund.

The contractual expense limitation may only be terminated in the event the Investment Manager or a successor ceases to be the investment manager of a Fund or a successor fund, by mutual agreement between the Investment Manager and the Board, or in the event of a Fund’s liquidation unless the Fund is reorganized or is a party to a merger in which the surviving entity is successor to the accounting and performance information of a Fund.

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Investment Manager’s expense reimbursements, and repayments of prior reimbursements by the Funds to the Investment Manager, if any, are as follows:

 

     Expense    Repayment of
    

Reimbursements

 

  

Prior Reimbursements

 

 ESG Bond

   $90,822   

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

   127,203   

 High Income

   100,391   

 Municipal Bond

   749,681   

 Municipal Enhanced

   221,214   

At December 31, 2023, the Funds’ expiration of reimbursements subject to recoupment is as follows:

 

Expiration

Period

 

  

ESG Bond

 

    

Enhanced Core Bond ESG

 

    

High Income

 

 

Less than 1 year

     $19,644        $113,335        $94,499  

1-2 years

     72,842        130,195        88,045  

2-3 years

     90,822        127,203        100,391  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     $183,308        $370,733        $282,935  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Expiration

Period

   Municipal Bond      Municipal Enhanced  

Less than 1 year

     $706,015        $230,390  

1-2 years

     726,185        225,094  

2-3 years

     749,681        221,214  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     $2,181,881        $676,698  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Trusts, on behalf of the Funds, have entered into an amended and restated Administration Agreement under which the Investment Manager serves as the Funds’ administrator (the “Administrator”) and is responsible for certain aspects of managing the Funds’ operations, including administration and shareholder services to each Fund. Each Fund pays a fee to the Administrator at the rate of 0.15% per annum of the Fund’s average daily net assets for this service.

The Funds are distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Investment Manager. The Distributor serves as the distributor and underwriter for each Fund and is a registered broker-dealer and member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”). Shares of each Fund will be continuously offered and will be sold directly to prospective purchasers and through brokers, dealers or other financial intermediaries who have executed selling agreements with the Distributor. Generally, the Distributor bears all or a portion of the expenses of providing services pursuant to the distribution agreement, including the payment of the expenses relating to the distribution of prospectuses for sales purposes and any advertising or sales literature.

The Trusts have adopted a distribution and service plan (the “Plan”) with respect to the Class N shares, in accordance with the requirements of Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act and the requirements of the applicable rules of FINRA regarding asset-based sales charges. Pursuant to the Plan, Enhanced Core Bond ESG, Municipal Bond and Municipal Enhanced may make payments to the Distributor for its expenditures in financing any activity primarily intended to result in the sale of each Fund’s Class N shares and for maintenance and personal service provided to existing shareholders of that class. The Plan authorizes payments to the Distributor up to 0.25% annually of Enhanced Core Bond ESG, Municipal Bond and Municipal Enhanced average daily net assets attributable to the Class N shares. The portion of payments made under the plan by Class N shares of Enhanced Core Bond ESG, Municipal Bond and Municipal Enhanced for shareholder servicing may not exceed an annual rate of 0.25% of the average daily net asset value of each Fund’s shares of that class owned by clients of such broker, dealer or financial intermediary.

For each of Class N and Class I shares of ESG Bond, High Income, Municipal Bond, and Municipal Enhanced, and for Enhanced Core Bond ESG’s Class I shares, the

 

 

 

 

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Board has approved reimbursement payments to the Investment Manager for shareholder servicing expenses (“shareholder servicing fees”) incurred. Shareholder servicing fees include payments to financial intermediaries, such as broker-dealers (including fund supermarket platforms), banks, and trust companies who provide shareholder recordkeeping, account servicing and other services. The Class N and Class I shares may reimburse the Investment Manager for the actual amount incurred up to a maximum annual rate of each Class’s average daily net assets as shown in the table below.

The impact on the annualized expense ratios for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, was as follows:

 

     Maximum Annual       Actual 
     Amount       Amount 

 Fund

 

  

Approved

 

    

 Incurred 

 

 ESG Bond

     

 Class N

     0.25%      0.25%

 Class I

     0.05%      0.05%

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

 Class I

     0.10%      0.08%

 High Income

 Class N

     0.25%      0.25%

 Class I

     0.05%      0.05%

 Municipal Bond

 Class N

     0.15%      0.13%

 Class I

     0.05%      0.05%

 Municipal Enhanced

 Class N

     0.15%      0.15%

 Class I

     0.05%      0.05%

The Board provides supervision of the affairs of the Trusts and other trusts within the AMG Funds Family. The Trustees of the Trusts who are not affiliated with the Investment Manager receive an annual retainer and per meeting fees for regular, special and telephonic meetings, and they are reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses incurred while carrying out their duties as Board members. The Chairman of the Board and the Audit Committee Chair receive additional annual retainers. On October 10, 2023, the shareholders of each Trust elected Trustees, including two new Trustees who are not “interested persons” of the Funds within the meaning of the 1940 Act. Certain Trustees and Officers of the Funds are Officers and/or Directors of the Investment Manager, AMG and/or the Distributor.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) granted an exemptive order that permits certain eligible funds in the AMG Funds Family to lend and borrow money for certain temporary purposes directly to and from other eligible funds in the AMG Funds Family. Participation in this interfund lending program is voluntary for both the borrowing and lending funds, and an interfund loan is only made if it benefits each participating fund. The Administrator manages the program according to procedures approved by the Board, and the Board monitors the operation of the program. An interfund loan must comply with certain conditions set out in the exemptive order, which are designed to assure fairness and protect all participating funds. The interest earned and interest paid on interfund loans are included on the Statement of Operations as interest income and interest expense, respectively. At December 31, 2023, the Funds had no interfund loans outstanding.

The following Funds utilized the interfund loan program during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 as follows:

 

 Fund

 

  

Average
Lent

 

    

Number
of Days

 

    

Interest
Earned

 

    

Average
Interest Rate

 

 

Municipal Bond

     $7,448,357        10        $12,158        5.958 %  

Municipal Enhanced

     1,723,990        6        1,748        6.122 %  
 Fund    Average
Borrowed
     Number
of Days
     Interest
Paid
     Average
Interest Rate
 

Enhanced Core Bond ESG

     $1,432,227        4        $990        6.220 %  

Municipal Bond

     2,344,795        3        1,144        5.935 %  

Municipal Enhanced

     1,802,749        13        3,962        6.170 %  

3. PURCHASES AND SALES OF SECURITIES

Purchases and sales of securities (excluding short-term securities and U.S. Government Obligations) for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, were as follows:

 

     Long Term Securities  

 Fund

 

  

Purchases

 

    

Sales

 

 

ESG Bond

     $78,262,046        $115,067,183   

Enhanced Core Bond ESG

     11,200,578        11,978,804   

High Income

     3,863,034        7,666,292   

Municipal Bond

     301,623,507        393,699,685   

Municipal Enhanced

     56,932,120        70,231,619   

Purchases and sales of U.S. Government Obligations for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 were as follows:

 

     U.S. Government Obligations  

 Fund

 

  

Purchases

 

      

Sales

 

 

ESG Bond

     $43,877,436          $74,388,537   

Enhanced Core Bond ESG

     8,566,832          8,562,787   

4. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES LOANED

The Funds, except Municipal Bond and Municipal Enhanced, participate in the Securities Lending Program providing for the lending of securities to qualified borrowers. Securities lending income includes earnings of such temporary cash investments, plus or minus any rebate to a borrower. These earnings (after any rebate) are then divided between BNYM, as a fee for its services under the Securities Lending Program, and the Funds, according to agreed-upon rates. Collateral on all securities loaned is accepted in cash, U.S. Treasury Obligations or U.S. Government Agency Obligations. Collateral is maintained at a minimum level of 102% (105% in the case of certain foreign securities) of the market value, plus interest, if applicable, of investments on loan. It is the Funds’ policy to obtain additional collateral from or return excess collateral to the borrower by the end of the next business day, following the valuation date of the securities loaned. Therefore, the value of the collateral held may be temporarily less than the value of the securities on loan. Lending securities entails a risk of loss to the Funds if and to the extent that the market value of the securities loaned were to increase and

 

 

 

 

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the borrower did not increase the collateral accordingly, and the borrower fails to return the securities. Under the terms of the Securities Lending Program, the Funds are indemnified for such losses by BNYM. Cash collateral is held in separate omnibus accounts managed by BNYM, who is authorized to exclusively enter into joint repurchase agreements for that cash collateral. Securities collateral is held in separate omnibus accounts managed by BNYM and cannot be sold or pledged. BNYM bears the risk of any deficiency in the amount of the cash collateral available for return to the borrower due to any loss on the collateral invested. Loans of securities are terminable by a Fund at any time and the borrower, after notice, is required to return borrowed securities as soon as practical, which is normally within three business days.

The value of securities loaned on positions held, cash collateral and securities collateral received at December 31, 2023, was as follows:

 

 Fund  

Securities

Loaned

 

Cash

Collateral

Received

 

Securities

Collateral

Received

 

Total

Collateral

Received

 ESG Bond

  $22,416,408   $14,128,108   $9,203,847   $23,331,955

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

  4,139,635   2,185,574   2,109,537   4,295,111

 High Income

  2,406,325   2,057,791   456,310   2,514,101

The following table summarizes the securities received as collateral for securities lending at December 31, 2023:

 

 Fund  

Collateral

Type

 

Coupon

Range

  Maturity
Date Range

ESG Bond

 

U.S. Treasury Obligations

  0.125%-5.471%   04/15/24-05/15/51

Enhanced Core Bond ESG

 

U.S. Treasury Obligations

  0.125%-4.750%   04/15/24-05/15/51

High Income

 

U.S. Treasury Obligations

  0.000%-6.000%   02/01/24-08/15/53

5. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Under the Trusts’ organizational documents, their Trustees and Officers are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Trusts. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Funds may enter into contracts and agreements that contain a variety of representations and warranties, which provide general indemnifications. The maximum exposure to the Funds under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims

that may be made against a Fund that have not yet occurred. However, based on experience, the Funds had no prior claims or losses and expect the risks of loss to be remote.

6. RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH YIELD SECURITIES

Investing in high yield securities involves greater risks and considerations not typically associated with U.S. Government and other high quality/investment grade securities. High yield securities are generally below investment grade securities and do not have an established retail secondary market. Economic downturns may disrupt the high yield market and impair the issuer’s ability to repay principal and interest. Also, an increase in interest rates would likely have an adverse impact on the value of such obligations and could cause the securities to become less liquid.

7. CREDIT AGREEMENT

Effective April 12, 2023, the Trust III, on behalf of High Income and another fund in the Trust, became party to a Credit Agreement among BNYM, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds IV (together with the Trust and AMG Funds II, the “Participating Trusts”) (the “Credit Agreement”) that provided a revolving line of credit of up to $50 million to certain funds in the Participating Trusts (such funds, the “Participating Funds”). On December 31, 2023, the Credit Agreement was terminated. The facility was shared by the Participating Funds, and was available for temporary, emergency purposes including liquidity needs in meeting redemptions. The interest rate on outstanding Alternate Base Rate Loans was equal to the greater of the Prime Rate plus 1.25%, or 0.50% plus the Federal Funds Effective Rate plus 1.25%. The interest rate on outstanding Overnight Loans was equal to the greater of the Federal Funds Effective Rate plus 1.25%, or the Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR plus 1.25%. The aforementioned Adjusted Daily Simple SOFR was the sum of Daily Simple SOFR plus 0.10% plus a floor rate of 0.00%. The Participating Funds paid a commitment fee on the unutilized commitment amount of 0.175% per annum, which was allocated to the Participating Funds based on average daily net assets and is included in miscellaneous expense on the Participating Funds’ Statement of Operations. Interest incurred on loans utilized, if any, is included in the Statement of Operations as interest expense.

High Income did not utilize the line of credit during the period April 12, 2023, through December 31, 2023.

 

 

8. MASTER NETTING AGREEMENTS

The Funds may enter into master netting agreements with their counterparties for the Securities Lending Program and Repurchase Agreements, which provide the right, in the event of default (including bankruptcy or insolvency) for the non-defaulting party to liquidate the collateral and calculate net exposure to the defaulting party or request additional collateral. For financial reporting purposes, the Funds do not offset financial assets and financial liabilities that are subject to master netting agreements in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities. For securities lending transactions, see Note 4.

The following table is a summary of the Funds’ open Repurchase Agreements that are subject to a master netting agreement as of December 31, 2023:

 

 

 

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         Gross Amount Not Offset in the        
         Statement of Assets and Liabilities        
 Fund    Gross Amounts of
Assets Presented in
the Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
  Offset
Amount
 

Net

Asset

Balance

  Collateral
Received
  Net
Amount

 ESG Bond

                    

 Cantor Fitzgerald Securities, Inc.

         $3,006,434            —            $3,006,434            $3,006,434            —   

 Daiwa Capital Markets America

       631,946             631,946       631,946      

 RBC Dominion Securities, Inc.

       3,531,895             3,531,895       3,531,895      

 Santander U.S. Capital Markets LLC

       3,496,576             3,496,576       3,496,576      

 State of Wisconsin Investment Board

       3,461,257             3,461,257       3,461,257      

 Fixed Income Clearing Corp.

       293,000             293,000       293,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Total

       $14,421,108             $14,421,108       $14,421,108      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Enhanced Core Bond ESG

                    

 Daiwa Capital Markets America

       $1,000,000             $1,000,000       $1,000,000      

 Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.

       185,574             185,574       185,574      

 RBC Dominion Securities, Inc.

       1,000,000             1,000,000       1,000,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Total

       $2,185,574             $2,185,574       $2,185,574      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 High Income

                    

 Daiwa Capital Markets America

       $1,000,000             $1,000,000       $1,000,000      

 Deutsche Bank Securities, Inc.

       57,791             57,791       57,791      

 RBC Dominion Securities, Inc.

       1,000,000             1,000,000       1,000,000      

 Fixed Income Clearing Corp.

       140,000             140,000       140,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Total

       $2,197,791             $2,197,791       $2,197,791      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Municipal Bond

                    

 Fixed Income Clearing Corp.

       $7,899,000             $7,899,000       $7,899,000      

 Fixed Income Clearing Corp.

       7,317,000             7,317,000       7,317,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Total

       $15,216,000             $15,216,000       $15,216,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Municipal Enhanced

                    

 Fixed Income Clearing Corp.

       $3,319,000             $3,319,000       $3,319,000      

 Fixed Income Clearing Corp.

       1,865,000             1,865,000       1,865,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 Total

       $5,184,000             $5,184,000       $5,184,000      
    

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Funds have determined that no material events or transactions occurred through the issuance date of the Funds’ financial statements which require an additional disclosure in or adjustment of the Funds’ financial statements.

 

 

 

 

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

 
 
 

 

To the Boards of Trustees of AMG Funds, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds III and Shareholders of AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund, AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund, AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund, AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund and AMG GW&K High Income Fund

Opinions on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statements of assets and liabilities, including the schedules of portfolio investments, of AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund, AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund (two of the funds constituting AMG Funds), AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund (one of the funds constituting AMG Funds II), AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund and AMG GW&K High Income Fund (two of the funds constituting AMG Funds III) (hereafter collectively referred to as the “Funds”) as of December 31, 2023, the related statements of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023, including the related notes, and the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of each of the Funds as of December 31, 2023, the results of each of their operations for the year then ended, the changes in each of their net assets for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2023 and each of the financial highlights for each of the periods indicated therein in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Basis for Opinions

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Funds’ management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Funds’ financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Funds in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits of these financial statements in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2023 by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

Boston, Massachusetts

February 27, 2024

We have served as the auditor of one or more investment companies in the AMG Funds Family since 1993.

 

 

 

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Other Information (unaudited)

 
 
 

 

 

TAX INFORMATION

 

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund, AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund, AMG GW&K High Income Fund, AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund, and AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund each hereby designate the maximum amount allowable of its net taxable income as qualified dividends as provided in the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. The 2023 Form 1099-DIV you receive for each Fund will show the tax status of all distributions paid to you during the year.

 

Pursuant to section 852 of the Internal Revenue Code, AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund, AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG Fund, AMG GW&K High Income Fund, AMG GW&K Municipal Bond Fund, and AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield Fund, each hereby designates $0, as a capital gain distribution with respect to the taxable year ended December 31, 2023, or if subsequently determined to be different, the net capital gains of such fiscal year.

 

 

PROXY VOTE

A special meeting of the shareholders of AMG Funds, AMG Funds II and AMG Funds III (collectively the “Trusts”) was held on October 10, 2023, to vote on proposals to elect trustees to the Boards of Trustees of the Trusts and to amend certain fundamental restrictions of AMG High Income Fund. Jill R. Cuniff, Kurt A. Keilhacker, Peter W. MacEwen, Steven J. Paggioli, Eric Rakowski, Victoria L. Sassine and Garret W. Weston were elected by shareholders at the special meeting on October 10, 2023. Bruce B. Bingham, an incumbent Trustee, served as a Trustee of the Trusts until his retirement on December 31, 2023. The proposals and results of the votes are described below.

 

 AMG Funds    All Funds in Trust*  

 Election of Trustees 1

 

  

For

 

      

Withheld

 

 

 Jill R. Cuniff

     523,453,201          50,330,270  

 Kurt A. Keilhacker

     563,642,997          10,140,474  

 Peter W. MacEwen

     523,551,974          50,231,497  

 Steven J. Paggioli

     561,225,673          12,557,798  

 Eric Rakowski

     561,230,560          12,552,911  

 Victoria L. Sassine

     563,668,874          10,114,597  

 Garret W. Weston

     564,280,150          9,503,321  
 AMG Funds II    All Funds in Trust*  

 Election of Trustees 1

 

  

For

 

      

Withheld

 

 

 Jill R. Cuniff

     4,796,336          35,586  

 Kurt A. Keilhacker

     4,798,616          33,306  

 Peter W. MacEwen

     4,797,782          34,140  

 Steven J. Paggioli

     4,797,674          34,248  

 Eric Rakowski

     4,803,644          28,278  

 Victoria L. Sassine

     4,801,440          30,482  

 Garret W. Weston

     4,798,028          33,894  

 

 

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Other Information

 
 
 

 

 AMG Funds III    All Funds in Trust*  

 Election of Trustees 1

 

  

For

 

      

Withheld

 

 

 Jill R. Cuniff

     16,176,146          1,292,448  

 Kurt A. Keilhacker

     16,195,091          1,273,503  

 Peter W. MacEwen

     16,181,186          1,287,408  

 Steven J. Paggioli

     16,171,262          1,297,332  

 Eric Rakowski

     16,234,882          1,233,712  

 Victoria L. Sassine

     16,232,798          1,235,796  

 Garret W. Weston

     16,302,659          1,165,935  

 

     AMG High Income Fund*  

 To approve the amendment of the Fund’s fundamental investment restrictions

 

  

For

 

    

Against

 

    

Abstain

 

      

Broker
Non-Vote

 

 

 Borrowing

     365,234        2,237        5,456          205,732  

 Issuing Senior Securities

     365,234        2,189        5,503          205,733  

1 Ms. Cuniff and Mr. MacEwen were newly elected to the Boards of Trustees on October 10, 2023; Messrs. Keilhacker, Paggioli, Rakowski, and Weston and Ms. Sassine are incumbent Trustees.

* Rounded to the nearest share.

 

 

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AMG Funds

Trustees and Officers

 
 
 

 

The Trustees and Officers of the Trusts, their business addresses, principal occupations for the past five years and ages are listed below. The Trustees provide broad supervision over the affairs of the Trusts and the Funds. The Trustees are experienced executives who meet periodically throughout the year to oversee the Funds’ activities, review contractual arrangements with companies that provide services to the Funds, and

  

review the Funds’ performance. Unless otherwise noted, the address of each Trustee or Officer is the address of the Trusts: 680 Washington Blvd., Suite 500, Stamford, CT. 06901.

 

There is no stated term of office for Trustees. Trustees serve until their resignation, retirement or removal in accordance with the Trusts’ organizational documents and policies adopted by the Board from time to time.

 

   The Chairman of the Board, the President, the Treasurer and the Secretary and such other Officers as the Trustees may in their discretion from time to time elect each hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualified, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, is removed or becomes disqualified. Each Officer holds office at the pleasure of the Trustees.

Independent Trustees

The following Trustees are not “interested persons” of the Trusts within the meaning of the 1940 Act:

 Number of Funds Overseen in

  Fund Complex

   Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Other Directorships Held by
Trustee
 

• Trustee since 2012 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2012 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 2012 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Bruce B. Bingham, 75*

Partner, Hamilton Partners (real estate development firm) (1987-Present); Director of The Yacktman Funds, Inc. (2 portfolios) (2000-2012).

 

• Trustee since 2023 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2023 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 2023 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Jill R. Cuniff, 59**

Director of Harding, Loevner Funds, Inc. (12 portfolios) (2018-Present); Retired (2016-Present); President & Portfolio Manager, Edge Asset

Management (2009-2016); President & Chief Investment Officer, Morley Financial Services (2001-2009); President, Union Bond & Trust Company (2001-2009).

 

• Chairman of the Audit Committee since 2021

• Trustee since 2013 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2013 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 2013 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Kurt A. Keilhacker, 60

Managing Partner, Elementum Ventures (2013-Present); Managing Partner, TechFund Europe (2000-Present); Managing Partner, TechFund

Capital (1997-Present); Adjunct Professor, University of San Francisco (2022-Present); Trustee, Wheaton College (2018-Present); Director,

Wheaton College Trust Company, N.A. (2018-Present).

 

• Trustee since 2023 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2023 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 2023 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Peter W. MacEwen, 59**

Private investor (2019-Present); Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (2003-2018): Chief Administrative Officer, Office of the CEO (2013-2018); Senior Vice President, Finance (2007-2013); Vice President, Finance

(2003-2007).

 

• Trustee since 2004 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2000 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 1993 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 37 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Steven J. Paggioli, 73

Independent Consultant (2002-Present); Trustee, Professionally Managed Portfolios (28 portfolios); Independent Director, Muzinich BDC, Inc. (business development company) (2019-Present); Director, The Wadsworth Group; Independent Director, Chase Investment Counsel (2008–2019); Executive Vice President, Secretary and Director, Investment Company Administration, LLC and First Fund Distributors, INC.

(1990-2001).

 

 

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AMG Funds

 

Trustees and Officers (continued)

 
 
 

 

   

• Independent Chairman of the Board of Trustees since 2017

• Chairman of the Governance Committee since 2017

• Trustee since 1999 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2000 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 1999 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Eric Rakowski, 65

Professor of Law, University of California at Berkeley School of Law (1990-Present); Tax Attorney at Davis Polk & Wardwell and clerked for Judge

Harry T. Edwards of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and for Justice William J. Brennan Jr. of the U.S. Supreme Court;

Trustee of Parnassus Funds (4 portfolios) (2021-Present); Trustee of Parnassus Income Funds (2 portfolios) (2021-Present); Director of Harding,

Loevner Funds, Inc. (10 portfolios); Trustee of Third Avenue Trust (3 portfolios) (2002-2019); Trustee of Third Avenue Variable Trust (1 portfolio) (2002-2019).

 

• Trustee since 2013 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2013 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 2013 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Victoria L. Sassine, 58

Adjunct Professor, Babson College (2007–Present); Director, Board of Directors, PRG Group (2017-Present); CEO, Founder, Scale Smarter Partners, LLC (2018-Present); Adviser, EVOFEM Biosciences (2019-Present); Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Business Management Associates (2018-2019).

*Mr. Bingham retired from the Boards of Trustees of the Trusts on December 31, 2023.

**Ms. Cuniff and Mr. MacEwen were elected to the Boards of Trustees by the shareholders of the Trusts on October 10, 2023.

Interested Trustee

The Trustee in the following table is an “interested person” of the Trust within the meaning of the 1940 Act.

 Number of Funds Overseen in

 Fund Complex

   Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years and Other Directorships Held by
Trustee

• Trustee since 2021 - AMG Funds

• Trustee since 2021 - AMG Funds II

• Trustee since 2021 - AMG Funds III

• Oversees 39 Funds in Fund Complex

  

Garret W. Weston, 42

Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (2008-Present): Managing Director, Head of Affiliate Product Strategy and Development (2023-Present), Managing Director, Co-Head of Affiliate Engagement, Distribution (2021-2022), Senior Vice President, Office of the CEO (2019-2021), Senior Vice President, Affiliate Development (2016-2019), Vice President, Office of the CEO (2015-2016), Vice President, New Investments (2008-2015); Associate, Madison Dearborn Partners (2006-2008); Analyst, Merrill Lynch (2004-2006).

Officers

  
   

 Position(s)Held with Fund and

 Length of Time Served

  

Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

 

• President since 2018

• Principal Executive Officer since 2018

• Chief Executive Officer since 2018

• Chief Operating Officer since 2007

  

Keitha L. Kinne, 65

Managing Director, Head of Platform and Operations, AMG Funds LLC (2023-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2007-Present); Chief Investment Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2008-Present); President and Principal, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2018-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2007-Present); President, Chief Executive Officer and Principal Executive Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2018-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds III (2007-Present); Chief Operating Officer, AMG Funds IV (2016-Present); Chief Operating Officer and Chief Investment Officer, Aston Asset Management, LLC (2016); President and Principal Executive Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II and AMG Funds III (2012-2014); Managing Partner, AMG Funds LLC (2007-2014); President and Principal, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2012-2014); Managing Director, Legg Mason & Co., LLC (2006-2007); Managing Director, Citigroup Asset Management (2004-2006).

   

• Secretary since 2015

• Chief Legal Officer since 2015

  

Mark J. Duggan, 58

Managing Director and Senior Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2021-Present); Senior Vice President and Senior Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2015-2021); Secretary and Chief Legal Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2015-Present); Attorney, K&L Gates, LLP (2009-2015).

 

• Chief Financial Officer since 2017

• Treasurer since 2017

• Principal Financial Officer since 2017

• Principal Accounting Officer since 2017

  

Thomas G. Disbrow, 57

Vice President, Mutual Fund Treasurer & CFO, AMG Funds, AMG Funds LLC (2017-Present); Chief Financial Officer, Principal Financial Officer, Treasurer and Principal Accounting Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2017-Present); Managing Director - Global Head of Traditional Funds Product Control, UBS Asset Management (Americas), Inc. (2015-2017); Managing Director - Head of North American Funds Treasury, UBS Asset Management (Americas), Inc. (2011-2015).

 

 

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AMG Funds

 

Trustees and Officers (continued)

 
 
 

 

   

 Position(s) Held with Fund and

 Length of Time Served

  

Name, Age, Principal Occupation(s) During Past 5 Years

 

• Deputy Treasurer since 2017

  

John A. Starace, 53

Vice President, Mutual Fund Accounting, AMG Funds LLC (2021-Present); Director, Mutual Fund Accounting, AMG Funds LLC (2017-2021); Vice President, Deputy Treasurer of Mutual Funds Services, AMG Funds LLC (2014-2017); Deputy Treasurer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2017-Present); Vice President, Citi Hedge Fund Services (2010-2014); Audit Senior Manager (2005-2010) and Audit Manager (2001-2005), Deloitte & Touche LLP.

 

• Chief Compliance Officer and Sarbanes-Oxley Code of Ethics Compliance Officer since 2019

• Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer since 2022

  

Patrick J. Spellman, 49

Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2017-Present); Chief Compliance Officer, AMG Distributors, Inc. (2010-Present); Chief Compliance Officer and Sarbanes-Oxley Code of Ethics Compliance Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2019-Present); Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, and AMG Funds III (2014-2019; 2022-Present); Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer, AMG Funds IV (2016-2019; 2022-Present); Senior Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer, AMG Funds LLC (2011-2017); Compliance Manager, Legal and Compliance, Affiliated Managers Group, Inc. (2005-2011).

 

• Assistant Secretary since 2016

  

Maureen M. Kerrigan, 38

Vice President, Senior Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2021-Present); Vice President, Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2019-2021); Director, Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2017-2018); Vice President, Counsel, AMG Funds LLC (2015-2017); Assistant Secretary, AMG Funds, AMG Funds I, AMG Funds II, AMG Funds III and AMG Funds IV (2016-Present); Associate, Ropes & Gray LLP (2011-2015); Law Fellow, Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice (2010-2011).

 

 

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LOGO

 

 

INVESTMENT MANAGER AND

ADMINISTRATOR

 

AMG Funds LLC

680 Washington Blvd., Suite 500

Stamford, CT 06901

800.548.4539

 

DISTRIBUTOR

 

AMG Distributors, Inc.

680 Washington Blvd., Suite 500

Stamford, CT 06901

800.548.4539

 

SUBADVISER

 

GW&K Investment Management, LLC

222 Berkeley St.

Boston, MA 02116

    

CUSTODIAN

 

The Bank of New York Mellon

Mutual Funds Custody

6023 Airport Road

Oriskany, NY 13424

 

LEGAL COUNSEL

 

Ropes & Gray LLP

Prudential Tower, 800 Boylston Street

Boston, MA 02199-3600

 

TRANSFER AGENT

 

BNY Mellon Investment Servicing (US) Inc.

AMG Funds

Attn: 534426 AIM 154-0520

500 Ross Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15262

800.548.4539

    

This report is prepared for the Funds’ shareholders. It is authorized for distribution to prospective investors only when preceded or accompanied by an effective prospectus. To receive a free copy of the prospectus or Statement of Additional Information, which includes additional information about Fund Trustees, please contact us by calling 800.548.4539. Distributed by AMG Distributors, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.

 

Current net asset values per share for each Fund are available on the Funds’ website at wealth.amg.com.

 

A description of the policies and procedures each Fund uses to vote its proxies is available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 800.548.4539, or (ii) on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) website at sec.gov. For information regarding each Fund’s proxy voting record for the 12-month period ended June 30, call 800.548.4539 or visit the SEC website at sec.gov.

 

The Funds file their complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to their reports on Form N-PORT. The Funds’ portfolio holdings on Form N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at sec.gov and the Funds’ website at wealth.amg.com. To review a complete list of the Funds’ portfolio holdings, or to view the most recent semi-annual report or annual report, please visit wealth.amg.com.

           

 

 

 

 
wealth.amg.com      


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LOGO

 

 

EQUITY FUNDS

 

AMG Beutel Goodman International Equity

Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd.

 

AMG Boston Common Global Impact

Boston Common Asset Management, LLC

 

AMG Frontier Small Cap Growth

Frontier Capital Management Co., LLC

 

AMG GW&K Small Cap Core

AMG GW&K Small Cap Value

AMG GW&K Small/Mid Cap Core

AMG GW&K Small/Mid Cap Growth

AMG GW&K International Small Cap

GW&K Investment Management, LLC

 

AMG Montrusco Bolton Large Cap Growth

Montrusco Bolton Investments, Inc.

 

AMG Renaissance Large Cap Growth

The Renaissance Group LLC

    

AMG River Road Dividend All Cap Value

AMG River Road Focused Absolute Value

AMG River Road Large Cap Value Select

AMG River Road Mid Cap Value

AMG River Road Small-Mid Cap Value

AMG River Road Small Cap Value

River Road Asset Management, LLC

 

AMG TimesSquare Emerging Markets Small Cap

AMG TimesSquare Global Small Cap

AMG TimesSquare International Small Cap

AMG TimesSquare Mid Cap Growth

AMG TimesSquare Small Cap Growth

TimesSquare Capital Management, LLC

 

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific

AMG Veritas China

AMG Veritas Global Focus

AMG Veritas Global Real Return

Veritas Asset Management LLP

 

AMG Yacktman

AMG Yacktman Focused

AMG Yacktman Global

AMG Yacktman Special Opportunities

Yacktman Asset Management LP

    

FIXED INCOME FUNDS

AMG Beutel Goodman Core Plus Bond

Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd.

 

AMG GW&K Core Bond ESG

AMG GW&K Enhanced Core Bond ESG

AMG GW&K ESG Bond

AMG GW&K High Income

AMG GW&K Municipal Bond

AMG GW&K Municipal Enhanced Yield

GW&K Investment Management, LLC

             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
             

 

 

 

 
wealth.amg.com    123123     AR088


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Item 2. CODE OF ETHICS

Registrant has adopted a Code of Ethics. See attached Exhibit (a)(1).

Item 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

Registrant’s Board of Trustees has determined that independent Trustee Mr. Steven J. Paggioli qualifies as an Audit Committee Financial Expert. Mr. Paggioli is “independent” as such term is defined in Form N-CSR.

Item 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

 

(a)

Audit Fees

The aggregate fees billed by the Funds’ independent registered public accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”), to the Funds for the Funds’ two most recent fiscal years for professional services rendered for audits of annual financial statements, or services that are normally provided in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements (“Audit Fees”) were as follows:

 

Fund - AMG Funds III

   Fiscal 2023      Fiscal 2022  

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

   $ 27,481      $ 26,664  

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

   $ 50,043      $ 48,965  

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

   $ 37,674      $ 36,340  

 

(b)

Audit-Related Fees

There were no fees billed by PwC to the Funds in their two most recent fiscal years for services rendered for assurance and related services that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit or review of the Funds’ financial statements, but are not reported as Audit Fees (“Audit-Related Fees”).

For the Funds’ two most recent fiscal years, there were no Audit-Related Fees billed by PwC for engagements related directly to the operations and financial reporting of one or more Funds by a Fund Service Provider. A Fund Service Provider is (a) any investment adviser to the Fund (not including any Subadviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser) or (b) any entity that provides ongoing services to the Fund and is controlling, controlled by or under common control with a Fund investment adviser described in (a).


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(c)

Tax Fees

The aggregate fees billed by PwC to the Funds for the two most recent fiscal years for professional services rendered for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning (“Tax Fees”) were as follows:

 

Fund - AMG Funds III

   Fiscal 2023      Fiscal 2022  

AMG Veritas Asia Pacific Fund

   $ 8,370      $ 8,050  

AMG GW&K ESG Bond Fund

   $ 9,450      $ 9,085  

AMG GW&K High Income Fund

   $ 8,370      $ 8,050  

For the Funds’ two most recent fiscal years, Tax Fees billed by PwC for engagements by Fund Service Providers that related directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Funds were $0 for fiscal 2023 and $0 for fiscal 2022, respectively.

The services for which Tax Fees were charged comprise all services performed by professional staff in PwC’s tax division except those services related to the audit. Typically, this category would include fees for tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice. Tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning services include preparation of original and amended tax returns, claims for refund and tax payment-planning services, assistance with tax audits and appeals, tax advice related to mergers and acquisitions and requests for rulings or technical advice from taxing authorities.

 

(d)

All Other Fees

There were no other fees billed by PwC to the Funds for all other non-audit services (“Other Fees”) during the Funds’ two most recent fiscal years. During the same period, there were no Other Fees billed by PwC for engagements by Fund Service Providers that related directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Funds.

(e)(1) According to policies adopted by the Audit Committee, services provided by PwC to the Funds must be pre-approved by the Audit Committee. On an annual basis, the Audit Committee reviews and pre-approves various types of services that PwC may perform for the Funds without specific approval of each engagement, subject to specified budget limitations. As contemplated by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and related SEC rules, the Audit Committee also pre-approves non-audit services provided by PwC to any Fund Service Provider for any engagement that relates directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Funds. Any engagement that is not already pre-approved or that will exceed a pre-approved budget must be submitted to the Audit Committee for pre-approval. The Chairman of the Audit Committee is authorized on behalf of the Board of Trustees and the Audit Committee to approve the engagement of PwC to perform non-audit services subject to certain conditions, including notification to the Audit Committee of such pre-approval not later than the next meeting of the Audit Committee following the date of such pre-approval.

(e)(2) None.


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(f) Not applicable.

(g) The aggregate fees billed by PwC in 2023 and 2022 for non-audit services rendered to the Funds and Fund Service Providers were $66,190 and $61,185, respectively. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, this amount reflects the amounts disclosed above in Item 4(b),(c),(d), plus $40,000 in fees billed to the Fund Service Providers for non-audit services that did not relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Funds. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, this amount reflects the amounts disclosed above in Item 4(b),(c),(d), plus $36,000 in fees billed to the Fund Service Providers for non-audit services that did not relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the Funds.

(h) The Trust’s Audit Committee has considered whether the provision of non-audit services by registrant’s independent registered public accounting firm to the registrant’s investment adviser, and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provided ongoing services to the registrant that were not pre-approved by the Committee (because such services did not relate directly to the operations and financial reporting of the registrant) was compatible with maintaining the independence of the independent registered public accounting firm.

Item 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS

Not applicable.

Item 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

The schedule of investments in securities of unaffiliated issuers as of the close of the reporting period is included as part of the report to shareholders filed under Item 1 of this form.

Item 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Not applicable.

Item 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Not applicable.

Item 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

Not applicable.

Item 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

Not applicable.

Item 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

(a) The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers have concluded, based on their evaluation of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing of this report, that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably designed to ensure that


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information required to be disclosed by the Registrant on Form N-CSR is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the required time periods and that information required to be disclosed by the registrant in the reports that it files or submits on Form N-CSR is accumulated and communicated to the Registrant’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

(b) There were no changes in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting during the period covered by this report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12.

DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Not applicable.

 

Item 13.

EXHIBITS

 

(a)(1)   Any Code of Ethics or amendments hereto. Filed herewith.
(a)(2)   Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 - Filed herewith.
(a)(3)   Not applicable.
(b)   Certifications pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 - Filed herewith.


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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

AMG FUNDS III
By:  

/s/ Keitha L. Kinne

  Keitha L. Kinne, Principal Executive Officer
Date:   March 7, 2024

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:  

/s/ Keitha L. Kinne

  Keitha L. Kinne, Principal Executive Officer
Date:   March 7, 2024
By:  

/s/ Thomas Disbrow

  Thomas Disbrow, Principal Financial Officer
Date:   March 7, 2024