N-CSR 1 d400831dncsr.htm AIC LSV VALUE EQUITY AIC LSV Value Equity

 

 

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 811-06400

 

 

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

SEI Investments

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

SEI Investments

One Freedom Valley Drive

Oaks, PA 19456

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (877) 446-3863

Date of fiscal year end: October 31, 2022

Date of reporting period: October 31, 2022

 

 

 


Item 1.

Reports to Stockholders.

A copy of the report transmitted to stockholders pursuant to Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Act”) (17 CFR § 270.30e-1), is attached hereto.


THE ADVISORS’ INNER CIRCLE FUND

 

LOGO

Value Equity Fund

ANNUAL REPORT TO SHAREHOLDERS

October 31, 2022

This information must be preceded or accompanied by a current prospectus. Investors should read the prospectus carefully before investing.


LOGO

MANAGER’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FUND PERFORMANCE

(Unaudited)

The total net of fee return of the LSV Value Equity Fund, the Russell 1000 Value Index (the benchmark), and the S&P 500 for trailing periods ending October 31, 2022, were as follows:

 

    

One

Year

 

Three

Years

 

Five

Years

 

Seven

Years

 

Ten

Years

 

Fifteen

Years

 

Twenty

year

 

    Since      

    Inception      

LSV Value Equity Fund Institutional Class Shares*

   -4.00%   7.84%   5.80%   8.04%   10.96%   6.48%   9.30%   8.00%

Benchmark:

                

Russell 1000 Value

   -7.00%   7.31%   7.21%   8.54%   10.30%   6.39%   8.81%   6.88%

Broad Market:

                

S&P 500 Index

   -14.61%   10.22%   10.44%   11.35%   12.79%   8.48%   9.81%   6.77%

* Year Ended October 31, 2022.

Institutional Class Shares performance as of 9/30/22: -12.66% (1 year), 3.53% (5 year), 9.54% (10 year) and 7.45% (Since Inception). The performance data quoted represents past performance. Past performance does not guarantee future results. 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 and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted. For performance data current to the most recent month end, please call 888-FUND-LSV (888-386-3578). Periods longer than one year are annualized; inception date is 3/31/99.

Global equity markets fell sharply over the past twelve months as record high inflation, a slowing economy and increasingly hawkish global central banks took a dent out of consumer confidence, stoking fears that a recession may be unavoidable. The S&P 500 was down 14.61% (in USD). Small cap stocks underperformed large caps over the period as the Russell 1000 was down 16.38% while the Russell 2000 was down 18.54% (both in USD). From a style perspective, there was a change in market leadership over the period as value stocks (as measured by the Russell Indices) outperformed growth amidst the market volatility—the Russell 1000 Value Index was down 7.00% while the Russell 1000 Growth Index was down 24.60% (both in USD). The LSV Value Equity Fund, Institutional Class Shares, was down 4.00% for the period. From a sector perspective, Energy, Consumer Staples and Utilities stocks outperformed while the Communication Services, Consumer Discretionary and Real Estate sectors lagged.

While the broad equity market sold off during the period, value stocks and the Fund held up much better than the overall market. The Fund’s deeper value bias added value over the period as cheaper stocks on an earnings and cash flow basis held up relatively well. Performance attribution further indicates that stock selection contributed positively to portfolio relative returns for the period, while sector selection detracted. Stock selection relative gains were primarily the result of the outperformance of deep value names within the Health Care, Industrials and Financials sectors—holdings within the Biotechnology, Aerospace & Defense and Life & Health Insurance industries performed particularly well. Within Information Technology, not owning expensive names in the Application Software industry also added value. From a sector perspective, relative losses were almost entirely the result of our underweight position in the Energy sector, particularly our underweight to both Integrated Oil & Gas and Exploration & Production companies which rallied over 70% for the period. Top contributors included our overweight positions in McKesson, AbbVie, HF Sinclair, Kroger, Merck, Amgen, H&R Block, Lockheed Martin and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Our underweight to Meta and not owning Disney, Salesforce.com, J.P. Morgan and Alphabet also added value. The main individual detractors included our underweight position in Exxon as well as not owning Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth. Overweight positions in Intel, eBay, Citi, Seagate, Oracle, Ally Financial and Whirlpool also detracted.

The Fund continues to trade at a significant discount to the overall market as well as to the value benchmark. The Fund is trading at 8.9x forward earnings compared to 14.0x for the Russell 1000 Value, 1.8x book value

 

1


LOGO

MANAGER’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FUND PERFORMANCE

(Unaudited)

 

compared to 2.3x for the Russell 1000 Value and 6.0x cash flow compared to 10.7x for the Russell 1000 Value. Sector weightings are a result of our bottom-up stock selection process, subject to constraints at the sector and industry levels. The Fund is currently overweight the Consumer Discretionary, Materials and Information Technology sectors while underweight Communication Services, Real Estate and Utilities.

Our organization remains stable and our research team continues to pursue an active research agenda in which we are looking for better ways to measure value and identify signs of positive change. As always, we are focused on delivering the long-term results that our investors have come to expect from LSV and that we have delivered for clients since 1994.

This material represents the manager’s assessment of the portfolio and market environment at a specific point in time and should not be relied upon by the reader as research or investment advice. Investing involves risk including loss of principal. The information provided herein represents the opinion of the manager and is not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice.

Forward earnings is not a forecast of the Fund’s future performance. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Investments in smaller companies typically exhibit higher volatility.

The Russell 1000 Value Index is a widely-recognized, capitalization-weighted (companies with larger market capitalizations have more influence than those with smaller market capitalization) index of U.S. companies with lower forecasted growth rates and price-to-book ratios.

The Russell 1000 Growth Index is a widely-recognized, capitalization-weighted (companies with larger market capitalizations have more influence than those with smaller market capitalization) index of U.S. companies with higher forecasted growth rates and price-to-book ratios.

The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 stocks chosen for market size, liquidity, and industry group representation. It is a market-value weighted index (stock price times number of shares outstanding), with each stock’s weight in the Index proportionate to its market value. The S&P 500 Index is one of the most widely used benchmarks of U.S. equity performance.

Russell 2000 Index is an unmanaged index comprised of 2,000 stocks of U.S. companies with small market capitalization.

MSCI USA Minimum Volatility Index aims to reflect the performance characteristics of a minimum variance strategy applied to the US large and mid-cap equity universe.

Index Returns are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent actual fund performance. Index performance returns do not reflect any manage fees, transaction costs or expenses. Indexes are unmanaged and one cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

 

2


Comparison of Change in the Value of a $100,000 Investment in the

LSV Value Equity Fund, Institutional Class Shares, versus the Russell 1000 Value Index (Unaudited)

 

        

Average Annual Total Return

for the period ended October 31, 2022

        

    One Year    

Return

  

    Three Year    

Return

  

    Five Year    

Return

  

    Seven Year    

Return

  

    Ten Year    

Return

  

    Annualized    

Inception to

Date(1)

 

LSV Value Equity Fund, Institutional Class Shares 

   -4.00%    7.84%    5.80%    8.04%    10.96%    8.00%
 

LSV Value Equity Fund, Investor Class Shares (2) 

   -4.26%    7.56%    5.54%    7.77%    10.68%    7.73%
 

Russell 1000 Value Index 

   -7.00%    7.31%    7.21%    8.54%    10.30%    6.88%

 

LOGO

 

*

The graph is based on only the Institutional Class Shares; performance for Investor Class Shares would be different due to differences in fee structures.

 

(1)

The LSV Value Equity Fund Commenced operations on March 31, 1999.

 

(2)

Investor Class Shares commenced operations on June 10, 2014. Investor Class Shares’ performance for periods prior to June 10, 2014, is that of the Institutional Class Shares. Institutional Class Shares’ performance was adjusted to reflect the 12b-1 fees applicable to the Investor Class Shares.

The performance data quoted herein represents past performance and the return and value of an investment in the Fund will fluctuate so that, when redeemed, may be worth less than its original cost. Past performance does not guarantee future results. The Fund’s performance assumes the reinvestment of all dividends and all capital gains. Index returns assume reinvestment of dividends and, unlike a fund’s returns, do not reflect any fees or expenses. If such fees and expenses were included in the Index returns, the performance would have been lower. Please note that one cannot invest directly in an unmanaged index. Fee waivers were in effect previously, if they had not been in effect, performance would have been lower.

Returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

See definition of comparative indices on page 2.

 

3


October 31, 2022

 

Sector Weightings (Unaudited)†:

 

LOGO

 

Percentages are based on total investments.

 

Schedule of Investments         
LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Common Stock (100.2%)

 

Aerospace & Defense (2.1%)

 

Curtiss-Wright

     38,500      $            6,462  

Huntington Ingalls Industries

     26,500        6,812  

Lockheed Martin

     30,100        14,649  

Textron

     88,400        6,050  
     

 

 

 
        33,973  
     

 

 

 

Agricultural Products (0.4%)

     

Ingredion

     76,700        6,835  
     

 

 

 

Air Freight & Logistics (0.9%)

     

FedEx

     91,530        14,670  
     

 

 

 

Aircraft (0.7%)

     

Delta Air Lines*

     133,800        4,540  

United Airlines Holdings*

     159,000        6,850  
     

 

 

 
        11,390  
     

 

 

 

Apparel Retail (0.4%)

     

Foot Locker

     204,400        6,479  
     

 

 

 

Apparel, Accessories & Luxury Goods (0.5%)

 

Carter’s

     79,100        5,369  

Hanesbrands

     450,900        3,075  
     

 

 

 
        8,444  
     

 

 

 

Asset Management & Custody Banks (2.8%)

 

Ameriprise Financial

     60,700        18,763  

Bank of New York Mellon

     338,400        14,250  

State Street

     170,700        12,632  
     

 

 

 
        45,645  
     

 

 

 

Automotive (2.8%)

     

American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings*

     755,300        7,319  

BorgWarner

     154,200        5,787  

Ford Motor

     979,700        13,099  

General Motors

     323,600        12,701  

Goodyear Tire & Rubber*

     486,300        6,176  
LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Automotive (continued)

 

Lear

     11,580      $            1,606  
     

 

 

 
        46,688  
     

 

 

 

Automotive Retail (0.4%)

     

Group 1 Automotive

     36,000        6,228  
     

 

 

 

Banks (5.8%)

     

Bank of America

     282,600        10,185  

Citizens Financial Group

     320,700        13,117  

Fifth Third Bancorp

     273,400        9,758  

First Horizon National

     55,709        1,365  

Huntington Bancshares

     440,400        6,685  

KeyCorp

     515,900        9,219  

Popular

     68,600        4,851  

Regions Financial

     494,600        10,856  

Wells Fargo

     427,500        19,661  

Zions Bancorp

     186,000        9,661  
     

 

 

 
        95,358  
     

 

 

 

Biotechnology (3.6%)

     

Amgen

     72,000        19,465  

Biogen*

     26,800        7,596  

Gilead Sciences

     338,900        26,590  

United Therapeutics*

     25,200        5,810  
     

 

 

 
        59,461  
     

 

 

 

Broadcasting (0.8%)

     

Fox

     374,600        10,815  

Paramount Global, Cl B

     162,800        2,982  
     

 

 

 
        13,797  
     

 

 

 

Building & Construction (1.4%)

     

Owens Corning

     101,000        8,647  

PulteGroup

     210,700        8,426  

TRI Pointe Homes*

     326,100        5,462  
     

 

 

 
        22,535  
     

 

 

 

Chemicals (2.5%)

     

Chemours

     195,000        5,583  

Dow

     182,100        8,511  

Eastman Chemical

     91,700        7,043  

Huntsman

     302,300        8,090  

Ingevity*

     87,600        5,893  

LyondellBasell Industries, Cl A

     81,200        6,208  
     

 

 

 
        41,328  
     

 

 

 

Commercial Printing (0.2%)

     

Deluxe

     165,400        3,040  
     

 

 

 

Commercial Services (0.3%)

     

Western Union

     366,100        4,946  
     

 

 

 
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

4


Schedule of Investments

October 31, 2022

 

LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Commodity Chemicals (0.1%)

 

  

Trinseo

     109,300      $            2,057  
     

 

 

 

Computer & Electronics Retail (0.6%)

 

Best Buy

     99,400        6,800  

Rent-A-Center, Cl A

     120,400        2,510  
     

 

 

 
        9,310  
     

 

 

 

Computers & Services (3.4%)

 

Amdocs

     91,400        7,889  

DXC Technology*

     207,400        5,963  

eBay

     159,500        6,354  

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

     625,500        8,926  

HP

     510,700        14,106  

Oracle

     107,100        8,361  

Xerox Holdings

     290,800        4,254  
     

 

 

 
        55,853  
     

 

 

 

Construction & Engineering (0.5%)

 

EMCOR Group

     53,200        7,506  
     

 

 

 

Consumer Finance (0.3%)

 

OneMain Holdings, Cl A

     146,800        5,661  
     

 

 

 

Drug Retail (0.5%)

 

Walgreens Boots Alliance

     217,700        7,946  
     

 

 

 

Electric Utilities (0.8%)

 

NRG Energy

     293,800        13,045  
     

 

 

 

Electrical Components & Equipment (0.4%)

 

Energizer Holdings

     215,000        6,211  
     

 

 

 

Electrical Services (0.4%)

 

Vistra

     304,600        6,997  
     

 

 

 

Financial Services (4.7%)

 

Ally Financial

     282,100        7,775  

Capital One Financial

     117,500        12,457  

Citigroup

     436,100        20,000  

Discover Financial Services

     86,100        8,994  

Goldman Sachs Group

     43,200        14,883  

Lazard, Cl A

     186,800        7,044  

Navient

     486,000        7,358  
     

 

 

 
        78,511  
     

 

 

 

Food, Beverage & Tobacco (3.4%)

 

Altria Group

     138,200        6,394  

Conagra Brands

     194,600        7,142  

JM Smucker

     76,800        11,571  

Molson Coors Beverage, Cl B

     321,300        16,203  

Tyson Foods, Cl A

     211,500        14,456  
     

 

 

 
        55,766  
     

 

 

 
LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Forest Products (0.4%)

 

Louisiana-Pacific

     102,200      $            5,790  
     

 

 

 

Gas/Natural Gas (0.4%)

 

UGI

     207,000        7,313  
     

 

 

 

General Merchandise Stores (0.6%)

 

Big Lots

     118,415        2,235  

Target

     49,500        8,130  
     

 

 

 
        10,365  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Distributors (1.9%)

 

Cardinal Health

     162,400        12,326  

McKesson

     48,900        19,040  
     

 

 

 
        31,366  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Facilities (1.4%)

 

HCA Healthcare

     45,800        9,960  

Select Medical Holdings

     212,800        5,465  

Universal Health Services, Cl B

     64,100        7,427  
     

 

 

 
        22,852  
     

 

 

 

Health Care REITs (0.0%)

 

Industrial Logistics Properties Trust

     99,900        468  
     

 

 

 

Health Care Services (2.6%)

 

Cigna

     59,700        19,287  

CVS Health

     171,600        16,250  

DaVita*

     109,000        7,958  
     

 

 

 
        43,495  
     

 

 

 

Homefurnishing Retail (0.1%)

 

Sleep Number*

     85,500        2,372  
     

 

 

 

Hotel & Resort REITs (0.1%)

 

Service Properties Trust

     262,429        2,128  
     

 

 

 

Household Products, Furniture & Fixtures (0.6%)

 

Whirlpool

     74,400        10,285  
     

 

 

 

Human Resource & Employment Services (0.4%)

 

ManpowerGroup

     92,400        7,239  
     

 

 

 

Industrial Machinery (1.6%)

 

Crane Holdings

     63,400        6,362  

Hillenbrand

     172,500        7,621  

Mueller Industries

     102,200        6,402  

Snap-on

     30,400        6,750  
     

 

 

 
        27,135  
     

 

 

 

Insurance (6.1%)

 

Aflac

     167,400        10,900  

Allstate

     60,500        7,638  

American Financial Group

     50,300        7,299  
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

5


Schedule of Investments

October 31, 2022

 

LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Insurance (continued)

     

American International Group

     251,200      $          14,318  

CNO Financial Group

     278,100        6,135  

Hartford Financial Services Group

     160,800        11,644  

Lincoln National

     141,000        7,596  

MetLife

     226,400        16,575  

MGIC Investment

     484,200        6,609  

Principal Financial Group

     80,100        7,059  

Voya Financial

     82,800        5,660  
     

 

 

 
        101,433  
     

 

 

 

Interactive Media & Services (0.2%)

 

  

Meta Platforms, Cl A*

     35,680        3,324  
     

 

 

 

Investment Banking & Brokerage (1.2%)

 

  

Jefferies Financial Group

     223,000        7,674  

Morgan Stanley

     144,400        11,865  
     

 

 

 
        19,539  
     

 

 

 

IT Consulting & Other Services (0.7%)

 

  

International Business

     

Machines

     82,600        11,423  
     

 

 

 

Leasing & Renting (0.6%)

 

  

Triton International

     161,900        9,826  
     

 

 

 

Machinery (2.4%)

 

  

AGCO

     91,100        11,312  

Allison Transmission Holdings

     278,100        11,750  

Cummins

     70,200        17,164  
     

 

 

 
        40,226  
     

 

 

 

Media & Entertainment (1.1%)

 

  

Comcast, Cl A

     506,000        16,061  

TEGNA

     112,950        2,358  
     

 

 

 
        18,419  
     

 

 

 

Metal & Glass Containers (1.4%)

 

  

Berry Global Group*

     152,200        7,202  

O-I Glass, Cl I*

     482,700        7,873  

Silgan Holdings

     157,600        7,464  
     

 

 

 
        22,539  
     

 

 

 

Mortgage REITs (0.2%)

 

  

Annaly Capital Management

     211,125        3,916  
     

 

 

 

Motorcycle Manufacturers (0.6%)

 

  

Harley-Davidson

     229,000        9,847  
     

 

 

 

Movies & Entertainment (0.2%)

 

  

Warner Bros Discovery*

     281,407        3,658  
     

 

 

 

Office REITs (0.6%)

 

  

Highwoods Properties

     149,300        4,215  
LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Office REITs (continued)

     

Office Properties Income Trust

     132,500      $            2,027  

Piedmont Office Realty Trust, Cl A

     376,265        3,932  
     

 

 

 
        10,174  
     

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Exploration & Production (0.9%)

 

APA

     314,700        14,306  
     

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing (0.8%)

 

HF Sinclair

     209,400        12,809  
     

 

 

 

Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation (0.3%)

 

Kinder Morgan

     280,500        5,083  
     

 

 

 

Packaged Foods & Meats (0.6%)

 

  

Kraft Heinz

     243,300        9,360  
     

 

 

 

Paper Packaging (0.9%)

 

  

International Paper

     197,700        6,645  

Westrock

     217,800        7,418  
     

 

 

 
        14,063  
     

 

 

 

Petroleum & Fuel Products (5.5%)

 

ExxonMobil

     375,700        41,631  

Marathon Oil

     556,100        16,933  

Marathon Petroleum

     114,200        12,976  

Phillips 66

     112,600        11,743  

Valero Energy

     57,500        7,219  
     

 

 

 
        90,502  
     

 

 

 

Pharmaceuticals (8.1%)

 

AbbVie

     42,900        6,281  

Bristol-Myers Squibb

     395,400        30,632  

Jazz Pharmaceuticals*

     64,400        9,260  

Merck

     448,300        45,368  

Organon

     134,600        3,524  

Pfizer

     711,200        33,106  

Viatris, Cl W*

     517,700        5,244  
     

 

 

 
        133,415  
     

 

 

 

Property & Casualty Insurance (0.4%)

 

First American Financial

     118,800        5,988  
     

 

 

 

Reinsurance (0.5%)

 

  

Everest Re Group

     27,400        8,841  
     

 

 

 

Retail (2.0%)

 

  

Dick’s Sporting Goods

     46,100        5,244  

Kohl’s

     147,600        4,421  

Kroger

     374,200        17,696  

Macy’s

     266,500        5,556  
     

 

 

 
        32,917  
     

 

 

 
 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

6


Schedule of Investments

October 31, 2022

 

LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Retail REITs (0.5%)

 

  

Simon Property Group

     74,400      $            8,108  
     

 

 

 

Semiconductors (0.4%)

 

  

Qorvo*

     68,500        5,896  
     

 

 

 

Semi-Conductors/Instruments (3.8%)

 

Amkor Technology

     387,000        8,046  

Applied Materials

     69,300        6,119  

Diodes*

     85,010        6,093  

Intel

     846,400        24,063  

QUALCOMM

     102,900        12,107  

Vishay Intertechnology

     334,500        6,994  
     

 

 

 
        63,422  
     

 

 

 

Specialized Consumer Services (0.6%)

 

H&R Block

     258,100        10,621  
     

 

 

 

Specialized REITs (0.3%)

 

  

Iron Mountain

     106,100        5,312  
     

 

 

 

Specialty Stores (0.4%)

 

  

ODP*

     149,300        5,908  
     

 

 

 

Steel & Steel Works (1.4%)

 

  

Reliance Steel & Aluminum

     63,900        12,875  

Steel Dynamics

     116,800        10,985  
     

 

 

 
        23,860  
     

 

 

 

Systems Software (0.2%)

 

  

VMware, Cl A

     34,300        3,860  
     

 

 

 

Technology Distributors (0.6%)

 

  

Arrow Electronics*

     102,200        10,349  
     

 

 

 

Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals (0.8%)

 

Dell Technologies, Cl C

     186,200        7,150  

Seagate Technology Holdings

     138,500        6,878  
     

 

 

 
        14,028  
     

 

 

 

Telephones & Telecommunications (3.8%)

 

AT&T

     1,351,940        24,646  

Cisco Systems

     373,000        16,945  

Verizon Communications

     592,000        22,123  
     

 

 

 
        63,714  
     

 

 

 

Thrifts & Mortgage Finance (0.4%)

 

Radian Group

     302,800        6,319  
     

 

 

 

Trucking (0.9%)

 

Ryder System

     106,200        8,550  
LSV Value Equity Fund          
             Shares        Value (000)  

Trucking (continued)

     

Werner Enterprises

     172,900      $            6,778  
     

 

 

 
        15,328  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL COMMON STOCK
(Cost $1,557,733)

 

     1,658,821  
     

 

 

 
    

Face Amount

(000)

      
  

 

 

 

  

Repurchase Agreement (0.2%)

 

South Street Securities 2.730%, dated 10/31/2022, to be repurchased on 11/01/2022, repurchase price $3,710 (collateralized by various U.S. Treasury obligations, ranging in par value $0 - $2,365, 0.750% - 4.026%, 12/31/2023 – 11/30/2028; total market value $3,784)

   $ 3,710        3,710  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL REPURCHASE AGREEMENT
(Cost $3,710)

 

     3,710  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments – 100.4%
(Cost $1,561,443)

 

   $ 1,662,531  
     

 

 

 

Percentages are based on Net Assets of $1,655,766(000).

 

*

Non-income producing security.

Cl — Class

REIT — Real Estate Investment Trust

The following is a summary of the inputs used as of October 31, 2022, in valuing the Fund’s investments carried at value ($ Thousands):

 

Investments in
      Securities
       Level 1              Level 2              Level 3              Total      

Common Stock

   $ 1,658,821      $      $      $ 1,658,821  

Repurchase Agreement

            3,710               3,710  

 

  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

   $ 1,658,821      $ 3,710      $      $ 1,662,531  

 

  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Amounts designated as “—“ are $0 or have been rounded to $0.

For more information on valuation inputs, see Note 2 — Significant Accounting Policies in the Notes to Financial Statements.

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

7


Statement of Assets and Liabilities (000)

October 31, 2022

 

 

     

LSV Value Equity  

Fund

Assets:

  

Investments, at Value (Cost $1,561,443)

      $ 1,662,531   

Dividends and Interest Receivable

     1,943  

Receivable for Investment Securities Sold

     1,569  

Receivable for Capital Shares Sold

     981  

Prepaid Expenses

     38  

Total Assets

     1,667,062  

Liabilities:

  

Payable for Fund Shares Redeemed

     7,174  

Payable for Investment Securities Purchased

     2,368  

Payable due to Investment Adviser

     733  

Payable to Custodian

     561  

Payable for Professional Fees

     146  

Payable due to Distributor

     80  

Payable due to Administrator

     77  

Payable due to Trustees

     26  

Payable due to Chief Compliance Officer

     7  

Other Accrued Expenses

     124  

Total Liabilities

     11,296  

Net Assets

      $ 1,655,766  
          
          

Net Assets Consist of:

  

Paid-in Capital

      $ 1,357,549  

Total Distributable Earnings

     298,217  

Net Assets

      $ 1,655,766  
          
          

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share —
Institutional Class Shares ($1,242,510 ÷ 46,006,171 shares)(1)

      $ 27.01  
          
          

Net Asset Value, Offering and Redemption Price Per Share —
Investor Class Shares ($413,256 ÷ 15,404,768 shares)(1)

      $ 26.83  
          
          

 

(1)

Shares have not been rounded.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

8


Statement of Operations (000)

For the year ended October 31, 2022

 

 

     

LSV Value Equity  

Fund

Investment Income:

  

Dividend Income

      $ 49,889   

Interest Income

     49  

Foreign Taxes Withheld

     (8

Total Investment Income

     49,930  

Expenses:

  

Investment Advisory Fees

     10,275  

Distribution Fees - Investor Class

     1,289  

Administration Fees

     1,040  

Trustees’ Fees

     104  

Chief Compliance Officer Fees

     13  

Transfer Agent Fees

     230  

Professional Fees

     212  

Custodian Fees

     122  

Registration and Filing Fees

     85  

Printing Fees

     76  

Insurance and Other Fees

     160  

Total Expenses

     13,606  

Less: Fees Paid Indirectly — (see Note 4)

     (1

Net Expenses

     13,605  

Net Investment Income

     36,325  

Net Realized Gain on Investments

     169,205  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation) on Investments

     (302,348

Net Realized and Unrealized Loss on Investments

     (133,143

Net Decrease in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

      $ (96,818
          

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

9


Statements of Changes in Net Assets (000)

For the year ended October 31,

 

 

     LSV Value Equity Fund    
      2022     2021

Operations:

    

Net Investment Income

   $ 36,325     $ 36,180  

Net Realized Gain

     169,205       196,458  

Net Change in Unrealized Appreciation (Depreciation)

     (302,348     589,690  

Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations

     (96,818     822,328  

Distributions

    

Institutional Class Shares

     (162,639     (64,622

Investor Class Shares

     (68,631     (42,997
     

Total Distributions

     (231,270     (107,619

Capital Share Transactions:

    

Institutional Class Shares:

    

Issued

     536,913       236,093  

Reinvestment of Dividends and Distributions

     160,173       62,409  

Redeemed

     (574,989     (486,000
     

Net Increase (Decrease) from Institutional Class Shares Transactions

     122,097       (187,498

Investor Class Shares:

    

Issued

     302,490       211,428  

Reinvestment of Dividends and Distributions

     68,559       42,988  

Redeemed

     (536,045     (571,079
     

Net Decrease from Investor Class Shares Transactions

     (164,996     (316,663

Net (Decrease) in Net Assets Derived from Capital Share Transactions

     (42,899     (504,161
     

Total Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets

     (370,987     210,548  

Net Assets:

    

Beginning of Year

     2,026,753       1,816,205  

End of Year

   $     1,655,766     $     2,026,753  
   

Shares Transactions:

    

Institutional Class:

    

Issued

     18,732       8,001  

Reinvestment of Dividends and Distributions

     5,520       2,446  

Redeemed

     (20,771     (16,715

Total Institutional Class Share Transactions

     3,481       (6,268

Investor Class:

    

Issued

     11,326       7,347  

Reinvestment of Dividends and Distributions

     2,380       1,694  

Redeemed

     (19,522     (20,450

Total Investor Class Share Transactions

     (5,816     (11,409

Net Decrease in Shares Outstanding

     (2,335     (17,677
   

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

10


Financial Highlights

For a share outstanding throughout each year ended October 31,

 

 

     Net
Asset
Value
Beginning

of Year
   Net
Investment
Income (1)
   Realized and
Unrealized
Gains
(Losses) on
Investments
  Total from
Operations
  Dividends
from Net
Investment
Income
   Distributions
from Realized
Gains
   Total
Dividends
and
Distributions
   Net
Asset
Value
End of
Year
     Total  
  Return†  
  Net
Assets
End of Year
(000)
   Ratio of
Expenses
to Average
Net Assets
  Ratio of
Expenses to
Average Net
Assets
(Excluding
Waivers,
Reimbursements
and Fees Paid
Indirectly)
  Ratio  of
Net
Investment
Income  to
Average
Net Assets
  Portfolio
Turnover  
Rate
                                                                 

 

                                                       

LSV Value Equity Fund

 

                                                

 

                                                       

Institutional Class Shares

 

                                                     

2022

     $        31.86        $        0.56        $        (1.63     $        (1.07     $        (0.59)        $        (3.19)        $        (3.78)        $      27.01        (4.00)       $1,242,510        0.66 %       0.66 %       2.00 %       28 %

2021

       22.35          0.54          10.39         10.93         (0.62)          (0.80)          (1.42)          31.86          50.55         1,354,981          0.66         0.66         1.83         9  

2020

       27.03          0.55          (3.87       (3.32       (0.59)          (0.77)          (1.36)          22.35          (13.22       1,090,639          0.65         0.65         2.29         24  

2019

       27.04          0.59          1.08         1.67         (0.50)          (1.18)          (1.68)          27.03          7.35         2,783,225          0.65         0.65         2.28         18  

2018

       29.33          0.54          (0.85       (0.31       (0.51)          (1.47)          (1.98)          27.04          (1.52       2,684,113          0.64         0.64         1.85         14  

Investor Class Shares

 

                                                     

2022

     $ 31.66        $ 0.50        $ (1.65     $ (1.15     $ (0.49)        $ (3.19)        $ (3.68)        $     26.83        (4.26)       $413,256          0.91       0.91       1.79       28

2021

       22.24          0.46          10.34         10.80         (0.58)          (0.80)          (1.38)          31.66          50.16         671,772          0.91         0.91         1.59         9  

2020

       26.91          0.42          (3.79       (3.37       (0.53)          (0.77)          (1.30)          22.24          (13.43       725,566          0.91         0.91         1.82         24  

2019

       26.87          0.53          1.08         1.61         (0.39)          (1.18)          (1.57)          26.91          7.11         293,465          0.90         0.90         2.05         18  

2018

       29.20          0.45          (0.84       (0.39       (0.47)          (1.47)          (1.94)          26.87          (1.78       318,327          0.89         0.89         1.57         14  

 

Total return would have been lower had the Adviser not waived a portion of its fee. Total returns shown do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the redemption of Fund shares.

(1)

Per share calculations were performed using average shares for the year.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statements

11


Notes to Financial Statements

October 31, 2022

 

1.

Organization:

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (the “Trust”) is organized as a Massachusetts business trust under an Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated February 18, 1997. The Trust is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, as an open-end management investment company with 28 funds. The financial statements herein are those of the LSV Value Equity Fund, a diversified Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing in undervalued stocks which are out of favor in the market. The financial statements of the remaining funds of the Trust are not presented herein, but are presented separately. The assets of each fund are segregated, and a shareholder’s interest is limited to the fund in which shares are held.

 

2.

Significant Accounting Policies:

The following are significant accounting policies, which are consistently followed in the preparation of the financial statements of the Fund. The Fund is an investment company that applies the accounting and reporting guidance issued in Topic 946 by the U.S. Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”).

Use of Estimates — The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the fair value of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of increases and decreases in net assets from operations during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates and such differences could be material.

Security Valuation — Securities listed on a securities exchange, market or automated quotation system for which quotations are readily available (except for securities traded on NASDAQ), including securities traded over the counter, are valued at the last quoted sale price on an exchange or market (foreign or domestic) on which they are traded on the valuation date (or at approximately 4:00 pm ET if a security’s primary exchange is normally open at that time), or, if there is no such reported sale on the valuation date, at the most recent quoted bid price. For securities traded on NASDAQ, the NASDAQ Official Closing Price will be used. The prices for foreign securities are reported in local currency and converted to U.S. dollars using currency exchange rates.

Securities for which market prices are not “readily available” are required to be fair valued under the

1940 Act.

In December 2020, the SEC adopted Rule 2a-5 under the 1940 Act, establishing requirements to determine fair value in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act. The rule permits fund boards to designate a fund’s investment adviser to perform fair-value determinations, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions. The rule also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of the 1940 Act and requires a fund to fair value a portfolio investment when a market quotation is not readily available. The SEC also adopted new Rule 31a-4 under the 1940 Act, which sets forth recordkeeping requirements associated with fair-value determinations. The compliance date for Rule 2a-5 and Rule 31a-4 was September 8, 2022.

Effective September 8, 2022, and pursuant to the requirements of Rule 2a-5, the Trust’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) designated the Adviser as the Board’s valuation designee to perform fair-value determinations for the Fund through a Fair Value Committee (the “Committee”) established by the Adviser and approved new Adviser Fair Value Procedures for the Fund. Prior to September 8, 2022, fair-value determinations were performed in accordance with the Trust’s Fair Value Procedures established by the Board and were implemented through a Fair Value Committee designated by the Board.

Some of the more common reasons that may necessitate that a security be valued using Fair Value Procedures include: the security’s trading has been halted or suspended; the security has been de-listed from a national exchange; the security’s primary trading market is temporarily closed at a time when under normal conditions it would be open; the security has not been traded for an extended period of time; the security’s primary pricing source is not able or willing to provide a price; or trading of the security is subject to local government-imposed restrictions. When a security is valued in accordance with the Fair Value Procedures, the Committee will determine the value after taking into consideration relevant information reasonably available to the Committee.

In accordance with the authoritative guidance on fair value measurements and disclosure under U.S. GAAP, the Fund discloses fair value of its investments in a hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure the fair value. The objective of a fair value measurement is to determine the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date (an exit price). Accordingly, the fair value hierarchy gives the highest priority to quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1) and the lowest priority

 

 

12


Notes to Financial Statements

October 31, 2022

 

to unobservable inputs (Level 3). The three levels of the fair value hierarchy are described below:

Level 1 — Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical, unrestricted assets or liabilities that the Fund has the ability to access at the measurement date;

Level 2 — Other significant observable inputs (includes quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, referenced indices, quoted prices in inactive markets, adjusted quoted prices in active markets, adjusted quoted prices on foreign equity securities that were adjusted in accordance with The Adviser’s pricing procedures,etc.); and

Level 3 — Prices, inputs or proprietary modeling techniques which are both significant to the fair value measurement and unobservable (supported by little or no market activity).

Investments are classified within the level of the lowest significant input considered in determining fair value. Investments classified within Level 3 whose fair value measurement considers several inputs may include Level 1 or Level 2 inputs as components of the overall fair value measurement.

Federal Income Taxes — It is the Fund’s intention to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company for Federal income tax purposes by complying with the appropriate provisions of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended and to distribute substantially all of its income to shareholders. Accordingly, no provision for Federal income taxes has been made in the financial statements.

The Fund evaluates tax positions taken or expected to be taken in the course of preparing the Fund’s tax returns to determine whether it is “more-likely-than-not” (i.e., greater than 50-percent) that each tax position will be sustained upon examination by a taxing authority based on the technical merits of the position. Tax positions not deemed to meet the more-likely-than-not threshold are recorded as a tax benefit or expense in the current year. The Fund did not record any tax provision in the current period. However, management’s conclusions regarding tax positions taken may be subject to review and adjustment at a later date based on factors including, but not limited to, examination by tax authorities on open tax years (i.e. the last three open tax year ends, as applicable), on-going analysis of and changes to tax laws, regulations and interpretations thereof.

As of and during the year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund did not have a liability for any unrecognized tax benefits. The Fund recognizes interest and

penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense in the Statement of Operations. During the year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund did not incur any interest or penalties.

Security Transactions and Investment Income — Security transactions are accounted for on trade date for financial reporting purposes. Costs used in determining realized gains or losses on the sale of investment securities are based on the specific identification method. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date. Interest income is recognized on the accrual basis from settlement date.

Investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) — With respect to the Fund, dividend income is recorded based on the income included in distributions received from the REIT investments using published REIT reclassifications including some management estimates when actual amounts are not available. Distributions received in excess of this estimated amount are recorded as a reduction of the cost of investments or reclassified to capital gains. The actual amounts of income, return of capital, and capital gains are only determined by each REIT after its fiscal year-end, and may differ from the estimated amounts.

Repurchase Agreements — In connection with transactions involving repurchase agreements, a third party custodian bank takes possession of the underlying securities (“collateral”), the value of which exceeds the principal amount of the repurchase transaction, including accrued interest. Such collateral will be cash, debt securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government, securities that at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into are rated in the highest category by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) or unrated category by an NRSRO, as determined by the Adviser. Provisions of the repurchase agreements and procedures adopted by the Board require that the market value of the collateral, including accrued interest thereon, is sufficient in the event of default by the counterparty. In the event of default on the obligation to repurchase, the Fund has the right to liquidate the collateral and apply the proceeds in satisfaction of the obligation. In the event of default or bankruptcy by the counterparty to the agreement, realization and/or retention of the collateral or proceeds may be subject to legal proceedings.

Repurchase agreements are entered into by the Fund under Master Repurchase Agreements (“MRA”) which permit the Fund, under certain circumstances including an event of default (such as

 

 

13


Notes to Financial Statements

October 31, 2022

 

bankruptcy or insolvency), to offset payables and/or receivables under the MRA with collateral held and/ or posted to the counterparty and create one single net payment due to or from the Fund.

At October 31, 2022, the open repurchase agreements by counterparty which are subject to a MRA on a net payment basis are as follows (000):

 

Counterparty    Repurchase
Agreement
    

Fair

Value of
Non-Cash

Collateral

Received(1)

     Cash
Collateral
Received(1)
     Net Amount(2)  

South Street
Securities

   $         3,710         $        3,710         $                 –        $                 –    

(1) The amount of collateral reflected in the table does not include any over-collateralization received by the Fund.

(2) Net amount represents the net amount receivable due from the counterparty in the event of default.

Expenses— Expenses that are directly related to the Fund are charged to the Fund. Other operating expenses of the Trust are prorated to the Fund based on the number of funds and/or average daily net assets

Classes— Class specific expenses are borne by that class of shares. Income, realized and unrealized gains and losses and non-class specific expenses are allocated to the respective class on the basis of average daily net assets.

Dividends and Distributions to Shareholders— Dividends from net investment income, if any, are declared and paid to shareholders annually. Any net realized capital gains are distributed to shareholders at least annually.

 

3.

Transactions with Affiliates:

Certain officers of the Trust are also employees of SEI Investments Global Funds Services (the “Administrator”), a wholly owned subsidiary of SEI Investments Company, and/or SEI Investments Distribution Co. (the “Distributor”). Such officers are paid no fees by the Trust for serving as officers of the Trust other than the Chief Compliance Officer (“CCO”) as described below.

A portion of the services provided by the CCO and his staff, whom are employees of the Administrator, are paid for by the Trust as incurred. The services include regulatory oversight of the Trust’s Advisors and service providers as required by SEC regulations. The CCO’s services have been approved by and reviewed by the Board.

4.

Administration, Distribution, Transfer Agency and Custodian Agreements:

The Fund, along with other series of the Trust advised by LSV Asset Management (the “Adviser”), and the Administrator are parties to an Administration Agreement, under which the Administrator provides administrative services to the Fund. For these services, the Administrator is paid an asset based fee, subject to certain minimums, which will vary depending on the number of share classes and the average daily net assets of the Fund. For the year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund incurred $1,040,065 for these services.

The Trust and Distributor are parties to a Distribution Agreement dated November 14, 1991, as Amended and Restated November 14, 2005. The Distributor receives no fees for its distribution services under this agreement.

The Fund has adopted a distribution plan under the Rule 12b-1 under the 1940 Act for Investor Class Shares that allows the Fund to pay distribution and service fees for the sale and distribution of its shares, and for services provided to shareholders. The maximum annual distribution fee for Investor Class Shares of the Fund is 0.25% annually of the average daily net assets. For the year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund incurred $1,288,638 of distribution fees.

DST Systems, Inc. serves as the transfer agent and dividend disbursing agent for the Fund under a transfer agency agreement with the Trust. During the year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund earned $1,271 in cash management credits which were used to offset transfer agent expenses. This amount is labeled as “Fees Paid Indirectly” on the Statement of Operations.

U.S. Bank, N.A. acts as custodian (the “Custodian”) for the Fund. The Custodian plays no role in determining the investment policies of the Fund or which securities are to be purchased and sold by the Fund.

 

5.

Investment Advisory Agreement:

The Trust and the Adviser are parties to an Investment Advisory Agreement, under which the Adviser receives an annual fee equal to 0.55% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

 

6.

Investment Transactions:

The cost of security purchases and the proceeds from security sales, other than short-term investments, for the year ended October 31, 2022, were as follows (000):

 

Purchases

   $   512,532  

Sales

   $ 739,817  
 

 

14


Notes to Financial Statements

October 31, 2022

 

7.

Federal Tax Information:

The amount and character of income and capital gain distributions to be paid, if any, are determined in accordance with Federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP. As a result, net investment income (loss) and net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions for a reporting period may differ significantly from distributions during such period. These book/tax differences may be temporary or permanent.

The permanent differences primarily consist of reclassification of long term capital gain distribution on REITs, reclass of Distributions and investments in publicly traded partnerships. There are no permanent differences that are credited or charged to Paid-in Capital and Distributable Earnings as of October 31, 2022.

The tax character of dividends and distributions paid during the year ended October 31, 2022 and 2021 was as follows (000):

 

    Ordinary
Income
       Long-Term
Capital Gain
          Total  

2022

    $         64,838        $         166,432     $         231,270  

2021

    50,748          56,871         107,619  

As of October 31, 2022, the components of distributable earnings (accumulated losses) on a tax basis were as follows (000):

 

Undistributed Ordinary Income

     $     33,568    

Undistributed Long-Term Capital Gain

     164,941    

Other Temporary Differences

     (5)   

Unrealized Appreciation

     99,713    
  

 

 

 

Total Distributable Earnings

     $   298,217    
  

 

 

 

The fund has no capital loss carryforwards at October, 31, 2022.

During the year ended October 31, 2022, no capital loss carryforwards were utilized to offset capital gains.

The total cost of securities for Federal income tax purposes and the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation on investments held by the Fund at October 31, 2022, were as follows (000):

 

Federal
Tax Cost
  Aggregated
Gross
Unrealized
Appreciation
  Aggregated
Gross
Unrealized
Depreciation
  Net
Unrealized
Appreciation
  $  1,562,818     $    299,668    $    (199,955)     $     99,713

 

8.

Concentration of Risks:

Equity Risk — Since the Fund purchases equity securities, the Fund is subject to the risk that stock prices will fall over short or extended periods of

time. Historically, the equity markets have moved in cycles, and the value of the Fund’s equity securities may fluctuate drastically from day-to-day. Individual companies may report poor results or be negatively affected by industry and/or economic trends and developments. The prices of securities issued by such companies may suffer a decline in response. These factors contribute to price volatility, which is the principal risk of investing in the Fund.

Market Risk — The risk that the market value of an investment may move up and down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Markets for securities in which the Fund invests may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Similarly, the impact of any epidemic, pandemic or natural disaster, or widespread fear that such events may occur, could negatively affect the global economy, as well as the economies of individual countries, the financial performance of individual companies and sectors, and the markets in general in significant and unforeseen ways. Any such impact could adversely affect the prices and liquidity of the securities and other instruments in which the Fund invests, which in turn could negatively impact the Fund’s performance and cause losses on your investment in the Fund.

Medium and Smaller Capitalization Risk — The medium-and smaller-capitalization companies in which the Fund may invest may be more vulnerable to adverse business or economic events than larger, more established companies. In particular, investments in these medium-and small-sized companies may pose additional risks, including liquidity risk, because these companies tend to have limited product lines, markets and financial resources, and may depend upon a relatively small management group. Therefore, medium- and small-capitalization stocks may be more volatile than those of larger companies. These securities may be traded over-the-counter or listed on an exchange.

Style Risk — Since the Fund pursues a “value style” of investing, if the Adviser’s assessment of market conditions, or a company’s value or prospects for exceeding earnings expectations is wrong, the Fund could suffer losses or produce poor performance relative to other funds. In addition, “value stocks” can continue to be undervalued by the market for long periods of time.

Sector Focus Risk — Because the Fund may, from time to time, be more heavily invested in particular sectors, the value of its shares may be especially sensitive to factors and economic risks that specifically affect those

 

 

15


Notes to Financial Statements

October 31, 2022

 

sectors. As a result, the Fund’s share price may fluctuate more widely

 

9.

 Other:

At October 31, 2022, 38% of total shares outstanding for the Institutional Class Shares were held by two record shareholders owning 10% or greater of the aggregate total shares outstanding. At October 31, 2022, 97% of total shares outstanding for the Investor Class Shares were held by one record shareholder owning 10% or greater of the aggregate total shares outstanding. These were comprised mostly of omnibus accounts which were held on behalf of various individual shareholders.

 

10.

 Indemnifications:

In the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that provide general indemnifications. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is dependent on future claims that may be made against the Fund and, therefore, cannot be estimated; however, based on experience, the risk of loss from such claims is considered remote.

 

11.

 Subsequent Events:

The Fund has evaluated the need for additional disclosures and/or adjustments resulting from subsequent events through the date the financial statements were issued. Based on this evaluation, no additional disclosures or adjustments were required to the financial statements.

 

 

16


Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Trustees of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund and the Shareholders of LSV Value Equity Fund

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of LSV Value Equity Fund (the “Fund”) (one of the series constituting The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (the “Trust”)), including the schedule of investments, as of October 31, 2022, and the related statement of operations for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended and the related notes (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 (one of the series constituting The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund) at October 31, 2022, 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 then ended and its financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Trust’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 Trust 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 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. The Trust is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

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 procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of October 31, 2022, by correspondence with the custodian and brokers; when replies were not received from brokers, we performed other auditing procedures. 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. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

LOGO

We have served as the auditor of one or more LSV Asset Management investment companies since 2005.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

December 23, 2022

 

17


Disclosure of Fund Expenses (Unaudited)

All mutual funds have operating expenses. As a shareholder of a mutual fund, your investment is affected by these ongoing costs, which include (among others) costs for portfolio management, administrative services, and shareholder reports like this one. It is important for you to understand the impact of these costs on your investment returns.

Operating expenses such as these are deducted from the mutual fund’s gross income and directly reduce your final investment return. These expenses are expressed as a percentage of the mutual fund’s average net assets; this percentage is known as the mutual fund’s expense ratio.

The following examples use the expense ratio and are intended to help you understand the ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in your Fund and to compare these costs with those of other mutual funds. The examples are based on an investment of $1,000 made at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period from May 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022.

The table below illustrates your Fund’s costs in two ways:

•  Actual fund return. This section helps you to estimate the actual expenses after fee waivers that your Fund incurred over the period. The “Expenses Paid During Period” column shows the actual dollar expense incurred by a $1,000 investment in the Fund, and the “Ending Account Value” number is derived from deducting that expense from the Fund’s gross investment return.

You can use this information, together with the actual amount you invested in the Fund, to estimate the expenses you paid over that period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 to arrive at a ratio (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = $8.6), then multiply that ratio by the number shown for your Fund under “Expenses Paid During Period.”

•  Hypothetical 5% return. This section helps you compare your Fund’s costs with those of other mutual funds. It assumes that the Fund had an annual 5% return before expenses during the period, but that the expense ratio (Column 3) is unchanged. This example is useful in making comparisons because the Securities and Exchange Commission requires all mutual funds to make this 5% calculation. You can assess your Fund’s comparative cost by comparing the hypothetical result for your Fund in the “Expense Paid During Period” column with those that appear in the same charts in the shareholder reports for other mutual funds.

NOTE: Because the hypothetical return is set at 5% for comparison purposes — NOT your Fund’s actual return —the account values shown do not apply to your specific investment.

 

     Beginning    Ending        Expenses    
     Account    Account    Annualized   Paid    
     Value    Value    Expense   During    
      05/01/22    10/31/22    Ratios   Period*    

LSV Value Equity Fund

                                          

Actual Fund Return

                  

Institutional Class Shares

     $ 1,000.00        $986.10          0.66 %     $ 3.30

Investor Class Shares

       1,000.00        984.90        0.91       4.55

Hypothetical 5% Return

                  

Institutional Class Shares

     $ 1,000.00      $ 1,021.88        0.66 %     $ 3.36

Investor Class Shares

       1,000.00        1,020.62        0.91       4.64

 

*

Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 184/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

18


Review of Liquidity Risk Management Program (Unaudited)

Pursuant to Rule 22e-4 under the 1940 Act, the Funds’ investment adviser has adopted, and the Board has approved, a liquidity risk management program (the “Program”) to govern the Funds’ approach to managing liquidity risk. The Program is overseen by the Funds’ Liquidity Risk Management Program Administrator (the “Program Administrator”), and the Program’s principal objectives include assessing, managing and periodically reviewing each Fund’s liquidity risk, based on factors specific to the circumstances of the Funds.

At a meeting of the Board held on May 24, 2022, the Trustees received a report from the Program Administrator addressing the operations of the Program and assessing its adequacy and effectiveness of implementation for the period from January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021. The Program Administrator’s report included an assessment of how market conditions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the Funds’ liquidity risk during the period covered by the report. The Program Administrator’s report noted that the Program Administrator had determined that the Program is reasonably designed to assess and manage each Fund’s liquidity risk and has operated adequately and effectively to manage each Fund’s liquidity risk during the period covered by the report. The Program Administrator’s report noted that during the period covered by the report, there were no liquidity events that impacted the Funds or their ability to timely meet redemptions without dilution to existing shareholders. The Program Administrator’s report further noted that no material changes have been made to the Program during the period covered by the report.

There can be no assurance that the Program will achieve its objectives in the future. Please refer to the prospectus for more information regarding a Fund’s exposure to liquidity risk and other principal risks to which an investment in the Funds may be subject.

 

19


Trustees And Officers Of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (Unaudited)

Set forth below are the names, ages, position with the Trust, term of office, length of time served and the principal occupations for the last five years of each of the persons currently serving as Trustees and Officers of the Trust. Trustees who are deemed not to be “interested persons” of the Trust are referred to as “Independent Board Members.” Messrs. Nesher and Klauder are Trustees who may be deemed to be “interested” persons of the Fund as that term is defined in the 1940 Act by virtue of their affiliation with the Trust’s Distributor. The Trust’s Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”) includes additional information about the Trustees and Officers. The SAI may be obtained without charge by calling 888-Fund-LSV. The following chart lists Trustees and Officers as of October 31, 2022.

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with

Trust and Length

of Time Served1

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

  

Other Directorships

Held in the Past Five Years2

INTERESTED TRUSTEES3,4               

Robert Nesher

(Born: 1946)

   Chairman of the Board of Trustees (since 1991)    SEI employee 1974 to present; currently performs various services on behalf of SEI Investments for which Mr. Nesher is compensated. President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, Adviser Managed Trust, New Covenant Funds, SEI Insurance Products Trust and SEI Catholic Values Trust. President and Director of SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP. Vice Chairman of O’Connor EQUUS (closed-end investment company) to 2016. President, Chief Executive Officer and Trustee of SEI Liquid Asset Trust to 2016. Vice Chairman of Winton Series Trust to 2017. Vice Chairman of Winton Diversified Opportunities Fund (closed-end investment company), The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III, Gallery Trust, Schroder Series Trust and Schroder Global Series Trust to 2018.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, Frost Family of Funds, Catholic Responsible Investments Funds, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust, Adviser Managed Trust, New Covenant Funds, SEI Insurance Products Trust and SEI Catholic Values Trust. Director of SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP, SEI Global Master Fund plc, SEI Global Assets Fund plc, SEI Global Investments Fund plc, SEI Investments—Global Funds Services, Limited, SEI Investments Global, Limited, SEI Investments (Europe) Ltd., SEI Investments—Unit Trust Management (UK) Limited, SEI Multi-Strategy Funds PLC and SEI Global Nominee Ltd.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021. Trustee of SEI Liquid Asset Trust to 2016.

N. Jeffrey Klauder (Born: 1952)   

Trustee

(since 2018)

   Senior Advisor of SEI Investments since 2018. Executive Vice President and General Counsel of SEI Investments, 2004 to 2018.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds and Catholic Responsible Investments Funds. Director of SEI Private Trust Company, SEI Global Fund Services Ltd., SEI Investments Global Limited, SEI Global Master Fund, SEI Global Investments Fund, SEI Global Assets Fund and SEI Investments - Guernsey Limited.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021. Trustee of SEI Investments Management Corporation, SEI Trust Company, SEI Investments (South Africa), Limited and SEI Investments (Canada) Company to 2018.

 

1

Each Trustee shall hold office during the lifetime of this Trust until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, or is removed in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.

2

Directorships of Companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies under the 1940 Act.

3

Denotes Trustees who may be deemed to be “interested” persons of the Fund as that term is defined in the 1940 Act by virtue of their affiliation with the Distributor and/or its affiliates.

4

Trustees oversee 28 funds in The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund.

 

20


Trustees And Officers Of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (Unaudited)

 

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with

Trust

and Length of

Time Served1

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

  

Other Directorships

Held in the Past Five Years2

INDEPENDENT TRUSTEES3               
Joseph T. Grause, Jr. (Born: 1952)   

Trustee

(Since 2011)

Lead Independent Trustee

(since 2018)

   Self-Employed Consultant since 2012. Director of Endowments and Foundations, Morningstar Investment Management, Morningstar, Inc., 2010 to 2011. Director of International Consulting and Chief Executive Officer of Morningstar Associates Europe Limited, Morningstar, Inc., 2007 to 2010. Country Manager – Morningstar UK Limited, Morningstar, Inc., 2005 to 2007.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, Frost Family of Funds, and Catholic Responsible Investments Funds. Director of RQSI GAA Systematic Global Macro Fund, Ltd.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021. Director of The Korea Fund, Inc. to 2019.

Mitchell A. Johnson

(Born: 1942)

  

Trustee

(since 2005)

   Retired. Private investor since 1994.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, Catholic Responsible Investments Funds, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust, Adviser Managed Trust, New Covenant Funds, SEI Insurance Products Trust and SEI Catholic Values Trust. Director of Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation (Farmer Mac) since 1997 and RQSI GAA Systematic Global Macro Fund, Ltd.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021. Trustee of SEI Liquid Asset Trust to 2016.

Betty L. Krikorian (Born: 1943)   

Trustee

(since 2005)

   Vice President, Compliance, AARP Financial Inc., from 2008 to 2010. Self- Employed Legal and Financial Services Consultant since 2003. Counsel (inhouse) for State Street Bank from 1995 to 2003.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, and Catholic Responsible Investments Funds. Director of RQSI GAA Systematic Global Macro Fund, Ltd.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021.

Robert Mulhall

(Born: 1958)

  

Trustee

(since 2019)

   Partner, Ernst & Young LLP, from 1998 to 2018.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, Frost Family of Funds and Catholic Responsible Investments Funds. Director of RQSI GAA Systematic Global Macro Fund, Ltd.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021. Trustee of Villanova University Alumni Board of Directors to 2018.

Bruce R. Speca

(Born: 1956)

  

Trustee

(since 2011)

   Global Head of Asset Allocation, Manulife Asset Management (subsidiary of Manulife Financial), 2010 to 2011. Executive Vice President – Investment Management Services, John Hancock Financial Services (subsidiary of Manulife Financial), 2003 to 2010.   

Current Directorships: Trustee of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, Frost Family of Funds and Catholic Responsible Investments Funds. Director of Stone Harbor Investments Funds (8 Portfolios), Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Income Fund (closed-end fund) and Stone Harbor Emerging Markets Total Income Fund (closed-end fund). Director of RQSI GAA Systematic Global Macro Fund, Ltd.

 

Former Directorships: Trustee of The KP Funds to 2021.

 

1

Each Trustee shall hold office during the lifetime of this Trust until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or until he or she sooner dies, resigns, or is removed in accordance with the Trust’s Declaration of Trust.

2

Directorships of Companies required to report to the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (i.e., “public companies”) or other investment companies under the 1940 Act.

3

Trustees oversee 28 funds in The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund.

 

21


Trustees And Officers Of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (Unaudited)

 

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with

Trust

and Length of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

  

Other Directorships

Held in the Past Five Years

OFFICERS               

Michael Beattie

(Born: 1965)

  

President

(since 2011)

   Director of Client Service, SEI Investments, since 2004.    None.

James Bernstein

(Born: 1962)

   Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2017)   

Attorney, SEI Investments, since 2017.

 

Prior Positions: Self-employed consultant, 2017. Associate General Counsel & Vice President, Nationwide Funds Group and Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, from 2002 to 2016. Assistant General Counsel & Vice President, Market Street Funds and Provident Mutual Insurance Company, from 1999 to 2002.

   None.

John Bourgeois

(Born: 1973)

   Assistant Treasurer (since 2017)    Fund Accounting Manager, SEI Investments, since 2000.    None.

Russell Emery

(Born: 1962)

  

Chief Compliance Officer

(since 2006)

   Chief Compliance Officer of SEI Structured Credit Fund, LP since 2007. Chief Compliance Officer of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund II, Bishop Street Funds, Frost Family of Funds, Catholic Responsible Investments Funds, The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III, Gallery Trust, Schroder Series Trust, Schroder Global Series Trust, Delaware Wilshire Private Markets Master Fund, Delaware Wilshire Private Markets Fund, Delaware Wilshire Private Markets Tender Fund, SEI Institutional Managed Trust, SEI Asset Allocation Trust, SEI Institutional International Trust, SEI Institutional Investments Trust, SEI Daily Income Trust, SEI Tax Exempt Trust, Adviser Managed Trust, New Covenant Funds, SEI Insurance Products Trust and SEI Catholic Values Trust. Chief Compliance Officer of O’Connor EQUUS (closed- end investment company) to 2016. Chief Compliance Officer of SEI Liquid Asset Trust to 2016. Chief Compliance Officer of Winton Series Trust to 2017. Chief Compliance Officer of Winton Diversified Opportunities Fund (closed- end investment company) to 2018. Chief Compliance Officer of The KP Funds to 2021.    None.

 

22


Trustees And Officers Of The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (Unaudited)

 

 

Name and

Year of Birth

  

Position with

Trust

and Length of

Time Served

  

Principal Occupation

in the Past Five Years

  

Other Directorships

Held in the Past Five Years

OFFICERS (continued)               

Eric C. Griffith

(Born: 1969)

   Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2019)    Counsel at SEI Investments since 2019. Vice President and Assistant General Counsel, JPMorgan Chase & Co., from 2012 to 2018.    None.
Matthew M. Maher (Born: 1975)   

Vice President (since 2018)

 

Secretary (since 2020)

   Counsel at SEI Investments since 2018. Attorney, Blank Rome LLP, from 2015 to 2018. Assistant Counsel & Vice President, Bank of New York Mellon, from 2013 to 2014. Attorney, Dilworth Paxson LLP, from 2006 to 2013.    None.

Andrew Metzger

(Born: 1980)

   Treasurer, Controller and Chief Financial Officer (since 2021)    Director of Fund Accounting, SEI Investments, since 2020. Senior Director, Embark, from 2019 to 2020. Senior Manager, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, from 2002 to 2019.    None.

Robert Morrow

(Born: 1968)

   Vice President (since 2017)    Account Manager, SEI Investments, since 2007.    None.

Alexander F. Smith

(Born: 1977)

   Vice President and Assistant Secretary (since 2020)    Counsel at SEI Investments since 2020. Associate Counsel & Manager, Vanguard, 2012 to 2020. Attorney, Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young, LLP, 2008 to 2012.    None.

Bridget E. Sudall

(Born: 1980)

   Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Officer and Privacy Officer (since 2015)    Senior Associate and AML Officer, Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, from 2011 to 2015. Investor Services Team Lead, Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, from 2007 to 2011.    None.

 

23


NOTICE TO SHAREHOLDERS

OF

LSV VALUE EQUITY FUND

(Unaudited)

For shareholders that do not have an October 31, 2022 tax year end, this notice is for informational purposes only. For shareholders with an October 31, 2022 tax year end, please consult your tax advisor as to the pertinence of this notice. For the fiscal year ended October 31, 2022, the Fund is designating the following items with regard to distributions paid during the year.

 

            Qualifying                    
            For                    
            Corporate                    
Long-Term   Ordinary   Total   Dividends   Qualifying   U.S.   Interest   Short-Term   Qualifying
Capital Gain   Income   Distribu-   Receivable   Dividend   Government   Related   Capital Gain   Business

Distribution

 

Distributions

 

tions

 

Deduction (1)

 

Income (2)

 

Interest (3)

 

Dividends(4)

 

Dividends (5)

 

Income (6)

71.96%

  28.04%   100.00%   96.45%   96.75%   0.00%   0.00%   100.00%   0.00%

 

(1)

Qualifying dividends represent dividends which qualify for the corporate dividends received deduction and is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distributions (the total of short-term capital gain and net investment income distributions).

 

(2)

The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Qualifying Dividend Income” as created by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 and is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distributions (the total of short-term capital gain and net investment income distributions). It is the intention of the aforementioned Fund to designate the maximum amount permitted by the law.

 

(3)

“U.S. Government Interest” represents the amount of interest that was derived from direct U.S. Government obligations and distributed during the fiscal year. This amount is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distributions. Generally, interest from direct U.S. Government obligations is exempt from state income tax. However, for shareholders of the Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund- LSV Value Equity Fund who are residents of California, Connecticut and New York, the statutory threshold requirements were not satisfied to permit exemption of these amounts from state income.

 

(4)

The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Interest Related Dividend” is reflected as a percentage of ordinary income distribution. Interest related dividends are exempted from U.S. withholding tax when paid to foreign investors.

 

(5)

The percentage in this column represents the amount of “Short-Term Capital Gain Dividends” is reflected as a percentage of short-term capital gain distribution that is exempted from U.S. withholding tax when paid to foreign investors.

 

(6)

The percentage of this column represents that amount of ordinary dividend income that qualified for 20% Business Income Deduction.

The information reported herein may differ from the information and distributions taxable to the shareholders for the calendar year ending December 31, 2022. Complete information will be computed and reported in conjunction with your 2022 Form 1099-DIV.

 

24


Notes


 

 

 

Trust:

The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund

 

Fund:

LSV Value Equity Fund

 

Adviser:

LSV Asset Management

 

Distributor:

SEI Investments Distribution Co.

 

Administrator:

SEI Investments Global Fund Services

 

Legal Counsel:

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

 

The Fund files their complete schedule of investments with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its report on Form N-PORT (Form N-Q for filings prior to March 31, 2020). The Funds’ Forms N-Q and N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, and may be reviewed and copied at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. Information on the operation of the Public Reference Room may be obtained by calling 1-800-SEC-0330.

 

A description of the policies and procedures that the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to Fund securities, as well as information relating to how a Fund voted proxies relating to fund securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, is available (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-888-386-3578; and (ii) on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

LSV-AR-004-2400

 

 

 


Item 2.

Code of Ethics.

The Registrant (also referred to as the “Trust”) has adopted a code of ethics that applies to the Registrant’s principal executive officer, principal financial officer, controller or principal accounting officer, and any person who performs a similar function. There have been no amendments to or waivers granted to this code of ethics during the period covered by this report.

 

Item 3.

Audit Committee Financial Expert.

(a)(1) The Registrant’s board of trustees has determined that the Registrant has at least one audit committee financial expert serving on the audit committee.

(a)(2) The audit committee financial expert is Robert Mulhall. Mr. Mulhall is considered to be “independent,” as that term is defined in Form N-CSR Item 3(a)(2).

 

Item 4.

Principal Accountant Fees and Services.

Fees billed by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (“PwC”) relate to The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund (the “Trust”).

PwC billed the Trust aggregate fees for services rendered to the Trust for the last two fiscal years as follows:

 

     2022     2021  
          All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were
pre-approved
    All fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that were
pre-approved
     All other
fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that did not
require
pre-approval
    All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were
pre-approved
    All fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that were
pre-approved
     All other
fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that did not
require
pre-approval
 
(a)    Audit Fees(1)    $ 72,710       None        None     $ 104,400       None        None  
(b)    Audit-Related Fees      None       None        None       None       None        None  
(c)    Tax Fees    $ 10,000 (2)      None      $ 256,295 (4)    $ 10,000 (2)      None      $ 150,670 (4) 
(d)    All Other Fees      None       None      $ 86,500 (5)      None       None      $ 385,179 (5) 


Fees billed by Ernst & Young LLP (“E&Y”) related to the Trust

E&Y billed the Trust aggregate fees for services rendered to the Trust for the last two fiscal years as follows:

 

     2022      2021  
          All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were
pre-approved
    All fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that were
pre-approved
     All other
fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that did not
require
pre-approval
     All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were
pre-approved
     All fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that were
pre-approved
     All other
fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that did not
require
pre-approval
 
(a)    Audit Fees(1)    $ 529,590       None        None      $ 719,590        None        None  
(b)    Audit-Related Fees    $ 10,000 (6)      None        None        None        None        None  
(c)    Tax Fees    $ 2,000 (3)      None        None        None        None        None  
(d)    All Other Fees      None       None        None        None        None        None  

Fees billed by BBD, LLP (“BBD”) related to the Trust

BBD billed the Trust aggregate fees for services rendered to the Trust for the last two fiscal years as follows:

 

     2022      2021  
          All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were
pre-approved
     All fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that were
pre-approved
     All other
fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that did not
require
pre-approval
     All fees and
services to
the Trust
that were
pre-approved
     All fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that were
pre-approved
     All other
fees and
services to
service
affiliates
that did not
require
pre-approval
 
(a)    Audit Fees(1)    $ 61,000        None        None      $ 77,300        None        None  
(b)    Audit-Related Fees      None        None        None        None        None        None  
(c)    Tax Fees      None        None        None        None        None        None  
(d)    All Other Fees      None        None        None        None        None        None  


Notes:

 

  (1)

Audit fees include amounts related to the audit of the Trust’s annual financial statements and services normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings.

 

  (2)

Final tax compliance services provided to McKee International Equity Portfolio.

 

  (3)

Common Reporting Standard (“CRS”) tax services for the Sands Capital Global Growth Fund.

 

  (4)

Tax compliance services provided to service affiliates of the funds.

 

  (5)

Non-audit assurance engagements for service affiliates of the funds.

 

  (6)

Fees related to consents for Cambiar N-14 filings.

(e)(1) The Trust’s Audit Committee has adopted and the Board of Trustees has ratified an Audit and Non-Audit Services Pre-Approval Policy (the “Policy”), which sets forth the procedures and the conditions pursuant to which services proposed to be performed by the independent auditor of the Funds may be pre-approved.

The Policy provides that all requests or applications for proposed services to be provided by the independent auditor must be submitted to the Registrant’s Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and must include a detailed description of the services proposed to be rendered. The CFO will determine whether such services:

 

  1.

require specific pre-approval;

 

  2.

are included within the list of services that have received the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee pursuant to the Policy; or

 

  3.

have been previously pre-approved in connection with the independent auditor’s annual engagement letter for the applicable year or otherwise. In any instance where services require pre-approval, the Audit Committee will consider whether such services are consistent with SEC’s rules and whether the provision of such services would impair the auditor’s independence.

Requests or applications to provide services that require specific pre-approval by the Audit Committee will be submitted to the Audit Committee by the CFO. The Audit Committee will be informed by the CFO on a quarterly basis of all services rendered by the independent auditor. The Audit Committee has delegated specific pre-approval authority to either the Audit Committee Chair or financial expert, provided that the estimated fee for any such proposed pre-approved service does not exceed $100,000 and any pre-approval decisions are reported to the Audit Committee at its next regularly-scheduled meeting.

Services that have received the general pre-approval of the Audit Committee are identified and described in the Policy. In addition, the Policy sets forth a maximum fee per engagement with respect to each identified service that has received general pre-approval.

All services to be provided by the independent auditor shall be provided pursuant to a signed written engagement letter with the Registrant, the investment adviser, or applicable control affiliate (except that matters as to which an engagement letter would be impractical because of timing issues or because the matter is small may not be the subject of an engagement letter) that sets forth both the services to be provided by the independent auditor and the total fees to be paid to the independent auditor for those services.


In addition, the Audit Committee has determined to take additional measures on an annual basis to meet the Audit Committee’s responsibility to oversee the work of the independent auditor and to assure the auditor’s independence from the Registrant, such as (a) reviewing a formal written statement from the independent auditor delineating all relationships between the independent auditor and the Registrant, and (b) discussing with the independent auditor the independent auditor’s methods and procedures for ensuring independence.

(e)(2) Percentage of fees billed applicable to non-audit services pursuant to waiver of pre-approval requirement were as follows (PwC):

 

     2022      2021  

Audit-Related Fees

     None        None  

Tax Fees

     None        None  

All Other Fees

     None        None  

(e)(2) Percentage of fees billed applicable to non-audit services pursuant to waiver of pre-approval requirement were as follows (E&Y):

 

     2022      2021  

Audit-Related Fees

     None        None  

Tax Fees

     None        None  

All Other Fees

     None        None  

(e)(2) Percentage of fees billed applicable to non-audit services pursuant to waiver of pre-approval requirement were as follows (BBD):

 

     2022      2021  

Audit-Related Fees

     None        None  

Tax Fees

     None        None  

All Other Fees

     None        None  

(f) Not applicable.

(g) The aggregate non-audit fees and services billed by PwC for services rendered to the Registrant, and rendered to the Registrant’s investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant for the last two fiscal-years-ended October 31st were $342,795 and $535,849 for 2022 and 2021, respectively.

(g) The aggregate non-audit fees and services billed by E&Y for services rendered to the Registrant, and rendered to the Registrant’s investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the


adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant for the last two fiscal-years-ended October 31st were $2,000 and $0 for 2022 and 2021, respectively.

(g) The aggregate non-audit fees and services billed by BBD for services rendered to the Registrant, and rendered to the Registrant’s investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant for the last two fiscal-years-ended October 31st were $0 and $0 for 2022 and 2021, respectively.

(h) During the past fiscal year, all non-audit services provided by the Registrant’s principal accountant to either the Registrant’s investment adviser or to any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Registrant’s investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the Registrant were pre-approved by the Audit Committee of Registrant’s Board of Trustees. Included in the Audit Committee’s pre-approval of these non-audit service were the review and consideration as to whether the provision of these non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant’s independence.

(i) Not applicable. The Registrant has not retained, for the preparation of the audit report on the financial statements included in the Form N-CSR, a registered public accounting firm that has a branch or office that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”) has determined that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely because of a position taken by an authority in the foreign jurisdiction.

(j) Not applicable. The Registrant is not a “foreign issuer,” as defined in 17 CFR 240.3b-4.

 

Item 5.

Audit Committee of Listed Registrants.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 6.

Schedule of Investments.

Schedule of Investments 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 to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 8.

Portfolio Managers of Closed-End Management Investment Companies

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 9.

Purchases of Equity Securities by Closed-End Management Company and Affiliated Purchasers.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 10.

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

There have been no changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Registrant’s Board of Trustees during the period covered by this report.

 

Item 11.

Controls and Procedures.


(a) The Registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, have concluded that the Registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures, as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-3(c)), as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of the report, are effective based on the evaluation of these controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-3(b)) and Rule 13a-15(b) or Rule 15d-15(b) under the Exchange Act, as amended (17 CFR § 240.13a-15(b) or § 240.15d-15(b)).

(b) There has been no change in the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.3a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

Item 12.

Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

Not applicable to open-end management investment companies.

 

Item 13.

Exhibits.

(a)(1) A copy of the Registrant’s Code of Ethics, as required by Item 2 of this Form, accompanies this filing as an exhibit.

(a)(2) A separate certification for the principal executive officer and the principal financial officer of the Registrant, as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-2(a)), is filed herewith.

(b) Officer certifications, as required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the Act (17 CFR § 270.30a-2(b)), also accompany this filing as an exhibit.

 


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.

 

(Registrant)     The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund
By (Signature and Title)       /s/ Michael Beattie
      Michael Beattie, President

Date: January 6, 2023

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 (Signature and Title)       /s/ Michael Beattie
      Michael Beattie, President

Date: January 6, 2023

 

By (Signature and Title)      

/s/ Andrew Metzger

     

Andrew Metzger,
Treasurer, Controller, and CFO

Date: January 6, 2023