Contents

3	Letter to Shareholders
4	Performance Summary
7	Portfolio Management Team
8	Portfolio Summary
9	Investment Portfolio
16	Statement of Assets and Liabilities
18	Statement of Operations
19	Statements of Changes in Net Assets
20	Financial Highlights

27	Notes to Financial Statements
38	Information About Your Fund’s Expenses
40	Liquidity Risk Management
41	Advisory Agreement Board Considerations and Fee Evaluation
46	Account Management Resources
48	Privacy Statement

This report must be preceded or accompanied by a prospectus. To obtain a summary prospectus, if available, or prospectus for any of our funds, refer to the Account Management Resources information provided in the back of this booklet. We advise you to consider the Fund’s objectives, risks, charges and expenses carefully before investing. The summary prospectus and prospectus contain this and other important information about the Fund. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest.

Stocks may decline in value. Portfolio management could be wrong in its analysis of industries, companies, economic trends and favor a security that underperforms the market. The Fund may lend securities to approved institutions. Please read the prospectus for details.

War, terrorism, economic uncertainty, trade disputes, public health crises (including the recent pandemic spread of the novel coronavirus) and related geopolitical events could lead to increased market volatility, disruption to U.S. and world economies and markets and may have significant adverse effects on the Fund and its investments.

The brand DWS represents DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA and any of its subsidiaries such as DWS Distributors, Inc. which offers investment products or DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. and RREEF America L.L.C. which offer advisory services.

NOT FDIC/NCUA INSURED NO BANK GUARANTEE MAY LOSE VALUE

NOT A DEPOSIT NOT INSURED BY ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY

2 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Letter to Shareholders

Dear Shareholder:

The outlook for economic recovery remains positive overall, buoyed by progress in the approval and distribution of coronavirus vaccines and a resolution of the 2020 elections. We still, however, have a long road ahead.

Restrictive measures are likely to remain in place, at least to some degree, until broad vaccine distribution is achieved. This suggests that full recovery might take some time. This view appears to be shared by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed). Despite more optimism on growth and employment, inflation is expected to remain below the 2% target. Only by 2023 are inflation and unemployment forecasts at levels that would reflect what the Fed would currently see as a full recovery.

As the recovery unfolds, long-term interest rates will likely climb, at least modestly, and S&P earnings per share (EPS) could return to its prior peak in the second quarter of this year. That is a reasonable and constructive outlook, but it provides little help in forecasting equity returns for 2021. Fair or sustainable price-to-earnings ratios (PEs) on mid-cycle earnings remains uncertain.

As we move forward, not all sectors will benefit equally. For this reason, we believe that active management, with its close monitoring of developments, is critical. We believe that the close interaction between our portfolio managers and our CIO Office — which synthesizes the views of more than 900 DWS economists, analysts and investment professionals around the world — positions us to make strategic and tactical decisions.

We appreciate your trust and welcome the opportunity to help you navigate these unusual times. For ongoing updates to our market and economic outlook, please visit the “Insights” section of dws.com.

Best regards,

Hepsen Uzcan

President, DWS Funds

Assumptions, estimates and opinions contained in this document constitute our judgment as of the date of the document and are subject to change without notice. Any projections are based on a number of assumptions as to market conditions and there can be no guarantee that any projected results will be achieved. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 3

Performance Summary

March 31, 2021 (Unaudited)

Class A	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
Unadjusted for Sales Charge	19.21%	53.70%	15.06%	12.90%
Adjusted for the Maximum Sales Charge (max 5.75% load)	12.36%	44.86%	13.70%	12.23%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.97%

Class T	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
Unadjusted for Sales Charge	19.23%	53.72%	15.05%	12.90%
Adjusted for the Maximum Sales Charge (max 2.50% load)	16.25%	49.87%	14.47%	14.47%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.97%

Class C	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
Unadjusted for Sales Charge	18.73%	52.45%	14.17%	12.04%
Adjusted for the Maximum Sales Charge (max 1.00% CDSC)	17.73%	52.45%	14.17%	12.04%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.97%

Class R	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
No Sales Charges	18.99%	53.10%	14.59%	12.42%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.97%

Class R6	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	Life of Class^*
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
No Sales Charges	19.42%	54.23%	15.46%	12.52%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.39%

Class S	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
No Sales Charges	19.32%	54.01%	15.36%	13.23%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.97%

4 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Institutional Class	6-Month ^‡	1-Year	5-Year	10-Year
Average Annual Total Returns as of 3/31/21
No Sales Charges	19.36%	54.07%	15.38%	13.28%
Russell 1000® Index^†	20.41%	60.59%	16.66%	13.97%

Performance in the Average Annual Total Returns table above and the Growth of an Assumed $10,000 Investment line graph that follows is historical and does not guarantee future results. Investment return and principal fluctuate, so your shares may be worth more or less when redeemed. Current performance may differ from performance data shown. Please visit dws.com for the Fund’s most recent month-end performance. Fund performance includes reinvestment of all distributions. Unadjusted returns do not reflect sales charges and would have been lower if they had.

The gross expense ratios of the Fund, as stated in the fee table of the prospectus dated February 1, 2021 are 0.84%, 0.79%, 1.61%, 1.22%, 0.49%, 0.57% and 0.57% for Class A, Class T, Class C, Class R, Class R6, Class S and Institutional Class shares, respectively, and may differ from the expense ratios disclosed in the Financial Highlights tables in this report.

Index returns do not reflect any fees or expenses and it is not possible to invest directly into an index.

Performance figures do not reflect the deduction of taxes that a shareholder would pay on fund distributions or the redemption of fund shares.

Returns shown for Class R shares for the period prior to its inception on May 1, 2012 are derived from the historical performance of Class S shares of DWS Core Equity Fund during such periods and have been adjusted to reflect the higher total annual operating expenses of Class R. Any difference in expenses will affect performance.

Returns shown for Class T shares for the period prior to its inception on June 5, 2017 are derived from the historical performance of Class S shares of DWS Core Equity Fund during such periods and have been adjusted to reflect the higher total annual operating expenses and applicable sales charges of Class T. Any difference in expenses will affect performance.

Generally accepted accounting principles require adjustments to be made to the net assets of the Fund at period end for financial reporting purposes only, and as such, the total return based on the unadjusted net asset value per share may differ from the total return reported in the financial highlights.

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 5

Growth of an Assumed $10,000 Investment

(Adjusted for Maximum Sales Charge)

Yearly periods ended March 31

The Fund’s growth of an assumed $10,000 investment is adjusted for the maximum sales charge of 5.75%. This results in a net initial investment of $9,425.

The growth of $10,000 is cumulative.

Performance of other share classes will vary based on the sales charges and the fee structure of those classes.

^*	Class R6 shares commenced operations on August 25, 2014.
^†	The Russell 1000 Index is an unmanaged index that measures the performance of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell 3000 Index, which represents approximately 92% of the total market capitalization of the Russell 3000 Index.
^‡	Total returns shown for periods less than one year are not annualized.

	Class A	Class T	Class C	Class R	Class R6	Class S	Institutional Class
Net Asset Value
3/31/21	$31.72	$31.74	$29.98	$32.09	$32.16	$32.12	$32.18
9/30/20	$28.24	$28.26	$26.80	$28.56	$28.61	$28.58	$28.63
Distribution Information as of 3/31/21
Income Dividends, Six Months	$ .09	$ .10	$ —	$ .03	$ .15	$ .13	$ .13
Capital Gain Distributions	$ 1.73	$ 1.73	$ 1.73	$ 1.73	$ 1.73	$ 1.73	$ 1.73

6 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Portfolio Management Team

Pankaj Bhatnagar, PhD, Head of Investment Strategy Equity

Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Began managing the Fund in 2013.

—

Joined DWS in 2000 with seven years of industry experience; previously, served in Quantitative Strategy roles at Nomura Securities, Credit Suisse and Salomon Brothers.

—

Head of Core Equity and Co-Head of Systematic and Quantitative Strategies: New York.

—

Degree in Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology; MBA, Kent State University; PhD in Finance, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Arno V. Puskar, Senior Portfolio Manager Equity

Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Began managing the Fund in 2016.

—

Joined DWS in 1987.

—

Portfolio Manager for US Equities and Quantitative Analyst: New York.

—

BS in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University; MBA from Pepperdine University.

Di Kumble, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager Equity

Portfolio Manager of the Fund. Began managing the Fund in 2016.

—

Joined DWS in 2003 with seven years of industry experience. Prior to joining, she served as a Portfolio Manager at Graham Capital Management. Previously, she worked as a Quantitative Strategist at ITG Inc. and Morgan Stanley.

—

Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Tax Managed Equities: New York.

—

BS, Beijing University; PhD in Chemistry, Princeton University.

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 7

Portfolio Summary

(Unaudited)

Asset Allocation (As a % of Investment Portfolio excluding Securities Lending Collateral)	3/31/21	9/30/20
Common Stocks	99%	99%
Cash Equivalents	1%	1%
	100%	100%

Sector Diversification (As a % of Common Stocks)	3/31/21	9/30/20
Information Technology	28%	29%
Health Care	13%	14%
Consumer Discretionary	12%	13%
Financials	11%	9%
Communication Services	11%	10%
Industrials	9%	9%
Consumer Staples	5%	6%
Real Estate	3%	3%
Energy	3%	2%
Materials	3%	2%
Utilities	2%	3%
	100%	100%

Ten Largest Equity Holdings at March 31, 2021 (36.0% of Net Assets)
1 Apple, Inc.	7.1%
Designs, manufactures and markets personal computers and related computing and mobile-communication devices
2 Microsoft Corp.	6.5%
Develops, manufactures, licenses, sells and supports software products
3 Amazon.com, Inc.	5.3%
Online retailer offering a wide range of products
4 Alphabet, Inc.	3.9%
Holding company with subsidiaries that provide Web-based search, maps, hardware products and various software applications
5 Visa, Inc.	2.6%
Operates a retail electronic payments network and manages global financial services
6 JPMorgan Chase & Co.	2.6%
Provider of global financial services
7 Amgen, Inc.	2.3%
Developer, manufacturer and marketer of human therapeutics
8 Oracle Corp.	2.0%
Provider of database management software
9 D.R. Horton, Inc.	1.9%
Constructor and seller of single family homes designed primarily for the entry-level and move-up markets
10 T-Mobile U.S., Inc.	1.8%
Provider of mobile telecommunication services

Portfolio holdings and characteristics are subject to change.

For more complete details about the Fund’s investment portfolio, see page 9. A quarterly Fact Sheet is available on dws.com or upon request. Please see the Account Management Resources section on page 46 for contact information.

8 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Investment Portfolio

as of March 31, 2021 (Unaudited)

	Shares		Value ($)
Common Stocks 99.3%
Communication Services 10.6%
Diversified Telecommunication Services 0.6%
Verizon Communications, Inc.		422,236	24,553,023
Entertainment 4.3%
Activision Blizzard, Inc.		481,289	44,759,877
Electronic Arts, Inc.		127,321	17,235,444
Netflix, Inc.*		47,801	24,935,870
Roku, Inc.*		196,124	63,891,315
Spotify Technology SA*		117,095	31,375,605
			182,198,111
Interactive Media & Services 3.9%
Alphabet, Inc. “A” *		29,685	61,225,906
Alphabet, Inc. “C” *		50,016	103,464,598
			164,690,504
Wireless Telecommunication Services 1.8%
T-Mobile U.S., Inc.*		594,681	74,507,583
Consumer Discretionary 12.1%
Auto Components 0.7%
BorgWarner, Inc.		352,035	16,320,342
Gentex Corp.		311,237	11,101,824
			27,422,166
Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure 2.9%
Choice Hotels International, Inc.		237,851	25,519,034
Darden Restaurants, Inc.		127,316	18,078,872
Vail Resorts, Inc.		52,322	15,260,235
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc.		626,975	43,750,315
Yum China Holdings, Inc.		351,458	20,809,828
			123,418,284
Household Durables 2.3%
D.R. Horton, Inc.		902,338	80,416,362
Newell Brands, Inc.		665,373	17,818,689
			98,235,051
Internet & Direct Marketing Retail 5.3%
Amazon.com, Inc.*		72,647	224,775,630
Specialty Retail 0.5%
Carvana Co.*		78,569	20,616,506

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 9

	Shares		Value ($)
Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods 0.4%
NIKE, Inc. “B”		118,899	15,800,488
Consumer Staples 5.3%
Beverages 2.8%
Coca-Cola Co.		972,363	51,253,254
PepsiCo, Inc.		484,528	68,536,485
			119,789,739
Food & Staples Retailing 1.4%
Beyond Meat, Inc.* (a)		116,020	15,096,522
Costco Wholesale Corp.		68,674	24,206,212
Kroger Co.		525,589	18,915,948
			58,218,682
Personal Products 0.3%
Estee Lauder Companies, Inc. “A”		42,850	12,462,923
Tobacco 0.8%
Altria Group, Inc.		608,888	31,150,710
Energy 2.9%
Energy Equipment & Services 0.7%
Baker Hughes Co.		628,482	13,581,496
NOV, Inc.		1,065,010	14,611,937
			28,193,433
Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels 2.2%
Devon Energy Corp.		946,547	20,682,052
Hess Corp.		360,355	25,498,720
Marathon Petroleum Corp.		895,948	47,924,259
			94,105,031
Financials 10.9%
Banks 4.2%
Bank of America Corp.		835,966	32,343,525
JPMorgan Chase & Co.		732,284	111,475,593
Wells Fargo & Co.		821,734	32,105,147
			175,924,265
Capital Markets 3.9%
Ameriprise Financial, Inc.		221,231	51,425,146
Carlyle Group, Inc.		709,172	26,069,163
Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.		95,442	10,658,962
MSCI, Inc.		110,550	46,351,404

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

10 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

	Shares		Value ($)
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.		94,266	16,176,046
Tradeweb Markets, Inc. “A”		164,989	12,209,186
			162,889,907
Insurance 2.8%
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.		239,596	29,894,393
Everest Re Group Ltd.		66,783	16,549,495
Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.		155,272	10,370,617
MetLife, Inc.		790,884	48,077,839
Progressive Corp.		164,982	15,773,929
			120,666,273
Health Care 13.1%
Biotechnology 4.3%
AbbVie, Inc.		152,438	16,496,840
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.*		131,829	20,157,973
Amgen, Inc.		384,488	95,664,459
Biogen, Inc.*		132,584	37,090,374
BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.*		133,999	10,118,265
			179,527,911
Health Care Providers & Services 5.0%
Anthem, Inc.		147,489	52,941,177
Centene Corp.*		758,518	48,476,885
DaVita, Inc.*		259,365	27,951,766
Guardant Health, Inc.*		199,050	30,384,982
McKesson Corp.		99,418	19,390,487
Molina Healthcare, Inc.*		92,160	21,543,322
Premier, Inc. “A”		301,051	10,190,576
			210,879,195
Pharmaceuticals 3.8%
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.		569,519	35,953,734
Johnson & Johnson		335,653	55,164,571
Merck & Co., Inc.		603,768	46,544,475
Viatris, Inc.*		727,968	10,169,713
Zoetis, Inc.		89,679	14,122,649
			161,955,142
Industrials 8.8%
Aerospace & Defense 0.6%
Lockheed Martin Corp.		67,708	25,018,106
Building Products 1.0%
Owens Corning		446,037	41,075,547

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 11

	Shares		Value ($)
Commercial Services & Supplies 2.1%
Cintas Corp.		37,634	12,844,861
Republic Services, Inc.		107,035	10,633,927
Waste Management, Inc.		502,037	64,772,814
			88,251,602
Electrical Equipment 0.2%
Emerson Electric Co.		118,455	10,687,010
Industrial Conglomerates 0.3%
Honeywell International, Inc.		58,506	12,699,898
Machinery 2.8%
AGCO Corp.		211,561	30,390,738
Caterpillar, Inc.		85,453	19,813,987
Cummins, Inc.		48,479	12,561,394
Ingersoll Rand, Inc.*		325,174	16,001,812
Parker-Hannifin Corp.		121,503	38,325,691
			117,093,622
Professional Services 0.5%
Equifax, Inc.		120,093	21,752,445
Road & Rail 1.3%
Norfolk Southern Corp.		92,598	24,864,415
Union Pacific Corp.		140,136	30,887,376
			55,751,791
Information Technology 27.7%
Communications Equipment 0.9%
Cisco Systems, Inc.		768,251	39,726,259
IT Services 3.5%
Accenture PLC “A”		64,936	17,938,570
DXC Technology Co.		615,338	19,235,466
Visa, Inc. “A” (a)		528,448	111,888,295
			149,062,331
Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment 5.2%
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.*		354,976	27,865,616
Intel Corp.		1,101,307	70,483,648
NVIDIA Corp.		43,994	23,489,716
QUALCOMM, Inc.		487,555	64,644,918
Teradyne, Inc.		275,916	33,573,459
			220,057,357
Software 11.0%
ANSYS, Inc.*		32,923	11,179,334

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

12 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

	Shares		Value ($)
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.*		88,894	12,177,589
Citrix Systems, Inc.		73,858	10,366,709
Dynatrace, Inc.*		218,422	10,536,677
Intuit, Inc.		28,667	10,981,181
Microsoft Corp.		1,158,926	273,239,983
Oracle Corp.		1,179,968	82,798,355
salesforce.com, Inc.*		109,296	23,156,543
Splunk, Inc.*		127,212	17,234,682
Synopsys, Inc.*		44,551	11,038,847
			462,709,900
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals 7.1%
Apple, Inc.		2,445,006	298,657,483
Materials 2.7%
Chemicals 1.5%
Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.		63,750	17,935,425
DuPont de Nemours, Inc.		228,436	17,653,534
Linde PLC		64,427	18,048,580
The Mosaic Co.		328,811	10,393,715
			64,031,254
Containers & Packaging 0.3%
International Paper Co.		214,971	11,623,482
Metals & Mining 0.9%
Arconic Corp.*		949,608	24,110,547
Newmont Corp.		266,262	16,047,611
			40,158,158
Real Estate 2.9%
Equity Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
AvalonBay Communities, Inc.		205,887	37,988,210
Iron Mountain, Inc. (a)		1,180,097	43,675,390
Prologis, Inc.		385,055	40,815,830
			122,479,430
Utilities 2.3%
Electric Utilities 0.5%
NextEra Energy, Inc.		268,128	20,273,158
Multi-Utilities 1.0%
Dominion Energy, Inc.		240,713	18,284,559
Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.		414,493	24,956,624
			43,241,183

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 13

	Shares		Value ($)
Water Utilities 0.8%
American Water Works Co., Inc.		230,296	34,525,976
Total Common Stocks (Cost $2,617,275,510)			4,190,856,549
Securities Lending Collateral 4.1%
DWS Government & Agency Securities Portfolio “DWS Government Cash Institutional Shares” , 0.01% (b) (c) (Cost $174,449,752)		174,449,752	174,449,752
Cash Equivalents 0.8%
DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund, 0.04% (b) (Cost $32,052,184)		32,052,184	32,052,184

	% of Net Assets	Value ($)
Total Investment Portfolio (Cost $2,823,777,446)	104.2	4,397,358,485
Other Assets and Liabilities, Net	(4.2)	(175,589,928)
Net Assets	100.0	4,221,768,557

A summary of the Fund’s transactions with affiliated investments during the period ended March 31, 2021 are as follows:

Value ($) at 9/30/2020	Pur- chases Cost ($)	Sales Proceeds ($)	Net Real- ized Gain/ (Loss) ($)	Net Change in Unreal- ized Appreci- ation (Depreci- ation) ($)	Income ($)	Capital Gain Distri- butions ($)	Number of Shares at 3/31/2021	Value ($) at 3/31/2021
Securities Lending Collateral 4.1%
DWS Government & Agency Securities Portfolio “DWS Government Cash Institutional Shares” , 0.01% (b) (c)
141,937,285	32,512,467 (d)	—	—	—	97,826	—	174,449,752	174,449,752
Cash Equivalents 0.8%
DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund, 0.04% (b)
45,533,549	177,154,153	190,635,518	—	—	9,007	—	32,052,184	32,052,184
187,470,834	209,666,620	190,635,518	—	—	106,833	—	206,501,936	206,501,936

*	Non-income producing security.
(a)	All or a portion of these securities were on loan. In addition, “Other Assets and Liabilities, Net” may include pending sales that are also on loan. The value of securities loaned at March 31, 2021 amounted to $170,655,596, which is 4.0% of net assets.

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

14 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

(b)	Affiliated fund managed by DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. The rate shown is the annualized seven-day yield at period end.
(c)	Represents cash collateral held in connection with securities lending. Income earned by the Fund is net of borrower rebates.
(d)	Represents the net increase (purchase cost) or decrease (sales proceeds) in the amount invested in cash collateral for the period ended March 31, 2021.

Fair Value Measurements

Various inputs are used in determining the value of the Fund’s investments. These inputs are summarized in three broad levels. Level 1 includes quoted prices in active markets for identical securities. Level 2 includes other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, prepayment speeds and credit risk). Level 3 includes significant unobservable inputs (including the Fund’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments). The level assigned to the securities valuations may not be an indication of the risk or liquidity associated with investing in those securities.

The following is a summary of the inputs used as of March 31, 2021 in valuing the Fund’s investments. For information on the Fund’s policy regarding the valuation of investments, please refer to the Security Valuation section of Note A in the accompanying Notes to Financial Statements.

Assets	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Total
Common Stocks (a)	$4,190,856,549	$—	$—	$4,190,856,549
Short-Term Investments (a)	206,501,936	—	—	206,501,936
Total	$4,397,358,485	$ —	$ —	$4,397,358,485

(a)	See Investment Portfolio for additional detailed categorizations.

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 15

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

as of March 31, 2021 (Unaudited)

Assets
Investments in non-affiliated securities, at value (cost $2,617,275,510) — including $170,655,596 of securities loaned	$ 4,190,856,549
Investment in DWS Government & Agency Securities Portfolio (cost $174,449,752)*	174,449,752
Investment in DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund (cost $32,052,184)	32,052,184
Cash	179,735
Receivable for Fund shares sold	652,325
Dividends receivable	3,058,892
Interest receivable	5,063
Other assets	105,643
Total assets	4,401,360,143
Liabilities
Payable upon return of securities loaned	174,449,752
Payable for Fund shares redeemed	2,566,055
Distributions payable	742
Accrued management fee	1,246,596
Accrued Trustees' fees	33,638
Other accrued expenses and payables	1,294,803
Total liabilities	179,591,586
Net assets, at value	$ 4,221,768,557
Net Assets Consist of
Distributable earnings (loss)	1,803,523,937
Paid-in capital	2,418,244,620
Net assets, at value	$ 4,221,768,557

*	Represents collateral on securities loaned.

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

16 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Statement of Assets and Liabilities as of March 31, 2021 (Unaudited) (continued)

Net Asset Value
Class A
Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($402,444,106 ÷ 12,688,131 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 31.72
Maximum offering price per share (100 ÷ 94.25 of $31.72)	$ 33.66
Class T
Net Asset Value and redemption price per share ($16,442 ÷ 518 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 31.74
Maximum offering price per share (100 ÷ 97.50 of $31.74)	$ 32.55
Class C
Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price (subject to contingent deferred sales charge) per share ($33,814,776 ÷ 1,128,084 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 29.98
Class R
Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share ($1,931,307 ÷ 60,191 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 32.09
Class R6
Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share ($13,642,373 ÷ 424,256 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 32.16
Class S
Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share ($3,448,984,220 ÷ 107,392,846 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 32.12
Institutional Class
Net Asset Value, offering and redemption price per share ($320,935,333 ÷ 9,972,905 outstanding shares of beneficial interest, $.01 par value, unlimited number of shares authorized)	$ 32.18

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 17

Statement of Operations

for the six months ended March 31, 2021 (Unaudited)

Investment Income
Income:
Dividends	$ 30,695,824
Income distributions — DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund	9,007
Securities lending income, net of borrower rebates	97,826
Total income	30,802,657
Expenses:
Management fee	7,124,173
Administration fee	1,959,218
Services to shareholders	1,800,643
Distribution and service fees	621,228
Custodian fee	16,035
Professional fees	65,790
Reports to shareholders	72,004
Registration fees	49,084
Trustees' fees and expenses	60,686
Other	119,077
Total expenses	11,887,938
Net investment income	18,914,719
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)
Net realized gain (loss) from investments	233,308,618
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investments	454,258,114
Net gain (loss)	687,566,732
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations	$ 706,481,451

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

18 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Statements of Changes in Net Assets

	Six Months Ended March 31, 2021	Year Ended September 30,
Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets	(Unaudited)	2020
Operations:
Net investment income	$ 18,914,719	$ 43,620,647
Net realized gain (loss)	233,308,618	227,254,249
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation)	454,258,114	111,313,682
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations	706,481,451	382,188,578
Distributions to shareholders:
Class A	(22,336,846)	(17,819,862)
Class T	(894)	(639)
Class C	(1,950,318)	(1,714,488)
Class R	(117,849)	(83,695)
Class R6	(816,590)	(775,901)
Class S	(195,199,829)	(159,431,402)
Institutional Class	(18,119,890)	(14,621,711)
Total distributions	(238,542,216)	(194,447,698)
Fund share transactions:
Proceeds from shares sold	111,341,913	311,421,490
Reinvestment of distributions	223,411,461	181,308,516
Payments for shares redeemed	(325,164,690)	(721,779,420)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets from Fund share transactions	9,588,684	(229,049,414)
Increase (decrease) in net assets	477,527,919	(41,308,534)
Net assets at beginning of period	3,744,240,638	3,785,549,172
Net assets at end of period	$4,221,768,557	$3,744,240,638

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 19

Financial Highlights

DWS Core Equity Fund — Class A
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$28.24	$26.80	$30.17	$27.04	$24.21	$23.35
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income^a	.11	.25	.27	.24	.27	.20
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	5.19	2.55	(.46)	4.51	4.18	2.66
Total from investment operations	5.30	2.80	(.19)	4.75	4.45	2.86
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	(.09)	(.28)	(.29)	(.22)	(.25)	(.18)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	(1.37)	(1.82)
Total distributions	(1.82)	(1.36)	(3.18)	(1.62)	(1.62)	(2.00)
Net asset value, end of period	$31.72	$28.24	$26.80	$30.17	$27.04	$24.21
Total Return (%)^b	19.21 ^*	10.71	1.18	18.25	19.13	12.75
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ millions)	402	351	362	386	343	325
Ratio of expenses (%)	.82 ^**	.84	.84	.86	.86	.88
Ratio of net investment income (%)	.71 ^**	.95	1.04	.85	1.07	.87
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47	27

^a	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^b	Total return does not reflect the effect of any sales charges.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

20 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

DWS Core Equity Fund — Class T
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,			Period Ended
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	9/30/17 ^a
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$28.26	$26.81	$30.18	$27.02	$26.09
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income^b	.11	.26	.28	.25	.08
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	5.20	2.56	(.46)	4.52	.96
Total from investment operations	5.31	2.82	(.18)	4.77	1.04
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	(.10)	(.29)	(.30)	(.21)	(.11)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	—
Total distributions	(1.83)	(1.37)	(3.19)	(1.61)	(.11)
Net asset value, end of period	$31.74	$28.26	$26.81	$30.18	$27.02
Total Return (%)^c	19.23 ^*	10.78	1.21	18.28	4.01 ^*
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ thousands)	16	14	12	12	10
Ratio of expenses (%)	.79 ^**	.79	.82	.83	.97 ^**
Ratio of net investment income (%)	.73 ^**	.99	1.06	.88	.95 ^**
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47 ^d

^a	For the period from June 5, 2017 (commencement of operations) to September 30, 2017.
^b	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^c	Total return does not reflect the effect of any sales charges.
^d	Represents the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate for the year ended September 30, 2017.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 21

DWS Core Equity Fund — Class C
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$26.80	$25.49	$28.86	$25.92	$23.27	$22.52
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income (loss)^a	(.01)	.05	.07	.02	.07	.03
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	4.92	2.42	(.46)	4.33	4.01	2.55
Total from investment operations	4.91	2.47	(.39)	4.35	4.08	2.58
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	—	(.08)	(.09)	(.01)	(.06)	(.01)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	(1.37)	(1.82)
Total distributions	(1.73)	(1.16)	(2.98)	(1.41)	(1.43)	(1.83)
Net asset value, end of period	$29.98	$26.80	$25.49	$28.86	$25.92	$23.27
Total Return (%)^b	18.73 ^*	9.86	.41	17.36	18.22	11.88
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ millions)	34	34	40	43	40	40
Ratio of expenses (%)	1.59 ^**	1.61	1.60	1.62	1.62	1.64
Ratio of net investment income (loss) (%)	(.07) ^**	.18	.28	.09	.30	.11
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47	27

^a	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^b	Total return does not reflect the effect of any sales charges.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

22 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

DWS Core Equity Fund — Class R
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$28.56	$27.08	$30.45	$27.28	$24.42	$23.57
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income^a	.05	.15	.17	.13	.18	.12
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	5.24	2.59	(.46)	4.55	4.21	2.68
Total from investment operations	5.29	2.74	(.29)	4.68	4.39	2.80
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	(.03)	(.18)	(.19)	(.11)	(.16)	(.13)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	(1.37)	(1.82)
Total distributions	(1.76)	(1.26)	(3.08)	(1.51)	(1.53)	(1.95)
Net asset value, end of period	$32.09	$28.56	$27.08	$30.45	$27.28	$24.42
Total Return (%)	18.99 ^*	10.27	.78	17.75	18.69	12.34
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ millions)	2	2	2	2	1	1
Ratio of expenses (%)	1.22 ^**	1.22	1.25	1.28	1.23	1.26
Ratio of net investment income (%)	.30 ^**	.56	.64	.44	.70	.49
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47	27

^a	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 23

DWS Core Equity Fund — Class R6
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$28.61	$27.14	$30.51	$27.33	$24.46	$23.58
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income^a	.16	.35	.37	.35	.37	.30
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	5.27	2.58	(.46)	4.56	4.22	2.67
Total from investment operations	5.43	2.93	(.09)	4.91	4.59	2.97
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	(.15)	(.38)	(.39)	(.33)	(.35)	(.27)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	(1.37)	(1.82)
Total distributions	(1.88)	(1.46)	(3.28)	(1.73)	(1.72)	(2.09)
Net asset value, end of period	$32.16	$28.61	$27.14	$30.51	$27.33	$24.46
Total Return (%)	19.42 ^*	11.09	1.55	18.63	19.61	13.12
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ millions)	14	12	14	16	6	3
Ratio of expenses (%)	.48 ^**	.49	.49	.50	.50	.50
Ratio of net investment income (%)	1.04 ^**	1.29	1.39	1.23	1.43	1.29
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47	27

^a	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

24 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

DWS Core Equity Fund — Class S
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$28.58	$27.11	$30.48	$27.30	$24.44	$23.55
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income^a	.15	.33	.34	.32	.34	.27
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	5.25	2.58	(.45)	4.56	4.22	2.69
Total from investment operations	5.40	2.91	(.11)	4.88	4.56	2.96
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	(.13)	(.36)	(.37)	(.30)	(.33)	(.25)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	(1.37)	(1.82)
Total distributions	(1.86)	(1.44)	(3.26)	(1.70)	(1.70)	(2.07)
Net asset value, end of period	$32.12	$28.58	$27.11	$30.48	$27.30	$24.44
Total Return (%)	19.32 ^*	11.01	1.47	18.56	19.48	13.09
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ millions)	3,449	3,076	3,198	3,480	3,073	2,770
Ratio of expenses (%)	.56 ^**	.57	.57	.58	.58	.58
Ratio of net investment income (%)	.97 ^**	1.21	1.31	1.13	1.35	1.16
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47	27

^a	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 25

DWS Core Equity Fund — Institutional Class
	Six Months Ended 3/31/21	Years Ended September 30,
	(Unaudited)	2020	2019	2018	2017	2016
Selected Per Share Data
Net asset value, beginning of period	$28.63	$27.16	$30.54	$27.35	$24.48	$23.60
Income (loss) from investment operations:
Net investment income^a	.15	.33	.36	.33	.35	.28
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)	5.26	2.58	(.47)	4.57	4.23	2.68
Total from investment operations	5.41	2.91	(.11)	4.90	4.58	2.96
Less distributions from:
Net investment income	(.13)	(.36)	(.38)	(.31)	(.34)	(.26)
Net realized gains	(1.73)	(1.08)	(2.89)	(1.40)	(1.37)	(1.82)
Total distributions	(1.86)	(1.44)	(3.27)	(1.71)	(1.71)	(2.08)
Net asset value, end of period	$32.18	$28.63	$27.16	$30.54	$27.35	$24.48
Total Return (%)	19.36 ^*	11.01	1.47	18.59	19.52	13.07
Ratios to Average Net Assets and Supplemental Data
Net assets, end of period ($ millions)	321	269	169	97	71	72
Ratio of expenses (%)	.55 ^**	.57	.55	.55	.56	.56
Ratio of net investment income (%)	.98 ^**	1.24	1.35	1.16	1.36	1.20
Portfolio turnover rate (%)	21 ^*	46	39	46	47	27

^a	Based on average shares outstanding during the period.
^*	Not annualized
^**	Annualized

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

26 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Notes to Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

A.	Organization and Significant Accounting Policies

DWS Core Equity Fund (the “Fund” ) is a diversified series of Deutsche DWS Investment Trust (the “Trust” ), which is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act” ), as an open-end management investment company organized as a Massachusetts business trust.

The Fund offers multiple classes of shares which provide investors with different purchase options. Class A shares are subject to an initial sales charge. Class T shares are subject to an initial sales charge and are only available through certain financial intermediaries. Class T shares closed to new purchases, except in connection with the reinvestment of dividends or other distributions. Class C shares are not subject to an initial sales charge but are subject to higher ongoing expenses than Class A shares and a contingent deferred sales charge payable upon certain redemptions within one year of purchase. Effective May 10, 2021, Class C shares automatically convert to Class A shares in the same fund after 8 years instead of 10 years, provided that the Fund or the financial intermediary through which the shareholder purchased the Class C shares has records verifying that the Class C shares have been held for at least 8 years. Class R shares and Class R6 shares are not subject to initial or contingent deferred sales charges and are generally available to certain retirement plans. Class S shares are not subject to initial or contingent deferred sales charges and are available through certain intermediary relationships with financial services firms, or can be purchased by establishing an account directly with the Fund’s transfer agent. Institutional Class shares are not subject to initial or contingent deferred sales charges and are generally available only to qualified institutions.

Investment income, realized and unrealized gains and losses, and certain fund-level expenses and expense reductions, if any, are borne pro rata on the basis of relative net assets by the holders of all classes of shares, except that each class bears certain expenses unique to that class such as distribution and service fees, services to shareholders and certain other class-specific expenses. Differences in class-level expenses may result in payment of different per share dividends by class. All shares of the Fund have equal rights with respect to voting subject to class-specific arrangements.

The Fund’s financial statements are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP” ) which require the use of management estimates. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Fund qualifies as an investment company under Topic 946 of Accounting Standards

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 27

Codification of U.S. GAAP. The policies described below are followed consistently by the Fund in the preparation of its financial statements.

Security Valuation. Investments are stated at value determined as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange on each day the exchange is open for trading.

Equity securities are valued at the most recent sale price or official closing price reported on the exchange (U.S. or foreign) or over-the-counter market on which they trade. Securities for which no sales are reported are valued at the calculated mean between the most recent bid and asked quotations on the relevant market or, if a mean cannot be determined, at the most recent bid quotation. Equity securities are generally categorized as Level 1.

Debt securities are valued at prices supplied by independent pricing services approved by the Fund’s Board. Such services may use various pricing techniques which take into account appropriate factors such as yield, quality, coupon rate, maturity, type of issue, trading characteristics, prepayment speeds and other data, as well as broker quotes. If the pricing services are unable to provide valuations, debt securities are valued at the average of the most recent reliable bid quotations or evaluated prices, as applicable, obtained from broker-dealers. These securities are generally categorized as Level 2.

Investments in open-end investment companies are valued at their net asset value each business day and are categorized as Level 1.

Securities and other assets for which market quotations are not readily available or for which the above valuation procedures are deemed not to reflect fair value are valued in a manner that is intended to reflect their fair value as determined in accordance with procedures approved by the Board and are generally categorized as Level 3. In accordance with the Fund’s valuation procedures, factors considered in determining value may include, but are not limited to, the type of the security; the size of the holding; the initial cost of the security; the existence of any contractual restrictions on the security’s disposition; the price and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or of comparable companies; quotations or evaluated prices from broker-dealers and/or pricing services; information obtained from the issuer, analysts, and/or the appropriate

28 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

stock exchange (for exchange-traded securities); an analysis of the company’s or issuer’s financial statements; an evaluation of the forces that influence the issuer and the market(s) in which the security is purchased and sold; and with respect to debt securities, the maturity, coupon, creditworthiness, currency denomination and the movement of the market in which the security is normally traded. The value determined under these procedures may differ from published values for the same securities.

Disclosure about the classification of fair value measurements is included in a table following the Fund’s Investment Portfolio.

Securities Lending. Deutsche Bank AG, as lending agent, lends securities of the Fund to certain financial institutions under the terms of its securities lending agreement. During the term of the loans, the Fund continues to receive interest and dividends generated by the securities and to participate in any changes in their market value. The Fund requires the borrowers of the securities to maintain collateral with the Fund consisting of either cash or liquid, unencumbered having a value at least equal to the value of the securities loaned. When the collateral falls below specified amounts, the lending agent will use its best efforts to obtain additional collateral on the next business day to meet required amounts under the securities lending agreement. As of period end, any securities on loan were collateralized by cash. During the six months ended March 31, 2021, the Fund invested the cash collateral into a joint trading account in DWS Government & Agency Securities Portfolio, an affiliated money market fund managed by DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. receives a management/administration fee (0.02% annualized effective rate as of March 31, 2021) on the cash collateral invested in DWS Government & Agency Securities Portfolio. The Fund receives compensation for lending its securities either in the form of fees or by earning interest on invested cash collateral net of borrower rebates and fees paid to a lending agent. Either the Fund or the borrower may terminate the loan at any time, and the borrower, after notice, is required to return borrowed securities within a standard time period. There may be risks of delay and costs in recovery of securities or even loss of rights in the collateral should the borrower of the securities fail financially. If the Fund is not able to recover securities lent, the Fund may sell the collateral and purchase a replacement investment in the market, incurring the risk that the value of the replacement security is greater than the value of the collateral. The Fund is also subject to all investment risks associated with the reinvestment of any cash collateral received, including, but not limited to, interest rate, credit and liquidity risk associated with such investments.

As of March 31, 2021, the Fund had securities on loan, which were classified as common stocks in the Investment Portfolio. The value of the

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 29

related collateral exceeded the value of the securities loaned at period end. As of period end, the remaining contractual maturity of the collateral agreements was overnight and continuous.

Federal Income Taxes. The Fund’s policy is to comply with the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, which are applicable to regulated investment companies, and to distribute all of its taxable income to its shareholders.

At March 31, 2021, the aggregate cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was $2,825,656,050. The net unrealized appreciation for all investments based on tax cost was $1,571,702,435. This consisted of aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all investments for which there was an excess of value over tax cost of $1,600,336,777 and aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all investments for which there was an excess of tax cost over value of $28,634,342.

The Fund has reviewed the tax positions for the open tax years as of September 30, 2020 and has determined that no provision for income tax and/or uncertain tax positions is required in the Fund’s financial statements. The Fund’s federal tax returns for the prior three fiscal years remain open subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service.

Distribution of Income and Gains. Distributions from net investment income of the Fund are declared and distributed to shareholders quarterly. Net realized gains from investment transactions, in excess of available capital loss carryforwards, would be taxable to the Fund if not distributed, and, therefore, will be distributed to shareholders at least annually. The Fund may also make additional distributions for tax purposes if necessary.

The timing and characterization of certain income and capital gain distributions are determined annually in accordance with federal tax regulations, which may differ from accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. These differences primarily relate to certain securities sold at a loss. 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. Accordingly, the Fund may periodically make reclassifications among certain of its capital accounts without impacting the net asset value of the Fund.

The tax character of current year distributions will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year.

Expenses. Expenses of the Trust arising in connection with a specific fund are allocated to that fund. Other Trust expenses which cannot be directly attributed to a fund are apportioned among the funds in the Trust based upon the relative net assets or other appropriate measures.

Contingencies. In the normal course of business, the Fund may enter into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification

30 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown, as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet been made. However, based on experience, the Fund expects the risk of loss to be remote.

Other. Investment transactions are accounted for on a trade date plus one basis for daily net asset value calculations. However, for financial reporting purposes, investment transactions are reported on trade date. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date net of foreign withholding taxes. Realized gains and losses from investment transactions are recorded on an identified cost basis. Proceeds from litigation payments, if any, are included in net realized gain (loss) from investments.

B.	Purchases and Sales of Securities

During the six months ended March 31, 2021, purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term instruments) aggregated $849,669,271 and $1,055,698,066, respectively.

C.	Related Parties

Management Agreement. Under the Investment Management Agreement with DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. (“DIMA“ or the “Advisor“), an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA (“DWS Group” ), the Advisor directs the investments of the Fund in accordance with its investment objectives, policies and restrictions. The Advisor determines the securities, instruments and other contracts relating to investments to be purchased, sold or entered into by the Fund.

Under the Investment Management Agreement with the Advisor, the Fund pays a monthly management fee based on the average daily net assets of the Fund, computed and accrued daily and payable monthly, at the following annual rates:

First $250 million of the Fund’s average daily net assets	.365%
Next $750 million of such net assets	.360%
Next $1.5 billion of such net assets	.355%
Next $5.0 billion of such net assets	.345%
Next $5.0 billion of such net assets	.335%
Next $5.0 billion of such net assets	.325%
Over $17.5 billion of such net assets	.300%

Accordingly, for the six months ended March 31, 2021, the fee pursuant to the Investment Management Agreement was equivalent to an

DWS Core Equity Fund

| 31

annualized rate (exclusive of any applicable waivers/reimbursements) of 0.35% of the Fund’s average daily net assets.

For the period from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive its fees and/or reimburse certain operating expenses of the Fund to the extent necessary to maintain the total annual operating expenses (excluding certain expenses such as extraordinary expenses, taxes, brokerage and interest expense) of each class as follows:

Class A	1.05%
Class T	1.05%
Class C	1.80%
Class R	1.30%
Class R6	.80%
Class S	.80%
Institutional Class	.80%

Administration Fee. Pursuant to an Administrative Services Agreement, DIMA provides most administrative services to the Fund. For all services provided under the Administrative Services Agreement, the Fund pays the Advisor an annual fee (“Administration Fee” ) of 0.097% of the Fund’s average daily net assets, computed and accrued daily and payable monthly. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the Administration Fee was $1,959,218, of which $343,030 is unpaid.

Service Provider Fees. DWS Service Company (“DSC” ), an affiliate of the Advisor, is the transfer agent, dividend-paying agent and shareholder service agent for the Fund. Pursuant to a sub-transfer agency agreement between DSC and DST Systems, Inc. (“DST” ), DSC has delegated certain transfer agent, dividend-paying agent and shareholder service agent functions to DST. DSC compensates DST out of the shareholder servicing

32 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

fee it receives from the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the amounts charged to the Fund by DSC were as follows:

Services to Shareholders	Total Aggregated	Unpaid at March 31, 2021
Class A	$ 76,425	$ 21,885
Class T	13	3
Class C	2,366	830
Class R	140	43
Class R6	267	138
Class S	692,640	197,430
Institutional Class	272	272
	$ 772,123	$ 220,601

In addition, for the six months ended March 31, 2021, the amounts charged to the Fund for recordkeeping and other administrative services provided by unaffiliated third parties, included in the Statement of Operations under “Services to shareholders,” were as follows:

Sub-Recordkeeping	Total Aggregated
Class A	$ 124,067
Class C	16,793
Class R	2,297
Class S	596,612
Institutional Class	104,546
	$ 844,315

Distribution and Service Fees. Under the Fund’s Class C and R 12b-1 Plans, DWS Distributors, Inc. (“DDI” ), an affiliate of the Advisor, receives a fee (“Distribution Fee” ) of 0.75% of the average daily net assets of Class C shares and 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Class R shares. In accordance with the Fund’s Underwriting and Distribution Services Agreement, DDI enters into related selling group agreements with various firms at various rates for sales of Class C and R shares. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the Distribution Fee was as follows:

Distribution Fee	Total Aggregated	Unpaid at March 31, 2021
Class C	$ 126,307	$ 21,478
Class R	2,462	401
	$ 128,769	$ 21,879

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In addition, DDI provides information and administrative services for a fee (“Service Fee” ) to Class A, T, C and R shareholders at an annual rate of up to 0.25% of the average daily net assets for each such class. DDI in turn has various agreements with financial services firms that provide these services and pays these fees based upon the assets of shareholder accounts the firms service. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the Service Fee was as follows:

Service Fee	Total Aggregated	Unpaid at March 31, 2021	Annualized Rate
Class A	$ 448,020	$ 153,620	.23%
Class T	12	11	.15%
Class C	42,032	13,789	.25%
Class R	2,395	764	.24%
	$ 492,459	$ 168,184

Underwriting Agreement and Contingent Deferred Sales Charge. DDI is the principal underwriter for the Fund. Underwriting commissions paid in connection with the distribution of Class A shares for the six months ended March 31, 2021 aggregated $10,298.

In addition, DDI receives any contingent deferred sales charge (“CDSC” ) from Class C share redemptions occurring within one year of purchase. There is no such charge upon redemption of any share appreciation or reinvested dividends. The CDSC is 1% of the value of the shares redeemed for Class C. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the CDSC for Class C shares aggregated $1,277. A deferred sales charge of up to 1% is assessed on certain redemptions of Class A shares. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, DDI received $45 for Class A shares.

Other Service Fees. Under an agreement with the Fund, DIMA is compensated for providing regulatory filing services to the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the amount charged to the Fund by DIMA included in the Statement of Operations under “Reports to shareholders” aggregated $747, of which $217 is unpaid.

Trustees’ Fees and Expenses. The Fund paid retainer fees to each Trustee not affiliated with the Advisor, plus specified amounts to the Board Chairperson and to each committee Chairperson.

Affiliated Cash Management Vehicles. The Fund may invest uninvested cash balances in DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund and DWS ESG Liquidity Fund, affiliated money market funds which are managed by the Advisor. Each affiliated money market fund is managed in accordance with Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act, which governs the quality, maturity, diversity and liquidity of instruments in which a money market fund may invest. DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund seeks to maintain a stable net asset value, and DWS ESG Liquidity Fund

34 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

maintains a floating net asset value. The Fund indirectly bears its proportionate share of the expenses of each affiliated money market fund in which it invests. DWS Central Cash Management Government Fund does not pay the Advisor an investment management fee. To the extent that DWS ESG Liquidity Fund pays an investment management fee to the Advisor, the Advisor will waive an amount of the investment management fee payable to the Advisor by the Fund equal to the amount of the investment management fee payable on the Fund’s assets invested in DWS ESG Liquidity Fund.

Security Lending Fees. Deutsche Bank AG serves as lending agent for the Fund. For the six months ended March 31, 2021, the Fund incurred lending agent fees to Deutsche Bank AG for the amount of $7,378.

D.	Line of Credit

The Fund and other affiliated funds (the “Participants” ) share in a $350 million revolving credit facility provided by a syndication of banks. The Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including the meeting of redemption requests that otherwise might require the untimely disposition of securities. The Participants are charged an annual commitment fee, which is allocated based on net assets, among each of the Participants. Interest is calculated at a daily fluctuating rate per annum equal to the sum of 0.10% plus the higher of the Federal Funds Effective Rate and the Overnight Bank Funding Rate, plus 1.25%. The Fund may borrow up to a maximum of 33 percent of its net assets under the agreement. The Fund had no outstanding loans at March 31, 2021.

E.	Fund Share Transactions

The following table summarizes share and dollar activity in the Fund:

	Six Months Ended March 31, 2021		Year Ended September 30, 2020
	Shares	Dollars	Shares	Dollars
Shares sold
Class A	356,192	$ 10,865,180	737,611	$ 19,482,723
Class C	59,096	1,724,887	132,337	3,300,756
Class R	2,059	63,404	7,370	203,382
Class R6	66,873	2,060,053	232,537	6,379,772
Class S	998,280	30,672,470	2,881,050	75,734,460
Institutional Class	2,118,318	65,955,919	7,674,836	206,320,397
		$ 111,341,913		$ 311,421,490

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	Six Months Ended March 31, 2021		Year Ended September 30, 2020
	Shares	Dollars	Shares	Dollars
Shares issued to shareholders in reinvestment of distributions
Class A	706,703	$ 21,015,431	620,934	$ 16,777,448
Class T	30	894	24	639
Class C	66,678	1,872,337	60,281	1,560,834
Class R	3,920	117,849	3,053	83,695
Class R6	26,046	785,394	27,982	760,622
Class S	6,117,279	184,263,239	5,516,011	150,332,283
Institutional Class	508,751	15,356,317	432,661	11,792,995
		$ 223,411,461		$ 181,308,516
Shares redeemed
Class A	(809,983)	$ (24,613,928)	(2,435,788)	$ (63,385,840)
Class C	(249,154)	(7,164,610)	(509,197)	(12,814,746)
Class R	(14,130)	(427,843)	(19,070)	(488,314)
Class R6	(104,832)	(3,211,928)	(346,701)	(9,688,743)
Class S	(7,353,363)	(226,280,880)	(18,742,990)	(504,758,077)
Institutional Class	(2,052,428)	(63,465,501)	(4,937,347)	(130,643,700)
		$ (325,164,690)		$ (721,779,420)
Net increase (decrease)
Class A	252,912	$ 7,266,683	(1,077,243)	$ (27,125,669)
Class T	30	894	24	639
Class C	(123,380)	(3,567,386)	(316,579)	(7,953,156)
Class R	(8,151)	(246,590)	(8,647)	(201,237)
Class R6	(11,913)	(366,481)	(86,182)	(2,548,349)
Class S	(237,804)	(11,345,171)	(10,345,929)	(278,691,334)
Institutional Class	574,641	17,846,735	3,170,150	87,469,692
		$ 9,588,684		$ (229,049,414)

F.	Other — COVID-19 Pandemic

A novel coronavirus known as COVID-19, declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, has caused significant uncertainty, market volatility, decreased economic and other activity and increased government activity. Specifically, COVID-19 has led to significant death and morbidity, and concerns about its further spread have resulted in the closing of schools and non-essential businesses, cancellations, shelter-in

36 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

place orders, lower consumer spending in certain sectors, social distancing, bans on large social gatherings and travel, quarantines, government economic stimulus measures, reduced productivity, rapid increases in unemployment, increased demand for and strain on government and medical resources, border closings and global trade and supply chain interruptions, among others. The full effects, duration and costs of the COVID-19 pandemic are impossible to predict, and the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to evolve. The pandemic may affect certain countries, industries, economic sectors, companies and investment products more than others, may exacerbate existing economic, political, or social tensions and may increase the probability of an economic recession or depression. The Fund and its investments may be adversely affected by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a prolonged pandemic may result in the Fund and its service providers experiencing operational difficulties in coordinating a remote workforce and implementing their business continuity plans, among others. Management will continue to monitor the impact COVID-19 has on the Fund and reflect the consequences as appropriate in the Fund’s accounting and financial reporting.

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Information About Your Fund’s Expenses

As an investor of the Fund, you incur two types of costs: ongoing expenses and transaction costs. Ongoing expenses include management fees, distribution and service (12b-1) fees and other Fund expenses. Examples of transaction costs include sales charges (loads) and account maintenance fees, which are not shown in this section. The following tables are intended to help you understand your ongoing expenses (in dollars) of investing in the Fund and to help you compare these expenses with the ongoing expenses of investing in other mutual funds. The example in the table is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the six-month period and held for the entire period (October 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021).

The tables illustrate your Fund’s expenses in two ways:

—

Actual Fund Return. This helps you estimate the actual dollar amount of ongoing expenses (but not transaction costs) paid on a $1,000 investment in the Fund using the Fund’s actual return during the period. To estimate the expenses you paid over the period, simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the “Expenses Paid per $1,000” line under the share class you hold.

—

Hypothetical 5% Fund Return. This helps you to compare your Fund’s ongoing expenses (but not transaction costs) with those of other mutual funds using the Fund’s actual expense ratio and a hypothetical rate of return of 5% per year before expenses. Examples using a 5% hypothetical fund return may be found in the shareholder reports of other mutual funds. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period.

Please note that the expenses shown in these tables are meant to highlight your ongoing expenses only and do not reflect any transaction costs. The “Expenses Paid per $1,000” line of the tables is useful in comparing ongoing expenses only and will not help you determine the relative total expense of owning different funds. Subject to certain exceptions, an account maintenance fee of $20.00 assessed once per calendar year for Classes A, C and S shares may apply for accounts with balances less than $10,000. This fee is not included in these tables. If it was, the estimate of expenses paid for Classes A, C and S shares during the period would be higher, and account value during the period would be lower, by this amount.

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Expenses and Value of a $1,000 Investment

for the six months ended March 31, 2021 (Unaudited)

Actual Fund Return	Class A	Class T	Class C	Class R	Class R6	Class S	Institutional Class
Beginning Account Value 10/1/20	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00
Ending Account Value 3/31/21	$1,192.10	$1,192.30	$1,187.30	$1,189.90	$1,194.20	$1,193.20	$1,193.60
Expenses Paid per $1,000*	$ 4.48	$ 4.32	$ 8.67	$ 6.66	$ 2.63	$ 3.06	$ 3.01
Hypothetical 5% Fund Return	Class A	Class T	Class C	Class R	Class R6	Class S	Institutional Class
Beginning Account Value 10/1/20	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00	$1,000.00
Ending Account Value 3/31/21	$1,020.84	$1,020.99	$1,017.00	$1,018.85	$1,022.54	$1,022.14	$1,022.19
Expenses Paid per $1,000*	$ 4.13	$ 3.98	$ 8.00	$ 6.14	$ 2.42	$ 2.82	$ 2.77

*	Expenses are equal to the Fund’s annualized expense ratio for each share class, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 182 (the number of days in the most recent six-month period), then divided by 365.

Annualized Expense Ratios	Class A	Class T	Class C	Class R	Class R6	Class S	Institutional Class
DWS Core Equity Fund	.82%	.79%	1.59%	1.22%	.48%	.56%	.55%

For more information, please refer to the Fund’s prospectus.

For an analysis of the fees associated with an investment in the Fund or similar funds, please refer to tools.finra.org/fund_analyzer/.

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Liquidity Risk Management

In accordance with Rule 22e-4 (the “Liquidity Rule” ) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act” ), your Fund has adopted a liquidity risk management program (the “Program” ), and the Board has designated DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. (“DIMA” ) as Program administrator. The Program is designed to assess and manage your Fund’s liquidity risk (the risk that the Fund would be unable to meet requests to redeem shares of the Fund without significant dilution of remaining investors’ interests in the Fund). DIMA has designated a committee (the “Committee” ) composed of personnel from multiple departments within DIMA and its affiliates that is responsible for the implementation and ongoing administration of the Program, which includes assessing the Fund’s liquidity risk under both normal and reasonably foreseeable stressed conditions. Under the Program, every investment held by a Fund is classified on a daily basis into one of four liquidity categories based on estimations of the investment’s ability to be sold during designated timeframes in current market conditions without significantly changing the investment’s market value.

In February 2021, as required by the Program and the Liquidity Rule, DIMA provided the Board with an annual written report (the “Report” ) addressing the operation of the Program and assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of its implementation during the period from December 1, 2019 through November 30, 2020 (the “Reporting Period” ). During the Reporting Period, your Fund was primarily invested in highly liquid investments (investments that the Fund anticipates can be converted to cash within three business days or less in current market conditions without significantly changing their market value). As a result, your Fund is not required to adopt, and has not adopted, a “Highly Liquid Investment Minimum” as defined in the Liquidity Rule. During the Reporting Period, the Fund did not approach the 15% limit imposed by the Liquidity Rule on holdings in illiquid investments (investments that cannot be sold or disposed of in seven days or less in current market conditions without the sale of the investment significantly changing the market value of the investment). Your Fund did not experience any issues meeting investor redemptions at any time during the Reporting Period. In the Report, DIMA stated that it believes the Program has operated adequately and effectively to manage the Fund’s liquidity risk during the Reporting Period. DIMA also reported that there were no material changes made to the Program during the Reporting Period.

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Advisory Agreement Board Considerations and Fee Evaluation

The Board of Trustees (hereinafter referred to as the “Board” or “Trustees” ) approved the renewal of DWS Core Equity Fund’s (the “Fund” ) investment management agreement (the “Agreement” ) with DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. (“DIMA” ) in September 2020.

In terms of the process that the Board followed prior to approving the Agreement, shareholders should know that:

—	During the entire process, all of the Fund’s Trustees were independent of DIMA and its affiliates (the “Independent Trustees” ).
—	The Board met frequently during the past year to discuss fund matters and dedicated a substantial amount of time to contract review matters. Over the course of several months, the Board reviewed extensive materials received from DIMA, independent third parties and independent counsel. These materials included an analysis of the Fund’s performance, fees and expenses, and profitability from a fee consultant retained by the Fund’s Independent Trustees (the “Fee Consultant” ).
—	The Board also received extensive information throughout the year regarding performance of the Fund.
—	The Independent Trustees regularly met privately with counsel to discuss contract review and other matters. In addition, the Independent Trustees were advised by the Fee Consultant in the course of their review of the Fund’s contractual arrangements and considered a comprehensive report prepared by the Fee Consultant in connection with their deliberations.
—	In connection with reviewing the Agreement, the Board also reviewed the terms of the Fund’s Rule 12b-1 plan, distribution agreement, administrative services agreement, transfer agency agreement and other material service agreements.

In connection with the contract review process, the Board considered the factors discussed below, among others. The Board also considered that DIMA and its predecessors have managed the Fund since its inception, and the Board believes that a long-term relationship with a capable, conscientious advisor is in the best interests of the Fund. The Board considered, generally, that shareholders chose to invest or remain invested in the Fund knowing that DIMA managed the Fund. DIMA is part of DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA (“DWS Group” ). DWS Group is a global asset management business that offers a wide range of investing expertise and resources, including research capabilities in many countries

DWS Core Equity Fund

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throughout the world. In 2018, approximately 20% of DWS Group’s shares were sold in an initial public offering, with Deutsche Bank AG owning the remaining shares.

As part of the contract review process, the Board carefully considered the fees and expenses of each DWS fund overseen by the Board in light of the fund’s performance. In many cases, this led to the negotiation and implementation of expense caps.

While shareholders may focus primarily on fund performance and fees, the Fund’s Board considers these and many other factors, including the quality and integrity of DIMA’s personnel and administrative support services provided by DIMA, such as back-office operations, fund valuations, and compliance policies and procedures.

Nature, Quality and Extent of Services. The Board considered the terms of the Agreement, including the scope of advisory services provided under the Agreement. The Board noted that, under the Agreement, DIMA provides portfolio management services to the Fund and that, pursuant to a separate administrative services agreement, DIMA provides administrative services to the Fund. The Board considered the experience and skills of senior management and investment personnel and the resources made available to such personnel. The Board also considered the risks to DIMA in sponsoring or managing the Fund, including financial, operational and reputational risks, the potential economic impact to DIMA from such risks and DIMA’s approach to addressing such risks. The Board reviewed the Fund’s performance over short-term and long-term periods and compared those returns to various agreed-upon performance measures, including market index(es) and a peer universe compiled using information supplied by Morningstar Direct (“Morningstar” ), an independent fund data service. The Board also noted that it has put into place a process of identifying “Funds in Review” (e.g., funds performing poorly relative to a peer universe), and receives additional reporting from DIMA regarding such funds and, where appropriate, DIMA’s plans to address underperformance. The Board believes this process is an effective manner of identifying and addressing underperforming funds. Based on the information provided, the Board noted that, for the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2019, the Fund’s performance (Class A shares) was in the 2nd quartile, 2nd quartile and 1st quartile, respectively, of the applicable Morningstar universe (the 1st quartile being the best performers and the 4th quartile being the worst performers). The Board also observed that the Fund has underperformed its benchmark in the one-, three- and five-year periods ended December 31, 2019.

Fees and Expenses. The Board considered the Fund’s investment management fee schedule, operating expenses and total expense ratios, and comparative information provided by Broadridge Financial Solutions,

42 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Inc. (“Broadridge” ) and the Fee Consultant regarding investment management fee rates paid to other investment advisors by similar funds (1st quartile being the most favorable and 4th quartile being the least favorable). With respect to management fees paid to other investment advisors by similar funds, the Board noted that the contractual fee rates paid by the Fund, which include a 0.10% fee paid to DIMA under the Fund’s administrative services agreement, were lower than the median (1st quartile) of the applicable Broadridge peer group (based on Broadridge data provided as of December 31, 2019). The Board noted that, effective March 1, 2020, the fee paid to DIMA under the Fund’s administrative services agreement was reduced to 0.097%. The Board noted that the Fund’s Class A shares total (net) operating expenses (excluding 12b-1 fees) were expected to be lower than the median (1st quartile) of the applicable Broadridge expense universe (based on Broadridge data provided as of December 31, 2019, and analyzing Broadridge expense universe Class A (net) expenses less any applicable 12b-1 fees) (“Broadridge Universe Expenses” ). The Board also reviewed data comparing each other operational share class’s total (net) operating expenses to the applicable Broadridge Universe Expenses. The Board noted that the expense limitations agreed to by DIMA were expected to help the Fund’s total (net) operating expenses remain competitive. The Board considered the Fund’s management fee rate as compared to fees charged by DIMA to a comparable DWS U.S. registered fund (“DWS Funds” ) and considered differences between the Fund and the comparable DWS Fund. The information requested by the Board as part of its review of fees and expenses also included information about institutional accounts (including any sub-advised funds and accounts) and funds offered primarily to European investors (“DWS Europe Funds” ) managed by DWS Group. The Board noted that DIMA indicated that DWS Group does not manage any institutional accounts or DWS Europe Funds comparable to the Fund.

On the basis of the information provided, the Board concluded that management fees were reasonable and appropriate in light of the nature, quality and extent of services provided by DIMA.

Profitability. The Board reviewed detailed information regarding revenues received by DIMA under the Agreement. The Board considered the estimated costs to DIMA, and pre-tax profits realized by DIMA, from advising the DWS Funds, as well as estimates of the pre-tax profits attributable to managing the Fund in particular. The Board also received information regarding the estimated enterprise-wide profitability of DIMA and its affiliates with respect to all fund services in totality and by fund. The Board and the Fee Consultant reviewed DIMA’s methodology in allocating its costs to the management of the Fund. Based on the information provided, the Board concluded that the pre-tax profits realized

DWS Core Equity Fund

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by DIMA in connection with the management of the Fund were not unreasonable. The Board also reviewed certain publicly available information regarding the profitability of certain similar investment management firms. The Board noted that, while information regarding the profitability of such firms is limited (and in some cases is not necessarily prepared on a comparable basis), DIMA and its affiliates’ overall profitability with respect to the DWS Funds (after taking into account distribution and other services provided to the funds by DIMA and its affiliates) was lower than the overall profitability levels of most comparable firms for which such data was available.

Economies of Scale. The Board considered whether there are economies of scale with respect to the management of the Fund and whether the Fund benefits from any economies of scale. The Board noted that the Fund’s investment management fee schedule includes fee breakpoints. The Board concluded that the Fund’s fee schedule represents an appropriate sharing between the Fund and DIMA of such economies of scale as may exist in the management of the Fund at current asset levels.

Other Benefits to DIMA and Its Affiliates. The Board also considered the character and amount of other incidental or “fall-out” benefits received by DIMA and its affiliates, including any fees received by DIMA for administrative services provided to the Fund, any fees received by an affiliate of DIMA for transfer agency services provided to the Fund and any fees received by an affiliate of DIMA for distribution services. The Board also considered benefits to DIMA related to brokerage and soft-dollar allocations, including allocating brokerage to pay for research generated by parties other than the executing broker dealers, which pertain primarily to funds investing in equity securities. In addition, the Board considered the incidental public relations benefits to DIMA related to DWS Funds advertising and cross-selling opportunities among DIMA products and services. The Board considered these benefits in reaching its conclusion that the Fund’s management fees were reasonable.

Compliance. The Board considered the significant attention and resources dedicated by DIMA to its compliance processes in recent years. The Board noted in particular (i) the experience, seniority and time commitment of the individuals serving as DIMA’s and the Fund’s chief compliance officers and (ii) the substantial commitment of resources by DIMA and its affiliates to compliance matters, including the retention of compliance personnel.

The Board also considered that on September 24, 2020, the SEC granted a temporary order permitting DIMA and its affiliates to continue providing investment advisory and underwriting services to the DWS Funds notwithstanding a consent order entered into by Deutsche Bank AG on June 17, 2020 (the “Consent Order” ). The Board noted that the temporary order was granted effective as of the date of the Consent Order. The

44 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Board also noted various representations by DIMA to the Board relating to the Consent Order, including that the conduct giving rise to the Consent Order (unintentional conduct that resulted from a system outage that prevented Deutsche Bank AG from reporting data in accordance with applicable CFTC requirements for five days in April 2016) did not involve any DWS Fund or services DIMA and its affiliates provide to the DWS Funds, that DIMA and its personnel had no involvement in the alleged conduct giving rise to the Consent Order, and that the DWS Funds would not bear any financial impact or costs relating to the Consent Order.

Based on all of the information considered and the conclusions reached, the Board determined that the continuation of the Agreement is in the best interests of the Fund. In making this determination, the Board did not give particular weight to any single factor identified above. The Board considered these factors over the course of numerous meetings, certain of which were in executive session with only the Independent Trustees and counsel present. It is possible that individual Independent Trustees may have weighed these factors differently in reaching their individual decisions to approve the continuation of the Agreement.

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Account Management Resources

For More Information	The automated telephone system allows you to access personalized account information and obtain information on other DWS funds using either your voice or your telephone keypad. Certain account types within Classes A, T, C and S also have the ability to purchase, exchange or redeem shares using this system.
For More Information	For more information, contact your financial representative. You may also access our automated telephone system or speak with a Shareholder Service representative by calling: (800) 728-3337
Web Site	dws.com View your account transactions and balances, trade shares, monitor your asset allocation, subscribe to fund and account updates by e-mail, and change your address, 24 hours a day.
Web Site	Obtain prospectuses and applications, news about DWS funds, insight from DWS economists and investment specialists and access to DWS fund account information.
Written Correspondence	DWS PO Box 219151 Kansas City, MO 64121-9151
Proxy Voting	The Fund’s policies and procedures for voting proxies for portfolio securities and information about how the Fund voted proxies related to its portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30 are available on our Web site — dws.com/en-us/resources/proxy-voting — or on the SEC’s Web site — sec.gov. To obtain a written copy of the Fund’s policies and procedures without charge, upon request, call us toll free at (800) 728-3337.
Portfolio Holdings	Following the Fund’s fiscal first and third quarter-end, a complete portfolio holdings listing is posted on dws.com, and is available free of charge by contacting your financial intermediary, or if you are a direct investor, by calling (800) 728-3337. In addition, the portfolio holdings listing is filed with SEC on the Fund’s Form N-PORT and will be available on the SEC’s Web site at sec.gov. Additional portfolio holdings for the Fund are also posted on dws.com from time to time. Please see the Fund’s current prospectus for more information.
Principal Underwriter	If you have questions, comments or complaints, contact: DWS Distributors, Inc. 222 South Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606-5808 (800) 621-1148

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Investment Management

DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc. (“DIMA” or the “Advisor” ), which is part of the DWS Group GmbH & Co. KGaA (“DWS Group” ), is the investment advisor for the Fund. DIMA and its predecessors have more than 90 years of experience managing mutual funds and DIMA provides a full range of investment advisory services to both institutional and retail clients. DIMA is an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of DWS Group.

DWS Group is a global organization that offers a wide range of investing expertise and resources, including hundreds of portfolio managers and analysts and an office network that reaches the world’s major investment centers. This well-resourced global investment platform brings together a wide variety of experience and investment insight across industries, regions, asset classes and investing styles.

	Class A	Class T	Class C	Class S	Institutional Class
Nasdaq Symbol	SUWAX	SUWUX	SUWCX	SCDGX	SUWIX
CUSIP Number	25157M 729	25157M 489	25157M 661	25157M 679	25157M 687
Fund Number	464	1764	764	2064	550

For shareholders of Class R and Class R6
Automated Information Line		DWS/Ascensus Plan Access (800) 728-3337
		24-hour access to your retirement plan account.
Web Site		dws.com
		Obtain prospectuses and applications, news about DWS funds, insight from DWS economists and investment specialists and access to DWS fund account information.
		Log in/register to manage retirement account assets at https://www.mykplan.com/participantsecure_net/login.aspx.
For More Information		(800) 728-3337
		To speak with a service representative.
Written Correspondence		DWS Service Company 222 South Riverside Plaza Chicago, IL 60606-5806

	Class R	Class R6
Nasdaq Symbol	SUWTX	SUWZX
CUSIP Number	25157M 646	25157M 612
Fund Number	1564	1664

DWS Core Equity Fund

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Privacy Statement

FACTS	What Does DWS Do With Your Personal Information?
Why?	Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do.
What?	The types of personal information we collect and share can include: — Social Security number — Account balances — Purchase and transaction history — Bank account information — Contact information such as mailing address, e-mail address and telephone number
How?	All financial companies need to share customers’ personal information to run their everyday business. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers’ personal information, the reasons DWS chooses to share and whether you can limit this sharing.

Reasons we can share your personal information	Does DWS share?	Can you limit this sharing?
For our everyday business purposes —such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders or legal investigations	Yes	No
For our marketing purposes — to offer our products and services to you	Yes	No
For joint marketing with other financial companies	No	We do not share
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes — information about your transactions and experiences	No	We do not share
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes — information about your creditworthiness	No	We do not share
For non-affiliates to market to you	No	We do not share

Questions?

Call (800) 728-3337 or e-mail us at service@dws.com

48 \|	DWS Core Equity Fund

Who we are
Who is providing this notice?	DWS Distributors, Inc; DWS Investment Management Americas, Inc.; DWS Trust Company; the DWS Funds
What we do
How does DWS protect my personal information?	To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards, secured files, and secured buildings.
How does DWS collect my personal information?	We collect your personal information, for example, when you: — open an account — give us your contact information — provide bank account information for ACH or wire transactions — tell us where to send money — seek advice about your investments
Why can’t I limit all sharing?	Federal law gives you the right to limit only — sharing for affiliates’ everyday business purposes — information about your creditworthiness — affiliates from using your information to market to you — sharing for non-affiliates to market to you State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing.
Definitions
Affiliates	Companies related by common ownership or control. They can be financial or non-financial companies. Our affiliates include financial companies with the DWS or Deutsche Bank (“DB” ) name, such as DB AG Frankfurt.
Non-affiliates	Companies not related by common ownership or control. They can be financial and non-financial companies. Non-affiliates we share with include account service providers, service quality monitoring services, mailing service providers and verification services to help in the fight against money laundering and fraud.
Joint marketing	A formal agreement between non-affiliated financial companies that together market financial products or services to you. DWS does not jointly market.

California residents may go to https://fundsus.dws.com/us/en-us/legal-resources/privacy-policy.html to obtain additional information relating to their rights under California state law.

Rev. 12/2020

DWS Core Equity Fund

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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.

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.

Date of fiscal year end:	9/30

Date of reporting period:	3/31/2021


	(b) Not applicable

ITEM 2.	CODE OF ETHICS

	Not applicable.

ITEM 3.	AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT

	Not applicable

ITEM 4.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES

	Not applicable

ITEM 5.	AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS

	Not applicable

ITEM 6.	SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

	Not applicable

ITEM 7.	DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

	Not applicable

ITEM 8.	PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

	Not applicable

ITEM 9.	PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS

	Not applicable

ITEM 10.	SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

	There were no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Fund’s Board. The primary function of the Nominating and Governance Committee is to identify and recommend individuals for membership on the Board and oversee the administration of the Board Governance Guidelines. Shareholders may recommend candidates for Board positions by forwarding their correspondence by U.S. mail or courier service to Keith R. Fox, DWS Funds Board Chair, c/o Thomas R. Hiller, Ropes & Gray LLP, Prudential Tower, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02199-3600.

ITEM 11.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

	(a)	The Chief Executive and Financial Officers concluded that the Registrant’s Disclosure Controls and Procedures are effective based on the evaluation of the Disclosure Controls and Procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.

	(b)	There have been no changes in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting.

ITEM 12.	Disclosure of Securities Lending Activities for Closed-End Management Investment Companies.

	Not applicable

ITEM 13.	EXHIBITS

	(a)(1)	Not applicable

	(a)(2)	Certification pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) is filed and attached hereto as Exhibit 99.CERT.

	(b)	Certification pursuant to Rule 30a-2(b) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30a-2(b)) is furnished and attached hereto as Exhibit 99.906CERT.

Registrant:	DWS Core Equity Fund, a series of Deutsche DWS Investment Trust


By:	/s/Hepsen Uzcan Hepsen Uzcan President

Date:	5/28/2021

ITEM 1.	REPORT TO STOCKHOLDERS

	(a)