XML 1028 R18.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v2.4.0.6
First Eagle U.S. Value Fund | First Eagle U.S. Value Fund
First Eagle U.S. Value Fund
Investment Objective

First Eagle U.S. Value Fund (“U.S. Value Fund”) seeks long-term growth of capital by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its assets in domestic equity and debt securities.

Fees and Expenses of the U.S. Value Fund

The following information describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the U.S. Value Fund.


You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you, together with certain related accounts, invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in the U.S. Value Fund. Information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the How to Purchase Shares and Public Offering Price of Class A Shares sections on pages 74 and 80, respectively.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees First Eagle U.S. Value Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) on Purchases (as a percentage of public offering price) 5.00% none none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a percentage of the lesser of your purchase or redemption price) none 1.00% none
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses First Eagle U.S. Value Fund
Class A
Class C
Class I
Management Fees 0.75% 0.75% 0.75%
Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees 0.25% 1.00% none
Other Expenses 0.17% 0.17% 0.18%
Total Annual Operating Expenses (%) 1.17% 1.92% 0.93%
Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the U.S. Value Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. This hypothetical example assumes you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then either redeem or do not redeem all shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes the average annual return is 5% and operating expenses remain the same. Please keep in mind your actual costs may be higher or lower.

Sold
Expense Example First Eagle U.S. Value Fund (USD $)
1 YEAR
3 YEARS
5 YEARS
10 YEARS
Class A
613 853 1,111 1,849
Class C
295 603 1,037 2,243
Class I
95 296 515 1,143
Held
Expense Example No Redemption First Eagle U.S. Value Fund (USD $)
1 YEAR
3 YEARS
5 YEARS
10 YEARS
Class A
613 853 1,111 1,849
Class C
195 603 1,037 2,243
Class I
95 296 515 1,143
Portfolio Turnover Rate

The U.S. Value Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual Fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 14.34% of the average value of its portfolio.

Principal Investment Strategies

To achieve its objective of long-term capital growth, the U.S. Value Fund will normally invest at least 80% of its assets in domestic equity and debt instruments and may invest to a lesser extent in securities of non-U.S. issuers. In particular, the Fund seeks companies exhibiting financial strength and stability, strong management and fundamental value. Investment decisions for the Fund are made without regard to the capitalization (size) of the companies in which it invests. The Fund may invest in any size company, including large, medium and smaller companies. The Fund may invest in fixed-income securities (without regard to credit rating or time to maturity), short-term debt instruments, gold and other precious metals, and futures contracts related to precious metals. The Fund “counts” relevant derivative positions towards its “80% of assets” allocation, and in doing so, values each position at the price at which it is held on the Fund’s books.


The investment philosophy and strategy of the U.S. Value Fund can be broadly characterized as a “value” approach, as it seeks a “margin of safety” in each investment purchase with the goal being to avoid permanent impairment of capital (as opposed to temporary losses in share value relating to shifting investor sentiment or other normal share price volatility). In particular, a discount to “intrinsic value” is sought even for the best of businesses, with a deeper discount demanded for companies that we view as under business model, balance sheet, management or other stresses. “Intrinsic value” is based on our judgment of what a prudent and rational business buyer would pay in cash for all of the company in normal markets.

Principal Investment Risks

As with any mutual fund investment, you may lose money by investing in the U.S. Value Fund. The likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time.


Principal risks of investing in the U.S. Value Fund, which could adversely affect its net asset value and total return, are:


  • Market Risk — The value of the Fund’s portfolio holdings may fluctuate in response to events specific to the companies or markets in which the Fund invests, as well as economic, political, or social events in the United States or abroad.

  • Credit Risk — Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a bond or other instrument will not be able to make payments of interest and principal when due. Changes in an issuer’s credit rating or the market’s perception of an issuer’s creditworthiness may also affect the value of the Fund’s investment in that issuer. The Fund may invest in debt instruments that are below investment grade, i.e., junk bonds, which are considered speculative, and carry a higher risk of default. In addition, fluctuations in interest rates can affect the value of debt instruments held by the Fund. An increase in interest rates tends to reduce the market value of debt instruments, while a decline in interest rates tends to increase their values. Longer-duration instruments tend to be more sensitive to interest rate changes than those with shorter durations.

  • Small and Medium-Size Company Risk — The Fund may invest in small and medium-size companies, the securities of which can be more volatile in price than those of larger companies.

  • Gold Risk — The Fund may invest in both physical gold and the securities of companies in the gold mining sector. Prices of gold-related issues are susceptible to changes to U.S. and foreign taxes, currencies, mining laws, inflation, and various other market conditions.

  • Foreign Investment Risk — The Fund may invest in foreign investments. Foreign investments are susceptible to less politically, economically and socially stable environments, foreign currency and exchange rate changes, and adverse changes to government regulations.


For more information on the risks of investing in the U.S. Value Fund, please see the More Information about the Funds’ Investments section.

Investment Results

The following information provides an indication of the risks of investing in the U.S. Value Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s performance from year to year, and by showing how the Fund’s average annual returns for 1, 5 and 10 years compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. As with all mutual funds, past performance is not an indication of future performance (before or after taxes).


After-tax returns are calculated using the highest individual federal income tax rate for each year, and do not reflect the effect of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your individual tax situation. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors in tax-deferred accounts, such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.


Updated performance information is available at www.firsteaglefunds.com/funds/usvaluefund.php or by calling 800.334.2143.


The following bar chart assumes reinvestment of dividends and distributions and does not reflect any sales charges. If sales charges were included, the returns would be lower.

Calendar Year Total Returns - Class A
Bar Chart

 

 

 

Best Quarter

Second Quarter 2003

 

 

15.20

%

 

 

Worst Quarter

Fourth Quarter 2008

 

 

-16.90

%

 

 

Average Annual Total Returns as of December 31, 2012

The following table discloses after-tax returns only for Class A shares. After-tax returns for Class C and Class I shares will vary.

Average Annual Returns First Eagle U.S. Value Fund
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class A
5.15% 3.67% 8.88%
Class C
8.88% 3.97% 8.62%
Class I
10.97% 5.01% 9.70%
After Taxes on Distributions Class A
4.64% 3.21% 8.06%
After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares Class A
3.94% 3.03% 7.52%
Standard & Poor’s 500 Index
16.00% 1.66% 7.10%