ck0001650149-20240831
Eldridge AAA CLO
ETF
(formerly
the Panagram AAA CLO ETF)
Listed
on NYSE Arca, Inc.:
CLOX
Eldridge BBB-B CLO
ETF
(formerly
the Panagram BBB-B CLO ETF)
Listed
on NYSE Arca, Inc.:
CLOZ
Prospectus
January 1,
2025
The
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has not approved or disapproved
of these securities or determined if this Prospectus is truthful or complete.
Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF (CLOX)
Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF (CLOZ)
This
Prospectus describes two series (each, a “Fund” and collectively, the “Funds”)
of Series Portfolios Trust (the “Trust”).
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF
Investment
Objective
The
Eldridge AAA CLO ETF seeks to generate current income, with a secondary
objective of capital preservation.
Fees and Expenses of the
Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Fund. You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example
below.
|
|
|
|
| |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment) |
|
Management
Fees |
0.20% |
Distribution
and Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees |
0.00% |
Other
Expenses |
0.00% |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.20% |
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing
in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that
you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes
that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating
expenses remain the same. Although your
actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs
would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
One
Year |
Three
Years |
Five
Years |
Ten
Years |
$20 |
$64 |
$113 |
$255 |
Portfolio
Turnover
The
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
the annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s
performance. During the Fund’s most recent fiscal year ended August 31, 2024,
the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 19% of the average value
of its portfolio.
Principal Investment
Strategies
The
Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that pursues its
investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of
its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in
collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) that are rated, at the time of
purchase, AAA or an equivalent rating by a nationally recognized statistical
rating organization (“NRSRO”) (or, if unrated, securities deemed by the Adviser
to be of comparable quality). CLOs are structured products with a “long-only”
investment strategy (i.e.,
a strategy that does not include short positions) that issue multiple tranches
of asset-backed securities. CLOs are collateralized by a pool of loans, which
may include, among others, senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and
subordinate corporate loans. The Fund invests primarily in AAA rated tranches of
CLOs, which is the highest quality rating that a CLO can receive. CLOs are
securities structured to be exposed to the senior secured loans in a corporate
capital structure, which means that the loans have payment priority over
unsecured debt and common equity in a default situation. These loans are often
issued as “covenant lite” loans, which have few or no financial maintenance
covenants. “Financial maintenance covenants” are covenants that
require
a borrower to maintain certain financial metrics during the life of the loan,
such as maintaining certain levels of cash flow or limiting leverage. In the
absence of such covenants, the CLO manager may be unable to declare an event of
default if financial performance deteriorates, renegotiate the terms of the loan
based upon the elevated risk levels, or take other actions to help mitigate
losses.
The
Fund is a “non-diversified” fund, meaning that a relatively high percentage of
its assets are invested in a limited number of issuers of securities.
However, the Fund will not invest more than 20% of its total
assets in CLOs managed by a single CLO manager. The Fund only invests in CLOs
with a minimum initial total offering size of $250 million. In addition to
investments in CLOs rated, at the time of purchase, AAA, the Fund may also
invest up to 20% of its total assets in CLOs rated AA or A by an NRSRO. The Fund
invests primarily in CLOs that are U.S. dollar denominated, and the Fund may
invest in CLOs of any maturity or duration. CLOs typically have
floating or variable interest rates, though some CLOs have fixed rates. If a CLO
receives multiple ratings from different NRSROs, the Fund will use the highest
rating category.
The
Fund’s portfolio managers select investments for the Fund by sourcing
opportunities in primary (i.e., the initial offering for a security) and
secondary markets (i.e., markets where the securities are traded following the
initial offering) for CLO debt securities. The Adviser focuses on CLO tranches
rated AAA, which are senior to other tranches of the CLO. In addition, the
Adviser evaluates the Fund’s investment portfolio to balance total returns and
capital protection by analyzing structural leverage (leverage embedded in the
CLO) and portfolio composition.
The
Fund is actively managed and does not seek to track the performance of any
particular index. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser applies a
bottom-up approach that reviews the current market environment for potential
investment opportunities, including newly issued and secondary market CLOs. The
Adviser’s analysis of each CLO includes: assessment of the manager of the CLO;
analysis of the CLO’s documentation, cash flow waterfall and structural terms;
assessment of the CLO’s ability to meet principal and interest payments to its
various tranches; performance of the CLO’s underlying collateral and the CLO’s
tranches under stressed market conditions; and general industry trends and any
changing financial market conditions. The Adviser monitors the Fund’s investment
portfolio on a daily basis and attempts to proactively position investments for
changing market conditions, and the Fund may sell or reduce a position when the
Adviser perceives a more attractive investment becomes available or the value of
an investment becomes unattractive, taking into consideration current market
conditions. The Fund may also sell an investment based on the Adviser’s
re-evaluation of an investment’s credit profile. Although the Adviser uses due
care in analyzing and monitoring the Fund’s investment portfolio, there can be
no assurance that such analysis and monitoring will reveal factors that may
impair the value of a CLO investment.
Principal Risks
As
with any fund, there are risks to investing. An investment in the Fund
is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.
In addition to possibly not achieving your investment
goals, you
could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund over short or long
periods of time. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are
summarized below.
CLO
Risk.
The
risks of investing in CLO securities include both the credit risk associated
with the underlying loans combined with the risks associated with the CLO
structure governing the priority of payments (and any legal and counterparty
risk associated with carrying out the priority of payments). This Fund intends
to invest primarily in AAA rated tranches (or equivalent ratings by a NRSRO);
however, these ratings do not constitute a guarantee of credit quality and it’s
possible that under stressed market environments these tranches could experience
substantial losses due to defaults, write-downs of the equity or other
subordinated tranches, increased sensitivity to defaults due to underlying
collateral default and impairment of subordinated tranches, market anticipation
of defaults, and general market aversion to CLO securities as an asset class.
The most common risks associated with investing in CLOs are interest rate risk,
credit risk, liquidity risk, prepayment risk (i.e.,
the risk that in a declining interest rate period CLO tranches could be
refinanced or paid off prior to their maturities and the Fund would then have to
reinvest the proceeds at a lower rate), and the risk of defaults of the
underlying assets.
CLO
Leveraging Risk.
CLOs
are typically leveraged, and such leverage will magnify the loss on CLO
investments, which may in turn magnify the loss experienced by the Fund. The
cumulative effect of leverage with respect to any investments in a market that
moves adversely to such investments could result in a substantial loss that
would be greater than if the Fund’s investments were not leveraged. The Fund may
hold cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders to
meet short-term liquidity needs, such as to satisfy redemption requests from
Fund shareholders. The Fund intends to invest primarily in the most senior
tranches of CLOs (those that are also AAA-rated), which generally are less
affected by the effects of leverage than more junior
tranches.
ETF
Risks.
The
Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of its structure, it is exposed to the
following risks:
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
Only a limited number of institutional investors (known as “Authorized
Participants” or “APs”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly
from the Fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers
and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the
following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to
the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), which may result in a widening of the bid
and ask spread (i.e.,
the current best prices to buy and sell the Fund), and possibly face delisting:
(i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or
redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or
(ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly
reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform
their functions.
•Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares.
Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage
commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares
may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not
be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small
investments.
•Shares
May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV.
As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary
market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of shares
of the Fund will approximate the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings used to
calculate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of shares is
more than the intra-day NAV (premium) or less than the intra-day NAV (discount),
which may result in a widening of the bid and ask spread, due to supply and
demand of shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened
in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods
when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in
which case such premiums or discounts may be
significant.
•Trading.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares
will develop or be maintained or that shares will trade with any volume, or at
all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the market for shares
of the Fund may become less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the
markets for the Fund’s underlying portfolio holdings. This adverse effect on
liquidity for the Fund’s shares, in turn, can lead to differences between the
market price of the Fund’s shares and the underlying value of those shares,
which may result in a widening of the bid and ask spread. In addition, trading
in Fund shares may be halted due to market conditions or for reasons that, in
the view of the Exchange, make trading in shares of the Fund
inadvisable.
•Early
Close/Trading Halt.
An exchange or market may close early or issue trading halts on specific
securities or financial instruments. The ability to trade certain securities or
financial instruments may be restricted, which may disrupt the Fund’s creation
and redemption process, potentially affect the price at which the Fund’s shares
trade in the secondary market, and/or result in the Fund being unable to trade
certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund
may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its
investments, and/or may incur substantial trading
losses.
•Listing
Standards Risk.
The Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the
Exchange. Non-compliance with such requirements may result in the Fund’s shares
being delisted by the Exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could
cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in negative
tax consequences for its
shareholders.
Cash
Transaction Risk.
Unlike other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect most of its creations
and redemptions primarily for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Cash
purchases and sales may cause the Fund to incur portfolio transaction fees,
gains or losses on the sales, or charges or delays in investing the cash that it
would otherwise not incur if a purchase or sale was made on an in-kind
basis.
Newer
Fund Risk. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has a limited operating
history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which
to base their investment decision.
Covenant
Lite Loan Risk. The
Fund may obtain exposure to loans that are “covenant lite.” Covenants contained
in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders by imposing certain
restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by
providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. Covenant lite loans
may lack financial maintenance covenants that in certain situations can allow
lenders to claim a default on the loan to seek to protect the interests of the
lenders. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a covenant lite loan
might result in a lower recovery in the event of a default by the borrower.
Covenant lite loans have become much more prevalent in recent
years.
Broadly
Syndicated Loans Risk.
The CLOs in which the Fund invests are typically composed of broadly syndicated
loans (“BSLs”). BSLs are typically originated and structured by banks on behalf
of large corporate borrowers. BSLs are typically distributed by the arranging
bank to a diverse group of investors primarily consisting of: CLOs; senior
secured loan and high yield bond mutual funds; closed-end funds, hedge funds,
banks, and insurance companies; and finance companies. Investments in BSLs may
expose the Fund to different risks, including liquidity risk, price volatility,
ability to restructure loans, credit risks and less protective loan
documentation.
Debt
Securities Risk. The
Fund’s investment in debt securities may subject it to the following
risks:
•Liquidity
Risk. Liquidity risk refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be
able to sell or buy a security or close out an investment contract at a
favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price
to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an
investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s
performance. Infrequent trading of securities also may lead to an increase in
their price volatility. CLOs, and their underlying loan obligations, are
typically not registered for sale to the public and therefore are subject to
certain restrictions on transfer and sale, potentially making them less liquid
than other types of securities.
•Interest
Rate Risk.
As interest rates decrease, issuers of the underlying loan obligations may
refinance any floating rate loans, which will result in a reduction in the
principal value of the CLO’s portfolio and require the CLO to reinvest cash at
an inopportune time. Conversely, as interest rates rise, borrowers with floating
rate loans may experience difficulty in making payments, resulting in
delinquencies and defaults, which will result in a reduction in cash flow to the
CLO and the CLO investors, including the Fund. An increase in interest rates may
cause the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund to decline. The Fund
may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates due to inflationary
trends and the effect of government fiscal and monetary policy initiatives and
resulting market reaction to those initiatives.
•Floating
Rate Obligations Risk. Securities with floating or variable interest rates can be less
sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates,
but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as
quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will
not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest
rates may result in a reduction of income received from floating rate securities
held by the Fund and may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s
shares.
•Credit
Risk. Debt
issuers
and other counterparties may not honor their obligations. For CLOs, the primary
source of credit risk is the ability of the underlying portfolio of loans to
generate sufficient cash flow to pay investors on a full and timely basis when
principal and/or interest payments are due. Default in payment on the underlying
loans will result in less cash flow from the underlying portfolio and, in turn,
less funds available to pay investors in the
CLO.
•Call
Risk.
CLO securities are issued with a non-call period. After the end of the non-call
period, the
majority investor in the equity tranche can call (i.e.
redeem or refinance) the securities issued by the CLO in full. The Fund may not
be able to accurately predict when or which of its CLO investments may be
called, resulting in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in unfavorable
market conditions (i.e.
at lower spreads), which could cause a decline in the Fund’s
income.
•Extension
Risk. When interest rates rise, certain
obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated,
causing the value of these securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to
extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to future changes
in interest rates.
Income
Risk.
The Fund's income will decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income
would occur because the CLO debt instruments held by the Fund generally all have
floating or variable interest rates.
Valuation
Risk.
The
CLO
securities in which the Fund invests may be priced differently than the value
realized upon such security’s sale. In times of market instability, valuation
may be more unreliable. The structure of certain CLOs may subject them to price
volatility and enhanced liquidity and valuation risk in times of market
stress.
CLO
Manager Risk. The
Fund intends to invest in CLO securities issued by CLOs that are managed by
third-party collateral managers. The Fund is dependent on the skill and
expertise of such managers. CLO managers are responsible for selecting,
managing, and replacing the underlying bank loans within a CLO. There can be no guarantee that
any collateral manager will continue to manage such CLO through the life of the
investment. Collateral managers are subject to removal or replacement by other
holders of CLO securities or may voluntarily resign.
Newly
Issued Securities Risk.
The
Fund may invest in newly issued securities or “new issues.” New issues may not
be consistently available to the Fund for investing, particularly as the Fund’s
asset base grows. New issues may be volatile in price due to the absence of a
prior trading market, limited quantities available, and an extended settlement
period.
Extended
Settlement Risk. New
issue CLOs purchased in the primary market typically experience extended
settlement periods, often longer than seven days. During the settlement window,
between purchasing and settlement, these securities are typically less liquid
than secondary market purchases. In such circumstances the Fund bears a risk of
loss if the value of the CLO declines before the settlement date or if the Fund
is required to sell the CLO prior to settlement. There is also the risk that the
security will not be issued or that the counterparty will not meet its
obligation, resulting in a loss of the investment
opportunity.
Market
Events Risk.
One
or more markets in which the Fund invests may go down in value, including the
possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. This may be
due to numerous factors, including interest rates, the outlook for corporate
profits, the health of the national and world economies, national and world
social and political events, and the fluctuation of other stock markets around
the world.
Privately
Issued Securities Risk.
CLO securities are generally privately issued securities, and are
normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Privately issued securities
typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, in a privately
negotiated transaction, to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited
quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other
conditions are met for an exemption from registration. Because there may be
relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under
adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the
financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find markets for these
securities are more thinly traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to
determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s
NAV due to the absence of an active trading market.
Management
Risk.
The Fund’s principal investment strategies may involve actively
trading securities, which could result in a high portfolio turnover rate, which
could increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance) and taxable
distributions.
Portfolio
Turnover Risk. The
Fund may experience an increased rate of portfolio turnover which could result
in higher transaction costs and potential for taxable capital gains, both of
which could have a negative effect on the Fund's performance. The “Financial
Highlights” section of this Prospectus shows the Fund’s historical portfolio
turnover rates.
Non-diversified
Fund Risk.
The
Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the Investment Company Act
of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), as amended. Therefore, the Fund may invest a
relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may
invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains
and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV
and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified
funds.
Performance
Performance
information will be available once the Fund has at least one calendar year of
performance. The Fund’s past
performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the
Fund will perform in the future and does not guarantee future
results. Updated performance information is available on the
Fund’s website at www.cloxfund.com or by calling the Fund
toll-free at 800-617-0004.
Management
Investment
Adviser
Eldridge
Structured Credit Advisers, LLC (“Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers” or
“Adviser”) is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio
Managers
Mr.
Tony Minella, Mr. Tarek Barbar and Mr. Andrew Ward are the portfolio managers
jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Minella,
Barbar and Ward have each managed the Fund since November 2024.
Purchase
and Sale of Fund Shares
Shares
of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, and individual shares may only be bought
and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than
NAV. Because shares of the Fund trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares
may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV
(discount).
The
Fund issues and redeems its shares at NAV only in large specified numbers of
shares known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may
purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in
exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or a designated amount of U.S.
cash.
Investors
may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer
is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is
willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the
secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund,
including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is
available on the Fund’s website at www.cloxfund.com.
Tax
Information
Fund
distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend
income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through
tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from
those accounts.
Payments
to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If
you purchase shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary
(such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay
Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including
participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more
knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other
activities, such as marketing, educational training, or other initiatives
related to the sale or promotion of shares. These payments may create a conflict
of interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend
the Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in
increased Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s
website for more information.
Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF
Investment
Objective
The
Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF seeks to generate current income, with a secondary
objective of capital preservation.
Fees and Expenses of the
Fund
This
table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell
shares of the Fund. You
may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and Example
below.
|
|
|
|
| |
Annual
Fund Operating Expenses
(expenses
that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your
investment) |
|
Management
Fees |
0.50% |
Distribution
and Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees |
0.00% |
Other
Expenses |
0.00% |
Total
Annual Fund Operating Expenses |
0.50% |
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing
in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that
you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then hold or
sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes
that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating
expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on
these assumptions, your costs would be:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
One
Year |
Three
Years |
Five
Years |
Ten
Years |
$51 |
$160 |
$280 |
$628 |
Portfolio
Turnover
The
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
the annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s
performance. During the Fund’s most recent fiscal year ended August 31, 2024,
the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 21% of the average value of its
portfolio.
Principal Investment
Strategies
The
Fund is an actively managed exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) that pursues its
investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of
its net assets (plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in
collateralized loan obligations (“CLOs”) that are rated, at the time of
purchase, between BBB+ and B- or an equivalent rating by a nationally recognized
statistical rating organization (“NRSRO”) (or, if unrated, securities deemed by
the Adviser to be of comparable quality). CLOs are structured products with a
“long-only” investment strategy (i.e.,
a strategy that does not include short positions) that issue multiple tranches
of asset-backed securities. CLOs are collateralized by a pool of loans, which
may include, among others, senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and
subordinate corporate loans. The Fund intends to invest primarily in BBB and BB
rated tranches of CLOs and is expected to have significant exposure (up to 70%
of its total assets) in CLO tranches rated below investment grade often referred
to as “high-yield” or “junk” bonds (i.e.,
CLO tranches rated BB+ or lower). CLOs are securities structured to be exposed
to the senior secured loans in a
corporate
capital structure, which means that the loans have payment priority over
unsecured debt and common equity in a default situation. These loans are often
issued as “covenant lite” loans, which have few or no financial maintenance
covenants. “Financial maintenance covenants” are covenants that require a
borrower to maintain certain financial metrics during the life of the loan, such
as maintaining certain levels of cash flow or limiting leverage. In the absence
of such covenants, the CLO manager may be unable to declare an event of default
if financial performance deteriorates, renegotiate the terms of the loan based
upon the elevated risk levels, or take other actions to help mitigate losses.
The Fund’s typical investments are mezzanine or lower priority CLO tranches
which are subordinate to other tranches of the CLO (i.e.,
these other tranches have payment priority over the tranches held by the
Fund).
The
Fund is a “non-diversified” fund, meaning that a relatively high percentage of
its assets are invested in a limited number of issuers of securities.
However, the Fund will not invest more
than 20% of its total assets in CLOs managed by a single CLO manager. The Fund
only invests in CLOs with a minimum initial total offering size of $250 million.
In addition to investments in CLOs rated, at the time of purchase, between BBB+
and B-, the Fund may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in CLOs rated
above BBB+ by an NRSRO. The Fund may also invest up to 70% of its total assets
in CLOs rated below investment grade (i.e., CLO tranches rated BB+ or lower). The Fund invests primarily in
CLOs that are U.S. dollar denominated, and the Fund may invest in CLOs of any
maturity or duration. CLOs typically have floating or variable
interest rates, though some CLOs have fixed rates. If a CLO receives multiple
ratings from different NRSROs, the Fund will use the highest rating
category.
The
Fund’s portfolio managers select investments for the Fund by sourcing
opportunities in primary (i.e.,
the initial offering for a security) and secondary markets (i.e.,
markets where the securities are traded following the initial offering) for
CLO
debt securities. The
Adviser invests a portion of its portfolio in CLO tranches rated below
investment grade, which may be subordinate to other tranches of the CLO. In
addition, the Adviser evaluates the Fund’s investment portfolio to balance total
returns and capital protection by analyzing structural leverage (leverage
embedded in the CLO) and portfolio composition.
The
Fund is actively managed and does not seek to track the performance of any
particular index. In selecting investments for the Fund, the Adviser applies a
bottom-up approach that reviews the current market environment for potential
investment opportunities, including newly issued and secondary market CLOs. The
Adviser’s analysis of each CLO includes: assessment of the manager of the CLO;
analysis of the CLO’s documentation, cash flow waterfall and structural terms;
assessment of the CLO’s ability to meet principal and interest payments to its
various tranches; performance of the CLO’s underlying collateral and the CLO’s
tranches under stressed market conditions; and general industry trends and any
changing financial market conditions. The Adviser monitors the Fund’s investment
portfolio on a daily basis and attempts to proactively position investments for
changing market conditions, and the Fund may sell or reduce a position when the
Adviser perceives a more attractive investment becomes available or the value of
an investment becomes unattractive, taking into consideration current market
conditions. The Fund may also sell an investment based on the Adviser’s
re-evaluation of an investment’s credit profile. Although the Adviser uses due
care in analyzing and monitoring the Fund’s investment portfolio, there can be
no assurance that such analysis and monitoring will reveal factors that may
impair the value of a CLO investment.
Principal Risks
As
with any fund, there are risks to investing. An investment in the
Fund is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency.
In addition to possibly not achieving your investment
goals, you
could lose all or a portion of your investment in the Fund over short or long
periods of time. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are
summarized below.
CLO
Risk.
The
risks of investing in CLO securities include both the credit risk associated
with the underlying loans combined with the risks associated with the CLO
structure governing the priority of payments (and any legal and counterparty
risk associated with carrying out the priority of payments). This Fund intends
to invest primarily in BBB and BB rated tranches (or equivalent ratings by a
NRSRO); however, these ratings do not constitute a guarantee of credit quality
and it’s possible that under stressed market environments these tranches could
experience substantial losses due to
defaults,
write-downs of the equity or other subordinated tranches, increased sensitivity
to defaults due to underlying collateral default and impairment of subordinated
tranches, market anticipation of defaults, and general market aversion to CLO
securities as an asset class. In addition, these risks are heightened with
respect to the below investment grade CLOs in which the Fund may significantly
invest (up to 70% of the Fund’s total assets). The most common risks associated
with investing in CLOs are interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk,
prepayment risk (i.e.,
the risk that in a declining interest rate period CLO tranches could be
refinanced or paid off prior to their maturities and the Fund would then have to
reinvest the proceeds at a lower rate), and the risk of defaults of the
underlying assets.
•Mezzanine
CLO Risk.
The Fund intends to invest primarily in BBB and BB rated tranches of CLO
securities that are subordinate to higher-rated tranches (e.g., tranches rated
AAA+ through A-) in terms of payment priority. Subordinated (i.e., mezzanine)
CLO tranches are subject to higher credit risk and liquidity risk relative to
more senior CLO tranches. Mezzanine tranches may be of investment grade
(i.e.,
BBB) or non-investment grade quality (i.e.,
BB+ or below), and, the Fund is expected to have significant exposure to below
investment grade CLO tranches (up to 70% of its total assets). To the extent a
CLO or its underlying loans experience default or are having difficulty making
principal and/or interest payments, subordinated CLO tranches will be more
likely to experience adverse impacts, and such impacts will be more severe,
relative to more senior or higher-rated CLO securities, which in turn will
adversely affect the performance of the Fund. In a CLO structure, senior
tranches have payment priority over mezzanine tranches (i.e., the tranches that
the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF invests
in.
CLO
Leveraging Risk.
CLOs
are typically leveraged, and such leverage will magnify the loss on CLO
investments, which may in turn magnify the loss experienced by the Fund. The
cumulative effect of leverage with respect to any investments in a market that
moves adversely to such investments could result in a substantial loss that
would be greater than if the Fund’s investments were not leveraged. The Fund may
hold cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders to
meet short-term liquidity needs, such as to satisfy redemption requests from
Fund shareholders.
ETF
Risk.
The
Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of its structure, it is exposed to the
following risks:
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
Only a limited number of institutional investors (known as “Authorized
Participants” or “APs”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly
from the Fund. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers
and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the
following events occur, shares of the Fund may trade at a material discount to
the Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), which may result in a widening of the bid
and ask spread (i.e.,
the current best prices to buy and sell the Fund), and possibly face delisting:
(i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or
redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or
(ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly
reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform
their functions.
•Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares.
Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Fund, including brokerage
commissions imposed by brokers and bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of shares
may significantly reduce investment results and an investment in shares may not
be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small
investments.
•Shares
May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV.
As with all ETFs, shares of the Fund may be bought and sold in the secondary
market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of shares
of the Fund will approximate the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings used to
calculate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of shares is
more than the intra-day NAV (premium) or less than the intra-day NAV (discount),
which may result in a widening of the bid and ask spread, due to supply and
demand of shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened
in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods
when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in
which case such premiums or discounts may be
significant.
•Trading.
Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on the NYSE Arca (the
“Exchange”), there can be no assurance that an active trading market for shares
will develop or be maintained or that shares will trade with any volume, or at
all, on any stock exchange. In stressed market conditions, the market for shares
of the Fund may
become
less liquid in response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Fund’s
underlying portfolio holdings. This adverse effect on liquidity for the Fund’s
shares, in turn, can lead to differences between the market price of the Fund’s
shares and the underlying value of those shares, which may result in a widening
of the bid and ask spread. In addition, trading in Fund shares may be halted due
to market conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make
trading in shares of the Fund inadvisable.
•Early
Close/Trading Halt.
An exchange or market may close early or issue trading halts on specific
securities or financial instruments. The ability to trade certain securities or
financial instruments may be restricted, which may disrupt the Fund’s creation
and redemption process, potentially affect the price at which the Fund’s shares
trade in the secondary market, and/or result in the Fund being unable to trade
certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, the Fund
may be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its
investments, and/or may incur substantial trading
losses.
•Listing
Standards Risk.
The Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the
Exchange. Non-compliance with such requirements may result in the Fund’s shares
being delisted by the Exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could
cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in negative
tax consequences for its
shareholders.
Cash
Transaction Risk.
Unlike other ETFs, the Fund expects to effect most of its creations
and redemptions primarily for cash, rather than in-kind securities. Cash
purchases and sales may cause the Fund to incur portfolio transaction fees,
gains or losses on the sales, or charges or delays in investing the cash that it
would otherwise not incur if a purchase or sale was made on an in-kind
basis.
Newer
Fund Risk. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Fund has a limited operating
history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which
to base their investment decision.
Covenant
Lite Loan Risk. The
Fund may obtain exposure to loans that are “covenant lite.” Covenants contained
in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders by imposing certain
restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by
providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. Covenant lite loans
may lack financial maintenance covenants that in certain situations can allow
lenders to claim a default on the loan to seek to protect the interests of the
lenders. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a covenant lite loan
might result in a lower recovery in the event of a default by the borrower.
Covenant lite loans have become much more prevalent in recent
years.
Broadly
Syndicated Loans Risk.
The CLOs in which the Fund invests are typically composed of broadly syndicated
loans (“BSLs”). BSLs are typically originated and structured by banks on behalf
of large corporate borrowers. BSLs are typically distributed by the arranging
bank to a diverse group of investors primarily consisting of: CLOs; senior
secured loan and high yield bond mutual funds; closed-end funds, hedge funds,
banks, and insurance companies; and finance companies. Investments in BSLs may
expose the Fund to different risks, including liquidity risk, price volatility,
ability to restructure loans, credit risks and less protective loan
documentation.
Debt
Securities Risk. The
Fund’s investment in debt securities may subject it to the following
risks:
•Liquidity
Risk. Liquidity risk refers to the possibility that the Fund may not be
able to sell or buy a security or close out an investment contract at a
favorable price or time. Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price
to sell a security, sell other securities to raise cash, or give up an
investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s
performance. Infrequent trading of securities also may lead to an increase in
their price volatility. CLOs, and their underlying loan obligations, are
typically not registered for sale to the public and therefore are subject to
certain restrictions on transfer and sale, potentially making them less liquid
than other types of securities.
•Interest
Rate Risk.
As interest rates decrease, issuers of the underlying loan obligations may
refinance any floating rate loans, which will result in a reduction in the
principal value of the CLO’s portfolio and require the CLO to reinvest cash at
an inopportune time. Conversely, as interest rates rise, borrowers with floating
rate loans may experience difficulty in making payments, resulting in
delinquencies and defaults, which will result in a reduction
in
cash flow to the CLO and the CLO investors, including the Fund. An increase in
interest rates may cause the value of fixed-income securities held by the Fund
to decline. The Fund may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates
due to inflationary trends and the effect of government fiscal and monetary
policy initiatives and resulting market reaction to those
initiatives.
•Floating
Rate Obligations Risk. Securities with floating or variable interest rates can be less
sensitive to interest rate changes than securities with fixed interest rates,
but may decline in value if their interest rates do not rise as much, or as
quickly, as interest rates in general. Conversely, floating rate securities will
not generally increase in value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest
rates may result in a reduction of income received from floating rate securities
held by the Fund and may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s
shares.
•Credit
Risk. Debt
issuers
and other counterparties may not honor their obligations. For CLOs, the primary
source of credit risk is the ability of the underlying portfolio of loans to
generate sufficient cash flow to pay investors on a full and timely basis when
principal and/or interest payments are due. Default in payment on the underlying
loans will result in less cash flow from the underlying portfolio and, in turn,
less funds available to pay investors in the CLO.
•Call
Risk.
CLO securities are issued with a non-call period. After the end of the non-call
period, the
majority investor in the equity tranche can call (i.e.
redeem or refinance) the securities issued by the CLO in full. The Fund may not
be able to accurately predict when or which of its CLO investments may be
called, resulting in the Fund having to reinvest the proceeds in unfavorable
market conditions (i.e.
at lower spreads), which could cause a decline in the Fund’s
income.
•Extension
Risk. When interest rates rise, certain
obligations will be paid off by the obligor more slowly than anticipated,
causing the value of these securities to fall. Rising interest rates tend to
extend the duration of securities, making them more sensitive to future changes
in interest rates.
High
Yield Securities Risk.
The
Fund intends to invest a significant portion (up to 70% of its total assets) in
CLO securities rated below investment grade. Debt investments rated below
investment grade are sometimes referred to as high yield or “junk”. Investing in
lower-rated or unrated securities (including CLOs) involves special risks in
addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated debt
securities, including a high degree of credit risk. These securities may be more
sensitive than investment grade CLO securities to economic, political, or market
changes or developments which could impact the underlying loans of a CLO and may
adversely affect the value of the below investment grade CLO security. Issuers
of the below investment grade loans that underlie a CLO may not be as
financially durable as those issuers with higher credit ratings. The secondary
markets on which lower-rated or unrated securities are traded may be less liquid
than the market for higher-grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary
trading markets could adversely affect and cause large fluctuations in the value
of such investments. These risks may be present in lower rated CLO securities
(such as those rated BBB or BBB-, or their equivalent), even if they are not
rated below investment grade.
Income
Risk.
The Fund's income will decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income
would occur because the CLO debt instruments held by the Fund generally all have
floating or variable interest rates.
Valuation
Risk.
The
CLO
securities in which the Fund invests may be priced differently than the value
realized upon such security’s sale. In times of market instability, valuation
may be more unreliable. The structure of certain CLOs may subject them to price
volatility and enhanced liquidity and valuation risk in times of market
stress.
CLO
Manager Risk. The
Fund intends to invest in CLO securities issued by CLOs that are managed by
third-party collateral managers. The Fund is dependent on the skill and
expertise of such managers. CLO managers are responsible for selecting,
managing, and replacing the underlying bank loans within a CLO. There can be no guarantee
that any collateral manager will continue to manage such CLO through the life of
the investment. Collateral managers are subject to removal or replacement by
other holders of CLO securities or may voluntarily resign.
Newly
Issued Securities Risk.
The
Fund may invest in newly issued securities or “new issues.” New issues may not
be consistently available to the Fund for investing, particularly as the Fund’s
asset base grows. New issues may be volatile in price due to the absence of a
prior trading market, limited quantities available, and an extended settlement
period.
Extended
Settlement Risk. New
issue CLOs purchased in the primary market typically experience extended
settlement periods, often longer than seven days. During the settlement window,
between purchasing and settlement, these securities are typically less liquid
than secondary market purchases. In such circumstances the Fund bears a risk of
loss if the value of the CLO declines before the settlement date or if the Fund
is required to sell the CLO prior to settlement. There is also the risk that the
security will not be issued or that the counterparty will not meet its
obligation, resulting in a loss of the investment
opportunity.
Market
Events Risk.
One
or more markets in which the Fund invests may go down in value, including the
possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. This may be
due to numerous factors, including interest rates, the outlook for corporate
profits, the health of the national and world economies, national and world
social and political events, and the fluctuation of other stock markets around
the world.
Privately
Issued Securities Risk.
CLO securities are generally privately-issued securities, and are
normally purchased pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Privately-issued securities
typically may be resold only to qualified institutional buyers, in a privately
negotiated transaction, to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited
quantities after they have been held for a specified period of time and other
conditions are met for an exemption from registration. Because there may be
relatively few potential purchasers for such securities, especially under
adverse market or economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the
financial condition of the issuer, the Fund may find markets for these
securities are more thinly traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to
determine the fair value of such securities for purposes of computing the Fund’s
net asset value per share due to the absence of an active trading
market.
Management
Risk.
The Fund’s principal investment strategies may involve actively
trading securities, which could result in a high portfolio turnover rate, which
could increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance) and taxable
distributions.
Portfolio
Turnover Risk. The
Fund may experience an increased rate of portfolio turnover which could result
in higher transaction costs and potential for taxable capital gains, both of
which could have a negative effect on the Fund's performance. The “Financial
Highlights” section of this Prospectus shows the Fund’s historical portfolio
turnover rates.
Non-diversified
Fund Risk.
The
Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the Investment Company Act
of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), as amended. Therefore, the Fund may invest a
relatively high percentage of its assets in a smaller number of issuers or may
invest a larger proportion of its assets in a single issuer. Moreover, the gains
and losses on a single investment may have a greater impact on the Fund’s NAV
and may make the Fund more volatile than more diversified
funds.
Performance
Performance
information will be available once the Fund has at least one calendar year of
performance. The Fund’s past
performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the
Fund will perform in the future and does not guarantee future
results. Updated performance information is available on the
Fund’s website at www.clozfund.com or by calling the Fund
toll-free at 800-617-0004.
Management
Investment
Adviser
Eldridge
Structured Credit Advisers, LLC (“Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers” or
“Adviser”) is the Fund’s investment adviser.
Portfolio
Managers
Mr.
Tony Minella, Mr. Tarek Barbar and Mr. Andrew Ward are the portfolio managers
jointly responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Messrs. Minella,
Barbar and Ward have each managed the Fund since November 2024.
Purchase
and Sale of Fund Shares
Shares
of the Fund are listed on the Exchange, and individual shares may only be bought
and sold in the secondary market through brokers at market prices, rather than
NAV. Because shares of the Fund trade at market prices rather than NAV, shares
may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV
(discount).
The
Fund issues and redeems its shares at NAV only in large specified numbers of
shares known as “Creation Units,” which only APs (typically, broker-dealers) may
purchase or redeem. The Fund generally issues and redeems Creation Units in
exchange for a portfolio of securities and/or a designated amount of U.S.
cash.
Investors
may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer
is willing to pay to purchase shares (bid) and the lowest price a seller is
willing to accept for shares (ask) when buying or selling shares in the
secondary market (the “bid-ask spread”). Recent information about the Fund,
including its NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads is
available on the Fund’s website at www.clozfund.com.
Tax
Information
Fund
distributions are generally taxable as ordinary income, qualified dividend
income, or capital gains (or a combination), unless your investment is in an IRA
or other tax-advantaged account. Distributions on investments made through
tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of assets from
those accounts.
Payments
to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If
you purchase shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary
(such as a bank) (an “Intermediary”), the Adviser or its affiliates may pay
Intermediaries for certain activities related to the Fund, including
participation in activities that are designed to make Intermediaries more
knowledgeable about exchange traded products, including the Fund, or for other
activities, such as marketing, educational training or other initiatives related
to the sale or promotion of shares. These payments may create a conflict of
interest by influencing the Intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the
Fund over another investment. Any such arrangements do not result in increased
Fund expenses. Ask your salesperson or visit the Intermediary’s website for more
information.
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Additional
Information About the Funds |
Investment
Objective
Each
Fund seeks to generate current income, with a secondary objective of capital
preservation. Each Fund’s investment objective has been adopted as a
non-fundamental investment policy and may be changed without shareholder
approval upon written notice to shareholders.
Principal
Investment Strategies
The
Funds are actively managed ETFs that pursue their investment objective by
investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of their net assets (plus
any borrowings made for investment purposes) in CLOs that are rated, at the time
of purchase, AAA (or equivalent by a NRSRO) for the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF, and
between BBB+ and B- (or equivalent by a NRSRO) for the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF
(or, if unrated, securities deemed by the Adviser to be of comparable quality).
The Fund may not change this policy without first providing 60 days’ prior
written notice to shareholders.
CLOs
are a type of structured credit, which is a sector of the fixed income market
that also includes asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities. Normally, CLOs
are privately offered and sold, and thus are not registered under the securities
laws. Typically organized as a trust or other special purpose vehicle, a CLO
issues debt and equity interests and uses the proceeds from this issuance to
acquire a portfolio which is collateralized by a pool of primarily senior
secured loans (although they may include senior unsecured loans or subordinate
corporate loans), which are highly diversified by underlying borrower and
industry and subject to a variety of asset concentration limitations.
Additionally, the underlying loans may include domestic and foreign senior
secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, most of
which may individually be rated below investment grade, or the equivalent if
unrated. The portfolio of underlying loans is managed by the CLO manager for a
fixed period of time (the “reinvestment period”).
During
the reinvestment period, the CLO manager may buy and sell individual loans to
create trading gains or mitigate losses. A CLO’s portfolio will generally be
required to adhere to certain diversification rules established by the CLO
issuer to mitigate against the risk of concentrated defaults within a given
industry or sector. After a specified period of time, the majority owner of the
equity interests in the CLO may seek to call or refinance the CLO's outstanding
debt. If not called or refinanced, when the reinvestment period ends, the CLO
generally uses cash flows from the underlying loans to pay down the outstanding
debt tranches and wind up the CLO’s operations. CLOs are asset-backed structures
that issue multiple tranches varying in risk and yield based upon the priority
of claims on the cash flows produced by the underlying loan pool. Senior
tranches are paid from the cash flows from the underlying assets before the
junior tranches and equity or “first loss” tranches. Losses are first borne by
the equity tranches, next by the junior tranches, and finally by the senior
tranches. Senior tranches pay the lowest interest rates but are generally safer
investments than more junior tranches because, upon principal repayment in the
collateral pool, senior tranches are typically paid first. The most junior
tranches would attract the highest interest rates but also suffer the highest
risk of default and loss. If the cash collected by the CLO is insufficient to
pay all of its investors, those in the lowest, most junior tranches suffer
losses first. The ratings assigned to CLO tranches reflect both the credit
quality of underlying collateral as well as how much protection a given tranche
is afforded by tranches that are subordinate to it.
The
Eldridge AAA CLO ETF invests primarily in AAA rated tranches of CLOs, which is
the highest quality rating that a CLO can receive. The Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF
invests primarily in BBB and BB rated tranches of CLOs and is expected to have
significant exposure (up to 70% of its total assets) in CLO tranches rated below
investment grade often referred to as “high yield” or “junk” bonds (i.e.,
CLO tranches rated BB+ or lower). The Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF’s typical
investments are mezzanine or lower priority CLO tranches which are subordinate
to other tranches of the CLO (i.e., these other tranches have payment priority
over the tranches held by the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF).
CLOs
are securities structured to be exposed to the senior secured loans in a
corporate capital structure, which means that the loans have payment priority
over unsecured debt and common equity in a default situation. These loans are
often issued as “covenant lite” loans, which have few or no financial
maintenance covenants. “Financial maintenance covenants” are covenants that
require a borrower to maintain certain financial metrics during the life of the
loan, such as maintaining certain levels of cash flow or limiting leverage. In
the absence of such covenants, the CLO manager may be unable to declare an event
of default if financial performance deteriorates, renegotiate the terms of the
loan based upon the elevated risk levels, or take other actions to help mitigate
losses.
After
purchase, a CLO tranche may have its rating reduced below its initial rating. In
such cases, the Adviser will consider whether to continue to hold the CLO
security. The Funds are “non-diversified” funds, meaning that a relatively high
percentage of their respective assets are invested in a limited number of
issuers of securities. However, each Fund will not invest more than 20% of its
total assets in CLOs managed by a single CLO manager. The Funds only invest in
CLOs with a minimum initial total offering size of $250 million. The Funds
invest primarily in CLOs that are U.S. dollar denominated, and the Funds may
invest in CLOs of any maturity or duration. CLOs typically have floating or
variable interest rates, though some CLOs have fixed rates. The Funds will
generally invest in floating-rate CLOs.
In
addition to investments in CLOs rated, at the time of purchase, AAA, the
Eldridge AAA CLO ETF may also invest up to 20% of its total assets in CLOs rated
AA or A by an NRSRO. In addition to investments in CLOs rated, at the time of
purchase, between BBB+ and B-, the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF may also invest up to
10% of its total assets in CLOs rated above BBB+ by an NRSRO, and may also
invest up to 70% of its total assets in CLOs rated below investment grade
(i.e.,
CLO tranches rated BB+ or lower).
The
Funds’ portfolio managers select investments for the Funds by sourcing
opportunities in primary (i.e., the initial offering for a security) and
secondary markets (i.e., markets where the securities are traded following the
initial offering) for CLO debt securities. For the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF, the
Adviser focuses on CLO tranches rated AAA, which are senior to other tranches of
the CLO (i.e., the tranches held by the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF have payment
priority over the CLO’s lower rated tranches). For the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF,
the Adviser invests a portion of its portfolio in CLO tranches rated below
investment grade, which may be subordinate to other tranches of the
CLO.
The
Adviser evaluates each Fund’s investment portfolio to balance total returns and
capital protection by analyzing structural leverage (leverage embedded in the
CLO) and portfolio composition. The Adviser’s investment and security selection
process focuses on assessing the skills of the CLO collateral manager and
analyzing the structure of a CLO. The Adviser conducts due diligence on CLO
managers to discern each manager’s investment process, credit sector analysis,
risk appetite, and approach to risk management, taking into consideration the
CLO manager’s tenure and track record in the CLO market, including over various
credit cycles, performance, analyst turnover, issuance record, and secondary
market trading frequency. A “credit cycle” describes the increases and decreases
of access to credit by borrowers, typically occurring over a several year time
frame.
The
Funds are actively managed and do not seek to track the performance of any
particular index. In selecting investments for each Fund, the Adviser applies a
bottom-up approach that reviews the current market environment for potential
investment opportunities, including newly issued and secondary market CLOs. The
Adviser’s analysis of each CLO includes: assessment of the manager of the CLO;
analysis of the CLO’s documentation, cash flow waterfall and structural terms;
assessment of the CLO’s ability to meet principal and interest payments to its
various tranches; performance of the CLO’s underlying collateral and the CLO’s
tranches under stressed market conditions; and general industry trends and any
changing financial market conditions.
The
Adviser monitors each Fund’s investment portfolio on a daily basis and attempts
to proactively position investments for changing market conditions, and a Fund
may sell or reduce a position when the Adviser perceives a more attractive
investment becomes available or the value of an investment becomes unattractive,
taking into consideration current market conditions. A Fund may also sell an
investment based on the Adviser’s re-evaluation of an investment’s credit
profile.
Although the Adviser uses due care in analyzing and monitoring the Funds’
investment portfolios, there can be no assurance that such analysis and
monitoring will reveal factors that may impair the value of a CLO investment.
Please
see the Funds’ SAI for additional information about the securities and
investment strategies described in this Prospectus and about additional
securities and investment strategies that may be used by the Funds.
Temporary
Defensive Positions.
Each Fund may, from time to time, take temporary defensive positions that are
inconsistent with the Fund’s principal investment strategies in an attempt to
respond to adverse or unstable market, economic, political, or other conditions.
During such times, a Fund may hold up to 100% of its portfolio in cash or cash
equivalent positions. When a Fund takes a temporary defensive position, such
Fund may not be able to pursue its investment objectives.
On
a regular basis, each Fund may also invest a portion of its assets in cash or
other short-term instruments, such as money market instruments or money market
funds, while deploying new capital, for liquidity management purposes, managing
redemptions or for defensive purposes while navigating unusual market
conditions.
Principal
Risks
An
investment in a Fund entails risks. A Fund could lose money, or its performance
could trail that of other investment alternatives. The following provides
additional information about the Funds’ principal risks. It is important that
investors closely review and understand these risks before making an investment
decision.
CLO
Risk. The
risks of investing in CLO securities include both the credit risk associated
with the underlying loans combined with the risks associated with the CLO
structure governing the priority of payments (and any legal and counterparty
risk associated with carrying out the priority of payments). Eldridge AAA CLO
ETF and Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF intend to invest primarily in AAA rated and BBB
and BB rated tranches, respectively (or equivalent ratings by a NRSRO); however,
these ratings do not constitute a guarantee of credit quality and it’s possible
that under stressed market environments these tranches could experience
substantial losses due to defaults, write-downs of the equity or other
subordinated tranches, increased sensitivity to defaults due to underlying
collateral default and impairment of subordinated tranches, market anticipation
of defaults, and general market aversion to CLO securities as an asset class. In
addition, for the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF, these risks are heightened with
respect to the below investment grade CLOs in which the Fund may significantly
invest (up to 70% of the Fund’s total assets). The most common risks associated
with investing in CLOs are interest rate risk, credit risk, liquidity risk,
prepayment risk (i.e., the risk that in a declining interest rate period CLO
tranches could be refinanced or paid off prior to their maturities and the Fund
would then have to reinvest the proceeds at a lower rate), and the risk of
defaults of the underlying assets.
•Mezzanine
CLO Risk.
The Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF intends to invest primarily in BBB and BB rated
tranches of CLO securities that are subordinate to higher-rated tranches
(e.g.,
tranches rated AAA+ through A-) in terms of payment priority. Subordinated
(i.e.,
mezzanine) CLO tranches are subject to higher credit risk and liquidity risk
relative to more senior CLO tranches. Mezzanine tranches may be of investment
grade (i.e.,
BBB) or non-investment grade quality (i.e.,
BB+ or below), and the Fund is expected to have significant exposure to below
investment grade CLO tranches (up to 70% of its total assets). To the extent a
CLO or its underlying loans experience default or are having difficulty making
principal and/or interest payments, subordinated CLO tranches will be more
likely to experience adverse impacts, and such impacts will be more severe,
relative to more senior or higher-rated CLO securities, which in turn will
adversely affect the performance of the Fund. In a CLO structure, senior
tranches have payment priority over mezzanine tranches (i.e., the tranches that
the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF invests in.
CLO
Leveraging Risk.
CLOs
are typically leveraged, and such leverage will magnify the loss on CLO
investments, which may in turn magnify the loss experienced by the Fund. The
cumulative effect of leverage with respect to any investments in a market that
moves adversely to such investments could result in a substantial loss that
would be greater than if the
Fund’s
investments were not leveraged. For example, a liquidity crisis in the global
credit markets could cause substantial fluctuations in prices for leveraged
loans and high-yield debt securities and limited liquidity for such instruments.
In addition, loans underlying the CLOs in which the Fund may invest may be made
to finance highly leveraged corporate transactions. The highly leveraged capital
structure of the borrowers in such transactions may make such loans especially
vulnerable to adverse changes in economic or market conditions. It may take
longer than seven days for transactions in certain loans to settle. The Fund may
hold cash, sell investments or temporarily borrow from banks or other lenders to
meet short-term liquidity needs, such as to satisfy redemption requests from
Fund shareholders. The Eldridge AAA CLO ETF intends to invest primarily in the
most senior tranches of CLOs (those that are also AAA-rated), which generally
are less affected by the effects of leverage than more junior
tranches.
ETF
Risks.
Each
Fund is an ETF, and, as a result of its structure, it is exposed to the
following risks:
•Authorized
Participants, Market Makers, and Liquidity Providers Concentration
Risk.
Only a limited number of institutional investors (known as “Authorized
Participants” or “APs”) are authorized to purchase and redeem shares directly
from the Funds. In addition, there may be a limited number of market makers
and/or liquidity providers in the marketplace. To the extent either of the
following events occur, shares of a Fund may trade at a material discount to the
Fund’s net asset value (“NAV”), which may result in a widening of the bid and
ask spread (i.e.,
the current best prices to buy and sell the Fund), and possibly face delisting:
(i) APs exit the business or otherwise become unable to process creation and/or
redemption orders and no other APs step forward to perform these services, or
(ii) market makers and/or liquidity providers exit the business or significantly
reduce their business activities and no other entities step forward to perform
their functions.
•Costs
of Buying or Selling Shares.
Investors buying or selling shares of the Funds in the secondary market will pay
brokerage commissions or other charges imposed by brokers, as determined by that
broker. Brokerage commissions are often a fixed amount and may be a significant
proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell relatively small amounts
of shares of a Fund. In addition, secondary market investors will also incur the
cost of the difference between the price at which an investor is willing to buy
shares of a Fund (the “bid” price) and the price at which an investor is willing
to sell shares of a Fund (the “ask” price). This difference in bid and ask
prices is often referred to as the “spread” or “bid/ask spread.” The bid/ask
spread varies over time for shares of a Fund based on trading volume and market
liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund’s shares have more trading volume
and market liquidity and higher if the Fund’s shares have little trading volume
and market liquidity. Further, a relatively small investor base in a Fund, asset
swings in a Fund, and/or increased market volatility may cause increased bid/ask
spreads. Due to the costs of buying or selling shares of the Funds, including
bid/ask spreads, frequent trading of the Funds’ shares may significantly reduce
investment results and an investment in a Fund’s shares may not be advisable for
investors who anticipate regularly making small investments.
•Shares
May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV.
As with all ETFs, shares of the Funds may be bought and sold in the secondary
market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of shares
of a Fund will approximate the intraday value of the Fund’s holdings used to
calculate the Fund’s NAV, there may be times when the market price of shares is
more than the intra-day NAV (premium) or less than the intra-day NAV (discount),
which may result in a widening of the bid and ask spread, due to supply and
demand of shares or during periods of market volatility. This risk is heightened
in times of market volatility, periods of steep market declines, and periods
when there is limited trading activity for shares in the secondary market, in
which case such premiums or discounts may be significant.
•Trading.
Although shares of the Funds are listed for trading on the Exchange and may be
listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the Exchange,
there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will
develop or be maintained. Trading in shares may be halted due to market
conditions or for reasons that, in the view of the Exchange, make trading in
shares inadvisable. In addition, trading in shares of the Funds on the Exchange
is subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant
to Exchange “circuit breaker” rules, which temporarily halt trading on the
Exchange when a decline in the S&P 500 Index during a single day reaches
certain thresholds (e.g., 7%, 13%, and 20%). Additional rules applicable to the
Exchange may halt trading in shares of a Fund when extraordinary volatility
causes sudden, significant swings in
the
market price of shares of the Fund. There can be no assurance that shares of the
Funds will trade with any volume, or at all, on any stock exchange. In stressed
market conditions, the market for the Funds’ shares may become less liquid in
response to deteriorating liquidity in the markets for the Funds’ underlying
portfolio holdings. These factors, among others, may lead to a Fund’s shares
trading at a premium or discount to NAV, which may result in a widening of the
bid and ask spread.
•Early
Close/Trading Halt.
An exchange or market may close early or issue trading halts on specific
securities or financial instruments. The ability to trade certain securities or
financial instruments may be restricted, which may disrupt a Fund’s creation and
redemption process, potentially affect the price at which the Fund’s shares
trade in the secondary market, and/or result in the Fund being unable to trade
certain securities or financial instruments. In these circumstances, a Fund may
be unable to rebalance its portfolio, may be unable to accurately price its
investments and/or may incur substantial trading losses.
•Listing
Standards Risk. Each
Fund is required to comply with listing requirements adopted by the Exchange.
Non-compliance with such requirements may result in a Fund’s shares being
delisted by the Exchange. Any resulting liquidation of a Fund could cause the
Fund to incur elevated transaction costs and could result in negative tax
consequences for its shareholders.
Cash
Transaction Risk. Unlike
other ETFs, each Fund expects to effect most of its creations and redemptions
primarily for cash, rather than in-kind securities. This means a Fund may be
required to sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute
redemption proceeds. If a Fund recognizes gain on these sales, this generally
will cause the Fund to recognize gain it might not otherwise have recognized if
it were to distribute portfolio securities in-kind or to recognize such gain
sooner than would otherwise be required. As a result, an investment in the Funds
may be less tax-efficient than an investment in a more conventional ETF. Other
ETFs generally are able to make in-kind redemptions and avoid realizing gains in
connection with transactions designed to raise cash to meet redemption requests.
The Funds generally intend to distribute these gains to shareholders to avoid
being taxed on this gain at the Fund level and otherwise comply with the special
tax rules that apply to it. This strategy may cause shareholders to be subject
to tax on gains they would not otherwise be subject to, or at an earlier date
than, if they had made an investment in a different ETF. Additionally,
transactions may have to be carried out over several days if the securities
market is relatively illiquid and may involve considerable transaction fees and
taxes. Cash purchases may cause a Fund to incur portfolio transaction fees,
charges or delays in investing the cash that it would otherwise not incur if a
purchase was made on an in-kind basis.
Newer
Fund Risk.
As of the date of this Prospectus, each Fund has a limited operating history. As
a result, prospective investors have a limited track record on which to base
their investment decision. There can be no assurance that a Fund will grow to or
maintain an economically viable size, in which case the Board may determine to
liquidate the Fund. Liquidation of the Funds can be initiated without
shareholder approval by the Trust’s Board of Trustees if it determines it is in
the best interest of shareholders. As a result, the timing of any Fund
liquidation may not be favorable to certain individual
shareholders.
Covenant
Lite Loan Risk. The
Funds may obtain exposure to loans that are “covenant lite.” Covenants contained
in loan documentation are intended to protect lenders by imposing certain
restrictions and other limitations on a borrower’s operations or assets and by
providing certain information and consent rights to lenders. Covenant lite loans
may lack financial maintenance covenants that in certain situations can allow
lenders to claim a default on the loan to seek to protect the interests of the
lenders. The absence of financial maintenance covenants in a covenant lite loan
might result in a lower recovery in the event of a default by the borrower.
Covenant lite loans have become much more prevalent in recent
years.
Broadly
Syndicated Loans Risk.
The CLOs in which the Funds invest are typically composed of broadly syndicated
loans (“BSLs”). BSLs are typically originated and structured by banks on behalf
of large corporate borrowers. The proceeds of BSLs are often used for leveraged
buyout transactions, mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations, refinancings,
and financing capital expenditures. BSLs are typically distributed by the
arranging bank to a diverse group of investors primarily consisting of: CLOs;
senior secured loan and high yield bond mutual funds; closed-end funds, hedge
funds, banks, and insurance companies; and finance companies. A borrower must
comply with various covenants contained in a loan agreement or note purchase
agreement between the borrower and the holders of the broadly syndicated loan.
BSLs
may
expose the Funds to different risks, including liquidity risk, price volatility,
ability to restructure loans, credit risks and less protective loan
documentation. Fluctuations in the market price of securities may affect the
value of the BSL’s investments and may increase the risks inherent in such
investments. The ability to sell the investments in the market may depend on
demand, which may be impracticable or impossible in certain market environments.
Despite diversification, high concentration may arise in certain markets.
Problems may be encountered in the valuation or sale of certain investments, and
in some cases, investments may have to be sold below their value. Some
investments may involve assets which are exposed to high market, credit and
liquidity risks (including the risk of insolvency or bankruptcy of the
borrower). Investments may be leveraged at the level of the investment (e.g., by
margin borrowing or otherwise). If the capital gains on the investments acquired
with leverage are greater than the interest on the loans, the investment’s
assets will increase faster than if no leverage had been used. In the event of
price falls, this leverage is outweighed by a more rapid decline in the
investment’s assets.
Debt
Securities Risks. The
Funds’ investments in debt securities may be subject to the following risks:
•Liquidity
Risk.
Liquidity risk refers to the possibility that a Fund may not be able to sell or
buy a security or close out an investment contract at a favorable price or time.
Consequently, the Fund may have to accept a lower price to sell a security, sell
other securities to raise cash, or give up an investment opportunity, any of
which could have a negative effect on the Fund’s performance. Infrequent trading
of securities also may lead to an increase in their price volatility. CLOs, and
their underlying loan obligations, are typically not registered for sale to the
public and therefore are subject to certain restrictions on transfer and sale,
potentially making them less liquid than other types of securities.
Additionally, when a Fund purchases a newly issued CLO security directly from
the issuer (rather than from the secondary market), there often may be a delayed
settlement period, during which time the liquidity of the CLO may be further
reduced. During periods of limited liquidity and higher price volatility, a
Fund’s ability to acquire or dispose of CLO securities at a price and time the
Fund deems advantageous may be impaired. CLO securities are generally considered
to be long-term investments and there is no guarantee that an active secondary
market will exist or be maintained for any given CLO security.
•Interest
Rate Risk.
Generally, the value of fixed income securities will change inversely with
changes in interest rates. Recent and potential future changes in monetary
policy made by central banks or governments are likely to affect the level of
interest rates. As interest rates rise, borrowers with floating rate loans may
experience difficulty servicing their loans, resulting in delinquencies and
defaults, which will result in a reduction in cash flow to the CLO and the CLO
investors, including the Funds. An increase in interest rates may cause the
value of fixed-income securities held by the Funds to decline. As interest rates
decrease, issuers of the underlying loan obligations may refinance their loans,
which may require the CLO to reinvest cash at what may be an inopportune
time.
•Floating
Rate Obligations Risk. Securities
with floating or variable interest rates can be less sensitive to interest rate
changes than securities with fixed interest rates, but may decline in value if
their interest rates do not rise as much, or as quickly, as interest rates in
general. Conversely, floating rate securities will not generally increase in
value if interest rates decline. A decline in interest rates may result in a
reduction of income received from floating rate securities held by a Fund and
may adversely affect the value of the Fund’s shares. The interest rate for a
floating rate note resets or adjusts periodically by reference to a benchmark
interest rate. Benchmark interest rates may not accurately track market interest
rates.
•Credit
Risk. Debt
issuers
and other counterparties may not honor their obligations. For CLOs, the primary
source of credit risk is the ability of the underlying portfolio of loans to
generate sufficient cash flow to pay investors on a full and timely basis when
principal and/or interest payments are due. Default in payment on the underlying
loans will result in less cash flow from the underlying portfolio and, in turn,
less funds available to pay investors in the CLO.
•Call
Risk.
CLO securities are issued with a non-call period. After the end of the non-call
period, the
majority investor in the equity tranche can call (i.e.,
redeem or refinance) the securities issued by the CLO in full. A Fund may not be
able to accurately predict when or which of its CLO investments may be called,
resulting in the Fund
having
to reinvest the proceeds in unfavorable market conditions (i.e.,
at lower spreads), which could cause a decline in the Fund’s
income.
•Extension
Risk.
When interest rates rise, certain obligations will be paid off by the obligor
more slowly than anticipated, causing the value of these securities to fall.
Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of securities, making them
more sensitive to future changes in interest rates.
High
Yield Securities Risk (Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF only). The
Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF intends to invest a significant portion (up to 70% of its
total assets) in CLO securities rated below investment grade. Debt investments
rated below investment grade are sometimes referred to as high yield or “junk”.
Investing in lower-rated or unrated securities (including CLOs) involves special
risks in addition to the risks associated with investments in higher-rated debt
securities, including a high degree of credit risk. These securities may be more
sensitive than investment grade CLO securities to economic, political, or market
changes or developments which could impact the underlying loans of a CLO and may
adversely affect the value of the below investment grade CLO security. Issuers
of the below investment grade loans that underlie a CLO may not be as
financially durable as those issuers with higher credit ratings. Such issuers
may be more susceptible to losses and real or perceived adverse economic and
competitive industry conditions than higher-grade securities. The secondary
markets on which lower-rated or unrated securities are traded may be less liquid
than the market for higher-grade securities. Less liquidity in the secondary
trading markets could adversely affect and cause large fluctuations in the value
of such investments. Adverse publicity and investor perceptions, whether based
on fundamental analysis, may decrease the values and liquidity of lower-rated or
unrated securities, especially in a thinly traded market. It is possible that a
major economic recession could severely disrupt the market for such securities
and may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities. In addition, it
is possible that any such economic downturn could adversely affect the ability
of the issuers of such securities to repay principal and pay interest on the
bonds and increase the incidence of default of such securities. The use of
credit ratings as the sole method of evaluating lower-rated or unrated
securities can involve certain risks. For example, credit ratings evaluate the
safety of principal and interest payments, not the market value risk of
lower-rated securities. In addition, credit rating agencies may fail to change
credit ratings in a timely fashion to reflect events since the security was
rated. These risks may be present in lower rated CLO securities (such as those
rated BBB or BBB-, or their equivalent), even if they are not rated below
investment grade.
Income
Risk.
Each Fund's income will decline if interest rates fall. This decline in income
would occur because the CLO debt instruments held by each Fund generally all
have floating or variable interest rates.
Valuation
Risk.
The
CLO
securities in which the Funds invest may be priced differently than the value
realized upon such security’s sale. In times of market instability, valuation
may be more unreliable. The structure of certain CLOs may subject them to price
volatility and enhanced liquidity and valuation risk in times of market
stress.
CLO
Manager Risk. The
Funds intend to invest in CLO securities issued by CLOs that are managed by
third-party collateral managers. Each Fund is dependent on the skill and
expertise of such managers. CLO managers are responsible for selecting,
managing, and replacing the underlying bank loans within a CLO. There can be no
guarantee that any collateral manager will continue to manage such CLO through
the life of the investment. Collateral managers are subject to removal or
replacement by other holders of CLO securities or may voluntarily resign.
Adverse developments with respect to a CLO manager, such as personnel and
resource constraints, regulatory issues, or other developments may impact the
ability and/or performance of the CLO manager and may adversely impact the
performance of the CLO securities in which the Funds invest.
Newly
Issued Securities Risk.
The
Funds may invest in newly issued securities or “new issues.” New issues may not
be consistently available to the Funds for investing, particularly as a Fund’s
asset base grows. New issues may be volatile in price due to the absence of a
prior trading market, limited quantities available, and an extended settlement
period.
Extended
Settlement Risk. New
issue CLOs purchased in the primary market typically experience extended
settlement periods, often longer than seven days. During the settlement window,
between purchasing and settlement, these securities are typically less liquid
than secondary market purchases.
Market
Events Risk.
One or more markets in which the Funds invest may go down in value, including
the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. This
may be due to numerous factors, including interest rates, the
outlook
for corporate profits, the health of the national and world economies, national
and world social and political events, and the fluctuation of other stock
markets around the world.
Privately
Issued Securities Risk.
CLO
securities are generally privately-issued securities, and are normally purchased
pursuant to Rule 144A or Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended (the “Securities Act”). Privately-issued securities typically may be
resold only to qualified institutional buyers, in a privately negotiated
transaction, to a limited number of purchasers, or in limited quantities after
they have been held for a specified period of time and other conditions are met
for an exemption from registration. Because there may be relatively few
potential purchasers for such securities, especially under adverse market or
economic conditions or in the event of adverse changes in the financial
condition of the issuer, the Funds may find markets for these securities are
more thinly traded. At times, it also may be more difficult to determine the
fair value of such securities for purposes of computing a Fund’s net asset value
per share (“NAV”) due to the absence of an active trading market. There can be
no assurance that a privately-issued security previously deemed to be liquid
when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by a Fund,
and its value may decline as a result.
Management
Risk.
The Funds’ principal investment strategies may involve actively trading
securities, which could result in a high portfolio turnover rate, which could
increase transaction costs (thus lowering performance) and taxable
distributions. The portfolio turnover rate of each Fund may vary from year to
year.
Portfolio
Turnover Risk. The
Funds may experience an increased rate of portfolio turnover which could result
in higher transaction costs and potential for taxable capital gains, both of
which could have a negative effect on a Fund's performance. The “Financial
Highlights” section of this Prospectus shows the Funds’ historical portfolio
turnover rates.
Non-diversified
Fund Risk.
Each Fund is classified as a “non-diversified” fund under the 1940 Act.
Therefore, each Fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a
smaller number of issuers or may invest a larger proportion of its assets in a
single issuer. Moreover, the gains and losses on a single investment may have a
greater impact on a Fund’s NAV and may make the Fund more volatile than more
diversified funds.
Portfolio
Holdings
Information
about the Funds’ daily portfolio holdings is available at www.cloxfund.com for
the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF or at www.clozfund.com for the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF.
A complete description of the Funds’ policies and procedures with respect to the
disclosure of the Funds’ portfolio holdings is available in the Funds’ Statement
of Additional Information (“SAI”).
Investment
Adviser
Each
Fund has entered into an investment advisory agreement (“Advisory Agreement”)
with the Adviser, located at 767 5th
Ave, 17th Floor, New York, New York 10153. The Adviser is an SEC-registered
investment adviser specializing in CLOs, Asset Backed Securities, and Commercial
Real Estate. As of September 30, 2024, the Adviser had approximately $13.9
billion in assets, which consisted of $12.8 billion in assets under management
and approximately $1.1 billion in other fee-based assets. Other fee-based assets
included CLO assets to which the Adviser provides structure advisory services.
The Adviser’s role as structure advisor includes consulting and advising CLO
equity holders in connection with exercising their rights under the relevant
indenture (e.g., redemptions, additional issuances of notes, removal of the
investment manager for cause, etc.). The Adviser earns a fee for these services
based on the total assets in the CLO. The Adviser is an ultimate wholly owned
subsidiary of Eldridge Industries, LLC (“Eldridge Industries”), a diversified
holding company.
Subject
to the oversight of the Board, the Adviser is responsible for the day-to-day
management of the Funds in accordance with each Fund’s investment objective and
policies. For
the services provided to the Funds by the Adviser,
each
Fund pays the Adviser a unified management fee, which is calculated daily and
paid monthly, at an annual rate of 0.20% of the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF’s average
daily net assets and 0.50% of the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF’s average daily net
assets. For the fiscal year ended August 31, 2024, the Adviser received its
unified management fee of 0.20% of the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF’s average daily net
assets and 0.50% of the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF’s average daily net
assets.
Under
the Advisory Agreement, the Adviser has agreed to pay all expenses incurred by a
Fund (including acquired fund fees and expenses) except for interest charges on
any borrowings, dividends and other expenses on securities sold short; taxes;
brokerage commissions and other expenses incurred in placing orders for the
purchase and sale of securities and other investment instruments; accrued
deferred tax liability; extraordinary expenses; distribution fees and expenses
paid by a Fund under any distribution plan adopted pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under
the 1940 Act, and the unified management fee payable to the Adviser.
A
discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory
Agreement between the Adviser and the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF is available in the
Fund's Form N-CSR filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2024.
A discussion regarding the basis for the Board’s approval of the Advisory
Agreement between the Adviser and the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF is available in the
Fund's Form N-CSR filed with the SEC for the fiscal year ended August 31,
2024.
The
Funds, as series of the Trust, do not hold themselves out as related to any
other series of the Trust for purposes of investment and investor services, nor
do they share the same investment adviser with any other series of the
Trust.
Portfolio
Managers
Tony
Minella, Tarek Barbar and Andrew Ward are the portfolio managers jointly
responsible for the day-to-day management of the Funds.
Tony
Minella, Chief Executive Officer
Tony
Minella is the Chief Executive Officer of Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers.
Mr. Minella is also Co-founder and President of Eldridge Industries, a
diversified holding company formed in 2015. Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers
is a subsidiary of Eldridge Industries. Prior to co-founding Eldridge
Industries, Mr. Minella was Chief Investment Officer of Security Benefit, an
affiliate of Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers. Prior to joining Security
Benefit, he was Co-Head of the Corporate Credit Group at Guggenheim Investments,
where he co-chaired its Investment Committee. Mr. Minella serves on the boards
of A24 Films, LLC, Aurify Brands, LLC, Blackbrook Capital (Europe) GP, LLC, Cain
International LP, Cambridge Incubator, LLC, Eldridge ACRE Partners GP, Epic
Aero, Inc., Everly, LLC, Everly Holdings, LLC, Gamma Media Holdings, LLC,
Prescient Co. Inc., Stonebriar Commercial Finance, LLC, Zinnia Corporate
Holdings, LLC, and Sports MEDIA Technology Corp (dba SMT). Mr. Minella is a
member of the US Olympic & Paralympic Foundation Trustee Council, and
supports the vital work of Radical Hope, Girls Leadership, Prostate Cancer
Foundation, YC Community Foundation, and Elevate Big Sky, as well as Brunswick
School and Avon Old Farms. He is a graduate of Avon Old Farms and received his
A.B. in Economics from Bowdoin College.
Tarek
Barbar, Portfolio Manager
Mr.
Barbar is a Portfolio Manager at Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers.
Previously, Mr. Barbar was Head of Capital Markets and Trading at Security
Benefit, an affiliate of Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers, where he was
responsible for trading leveraged loans, high-yield bonds, and CLOs. Prior to
Security Benefit, he worked for eight years in the Corporate Credit group at
Goldman Sachs Asset Management, most recently as a Senior Credit Trader. Mr.
Barbar focused on trading and portfolio management of leveraged credit and
derivative products across public and private markets within CLOs, registered
investment companies, and separately managed accounts. He graduated from
Villanova University with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering.
Andrew
Ward, Portfolio Manager
Mr.
Ward is a Portfolio Manager at Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers. Previously,
Mr. Ward was Head of Industrial and Healthcare credit investing at Security
Benefit, an affiliate of Eldridge Structured Credit Advisers. Mr. Ward joined
Security Benefit in 2015 as an Investment Analyst and then joined CBAM Partners
from 2016 until the sale of CBAM in 2022. At CBAM, Mr. Ward was responsible for
credit investments across various end markets and for portfolio construction of
CBAM’s CLOs. Following the sale of CBAM in 2022, Mr. Ward re-joined Security
Benefit. He received a B.A. in Economics from Bowdoin College.
The
Funds’ SAI provides additional information about the portfolio managers’
compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager and the portfolio
managers’ ownership of Fund shares.
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How
to Buy and Sell Shares |
Each
Fund issues and redeems its shares only in Creation Units at the NAV per share
next determined after receipt of an order from an AP. Only APs may acquire a
Fund’s shares directly from a Fund, and only APs may tender their shares for
redemption directly to a Fund, at NAV. APs must be a member or participant of a
clearing agency registered with the SEC and must execute an authorized
participant agreement (“Participant Agreement”) that has been agreed to by the
Distributor (defined below), and that has been accepted by the Funds’ transfer
agent, with respect to purchases and redemptions of Creation Units. Once
created, the Funds’ shares trade in the secondary market in quantities less than
a Creation Unit.
Most
investors buy and sell a Fund’s shares in secondary market transactions through
brokers. Individual shares of a Fund are listed for trading on the secondary
market on the Exchange and can be bought and sold throughout the trading day
like other publicly traded securities.
When
buying or selling a Fund’s shares through a broker, you will pay or receive the
market price. You may incur customary brokerage commissions and charges, and you
may pay some or all of the spread between the bid and the offered price in the
secondary market on each leg of a round trip (purchase and sale) transaction. In
addition, because secondary market transactions occur at market prices, you may
pay more than NAV when you buy a Fund’s shares and receive less than NAV when
you sell those shares.
Book
Entry
Shares
are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued.
Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its nominee is the record owner of all
outstanding shares of a Fund.
Investors
owning shares are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its
participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for all shares. DTC’s
participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies,
clearing corporations, and other institutions that directly or indirectly
maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you
are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have
shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of
shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely
upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same
as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or
“street name” through your brokerage account.
Investing
in the Funds
For
more information on how to buy and sell shares of the Funds, visit
www.cloxfund.com for the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF, www.clozfund.com for the Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF, or call the Funds toll-free at 800-617-0004.
Frequent
Purchases and Redemptions of Shares
Shares
of a Fund are listed for trading on the Exchange, which allows retail investors
to purchase and sell individual shares at market prices throughout the trading
day similar to other publicly traded securities. Because these secondary market
trades do not involve a Fund directly, it is unlikely that secondary market
trading would cause any harmful effects of market timing, such as dilution,
disruption of portfolio management, increases in a Fund’s trading costs, or
realization of capital gains. The Board has determined not to adopt policies and
procedures designed to prevent or monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions
of a Fund's shares because a Fund sells and redeems its shares at NAV only in
Creation Units pursuant to the terms of a Participant Agreement between the
Distributor and an AP. A Fund may impose transaction fees on such Creation Unit
transactions that are designed to offset such Fund’s transfer and other
transaction costs associated with the issuance and redemption of the Creation
Unit shares. Direct trading by APs is critical to ensuring that a Fund’s shares
trade at or close to NAV. Although a Fund impose no restrictions on the
frequency of purchases and redemptions of Creation Units, a Fund and the Adviser
reserve the right to reject or limit purchases at any time as described in the
Funds’ SAI.
Determination
of Net Asset Value
Each
Fund’s NAV is calculated as of the scheduled close of regular trading on the
NYSE, generally 4:00 p.m. Eastern time, each day the NYSE is open for business.
The NAV is calculated by dividing a Fund’s net assets by its shares
outstanding.
In
calculating its NAV, a Fund generally values its assets on the basis of market
quotations, last sale prices, or estimates of value furnished by a pricing
service or brokers who make markets in such instruments. In particular, the
Funds generally value securities traded on any recognized U.S. or non-U.S.
exchange at the last sale price or official closing price on the exchange or
system on which they are principally traded. If such information is not
available for a security held by a Fund or is determined to be unreliable, the
security will be valued at fair value estimates under guidelines established by
the Board (as described below).
Fair
Value Pricing
Occasionally,
market quotations are not readily available, or are unreliable, or there may be
events affecting the value of foreign securities held by a Fund that occur when
regular trading on foreign exchanges is closed, but before trading on the NYSE
is closed. For example, such circumstances may arise when: (i) a security has
been de-listed or has had its trading halted or suspended; (ii) a security’s
primary pricing source is unable or unwilling to provide a price; (iii) a
security’s primary trading market is closed during regular market hours; or (iv)
a security’s value is materially affected by events occurring after the close of
the security’s primary trading market. The Adviser has been designated by the
Board as each Fund’s valuation designee to make all fair value determinations
with respect to such Fund's portfolio investments, subject to the Board's
oversight. Generally, when fair valuing a security, the Adviser will take into
account all reasonably available information that may be relevant to a
particular valuation including, but not limited to, fundamental analytical data
regarding the issuer, information relating to the issuer’s business, recent
trades or offers of the security, general and/or specific market conditions, and
the specific facts giving rise to the need to fair value the security. Due to
the subjective and variable nature of fair value pricing, there can be no
assurance that the Adviser will be able to obtain the fair value assigned to the
security upon the sale of such security.
Investments
by Other Registered Investment Companies
Section
12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act restricts investments by registered investment
companies in the securities of other investment companies, including shares of
the Funds. Registered investment companies are permitted to invest in a Fund
beyond the limits set forth in section 12(d)(1), subject to certain conditions
set forth in Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, including that such investment
companies enter into an agreement with the Fund.
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Dividends,
Distributions, and Their Taxation |
Dividends
and Distributions
Each
Fund intends to pay dividends from net investment income monthly and to
distribute all net realized capital gains at least annually. The Funds will
declare and pay capital gain distributions in cash. Your broker is responsible
for distributing the income and capital gain distributions to you.
No
dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Financial intermediaries
may make the DTC book-entry dividend reinvestment service available for use by
beneficial owners of Fund shares for reinvestment of their dividend
distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their financial intermediary to
determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of
participation therein. Financial intermediaries may require beneficial owners to
adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and
used, dividend distributions of both income and net realized capital gains will
be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in
the secondary market.
Taxes
The
following discussion is a summary of some important U.S. federal income tax
considerations generally applicable to investments in a Fund. Your investment in
a Fund may have other tax implications. Please consult your tax advisor about
the tax consequences of an investment in shares, including the possible
application of foreign, state, and local tax laws.
Each
Fund intends to elect and qualify each year for treatment as a regulated
investment company (“RIC”) under the code. If it meets certain minimum
distribution requirements, a RIC is not subject to tax at the fund level on
income and gains from investments that are timely distributed to shareholders.
However, a Fund’s failure to qualify as a RIC or to meet minimum distribution
requirements would result (if certain relief provisions were not available) in
fund-level taxation and, consequently, a reduction in income available for
distribution to shareholders.
Unless
your investment in shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-advantaged
account, such as an IRA plan, you need to be aware of the possible tax
consequences when the Funds make distributions, when you sell your shares listed
on the Exchange; and when you purchase or redeem Creation Units (APs
only).
Taxes
on Distributions
Each
Fund intends to distribute, at least annually, substantially all of its net
investment income and net capital gains. For federal income tax purposes,
distributions of investment income are generally taxable as ordinary income or
qualified dividend income. Taxes on distributions of capital gains (if any) are
determined by how long a Fund owned the investments that generated them, rather
than how long a shareholder has owned his or her shares. Sales of assets held by
a Fund for more than one year generally result in long-term capital gains and
losses, and sales of assets held by a Fund for one year or less generally result
in short-term capital gains and losses. Distributions of a Fund’s net capital
gains (the excess of net long-term capital gains over net short-term capital
losses) that are reported by the Fund as capital gain dividends (“Capital Gain
Dividends”) will be taxable as long-term capital gains, which for non-corporate
shareholders are subject to tax at reduced rates of up to 20% (lower rates apply
to individuals in lower tax brackets). Distributions of short-term capital gain
will generally be taxable as ordinary income. Dividends and distributions are
generally taxable to you whether you receive them in cash or reinvest them in
additional shares.
Distributions
reported by a Fund as “qualified dividend income” are generally taxed to
non-corporate shareholders at rates applicable to long-term capital gains,
provided holding period and other requirements are met. “Qualified dividend
income” generally is income derived from dividends paid by U.S. corporations or
certain foreign corporations that are either incorporated in a U.S. possession
or eligible for tax benefits under certain U.S. income tax treaties. In
addition, dividends that a Fund received in respect of stock of certain foreign
corporations may be qualified dividend income if that stock is readily tradable
on an established U.S. securities market.
Shortly
after the close of each calendar year, you will be informed of the amount and
character of any distributions received from a Fund.
U.S.
individuals with income exceeding specified thresholds are subject to a 3.8% tax
on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which includes interest,
dividends, and certain capital gains (generally including capital gains
distributions and capital gains realized on the sale of shares). This 3.8% tax
also applies to all or a portion of the undistributed net investment income of
certain shareholders that are estates and trusts.
In
general, your distributions are subject to federal income tax for the year in
which they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be
treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Distributions are generally
taxable even if they are paid from income or gains earned by the Funds before
your investment (and thus were included in the shares’ NAV when you purchased
your shares).
You
may wish to avoid investing in the Funds shortly before a dividend or other
distribution, because such a distribution will generally be taxable even though
it may economically represent a return of a portion of your investment. If a
Fund’s distributions exceed its earnings and profits, all or a portion of the
distributions made for a taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of
capital to shareholders. A return of capital distribution will generally not be
taxable, but will reduce each shareholder’s cost basis in shares and result in a
higher capital gain or lower capital loss when the shares are sold. After a
shareholder’s basis in shares has been reduced to zero, distributions in excess
of earnings and profits in respect of those shares will be treated as gain from
the sale of the shares.
If
you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the United States or if you are a
foreign entity, distributions (other than Capital Gain Dividends) paid to you by
the Funds will generally be subject to a U.S. withholding tax at the rate of
30%, unless a lower treaty rate applies. Gains from the sale or other
disposition of your shares generally are not subject to U.S. taxation, unless
you are a nonresident alien individual who is physically present in the U.S. for
183 days or more per year. A Fund may, under certain circumstances, report all
or a portion of a dividend as an “interest-related dividend” or a “short-term
capital gain dividend,” which would generally be exempt from this 30% U.S.
withholding tax, provided certain other requirements are met. Different tax
consequences may result if you are a foreign shareholder engaged in a trade or
business within the United States or if a tax treaty applies.
Under
legislation generally known as “FATCA” (the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act),
a Fund is required to withhold 30% of certain ordinary dividends it pays to
shareholders that are foreign entities and that fail to meet prescribed
information reporting or certification requirements.
Each
Fund (or a financial intermediary, such as a broker, through which a shareholder
owns shares) generally is required to withhold and remit to the U.S. Treasury a
percentage of the taxable distributions and sale or redemption proceeds paid to
any shareholder who fails to properly furnish a correct taxpayer identification
number, who has underreported dividend or interest income, or who fails to
certify that he, she, or it is not subject to such withholding.
Taxes
When Shares are Sold on the Exchange
An
AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax
purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain
or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of
the
Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate
basis in the securities delivered, plus the amount of any cash paid for the
Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally
recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s
basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the
securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The
Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon
an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under
the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market its
holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic
position. APs exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with
respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be
deductible.
Any
capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally
treated as long-term capital gain or loss if shares have been held for more than
one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if shares have been held for
one year or less.
Each
Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery
of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. Each Fund may
sell portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption
proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital
gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied
the redemption in-kind. As a result, a Fund may be less tax efficient if it
includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of
Creation Units.
Taxes
on Purchases and Redemptions of Creation Units
An
AP having the U.S. dollar as its functional currency for U.S. federal income tax
purposes who exchanges securities for Creation Units generally recognizes a gain
or a loss. The gain or loss will be equal to the difference between the value of
the Creation Units at the time of the exchange and the exchanging AP’s aggregate
basis in the securities delivered, plus the amount of any cash paid for the
Creation Units. An AP who exchanges Creation Units for securities will generally
recognize a gain or loss equal to the difference between the exchanging AP’s
basis in the Creation Units and the aggregate U.S. dollar market value of the
securities received, plus any cash received for such Creation Units. The
Internal Revenue Service may assert, however, that a loss that is realized upon
an exchange of securities for Creation Units may not be currently deducted under
the rules governing “wash sales” (for an AP who does not mark-to-market its
holdings), or on the basis that there has been no significant change in economic
position. APs exchanging securities should consult their own tax advisor with
respect to whether wash sale rules apply and when a loss might be
deductible.
Any
capital gain or loss realized upon redemption of Creation Units is generally
treated as long-term capital gain or loss if shares have been held for more than
one year and as a short-term capital gain or loss if shares have been held for
one year or less.
Each
Fund may include a payment of cash in addition to, or in place of, the delivery
of a basket of securities upon the redemption of Creation Units. A Fund may sell
portfolio securities to obtain the cash needed to distribute redemption
proceeds. This may cause a Fund to recognize investment income and/or capital
gains or losses that it might not have recognized if it had completely satisfied
the redemption in-kind. As a result, a Fund may be less tax efficient if it
includes such a cash payment in the proceeds paid upon the redemption of
Creation Units.
Foreign
Taxes
To
the extent a Fund invests in foreign securities, it may be subject to foreign
withholding taxes with respect to dividends or interest the Fund received from
sources in foreign countries.
The
foregoing discussion summarizes some of the possible consequences under current
federal tax law of an investment in a Fund. It is not a substitute for personal
tax advice. You also may be subject to state and local tax on Fund distributions
and
sales of Fund shares. Consult your personal tax adviser about the potential tax
consequences of an investment in Fund shares under all applicable tax laws. For
more information, please see the section entitled “Tax Information” in the
SAI.
The
Distributor, Quasar Distributors, LLC, is a broker-dealer registered with the
SEC. The Distributor distributes Creation Units for the Funds on an agency basis
and does not maintain a secondary market in the Funds’ shares. The Distributor
has no role in determining the policies of the Funds or the securities that are
purchased or sold by the Funds. The Distributor’s principal address is Three
Canal Plaza, Suite 100, Portland, Maine 04101.
Rule
12b-1 Distribution Fees
The
Trust has adopted a Rule 12b-1 distribution plan (the “Rule 12b-1 Plan”) under
the 1940 Act. Under the terms of the Rule 12b-1 Plan, each Fund is authorized to
pay an aggregate fee equal up to 0.25% of its average daily net assets each year
for certain distribution related activities and shareholder
services.
No
Rule 12b-1 fees are currently paid by the Funds, and there are no plans to
impose these fees. However, in the event Rule 12b-1 fees are charged in the
future, because the fees are paid out of Fund assets, over time these fees will
increase the cost of your investment and may cost you more than certain other
types of sales charges.
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Premium/Discount
Information |
Each
business day, the following information will be available, free of charge on a
Fund’s website: www.cloxfund.com for Eldridge AAA CLO ETF; www.clozfund.com for
Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF; (i) information for each portfolio holding that will
form the basis of the next calculation of the Fund’s NAV per share; (ii) the
Fund’s NAV per share, market price, and premium or discount, each as of the end
of the prior business day; (iii) a table showing the number of days the Fund’s
shares traded at a premium or discount during the most recently completed
calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarter since that year;
(iv) a line graph showing Fund share premiums or discounts for the most recently
completed calendar year and the most recently completed calendar quarter since
that year; (v) the Fund’s median bid-ask spread over the last thirty calendar
days; and (vi) if during the past year the Fund’s premium or discount was
greater than 2% for more than seven consecutive trading days, a statement that
the Fund’s premium or discount, as applicable, was greater than 2% and a
discussion of the factors that are reasonably believed to have materially
contributed to the premium or discount.
Shares
of a Fund are not sponsored, endorsed, or promoted by the Exchange. The Exchange
is not responsible for, nor has it participated in the determination of, the
timing, prices, or quantities of shares of a Fund to be issued, nor in the
determination or calculation of the equation by which shares of a Fund are
redeemable. The Exchange has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of a
Fund in connection with the administration, marketing, or trading of the
shares.
Without
limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall the Exchange have any liability
for any lost profits or indirect, punitive, special, or consequential damages
even if notified of the possibility thereof.
The
Adviser and the Funds make no representation or warranty, express or implied, to
the owners of shares of a Fund or any member of the public regarding the
advisability of investing in securities generally or in a Fund
particularly.
The
Trust enters into contractual arrangements with various parties, including,
among others, a Fund’s investment adviser, administrator and distributor, who
provide services to a Fund. Shareholders of a Fund are not parties to, or
intended (or “third-party”) beneficiaries of, any of those contractual
arrangements, and those contractual arrangements are not intended to create in
any individual shareholder or group of shareholders any right to enforce such
contractual arrangements against the service providers or to seek any remedy
under such contractual arrangements against the service providers, either
directly or on behalf of the Trust.
This
prospectus provides information concerning the Trust and the Funds that you
should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of a Fund. None of
this prospectus, the SAI or any document filed as an exhibit to the Trust’s
registration statement, is intended to, nor does it, give rise to an agreement
or contract between the Trust or a Fund and any investor, or give rise to any
contract or other rights in any individual shareholder, group of shareholders or
other person other than any rights conferred explicitly by federal or state
securities laws that may not be waived.
Each
Fund reserves the right to cease operations and liquidate at any
time.
The
financial highlights table below is intended to help you understand financial
performance for shares of each Fund since inception. Certain information
reflects financial results for a single Fund share. The total returns in the
tables represent the rate that an investor would have earned (or lost) on an
investment in a Fund (assuming reinvestment of all dividends and distributions).
This information has been audited by Cohen & Company, Ltd., the Funds’
independent registered public accounting firm, whose report, along with the
Funds’ financial statements, are included in the Annual Reports, (Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF Annual Report and
Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF Annual Report),
which are available upon request.
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Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF
(formerly
the Panagram AAA CLO ETF)
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
For
a Fund share outstanding throughout each period. |
| Year
Ended August 31, 2024 |
|
For
the
Period
Inception through
August
31, 2023(1) |
|
PER
SHARE DATA:
|
|
|
| |
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
$25.25 |
| $25.00 |
|
|
|
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INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS: |
|
|
| |
Net
investment income(2) |
1.69 |
| 0.21 |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investments |
0.12 |
| 0.10 |
|
Total
from investment operations |
1.81 |
| 0.31 |
|
|
|
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LESS
DISTRIBUTIONS: |
|
|
| |
From
net investments income |
(1.58) |
| (0.10) |
|
Total
distributions paid |
(1.58) |
| (0.10) |
|
|
|
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CAPITAL
SHARE TRANSACTIONS: |
|
|
| |
ETF
transaction fees |
0.03 |
| 0.04 |
|
Total
transaction fees |
0.03 |
| 0.04 |
|
Net
asset value, end of period |
$25.51 |
| $25.25 |
|
Total
Return, at NAV(3)(4) |
7.55% |
| 1.39% |
|
Total
Return, at Market(3)(4) |
7.73% |
| 1.40% |
|
|
|
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SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA AND RATIOS: |
|
|
| |
Net
assets, end of period (in thousands) |
$72,709 |
| $35,346 |
|
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets(5) |
0.20% |
| 0.20% |
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets(5) |
6.66% |
| 6.74% |
|
Portfolio
turnover rate(6)(7) |
19% |
| 0% |
|
(1)Inception
date of the Fund was July 18, 2023.
(2)Calculated
based on average shares outstanding during the period.
(3)Total
return in the table represents the rate that the investor would have earned or
lost on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of
distributions.
(4)Not
annualized for periods less than one year.
(5)Annualized
for periods less than one year.
(6)Excludes
in-kind transactions associated with creations of the Fund.
(7)The
numerator for the portfolio turnover rate includes the lesser of purchases or
sales (excluding short-term investments and securities sold short). The
denominator includes the average fair value of long positions throughout the
period.
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Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF
(formerly
the Panagram BBB-B C:LO ETF)
FINANCIAL
HIGHLIGHTS
For
a Fund share outstanding for the entire period. |
|
For
the Year Ended August 31, 2024 |
|
For
the
Period
Inception through
August
31, 2023(1) |
|
PER
SHARE DATA:
|
|
|
| |
Net
asset value, beginning of period |
$25.99 |
| $25.00 |
|
|
|
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INVESTMENT
OPERATIONS: |
|
|
| |
Net
investment income(2) |
2.61 |
| 1.66 |
|
Net
realized and unrealized gain on investments |
0.50 |
| 0.56 |
(3) |
Total
from investment operations |
3.11 |
| 2.22 |
|
|
|
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LESS
DISTRIBUTIONS: |
|
|
| |
From
net investments income |
(2.40) |
| (1.35) |
|
Total
distributions paid |
(2.40) |
| (1.35) |
|
|
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CAPITAL
SHARE TRANSACTIONS: |
|
|
| |
ETF
transaction fees |
0.16 |
| 0.12 |
|
ETF
total transaction fees |
0.16 |
| 0.12 |
|
Net
asset value, end of period |
$26.86 |
| $25.99 |
|
Total
return, at NAV(4)(5) |
13.17% |
| 9.66% |
|
Total
return, at Market(4)(5) |
12.97% |
| 10.14% |
|
|
|
|
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SUPPLEMENTAL
DATA AND RATIOS: |
|
|
| |
Net
assets, end of period (in thousands) |
$456,569 |
| $83,162 |
|
Ratio
of expenses to average net assets(6) |
0.50% |
| 0.50% |
|
Ratio
of net investment income to average net assets(6) |
9.84% |
| 10.87% |
|
Portfolio
Turnover Rate(7)(8) |
21% |
| 0% |
|
(1)Inception
date of the Fund was January 23, 2023.
(2)Calculated
based on average shares outstanding during the period.
(3)Due
to timing of capital share transactions, the per share amount of net realized
and unrealized gain (loss) on investments varies from the amounts shown in the
Statement of Operations.
(4)Total
return in the table represents the rate that the investor would have earned or
lost on an investment in the Fund, assuming reinvestment of
distributions.
(5)Not
annualized for periods less than one year.
(6)Annualized
for periods less than one year.
(7)Excludes
in-kind transactions associated with creations of the Fund.
(8)The
numerator for the portfolio turnover rate includes the lesser of purchases or
sales (excluding
short-term investments and securities sold short). The denominator includes the
average fair value of long positions throughout the period.
INVESTMENT
ADVISER:
Eldridge
Structured Credit Advisers, LLC
767
5th
Ave, 17th Floor
New
York, NY 10153
DISTRIBUTOR:
Quasar
Distributors, LLC
3
Canal Plaza, Suite 100
Portland,
ME 04101
CUSTODIAN:
U.S.
Bank N.A.
1555
North Rivercenter Drive, Suite 302
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin 53212
ADMINISTRATOR,
FUND ACCOUNTANT
AND TRANSFER AGENT:
U.S.
Bancorp Fund Services, LLC
615
East Michigan Street
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin 53202
INDEPENDENT
REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM:
Cohen
& Company, Ltd.
342
N. Water Street, Suite 830
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin 53202
LEGAL
COUNSEL:
Kirkland
& Ellis LLP
1301
Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington,
D.C. 20004
The
Funds collect non-public information about you that the law allows or requires
them to have in order to conduct their business and properly service you. The
Funds collect financial and personal information about you (“Personal
Information”) directly (e.g.,
information on account applications and other forms, such as your name, address,
and social security number, and information provided to access account
information or conduct account transactions online, such as password, account
number, e-mail address, and alternate telephone number), and indirectly
(e.g.,
information about your transactions with us, such as transaction amounts,
account balance, and account holdings).
The
Funds do not disclose any non-public personal information about their
shareholders or former shareholders other than for everyday business purposes
such as to process a transaction, service an account, respond to court orders
and legal investigations, or as otherwise permitted by law. Third parties that
may receive this information include companies that provide transfer agency,
technology, and administrative services to the Funds, as well as the Funds’
investment adviser who
is an affiliate of the Funds. If you maintain
a retirement/educational custodial account directly with the Funds, we may also
disclose your Personal Information to the custodian for that account for
shareholder servicing purposes. The Funds limit access to your Personal
Information provided to unaffiliated third parties to information necessary to
carry out their assigned responsibilities to the Funds. All shareholder records
will be disposed of in accordance with applicable law. The Funds maintain
physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your Personal
Information and requires their third-party service providers with access to such
information to treat your Personal Information with the same high degree of
confidentiality.
In
the event that you hold shares of the Funds through a financial intermediary,
including, but not limited to, a broker-dealer, bank, or trust company, the
privacy policy of your financial intermediary would govern how your non-public
personal information would be shared with unaffiliated third
parties.
Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF
Listed
on NYSE Arca, Inc.:
CLOX
Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF
Listed
on NYSE Arca, Inc.:
CLOZ
Each
a series of Series Portfolios Trust
FOR
MORE INFORMATION
You
can find more information about the Funds in the following
documents:
Statement
of Additional Information
The
SAI provides additional details about the investments and techniques of a Fund
and certain other additional information. A current SAI is on file with the SEC
and is incorporated into this Prospectus by reference. This means that the SAI
is legally considered a part of this Prospectus even though it is not physically
within this Prospectus.
Annual
and Semi-Annual Reports
A
Fund’s annual and semi-annual reports (collectively, the “Shareholder Reports”)
provide the most recent financial reports and portfolio holdings. The Annual
Reports, (Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF Annual Report and
Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF Annual Report)
each contain a discussion of the market conditions and investment strategies
that affected the Fund’s performance during the Fund’s prior fiscal
period.
The
SAI and the Shareholder Reports are available free of charge on the Funds’
websites at www.cloxfund.com for the Eldridge AAA CLO ETF or at www.clozfund.com
for the Eldridge BBB-B CLO ETF. You can obtain a free copy of the SAI and
Shareholder Reports, request other information, or make general inquiries about
the Funds by calling the Funds (toll-free) at 800-617-0004 or by writing
to:
|
|
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Eldridge
AAA CLO ETF
c/o
U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
P.O.
Box 701
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin 53201-0701
|
Eldridge
BBB-B CLO ETF
c/o
U.S. Bank Global Fund Services
P.O.
Box 701
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin 53201-0701 |
Reports
and other information about the Funds are also available:
•Free
of charge from the SEC’s EDGAR database on the SEC’s Internet website at
http://www.sec.gov; or
•For
a fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address:
[email protected].
(The
Trust’s SEC Investment Company Act of 1940 file number is
811-23084)