PROSPECTUS

VIRTUS ASSET TRUST

April 28, 2023

         

TICKER SYMBOL BY CLASS

FUND

A

C

I

R6

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund

SVIIX

SVIFX

STVTX

STVZX

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund

SAMVX

SMVFX

SMVTX

SMVZX

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund

SASVX

STCEX

SCETX

VVERX

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund

SCIIX

 

STITX

SCIZX

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

STGIX

 

STIGX

STGZX

Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund

SAINX

STIFX

STICX

VRSBX

Virtus Seix Floating Rate High Income Fund

SFRAX

SFRCX

SAMBX

SFRZX

Virtus Seix High Grade Municipal Bond Fund

SFLTX

 

SCFTX

 

Virtus Seix High Income Fund

SAHIX

 

STHTX

STHZX

Virtus Seix High Yield Fund

HYPSX

 

SAMHX

HYIZX

Virtus Seix Investment Grade Tax-Exempt Bond Fund

SISIX

 

STTBX

 
         

Virtus Seix Total Return Bond Fund

CBPSX

 

SAMFX

SAMZX

Virtus Seix U.S. Government Securities Ultra-Short Bond Fund

SSAGX

 

SIGVX

SIGZX

         

Virtus Seix Ultra-Short Bond Fund

SASSX

 

SISSX

 

Virtus Silvant Large-Cap Growth Stock Fund

STCIX

 

STCAX

STCZX

         

Virtus Zevenbergen Innovative Growth Stock Fund

SAGAX

 

SCATX

VZGRX

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense. This prospectus contains important information that you should know before investing in Virtus Mutual Funds. Please read it carefully and retain it for future reference.

Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value


 


Virtus Mutual Funds

Table of Contents

   

FUND SUMMARIES

1

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund

1

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund

5

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund

9

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund

13

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

17

Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund

22

Virtus Seix Floating Rate High Income Fund

27

Virtus Seix High Grade Municipal Bond Fund

32

Virtus Seix High Income Fund

36

Virtus Seix High Yield Fund

40

Virtus Seix Investment Grade Tax-Exempt Bond Fund

44

Virtus Seix Total Return Bond Fund

48

Virtus Seix U.S. Government Securities Ultra-Short Bond Fund

52

Virtus Seix Ultra-Short Bond Fund

56

Virtus Silvant Large-Cap Growth Stock Fund

60

Virtus Zevenbergen Innovative Growth Stock Fund

64

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUND EXPENSES

68

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

69

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund

70

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund

71

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund

72

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund

73

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

74

Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund

75

Virtus Seix Floating Rate High Income Fund

76

Virtus Seix High Grade Municipal Bond Fund

77

Virtus Seix High Income Fund

78

Virtus Seix High Yield Fund

79

Virtus Seix Investment Grade Tax-Exempt Bond Fund

80

Virtus Seix Total Return Bond Fund

81

Virtus Seix U.S. Government Securities Ultra-Short Bond Fund

82

Virtus Seix Ultra-Short Bond Fun

83

Virtus Silvant Large-Cap Growth Stock Fund

84

Virtus Zevenbergen Innovative Growth Stock Fund

85

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT RISKS RELATED TO PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

86

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUNDS

93

ADDITIONAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH INVESTMENT TECHNIQUES AND FUND OPERATIONS

99

PRICING OF FUND SHARES

103

SALES CHARGES

104

YOUR ACCOUNT

110

HOW TO BUY SHARES

112

HOW TO SELL SHARES

112

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW WHEN SELLING SHARES

113


   

COST BASIS REPORTING

116

INVESTOR SERVICES AND OTHER INFORMATION

116

TAX STATUS OF DISTRIBUTIONS

117

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

119

APPENDIX A – INTERMEDIARY SALES CHARGE DISCOUNTS AND WAIVERS

147

This Prospectus provides information concerning the funds that you should consider in determining whether to purchase shares of the funds. None of this Prospectus, the statement of additional information (“SAI”) or any contract that is an exhibit to the funds’ registration statement is intended to give rise to any agreement or contract between the funds 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.


Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking to provide a high level of capital appreciation. As a secondary goal, the fund also seeks to provide current income.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 104 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s SAI.

The Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund, a series of Virtus Asset Trust, is the successor of the RidgeWorth Ceredex Large Cap Value Equity Fund, a series of RidgeWorth Funds (“Predecessor Fund”), resulting from a reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the fund.

           

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

5.50%

None

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds) 

None

1.00%(a)

None

None

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Management Fees

0.68%

0.68%

0.68%

0.68%

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

1.00%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.33%

0.26%

0.38%

0.18%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.26%

1.94%

1.06%

0.86%

Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(b)

(0.02)%

(0.22)%

(0.09)%

(0.14)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(b)(c)

1.24%

1.72%

0.97%

0.72%

 

   

(a)

The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

 

(b)

The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.24% for Class A Shares, 1.72% for Class C Shares, 0.97% for Class I Shares and 0.72% for Class R6 Shares through April 30, 2024. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.

(c)

Not included in the table are extraordinary proxy expenses. If such amounts were reflected in this table, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reduction/Reimbursement would have been 1.26% for Class A Shares, 1.73% for Class C Shares, 0.98% for Class I Shares and 0.73% for Class R6 Shares.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                   

 

Share Status

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

Sold or Held

$669

 

$926

 

$1,202

 

$1,987

 

Class C

Sold

$275

 

$588

 

$1,027

 

$2,247

 

 

Held

$175

 

$588

 

$1,027

 

$2,247

 

Class I

Sold or Held

$99

 

$328

 

$576

 

$1,286

 

Class R6

Sold or Held

$74

 

$260

 

$463

 

$1,048

 

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 annual

   

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund

1


fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 146% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in U.S.-traded equity securities of large-capitalization companies. U.S.-traded equity securities may include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). As of the date of this prospectus, the fund’s subadviser considers large-capitalization companies for this purpose to be those companies that, at the time of initial purchase, have market capitalizations generally within the range of companies included in the Russell 1000® Value Index. As of December 31, 2022 , the market capitalization range of the companies in the Russell 1000® Value Index was $306 million to $1.150 trillion. As a result of its investment strategy, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be 100% or more and the fund may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

In selecting investments for purchase and sale, the subadviser chooses companies that it believes are undervalued in the market relative to the industry sector and the company’s own valuation history. The subadviser evaluates potential catalysts that may cause an upward re-rating of the stock’s valuation. The common stocks purchased for the fund generally pay dividends at the time of purchase or are expected to pay dividends soon after their purchase.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

> Equity Securities Risk. The value of the stocks held by the fund may be negatively affected by the financial market, industries in which the fund invests, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk.

> Value Stocks Risk. The fund may underperform when value investing is out of favor or the fund’s investments may not appreciate in value as anticipated.

> Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war or military conflict (e.g. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

> Depositary Receipts Risk. Investments in foreign companies through depositary receipts may expose the fund to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers.

> Large Market Capitalization Companies Risk. The value of investments in larger companies may not rise as much as smaller companies, or larger companies may be unable to respond quickly to competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

> Portfolio Turnover Risk. The fund’s principal investment strategies may result in a consistently high portfolio turnover rate. See the “Portfolio Turnover” section above for more information about the impact that portfolio turnover can have on your investment.

> Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

> Sector Focused Investing Risk. Events negatively affecting a particular market sector in which the fund focuses its investments may cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

Performance Information

The fund has adopted the past performance of the Predecessor Fund as its own. The Predecessor Fund and the fund have identical investment objectives and strategies. The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s performance from year to year over a 10-year period. The table shows how the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

   

2

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund


 

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges applicable to other share classes and would be lower if they did.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:34.19,2014:11.08,2015:-4.62,2016:15.45,2017:16.23,2018:-10.39,2019:30.94,2020:3.76,2021:25.48,2022:-14.07)

               

Best Quarter:

2020, Q4:

15.46%

Worst Quarter:

2020, Q1:

-28.10%

Year to Date (3/31/2023):

1.22%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/22; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

           

 

 

 

 

 

Since
Inception

 

 

 

 

 

Class R6

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

(8/1/2014)

Class I Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-14.07%

5.59%

9.61%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions

-16.38%

1.40%

6.02%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

-7.03%

3.54%

6.93%

Class A Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-19.05%

4.13%

8.70%

Class C Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-14.64%

4.82%

8.80%

Class R6 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-13.85%

5.87%

7.44%

Russell 1000® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

-7.54%

6.67%

10.29%

7.88%

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Russell 1000® Value Index is a market capitalization-weighted index of value-oriented stocks of the 1,000 largest companies in the Russell Universe, which comprises the 3,000 largest U.S. companies. The index is calculated on a total-return basis with dividends reinvested. The index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Fund Advisers, LLC.

The fund’s subadviser is Ceredex Value Advisors LLC (“Ceredex”).

Portfolio Management

>  Jennifer W. Graff, CFA, Managing Director of Ceredex and Portfolio Manager, has managed the fund since November 2021.

>  Mills Riddick, CFA, Chief Investment Officer of Ceredex, has managed the fund since 1995.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Minimum initial investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:

 $2,500, generally

   

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund

3


 $100 for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or exchange accounts

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

Minimum additional investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:

 $100, generally

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

Class R6 Shares are offered without a minimum initial investment to the following investors in plan level or omnibus accounts only (provided that they do not require or receive any compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments with respect to Class R6 Shares): (i) qualified retirement plans, including, but not limited to, 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, and defined benefit plans; (ii) banks and trust companies; (iii) insurance companies; (iv) financial intermediaries utilizing such shares in fee-based investment advisory programs; (v) registered investment companies; (vi) 529 portfolios that are advised or sub-advised by Virtus affiliates; and (vii) non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Other institutional investors may be permitted to purchase Class R6 Shares subject to the fund’s determination of eligibility and may be subject to a $2,500,000 minimum initial investment requirement.

In general, you may buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial professional, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment.

No compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments are paid to brokers or other entities from fund assets or the Distributor’s or an affiliate’s resources on sales of or investments in Class R6 Shares. Class R6 Shares do not carry sales commissions or pay Rule 12b-1 fees, or make payments to brokers or other entities to assist in, or in connection with, the sale of the fund’s shares.

Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

   

4

Virtus Ceredex Large-Cap Value Equity Fund


Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking to provide capital appreciation. As a secondary goal, the fund also seeks to provide current income.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 104 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s SAI.

The Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund, a series of Virtus Asset Trust, is the successor of the RidgeWorth Ceredex Mid Cap Value Equity Fund, a series of RidgeWorth Funds (“Predecessor Fund”), resulting from a reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the fund.

           

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

5.50%

None

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds) 

None

1.00%(a)

None

None

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Management Fees

0.69%

0.69%

0.69%

0.69%

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

1.00%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.34%

0.31%

0.32%

0.17%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.28%

2.00%

1.01%

0.86%

Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(b)

(0.00)%

(0.24)%

(0.00)%

(0.07)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(b)(c)

1.28%

1.76%

1.01%

0.79%

 

   

(a)

The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

 

(b)

The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.35% for Class A Shares, 1.76% for Class C Shares, 1.05% for Class I Shares and 0.79% for Class R6 Shares through April 30, 2024. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.

(c)

Not included in the table are extraordinary proxy expenses. If such amounts were reflected in this table, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reduction/Reimbursement would have been 1.29% for Class A Shares, 1.77% for Class C Shares, 1.02% for Class I Shares and 0.80% for Class R6 Shares.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                   

 

Share Status

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

Sold or Held

$673

 

$934

 

$1,214

 

$2,010

 

Class C

Sold

$279

 

$604

 

$1,056

 

$2,308

 

 

Held

$179

 

$604

 

$1,056

 

$2,308

 

Class I

Sold or Held

$103

 

$322

 

$558

 

$1,236

 

Class R6

Sold or Held

$81

 

$267

 

$470

 

$1,054

 

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 annual

   

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund

5


fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 166% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in U.S.-traded equity securities of mid-capitalization companies. U.S.-traded equity securities may include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). As of the date of this prospectus, the fund’s subadviser considers mid-capitalization companies for this purpose to be those companies that, at the time of initial purchase, have market capitalizations generally within the range of companies included in the Russell Midcap® Index. As of December 31, 2022, the market capitalization range of the companies in the Russell Midcap® Index was $306 million to $53 billion. As a result of its investment strategy, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be 100% or more and the fund may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

In selecting investments for purchase and sale, the subadviser chooses companies that it believes are undervalued in the market relative to the industry sector and the company’s own valuation history. The subadviser evaluates potential catalysts that may cause an upward re-rating of the stock’s valuation. The common stocks purchased for the fund generally pay dividends at the time of purchase or are expected to pay dividends soon after their purchase.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

> Equity Securities Risk. The value of the stocks held by the fund may be negatively affected by the financial market, industries in which the fund invests, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk.

> Value Stocks Risk. The fund may underperform when value investing is out of favor or the fund’s investments may not appreciate in value as anticipated.

> Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war or military conflict (e.g. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

> Depositary Receipts Risk. Investments in foreign companies through depositary receipts may expose the fund to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers.

> Medium Market Capitalization Companies Risk. The fund’s investments in medium market capitalization companies may increase the volatility and risk of loss to the fund, as compared with investments in larger, more established companies.

> Portfolio Turnover Risk. The fund’s principal investment strategies may result in a consistently high portfolio turnover rate. See the “Portfolio Turnover” section above for more information about the impact that portfolio turnover can have on your investment.

> Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

> Sector Focused Investing Risk. Events negatively affecting a particular market sector in which the fund focuses its investments may cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

Performance Information

The fund has adopted the past performance of the Predecessor Fund as its own. The Predecessor Fund and the fund have identical investment objectives and strategies. The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s performance from year to year over a 10-year period. The table shows how the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

   

6

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund


 

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges applicable to other share classes and would be lower if they did.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:31.21,2014:11,2015:-6,2016:20.16,2017:11.68,2018:-7.83,2019:33.08,2020:-1.2,2021:28.99,2022:-13.92)

               

Best Quarter:

2020, Q2:

20.18%

Worst Quarter:

2020, Q1:

-34.13%

Year to Date (3/31/2023):

-0.56%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/22; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

           

 

 

 

 

 

Since
Inception

 

 

 

 

 

Class R6

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

(8/1/2014)

Class I Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-13.92%

6.12%

9.47%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions

-15.49%

3.38%

6.27%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

-7.54%

4.13%

6.57%

Class A Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-18.94%

4.61%

8.53%

Class C Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-14.62%

5.32%

8.69%

Class R6 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-13.76%

6.36%

7.52%

Russell Midcap® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

-12.03%

5.72%

10.11%

7.39%

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Russell Midcap® Value Index is a market capitalization-weighted index of medium-capitalization, value-oriented stocks. The index is calculated on a total-return basis with dividends reinvested. The index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Fund Advisers, LLC.

The fund’s subadviser is Ceredex Value Advisors LLC (“Ceredex”).

Portfolio Management

> Don Wordell, CFA, Managing Director of Ceredex, has managed the fund since 2001.

> Cody P. Smith, CFA, Director and Senior Research Analyst of Ceredex, has managed the fund since February 2023.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Minimum initial investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:

 $2,500, generally

 $100 for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or exchange accounts

   

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund

7


 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

Minimum additional investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:

 $100, generally

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

Class R6 Shares are offered without a minimum initial investment to the following investors in plan level or omnibus accounts only (provided that they do not require or receive any compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments with respect to Class R6 Shares): (i) qualified retirement plans, including, but not limited to, 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, and defined benefit plans; (ii) banks and trust companies; (iii) insurance companies; (iv) financial intermediaries utilizing such shares in fee-based investment advisory programs; (v) registered investment companies; (vi) 529 portfolios that are advised or sub-advised by Virtus affiliates; and (vii) non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Other institutional investors may be permitted to purchase Class R6 Shares subject to the fund’s determination of eligibility and may be subject to a $2,500,000 minimum initial investment requirement.

In general, you may buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial professional, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment.

No compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments are paid to brokers or other entities from fund assets or the Distributor’s or an affiliate’s resources on sales of or investments in Class R6 Shares. Class R6 Shares do not carry sales commissions or pay Rule 12b-1 fees, or make payments to brokers or other entities to assist in, or in connection with, the sale of the fund’s shares.

Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

   

8

Virtus Ceredex Mid-Cap Value Equity Fund


Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking to provide capital appreciation. As a secondary goal, the fund also seeks to provide current income.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 104 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s SAI.

The Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund, a series of Virtus Asset Trust, is the successor of the RidgeWorth Ceredex Small Cap Value Equity Fund, a series of RidgeWorth Funds (“Predecessor Fund”), resulting from a reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the fund.

           

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

5.50%

None

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds) 

None

1.00%(a)

None

None

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Management Fees

0.85%

0.85%

0.85%

0.85%

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

1.00%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.39%

0.42%

0.38%

0.20%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.49%

2.27%

1.23%

1.05%

Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(b)

(0.03)%

(0.46)%

(0.08)%

(0.17)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(b)(c)

1.46%

1.81%

1.15%

0.88%

 

   

(a)

The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

 

(b)

The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.46% for Class A Shares, 1.81% for Class C Shares, 1.15% for Class I Shares and 0.88% for Class R6 Shares through April 30, 2024. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.

(c)

Not included in the table are extraordinary proxy expenses. If such amounts were reflected in this table, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reduction/Reimbursement would have been 1.47% for Class A Shares, 1.83% for Class C Shares, 1.17% for Class I Shares and 0.89% for Class R6 Shares.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                   

 

Share Status

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

Sold or Held

$690

 

$992

 

$1,316

 

$2,229

 

Class C

Sold

$284

 

$665

 

$1,173

 

$2,570

 

 

Held

$184

 

$665

 

$1,173

 

$2,570

 

Class I

Sold or Held

$117

 

$382

 

$668

 

$1,482

 

Class R6

Sold or Held

$90

 

$317

 

$563

 

$1,267

 

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 annual

   

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund

9


fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 73% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in U.S.-traded equity securities of small-capitalization companies. U.S.-traded equity securities may include American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). As of the date of this prospectus, the fund’s subadviser considers small-capitalization companies for this purpose to be those companies that, at the time of initial purchase, have market capitalizations generally within the range of companies included in the Russell 2000® Index on a rolling three-year basis. On this basis, as of December 31, 2022, the total market capitalization range of companies included in the Russell 2000® Index over the past three years was $5.85 million to $25.52 billion. As a result of its investment strategy, the fund may focus its investments in one or more sectors.

In selecting investments for purchase and sale, the subadviser chooses companies that it believes are undervalued in the market relative to the industry sector and the company’s own valuation history. The subadviser evaluates potential catalysts that may cause an upward re-rating of the stock’s valuation. The common stocks purchased for the fund generally pay dividends at the time of purchase or are expected to pay dividends soon after their purchase.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

> Equity Securities Risk. The value of the stocks held by the fund may be negatively affected by the financial market, industries in which the fund invests, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk.

> Value Stocks Risk. The fund may underperform when value investing is out of favor or the fund’s investments may not appreciate in value as anticipated.

> Sector Focused Investing Risk. Events negatively affecting a particular market sector in which the fund focuses its investments may cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

> Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war or military conflict (e.g. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

> Depositary Receipts Risk. Investments in foreign companies through depositary receipts may expose the fund to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers.

> Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

 

> Small Market Capitalization Companies Risk. The fund’s investments in small market capitalization companies may be less liquid and more vulnerable to adverse business or economic developments, which may increase the volatility and risk of loss to the fund, as compared with investments in larger, more established companies.

Performance Information

The fund has adopted the past performance of the Predecessor Fund as its own. The Predecessor Fund and the fund have identical investment objectives and strategies. The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s performance from year to year over a 10-year period. The table shows how the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

   

10

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund


 

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges applicable to other share classes and would be lower if they did.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:35.05,2014:2.12,2015:-5.86,2016:29.16,2017:10.29,2018:-12.42,2019:17.58,2020:0.91,2021:27.2,2022:-10.09)

               

Best Quarter:

2020, Q4:

27.22%

Worst Quarter:

2020, Q1:

-33.88%

Year to Date (3/31/2023):

3.79%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/22; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

           

 

 

 

 

 

Since
Inception

 

 

 

 

 

Class R6

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

(2/26/2019)

Class I Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-10.09%

3.51%

8.19%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions

-14.23%

0.37%

4.74%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

-3.20%

2.27%

5.95%

Class A Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-15.25%

2.06%

7.27%

Class C Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-10.67%

2.79%

7.45%

Class R6 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-9.79%

5.03%

Russell 2000® Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

-14.48%

4.13%

8.48%

5.18%

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Russell 2000® Value Index is a market capitalization-weighted index of value-oriented stocks of the smallest 2,000 companies in the Russell universe, which comprises the 3,000 largest U.S. companies. The index is calculated on a total-return basis with dividends reinvested. The index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Fund Advisers, LLC.

The fund’s subadviser is Ceredex Value Advisors LLC (“Ceredex”).

Portfolio Management

> Brett Barner, CFA, Managing Director of Ceredex, has managed the fund since 1995. Mr. Barner will be stepping down as a Portfolio Manager on June 30, 2023.

> Charles E. Carter, CFA, Director and Senior Research Analyst of Ceredex, has managed the fund since February 2023.

> Don Wordell, CFA, Managing Director of Ceredex, has managed the fund since February 2023.

   

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund

11


Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Minimum initial investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:

 $2,500, generally

 $100 for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or exchange accounts

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

Minimum additional investments applicable to Class A and Class C Shares:

 $100, generally

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

Class R6 Shares are offered without a minimum initial investment to the following investors in plan level or omnibus accounts only (provided that they do not require or receive any compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments with respect to Class R6 Shares): (i) qualified retirement plans, including, but not limited to, 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, and defined benefit plans; (ii) banks and trust companies; (iii) insurance companies; (iv) financial intermediaries utilizing such shares in fee-based investment advisory programs; (v) registered investment companies; (vi) 529 portfolios that are advised or sub-advised by Virtus affiliates; and (vii) non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Other institutional investors may be permitted to purchase Class R6 Shares subject to the fund’s determination of eligibility and may be subject to a $2,500,000 minimum initial investment requirement.

In general, you may buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial professional, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment.

No compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments are paid to brokers or other entities from fund assets or the Distributor’s or an affiliate’s resources on sales of or investments in Class R6 Shares. Class R6 Shares do not carry sales commissions or pay Rule 12b-1 fees, or make payments to brokers or other entities to assist in, or in connection with, the sale of the fund’s shares.

Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

   

12

Virtus Ceredex Small-Cap Value Equity Fund


Virtus SGA International Growth Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking to provide long-term capital appreciation.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 104 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s SAI.

The Virtus SGA International Growth Fund, a series of Virtus Asset Trust, is the successor of the RidgeWorth International Equity Fund, a series of RidgeWorth Funds (“Predecessor Fund”), resulting from a reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the fund.

         

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

 Class I

Class R6

Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

5.50%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds) 

None

None

None

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

 Class I

Class R6

Management Fees

0.85%

0.85%

0.85%

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.50%

0.51%

0.39%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.60%

1.36%

1.24%

Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(a)

(0.28)%

(0.29)%

(0.29)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(a)(b)

1.32%

1.07%

0.95%

 

   

(a)

The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 1.32% for Class A Shares, 1.07% for Class I Shares and 0.95% for Class R6 Shares through April 30, 2024. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.

(b)

Not included in the table are extraordinary proxy expenses. If such amounts were reflected in this table, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reduction/Reimbursement would have been 1.33% for Class A Shares, 1.08% for Class I Shares and 0.97% for Class R6 Shares.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                   

 

Share Status

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

Sold or Held

$677

 

$1,001

 

$1,348

 

$2,323

 

Class I

Sold or Held

$109

 

$402

 

$717

 

$1,610

 

Class R6

Sold or Held

$97

 

$365

 

$653

 

$1,474

 

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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 36% of the average value of its portfolio.

   

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund

13


Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund will invest in securities of issuers located throughout the world. Under normal circumstances, the fund will invest at least 80% of its assets in equity securities of issuers organized, headquartered or doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S.

As of the date of this prospectus, the fund’s subadviser, Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP (“SGA”), considers an issuer that has at least 50% of its assets or derives at least 50% of its revenue from business outside the U.S. as doing a substantial amount of business outside the U.S. SGA uses an investment process to identify companies that it believes have a high degree of predictability, strong profitability and above average earnings and cash flow growth. SGA selects investments for the fund’s portfolio that it believes have superior long-term earnings prospects and attractive valuation. To the extent consistent with the fund’s investment objective and strategies, the subadviser will consider as an element of its investment research and decision making processes for the fund any environmental, social and/or governance (“ESG”) factors that the subadviser believes may influence risks and opportunities of companies under consideration. However, the pursuit of ESG-related goals is not the fund’s investment objective, nor one of its investment strategies. Therefore, ESG factors by themselves are not expected to determine investment decisions for the fund. The fund’s equity investments may include common stocks, preferred stocks, securities convertible into or exchangeable for common stocks, and depositary receipts. The fund may invest in companies of all market capitalizations. The fund will allocate its assets among various regions and countries, including emerging markets. From time to time, the fund may have a significant portion of its assets invested in the securities of companies in only a few countries or regions. Although the fund seeks investments across a number of sectors, from time to time, the fund may have significant positions in particular sectors.

SGA will sell a portfolio holding when it believes the security’s fundamentals deteriorate, its valuation is no longer attractive, or a better investment opportunity arises.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

> Equity Securities Risk. The value of the stocks held by the fund may be negatively affected by the financial market, industries in which the fund invests, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or in small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk.

> Foreign Investing Risk. Investing in foreign securities subjects the fund to additional risks such as increased volatility; currency fluctuations; less liquidity; less publicly available information about the foreign investment; and political, regulatory, economic, and market risk.

> Emerging Market Risk. Emerging markets securities may be more volatile, or more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

> Geographic Concentration Risk. A fund that focuses its investments in a particular geographic location will be sensitive to financial, economic, political and other events negatively affecting that location and may cause the value of the fund to decrease, perhaps significantly.

> Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war or military conflict (e.g. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

> Convertible Securities Risk. The value of a convertible security may decline as interest rates rise and/or vary with fluctuations in the market value of the underlying securities. The security may be called for redemption at a time and/or price unfavorable to the fund.

> Currency Rate Risk. Fluctuations in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies may negatively affect the value of the fund’s shares.

> Depositary Receipts Risk. Investments in foreign companies through depositary receipts may expose the fund to the same risks as direct investments in securities of foreign issuers.

> ESG Risk. The fund’s consideration of ESG factors could cause the fund to perform differently from other funds. While the subadviser believes that the integration of ESG factors into the fund’s investment process has the potential to contribute to performance, ESG factors may not be considered for every investment decision and there is no guarantee that the integration of ESG factors will result in better performance.

> Growth Stocks Risk. The fund’s investments in growth stocks may be more volatile than investments in other types of stocks, or may perform differently from the market as a whole and from other types of stocks.

> Large Market Capitalization Companies Risk. The value of investments in larger companies may not rise as much as smaller companies, or larger companies may be unable to respond quickly to competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.

> Preferred Stocks Risk. Preferred stocks may decline in price, fail to pay dividends when expected, or be illiquid.

> Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

> Sector Focused Investing Risk. Events negatively affecting a particular market sector in which the fund focuses its investments may cause the value of the fund’s shares to decrease, perhaps significantly.

   

14

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund


> Small and Medium Market Capitalization Companies Risk. The fund’s investments in small and medium market capitalization companies may increase the volatility and risk of loss to the fund, as compared with investments in larger, more established companies.

Performance Information

The fund has adopted the past performance of the Predecessor Fund as its own. The Predecessor Fund and the fund have identical investment objectives and strategies. The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s performance from year to year over a 10-year period. The table shows how the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

 

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges applicable to other share classes and would be lower if they did.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:20.91,2014:-7.73,2015:3.03,2016:0.02,2017:31.58,2018:-7.69,2019:28.61,2020:23.17,2021:8.59,2022:-18.19)

               

Best Quarter:

2020, Q2:

20.17%

Worst Quarter:

2020, Q1:

-16.51%

Year to Date (3/31/2023):

7.89%

Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/22; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

           

 

 

 

 

 

Since
Inception

 

 

 

 

 

Class R6

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

(9/1/2015)

Class I Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-18.19%

5.37%

6.99%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions

-19.25%

2.27%

4.66%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

-10.13%

3.85%

5.29%

Class A Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-22.91%

3.93%

6.18%

Class R6 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-18.17%

5.46%

8.63%

MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (net) (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

-16.00%

0.88%

3.80%

4.70%

 

 

 

 

 

 

The MSCI All Country World ex USA Index (net) is a free float-adjusted market capitalization-weighted index that measures equity performance of developed and emerging markets, excluding the United States. The index is calculated on a total return basis with net dividends reinvested. The index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Fund Advisers, LLC.

The fund’s subadviser is Sustainable Growth Advisers, LP (“SGA”)

   

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund

15


Portfolio Management

> Tucker Brown, Portfolio Manager and Principal of SGA. Mr. Brown has served as a Portfolio Manager of the fund since June 2019.

> Alexandra Lee, Portfolio Manager and Principal of SGA. Ms. Lee has served as a Portfolio Manager of the fund since June 2019.

> Kishore Rao, Analyst, Portfolio Manager, Principal and a member of the Investment Committee at SGA. Mr. Rao has served as a Portfolio Manager of the fund since June 2022.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Minimum initial investments applicable to Class A Shares:

 $2,500, generally

 $100 for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or exchange accounts

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

Minimum additional investments applicable to Class A Shares:

 $100, generally

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

Class R6 Shares are offered without a minimum initial investment to the following investors in plan level or omnibus accounts only (provided that they do not require or receive any compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments with respect to Class R6 Shares): (i) qualified retirement plans, including, but not limited to, 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, and defined benefit plans; (ii) banks and trust companies; (iii) insurance companies; (iv) financial intermediaries utilizing such shares in fee-based investment advisory programs; (v) registered investment companies; (vi) 529 portfolios that are advised or sub-advised by Virtus affiliates; and (vii) non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Other institutional investors may be permitted to purchase Class R6 Shares subject to the fund’s determination of eligibility and may be subject to a $2,500,000 minimum initial investment requirement.

In general, you may buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial professional, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.

Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment.

No compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments are paid to brokers or other entities from fund assets or the Distributor’s or an affiliate’s resources on sales of or investments in Class R6 Shares. Class R6 Shares do not carry sales commissions or pay Rule 12b-1 fees, or make payments to brokers or other entities to assist in, or in connection with, the sale of the fund’s shares.

Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

   

16

Virtus SGA International Growth Fund


Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking to maximize long term total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation, consistent with capital preservation.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 104 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s SAI.

The Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund, a series of Virtus Asset Trust, is the successor of the RidgeWorth Seix Core Bond Fund, a series of RidgeWorth Funds (“Predecessor Fund”), resulting from a reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the fund.

         

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

 Class I

Class R6

Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

3.75%

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds) 

None

None

None

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

 Class I

Class R6

Management Fees

0.25%

0.25%

0.25%

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.43%

0.39%

0.27%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.93%

0.64%

0.52%

Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(a)

(0.29)%

(0.14)%

(0.16)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(a)(b)

0.64%

0.50%

0.36%

 

   

(a)

The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 0.64% for Class A Shares, 0.50% for Class I Shares and 0.36% for Class R6 Shares through April 30, 2024. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.

(b)

Not included in the table are extraordinary proxy expenses. If such amounts were reflected in this table, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reduction/Reimbursement would have been 0.66% for Class A Shares, 0.51% for Class I Shares and 0.38% for Class R6 Shares.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                   

 

Share Status

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

Sold or Held

$438

 

$632

 

$843

 

$1,450

 

Class I

Sold or Held

$51

 

$191

 

$343

 

$785

 

Class R6

Sold or Held

$37

 

$151

 

$275

 

$637

 

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 annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 175% of the average value of its portfolio.

   

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

17


Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund invests in various types of income-producing debt instruments including mortgage- and asset-backed securities, government and agency obligations, and corporate obligations. The fund may invest in debt obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers, including investment grade rated emerging market debt. The fund’s investment in non-U.S. issuers may at times be significant.

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in investment grade fixed income securities. These investments will be chosen from the broad universe of available fixed income instruments rated investment grade, or unrated securities that the subadviser believes are of comparable quality.

There are no limits on the fund’s average-weighted maturity or on the remaining maturities of individual assets in which the fund may invest. The subadviser may retain investments if the rating of the instrument falls below investment grade if the subadviser deems retention of the investment to be in the best interest of the fund. Such instruments are sometimes referred to as “junk bonds.” The fund may also invest a portion of its assets in instruments that are restricted as to resale. As a result of its investment strategy, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be 100% or more. In selecting investments for purchase and sale, the subadviser generally selects a greater weighting in corporate obligations and mortgage-backed securities relative to the fund’s comparative benchmark, and a lower relative weighting in U.S. Treasury and government agency issues.

The subadviser anticipates that the fund’s modified-adjusted duration will mirror that of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index, plus or minus 20%. For example, if the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is 5 years, the fund’s duration may be 4-6 years. As of December 31, 2022, the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index was 6.17 years. Duration measures a bond or fund’s sensitivity to interest rate or other changes (such as changes in a bond’s yield) and is expressed as a number of years. The higher the number, the greater the risk. Under normal circumstances, for example, if a portfolio has a duration of 5 years, its value will change by 5% if yields change by 1%. Shorter duration bonds generally result in lower expected volatility.

In addition, to implement its investment strategy, the fund may buy or sell derivative instruments (such as swaps, including credit default swaps, futures, credit linked notes, options, inverse floaters, and warrants) to use as a substitute for a purchase or sale of a position in the underlying assets and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate or credit risks. The fund may also utilize Treasury Inflation Protection Securities (“TIPS”) opportunistically. The fund may count the market value of certain derivatives with investment grade fixed income characteristics and TIPS towards its policy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

> Credit Risk. If the issuer of a debt instrument fails to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or negative perceptions exist in the market of the issuer’s ability to make such payments, the price of the security may decline.

> Interest Rate Risk. The values of debt instruments may rise or fall in response to changes in interest rates, and this risk may be enhanced for securities with longer maturities.

> Foreign Investing Risk. Investing in foreign securities subjects the fund to additional risks such as increased volatility; currency fluctuations; less liquidity; less publicly available information about the foreign investment; and political, regulatory, economic, and market risk.

> Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk. Changes in interest rates may cause both extension and prepayment risks for mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities. These securities are also subject to risks associated with the non-repayment of underlying collateral, including losses to the fund.

> Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war or military conflict (e.g. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

> Derivatives Risk. Derivatives and other similar instruments (collectively referred to in this section as “derivatives”) may include, among other things, futures, options, forwards and swap agreements and may be used in order to hedge portfolio risks, create leverage or attempt to increase returns. Investments in derivatives may result in increased volatility and the fund may incur a loss greater than its principal investment.

> Emerging Market Risk. Emerging markets securities may be more volatile, or more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

> High-Yield/High-Risk Fixed Income Securities (Junk Bonds) Risk. There is a greater risk of issuer default, less liquidity, and increased price volatility related to high-yield/high-risk securities than investment grade securities.

> Illiquid and Restricted Securities Risk. Certain securities in which a fund invests may be difficult to sell at the time and price beneficial to the fund, for example due to low trading volumes or legal restrictions.

   

18

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund


> Income Risk. Income received from the fund may vary widely over the short- and long-term and/or be less than anticipated if the proceeds from maturing securities in the fund are reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

> Inflation-Linked Investments Risk. Inflation-linked securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates and that interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security may be irregular. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in their value. In addition, positive adjustments to principal in inflation-protected securities generally can be expected to result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments, even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity.

> Portfolio Turnover Risk. The fund’s principal investment strategies may result in a consistently high portfolio turnover rate. See the “Portfolio Turnover” section above for more information about the impact that portfolio turnover can have on your investment.

> Prepayment/Call Risk. Issuers may prepay or call their fixed rate obligations when interest rates fall, forcing the fund to reinvest in obligations with lower interest rates and the fund may not benefit fully from the increase in value that other fixed income investments experience when interest rates decline.

> Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

> Unrated Fixed Income Securities Risk. If the subadviser is unable to accurately assess the quality of an unrated fixed income security, the fund may invest in a security with greater risk than intended, or the securities may be more difficult to sell than anticipated.

> U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. Government securities may be subject to price fluctuations. An agency may default on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Any guarantee on U.S. government securities does not apply to the value of the fund’s shares.

Performance Information

The fund has adopted the past performance of the Predecessor Fund as its own. The Predecessor Fund and the fund have identical investment objectives and strategies. The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s performance from year to year over a 10-year period. The table shows how the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index that reflects the market sectors in which the fund invests. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

 

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges applicable to other share classes and would be lower if they did.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:-2.71,2014:6.42,2015:0.11,2016:3.03,2017:3.05,2018:-0.14,2019:7.63,2020:9.15,2021:-1.38,2022:-13.72)

               

Best Quarter:

2020, Q1:

4.49%

Worst Quarter:

2022, Q1:

-5.79%

Year to Date (3/31/2023):

3.32%

   

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

19


Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/22; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

           

 

 

 

 

 

Since
Inception

 

 

 

 

 

Class R6

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

(8/3/2015)

Class I Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-13.72%

-0.04%

0.94%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions

-14.63%

-0.97%

-0.10%

 

Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

-8.05%

-0.36%

0.33%

Class A Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-17.08%

-0.94%

0.39%

Class R6 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

Return Before Taxes

-13.60%

0.10%

0.81%

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)

-13.01%

0.02%

1.06%

0.80%

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index measures the U.S. investment grade fixed rate bond market. The index is calculated on a total return basis. The index is unmanaged and not available for direct investment.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. After-tax returns are shown only for Class I Shares; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor’s tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns are not relevant to investors who hold fund shares in tax-deferred accounts or to shares held by non-taxable entities. In certain cases, the Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares for a period may be higher than other return figures for the same period. This will occur when a capital loss is realized upon the sale of fund shares and provides an assumed tax benefit that increases the return.

Management

The fund’s investment adviser is Virtus Fund Advisers, LLC (“VFA”).

The fund’s subadviser is Seix Investment Advisors (“Seix”), an operating division of Virtus Fixed Income Advisers, LLC, and affiliate of VFA.

Portfolio Management

> Carlos Catoya, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Seix. Mr. Catoya has been a member of the fund’s management team since 2015.

> Michael Rieger, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager of Seix. Mr. Rieger has been a member of the fund’s management team since 2007.

> Perry Troisi, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager of Seix. Mr. Troisi has been a member of the fund’s management team since 2004.

> Jonathan Yozzo, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager of Seix. Mr. Yozzo has been a member of the fund’s management team since 2015.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Minimum initial investments applicable to Class A Shares:

 $2,500, generally

 $100 for Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs), systematic purchase or exchange accounts

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

Minimum additional investments applicable to Class A Shares:

 $100, generally

 No minimum for defined contribution plans, asset-based fee programs, profit-sharing plans or employee benefit plans.

For Class I Shares, the minimum initial purchase is $100,000; there is no minimum for additional purchases.

Class R6 Shares are offered without a minimum initial investment to the following investors in plan level or omnibus accounts only (provided that they do not require or receive any compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments with respect to Class R6 Shares): (i) qualified retirement plans, including, but not limited to, 401(k) plans, 457 plans, employer sponsored 403(b) plans, and defined benefit plans; (ii) banks and trust companies; (iii) insurance companies; (iv) financial intermediaries utilizing such shares in fee-based investment advisory programs; (v) registered investment companies; (vi) 529 portfolios that are advised or sub-advised by Virtus affiliates; and (vii) non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Other institutional investors may be permitted to purchase Class R6 Shares subject to the fund’s determination of eligibility and may be subject to a $2,500,000 minimum initial investment requirement.

In general, you may buy or sell shares of the fund by mail or telephone on any business day. You also may buy and sell shares through a financial professional, broker-dealer or other financial intermediary.

   

20

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund


Taxes

The fund’s distributions are taxable to you as either ordinary income or capital gains, except when your investment is through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account. Such tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those arrangements.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your financial professional to recommend the fund over another investment.

No compensation, administrative payments, sub-transfer agency payments or service payments are paid to brokers or other entities from fund assets or the Distributor’s or an affiliate’s resources on sales of or investments in Class R6 Shares. Class R6 Shares do not carry sales commissions or pay Rule 12b-1 fees, or make payments to brokers or other entities to assist in, or in connection with, the sale of the fund’s shares.

Ask your financial professional or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

   

Virtus Seix Core Bond Fund

21


Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund

Investment Objective

The fund has an investment objective of seeking to maximize long term total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation, consistent with capital preservation.

Fees and Expenses

The tables below illustrate 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 tables and examples below. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Virtus Funds. More information on these and other discounts is available: (i) from your financial professional or other financial intermediary; (ii) under “Sales Charges” on page 104 of the fund’s prospectus; (iii) with respect to purchase of shares through specific intermediaries, in Appendix A to the fund’s prospectus, entitled “Intermediary Sales Charge Discounts and Waivers;” and (iv) under “Alternative Purchase Arrangements” on page 115 of the fund’s SAI.

The Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund, a series of Virtus Asset Trust, is the successor of the RidgeWorth Seix Corporate Bond Fund, a series of RidgeWorth Funds (“Predecessor Fund”), resulting from a reorganization of the Predecessor Fund with and into the fund.

           

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Maximum Sales Charge (load) Imposed on Purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

3.75%

None

None

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a percentage of the lesser of purchase price or redemption proceeds) 

None

1.00%(a)

None

None

 

 

 

 

 

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as
a percentage of the value of your investment)

Class A

Class C

 Class I

Class R6

Management Fees

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

0.40%

Distribution and Shareholder Servicing (12b-1) Fees

0.25%

1.00%

None

None

Other Expenses

0.48%

0.48%

0.56%

0.37%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

1.13%

1.88%

0.96%

0.77%

Less: Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement(b)

(0.18)%

(0.23)%

(0.26)%

(0.34)%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reimbursement(b)(c)

0.95%

1.65%

0.70%

0.43%

 

   

(a)

The deferred sales charge is imposed on Class C Shares redeemed during the first year only.

 

(b)

The fund’s investment adviser has contractually agreed to limit the fund’s total operating expenses (excluding certain expenses, such as front-end or contingent deferred sales charges, taxes, leverage and borrowing expenses (such as commitment, amendment and renewal expenses on credit or redemption facilities), interest, brokerage commissions, expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization, unusual or infrequently occurring expenses (such as litigation), acquired fund fees and expenses, and dividend expenses, if any) so that such expenses do not exceed 0.95% for Class A Shares, 1.65% for Class C Shares, 0.70% for Class I Shares and 0.43% for Class R6 Shares through April 30, 2024. Following the contractual period, the adviser may discontinue these expense reimbursement arrangements at any time. Under certain conditions, the adviser may recapture operating expenses reimbursed and/or fees waived under these arrangements for a period of three years following the date such waiver or reimbursement occurred, provided that the recapture does not cause the fund to exceed its expense limit in effect at the time of the waiver or reimbursement, and any in effect at the time of recapture, after repayment is taken into account.

(c)

Not included in the table are extraordinary proxy expenses. If such amounts were reflected in this table, the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Expense Reduction/Reimbursement would have been 0.97% for Class A Shares, 1.66% for Class C Shares, 0.72% for Class I Shares and 0.45% for Class R6 Shares.

Example

This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods or continued to hold them. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same and that the expense reimbursement agreement remains in place for the contractual period. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

                   

 

Share Status

1 Year

3 Years

5 Years

10 Years

Class A

Sold or Held

$468

 

$703

 

$957

 

$1,683

 

Class C

Sold

$268

 

$569

 

$995

 

$2,182

 

 

Held

$168

 

$569

 

$995

 

$2,182

 

Class I

Sold or Held

$72

 

$280

 

$506

 

$1,154

 

Class R6

Sold or Held

$44

 

$212

 

$394

 

$922

 

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 annual

   

22

Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund


fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 99% of the average value of its portfolio.

Investments, Risks and Performance

Principal Investment Strategies

The fund primarily invests in a diversified portfolio of U.S. dollar denominated corporate obligations and other fixed income instruments that are rated investment grade (BBB-/Baa3 or better) or unrated instruments that the subadviser believes are of comparable quality. There are no limits on the fund’s average-weighted maturity or on the remaining maturities of individual instruments in which the fund may invest. As a result of its investment strategy, the fund’s portfolio turnover rate may be 100% or more.

Under normal circumstances, the fund invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in corporate bonds. The fund may also invest in U.S. Treasury and agency obligations, floating rate loans, and below investment grade, high yield debt obligations (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”), including emerging market securities. The fund may invest in U.S. dollar denominated obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers. The fund may invest a portion of its assets in instruments that are restricted as to resale.

Buy and sell decisions are based on a wide number of factors that determine the risk-reward profile of each investment within the context of the broader portfolio. The subadviser attempts to identify investment grade corporate bonds offering above-average total return. In selecting corporate debt investments for purchase and sale, the subadviser seeks out companies with good fundamentals and above-average return prospects that are currently priced at attractive levels. The primary basis for asset selection is the potential income offered by the asset relative to the subadviser’s assessment of the issuer’s ability to generate the cash flow required to meet its obligations. The subadviser employs a “bottom-up” approach, identifying potential investment opportunities based on the underlying financial and economic fundamentals of the specific issuer.

The subadviser anticipates that the fund’s modified-adjusted-duration will mirror that of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Index, plus or minus 20%. For example, if the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Index is 5 years, the fund’s duration may be 4–6 years. As of December 31, 2022, the duration of the Bloomberg U.S. Corporate Investment Grade Index was 7.10 years. Duration measures a bond or fund’s sensitivity to interest rate or other changes (such as changes in a bond’s yield) and is expressed as a number of years. The higher the number, the greater the risk. Under normal circumstances, for example, if a portfolio has a duration of 5 years, its value will change by 5% if yields change by 1%. Shorter duration bonds generally result in lower expected volatility.

In addition, to implement its investment strategy, the fund may buy or sell derivative instruments (such as foreign currency forward contracts, swaps, including credit default swaps, futures, credit linked notes, options, inverse floaters and warrants) to use as a substitute for a purchase or sale of a position in the underlying assets and/or as part of a strategy designed to reduce exposure to other risks, such as interest rate or credit risks. The fund may count the value of certain derivatives with corporate bond characteristics towards its policy to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets in corporate bonds.

Principal Risks

The fund may not achieve its objective(s), and it is not intended to be a complete investment program. The value of the fund’s investments that supports your share value may decrease. If between the time you purchase shares and the time you sell shares the value of the fund’s investments decreases, you will lose money. Investment values can decrease for a number of reasons. Conditions affecting the overall economy, specific industries or companies in which the fund invests can be worse than expected, and investments may fail to perform as the subadviser expects. As a result, the value of your shares may decrease. Purchase and redemption activities by fund shareholders may impact the management of the fund and its ability to achieve its investment objective(s). The principal risks of investing in the fund are identified below.

> Credit Risk. If the issuer of a debt instrument fails to pay interest or principal in a timely manner, or negative perceptions exist in the market of the issuer’s ability to make such payments, the price of the security may decline.

> Interest Rate Risk. The values of debt instruments may rise or fall in response to changes in interest rates, and this risk may be enhanced for securities with longer maturities.

> High-Yield/High-Risk Fixed Income Securities (Junk Bonds) Risk. There is a greater risk of issuer default, less liquidity, and increased price volatility related to high-yield/high-risk securities than investment grade securities.

> Derivatives Risk. Derivatives and other similar instruments (collectively referred to in this section as “derivatives”) may include, among other things, futures, options, forwards and swap agreements and may be used in order to hedge portfolio risks, create leverage or attempt to increase returns. Investments in derivatives may result in increased volatility and the fund may incur a loss greater than its principal investment.

> Market Volatility Risk. The value of the securities in the fund may go up or down in response to the prospects of individual companies and/or general economic conditions. Price changes may be short- or long-term. Local, regional or global events such as war or military conflict (e.g. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine), acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issue, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the fund and its investments, including hampering the ability of the fund’s portfolio manager(s) to invest the fund’s assets as intended.

> Bank Loan Risk. In addition to the risks typically associated with high-yield/high-risk fixed income securities, bank loans may be unsecured or not fully collateralized, may be subject to restrictions on resale, may be less liquid and may trade infrequently on the secondary market. Bank loans settle on a delayed basis; thus, sale proceeds may not be available to meet redemptions for a substantial period of time after the sale of the loan.

> Emerging Market Risk. Emerging markets securities may be more volatile, or more greatly affected by negative conditions, than those of their counterparts in more established foreign markets.

> Foreign Investing Risk. Investing in foreign securities subjects the fund to additional risks such as increased volatility; currency fluctuations; less liquidity; less publicly available information about the foreign investment; and political, regulatory, economic, and market risk.

   

Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund

23


> Income Risk. Income received from the fund may vary widely over the short- and long-term and/or be less than anticipated if the proceeds from maturing securities in the fund are reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

> Illiquid and Restricted Securities Risk. Certain securities in which a fund invests may be difficult to sell at the time and price beneficial to the fund, for example due to low trading volumes or legal restrictions.

> Portfolio Turnover Risk. The fund’s principal investment strategies may result in a consistently high portfolio turnover rate. See the “Portfolio Turnover” section above for more information about the impact that portfolio turnover can have on your investment.

> Prepayment/Call Risk. Issuers may prepay or call their fixed rate obligations when interest rates fall, forcing the fund to reinvest in obligations with lower interest rates and the fund may not benefit fully from the increase in value that other fixed income investments experience when interest rates decline.

> Redemption Risk. One or more large shareholders or groups of shareholders may redeem their holdings in the fund, resulting in an adverse impact on remaining shareholders in the fund by causing the fund to take actions it would not otherwise have taken.

> Unrated Fixed Income Securities Risk. If the subadviser is unable to accurately assess the quality of an unrated fixed income security, the fund may invest in a security with greater risk than intended, or the securities may be more difficult to sell than anticipated.

> U.S. Government Securities Risk. U.S. Government securities may be subject to price fluctuations. An agency may default on an obligation not backed by the full faith and credit of the United States. Any guarantee on U.S. government securities does not apply to the value of the fund’s shares.

Performance Information

The fund has adopted the past performance of the Predecessor Fund as its own. The Predecessor Fund and the fund have identical investment objectives and strategies. The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The fund’s past performance, before and after taxes, is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

The bar chart shows changes in the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s performance from year to year over a 10-year period. The table shows how the fund’s and Predecessor Fund’s average annual returns compare to those of a broad-based securities market index that reflects the market sectors in which the fund invests. Updated performance information is available at virtus.com or by calling 800-243-1574.

 

Calendar year total returns for Class I Shares (includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns do not reflect sales charges applicable to other share classes and would be lower if they did.

PerformanceBarChartData(2013:-2.61,2014:7.68,2015:-1.43,2016:8.38,2017:6.69,2018:-3.81,2019:12.66,2020:17.82,2021:-1.67,2022:-18.25)

               

Best Quarter:

2020, Q2:

11.11%

Worst Quarter:

2022, Q1:

-8.31%

Year to Date (3/31/2023):

4.44%

   

24

Virtus Seix Corporate Bond Fund


Average Annual Total Returns (for the periods ended 12/31/22; includes returns of a predecessor fund)

Returns reflect deduction of maximum sales charges and full redemption at end of periods shown.

           

 

 

 

 

 

Since
Inception

 

 

 

 

 

Class R6

 

1 Year

5 Years

10 Years

(