Harbor Mid Cap Value Fund Institutional Class (HAMVX)

Investment Philosophy

Principal Style Characteristics: Mid cap value stocks of companies with inexpensive fundamentals and recent momentum, relative to their peers

The Fund invests primarily in equity securities, principally common stocks, of mid cap companies that, in the Subadviser's opinion, are out of favor and thus undervalued in the marketplace at the time of purchase and have the potential for appreciation. We define mid cap companies as those with market capitalizations that fall within the range of the Russell Midcap® Index, provided that if the upper end of the capitalization range of that Index falls below $15 billion, we will continue to define those companies with market capitalizations between the upper end of the range of the Index and $15 billion as mid cap companies. As of December 31, 2010, the range of the Index was $237 million to $17.2 billion, but it is expected to change frequently. The Subadviser's active investment strategy uses a quantitative investment model to evaluate and recommend investment decisions for the Fund in a bottom-up, contrarian value approach. The primary components of the quantitative models are:

  • Indicators of fundamental undervaluation, such as low price-to-cash flow ratio or low price-to-earnings ratio
  • Indicators of past negative market sentiment, such as poor past stock price performance
  • Indicators of recent momentum, such as high recent stock price performance
  • Control of incremental risk relative to the benchmark index

All such indicators are measured relative to the overall universe of mid cap companies.

Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in a diversified portfolio of equity securities of mid cap companies. The Fund's 80% investment policy can be changed by the Fund upon 60 days' advance notice to shareholders.

Risks

There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Fund will be achieved. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Stocks fluctuate in price and the value of your investment in the Fund may go down. This means that you could lose money on your investment in the Fund or the Fund may not perform as well as other possible investments. Principal risks include:

Market risk: The individual stocks in which the Fund has invested or overall stock markets in which they trade may decline in value. Additionally, an adverse event, such as an unfavorable earnings report, may depress the value of a particular company's stock.

Value style risk: Over time, a value oriented investing style may go in and out of favor, which may cause the Fund to sometimes underperform other equity funds that use different investing styles.

Selection risk: The Subadviser's judgment about the attractiveness, value and potential appreciation of a particular company's stock could be incorrect.

Mid cap risk: The Fund's performance may be more volatile because it invests primarily in mid cap stocks. Mid cap companies may have limited product lines, market and financial resources. They are usually less stable in price and less liquid than those of larger, more established companies. Additionally, mid cap stocks may fall out of favor relative to small or large cap stocks, which may cause the Fund to underperform other equity funds that focus on small or large cap stocks.