The fund primarily allocates a minimum of 80% of its portfolio to equity securities of smaller companies. These investments target firms identified as undervalued, based on an assessment of their earnings potential, dividend distributions, or underlying assets. For comparative purposes, the portfolio's performance is often referenced against the Russell 2000® Value Index, a passive benchmark that tracks a segment of the Russell 2,000 companies characterized by lower price-to-book ratios and more modest forecasted growth prospects.