Investment objective & strategy
As of June 25, 2025 · prospectusObjective. The Dearborn Partners Rising Dividend Fund (the Fund) seeks current income, rising income over time, and long-term capital appreciation.
Strategy. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in the equity securities of companies that pay current dividends and that the Funds portfolio managers believe have the potential to increase their dividends with regularity. Equity securities in which the Fund invests consist primarily of common stocks, but may also include master limited partnerships (MLPs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs). MLPs are businesses organized as limited partnerships that trade their proportionate shares of the partnership (units) on a public exchange. A REIT is a security of a company that invests in real estate, either through real estate property, mortgages and similar real estate investments, or all of the foregoing. The Fund will invest primarily … Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its net assets in the equity securities of companies that pay current dividends and that the Funds portfolio managers believe have the potential to increase their dividends with regularity. Equity securities in which the Fund invests consist primarily of common stocks, but may also include master limited partnerships (MLPs) and real estate investment trusts (REITs). MLPs are businesses organized as limited partnerships that trade their proportionate shares of the partnership (units) on a public exchange. A REIT is a security of a company that invests in real estate, either through real estate property, mortgages and similar real estate investments, or all of the foregoing. The Fund will invest primarily in securities of U.S. companies, but may invest up to 20% of its net assets in securities of foreign issuers. Foreign issuers means non-U.S. companies: (a) whose securities are traded on a U.S. exchange, and denominated in U.S. dollars, in the form of American Depositary Receipts (ADRs); or (b) who are organized and headquartered outside the United States but whose securities are publicly traded on a U.S. exchange. The Fund invests in companies in numerous market sectors and with various market capitalizations. The portfolio managers expect to invest mainly in large-capitalization companies (those with market capitalizations of $10 billion and higher), but may also invest in medium-capitalization companies (market capitalizations of $2 billion to $10 billion) and small-capitalization companies (market capitalization of less than $2 billion). The Fund will generally remain fully invested, and under normal market conditions, the Funds portfolio will consist of approximately 30 to 80 companies. In selecting investments for the Funds portfolio, the Adviser utilizes a bottom-up approach, focusing on fundamental qualities of individual companies. The Adviser believes that consistent earnings growth drives consistent dividend growth. Over the long run, the Adviser believes consistent earnings growth will help the price performance of a stock. Thus, the Funds portfolio managers begin with companies with well-established records of consistent earnings and dividend growth. Income created by rising common stock dividends is an important consideration in selecting the Funds investments. The Funds portfolio managers will generally sell a security when they believe a companys dividend growth potential is in jeopardy, when a companys fundamentals are likely to deteriorate, when a companys valuation becomes excessive, when a better investment opportunity becomes available or in order to meet shareholder redemptions.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| APPLE INC | — | $35.12M | 6.22% |
| CASEY'S GENERAL | — | $24.68M | 4.37% |
| MICROSOFT CORP | — | $19.10M | 3.38% |
| ATMOS ENERGY CORP | — | $18.35M | 3.25% |
| CORTEVA INC | — | $15.64M | 2.77% |
| SNAP-ON INCORPORATED | — | $14.51M | 2.57% |
| EXXON MOBIL CORP | — | $14.10M | 2.50% |
| MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS INC | — | $13.92M | 2.47% |
| STRYKER CORP | — | $13.42M | 2.38% |
| REPUBLIC SVCS | — | $13.30M | 2.35% |
Portfolio moves
Nov 30, 2025 → Feb 28, 2026How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.
Similar funds
Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight| Fund | Overlap | Net exp. |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Rising Dividends VIP Fund | 35% | 0.63% |
| Franklin Rising Dividends Fund · FRDAX, FRDPX, FRDTX, FRDRX, FRISX | 35% | 0.52% |
| EQ/Franklin Rising Dividends Portfolio | 35% | 0.62% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| Dearborn Partners L.L.C. | Adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of June 25, 2025, from the fund's prospectus.
- Net assets and holdings count as of February 28, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.
- Total return for calendar year 2025, before tax and after fund expenses. Computed by compounding the twelve monthly total returns the fund reported in its SEC N-PORT filings for 2025 (the latest prospectus does not yet chart this year).
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