Investment objective & strategy
As of Dec. 23, 2025 · prospectusObjective. The Funds investment objective is to seek long-term capital growth by investing in a worldwide and diversified portfolio of health sciences companies.
Strategy. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in securities (primarily common stocks) of companies principally engaged in the discovery, development, production or distribution of products (or services) related to scientific advances in health care, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, managed health care and medical equipment and supplies (health sciences companies) (the 80% Policy). A company will be considered to be a health sciences company if, at the time of investment: (i) the company is classified as a member of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) health care sector; (ii) the company is a component of the S&P 500 Health Care Index or the MSCI World Health Care Index; or (iii) 50% … The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in securities (primarily common stocks) of companies principally engaged in the discovery, development, production or distribution of products (or services) related to scientific advances in health care, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, managed health care and medical equipment and supplies (health sciences companies) (the 80% Policy). A company will be considered to be a health sciences company if, at the time of investment: (i) the company is classified as a member of the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) health care sector; (ii) the company is a component of the S&P 500 Health Care Index or the MSCI World Health Care Index; or (iii) 50% or more of the companys sales, earnings or assets will arise from or will be dedicated to the application of scientific advances related to health care. The Fund invests in U.S. and foreign securities and will normally be invested in issuers located in and tied economically to at least three different countries. The Fund may invest in securities of both larger established and smaller emerging companies domiciled in developed or emerging markets, some of which may be denominated in foreign currencies or trade in the form of depositary receipts, such as American Depositary Receipts, which are either sponsored or unsponsored, and Global Depositary Receipts. The Fund has a policy of investing at least 25% of its assets in investments in the medical research and health care industry. Companies in the medical research and health care industry are categorized by GICS as pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences and health care equipment and services companies. The Fund may invest up to 5% of its total assets in royalty bonds, which are debt securities that are collateralized by royalties from pharmaceutical patents. The Fund may also invest in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), a type of pooled investment vehicle, in order to manage cash positions or seek exposure to certain markets or market sectors and may lend its securities. The Fund may engage in derivative transactions to seek return, to hedge against fluctuations in securities prices or currency exchange rates, or as a substitute for the purchase or sale of securities or currencies. The Fund expects to use derivatives primarily to seek to generate income by writing covered call options or put options. The Fund may also enter into a combination of option transactions on individual securities. In addition, the Fund may seek to hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates through the use of forward foreign currency exchange contracts. Permitted derivatives include: the purchase or sale of forward or futures contracts; options on futures contracts; exchange-traded and over-the-counter options; equity collars and equity swap agreements. The Fund may also engage in covered short sales (on individual securities held or on an index or basket of securities whose constituents are held in whole or in part or for which liquid assets have been segregated). Except as required by applicable regulation, there is no stated limit on the Funds use of derivatives for such purposes. ? Investment decisions are made primarily on the basis of fundamental research. The portfolio managers seek to purchase stocks that are reasonably priced in relation to their fundamental value, and that they believe will grow in value over time regardless of short-term market fluctuations. In making investment decisions, the portfolio managers utilize the information provided by, and the expertise of, the investment advisers and sub-advisers research staff. In selecting stocks, the portfolio managers consider (among other factors) a companys earnings or cash flow capabilities, dividend prospects, financial strength, growth potential, the strength of the companys business franchises and management team, sustainability of a companys competitiveness, estimates of the companys net value, the potential to increase market share (for larger companies), and the potential of research and development projects (for smaller companies). The portfolio managers may consider selling a holding whenever there is a fundamental change to the investment thesis, the investments valuation target is reached, a securitys price falls below acquisition cost or to pursue more attractive investment opportunities. The portfolio managers seek to manage investment risk by maintaining issuer diversification among the Funds holdings, and by conducting an analysis of the risk and return characteristics of securities (as described above) in which the Fund invests.
Top holdings
As of Feb. 28, 2026 · N-PORT| Security | Ticker | Value | % of fund |
|---|---|---|---|
| LILLY ELI and CO | — | $97.21M | 11.33% |
| ABBVIE INC | — | $57.15M | 6.66% |
| ASTRAZENECA PLC | — | $56.16M | 6.54% |
| JOHNSON&JOHNSON | — | $53.86M | 6.28% |
| ROCHE HOLDINGS AG (GENUSSCHEINE) | — | $50.22M | 5.85% |
| MERCK & CO | — | $38.04M | 4.43% |
| BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB CO | — | $35.16M | 4.10% |
| UNITEDHEALTH GRP | — | $32.07M | 3.74% |
| VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INC | — | $30.15M | 3.51% |
| GILEAD SCIENCES INC | — | $28.06M | 3.27% |
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. |
|---|---|---|
| Putnam Global Health Care Fund · PHSTX, PHSBX, PCHSX, PHSRX, PHSYX | 66% | 0.70% |
| DWS Health and Wellness Fund · SUHAX, SUHCX, SCHLX, SUHIX | 63% | 1.03% |
| Putnam VT Global Health Care Fund | 60% | 0.73% |
Advisers
| Firm | Role |
|---|---|
| Eaton Vance Management | Adviser |
| Eaton Vance Advisers International Ltd | Sub-adviser |
Footnotes
- Expense ratio as of December 23, 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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