Seeking diversified exposure to international small cap companies

The Fund invests primarily in common stocks of companies with smaller market capitalizations located in developed and emerging markets outside the US. The Fund normally invests at least 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations. Smaller market capitalization companies are companies with market capitalizations that do not exceed the highest market capitalization of a company within the Fund’s benchmark, the MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap Index (Gross), at the time of purchase. Some of these companies, although small by US standards, might be large companies in their local markets. The Fund may continue to hold securities of a portfolio company that appreciate above the smaller market capitalization threshold and thus may from time to time hold less than 80% of its total assets in equity securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations. The Fund may invest in a wide range of industries. The Fund’s investment objective is to seek long-term growth of capital.

YTD Return*
+12.62%
Nav*
$17.31, -0.10
Inception
October 20, 2014
Cusip
14949P703
Benchmark
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap
Minimum Investment
$1,000,000
Sales Charge
None
Gross Expense Ratio
1.15%
Net Expense Ratio
1.10%
*As of April 29, 2026
**Contractual fee waivers are in effect until 1/31/2027.

Strategy overview

The portfolio managers discuss our International Small Cap strategy.

Portfolio managers

Quantitative Portfolio Manager
Head of Quantitative Research
Quantitative Portfolio Manager
Quantitative Portfolio Manager
Quantitative Portfolio Manager

Performance

Table Header QTD YTD 1 year3 years5 years10 years Since inception
Fund 6.4%6.4%38.3%24.0%13.7%11.2%10.3%
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap -0.5%-0.5%27.8%13.7%5.7%8.0%7.3%
Table Header QTD YTD 1 year3 years5 years10 years Since inception
Fund 6.4%6.4%38.3%24.0%13.7%11.2%10.3%
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap -0.5%-0.5%27.8%13.7%5.7%8.0%7.3%
Table Header QTD YTD 1 year3 years5 years10 years Since inception
Fund 6.4%6.4%38.3%24.0%13.7%11.2%10.3%
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap -0.5%-0.5%27.8%13.7%5.7%8.0%7.3%
Table Header QTD YTD 1 year3 years5 years10 years Since inception
Fund 6.4%6.4%38.3%24.0%13.7%11.2%10.3%
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap -0.5%-0.5%27.8%13.7%5.7%8.0%7.3%
Table Header 20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
Fund 33.0%10.0%27.2%-11.3%21.6%2.7%18.8%-21.1%34.7%3.3%4.7%
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap 29.3%3.4%15.7%-20.0%12.9%14.2%22.4%-18.2%31.6%3.9%2.6%
Table Header
Fund
MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap
20252024202320222021202020192018201720162015
33.0%10.0%27.2%-11.3%21.6%2.7%18.8%-21.1%34.7%3.3%4.7%
29.3%3.4%15.7%-20.0%12.9%14.2%22.4%-18.2%31.6%3.9%2.6%

Portfolio (as of March 31, 2026)

Benchmark: MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap
Asset Allocation
Table Header Fund
Stocks 98.4%
Cash 1.6%
Fund Characteristics
Table Header Fund Benchmark
No. of holdings 145 4093
Weighted avg. market cap (US $MM) $2,594 $2,781
FY2 price/earnings 8.4 12.2
Price/book value 1.1 1.5
Net assets $245,481,209 -
TOP 10 ACTIVE HOLDINGS
Security Country Active weight*
National Aluminium Co. Ltd. India 2.2%
AGF Management Canada 2.1%
Finning International Canada 1.9%
ZIM Integrated Shipping Services Ltd. Israel 1.8%
Supreme Electronics Co Taiwan 1.7%
Samsung Engineering Co., Ltd. South Korea 1.7%
PT Adaro Energy Indonesia Tbk Indonesia 1.7%
LG Innotek Co., Ltd. South Korea 1.7%
Unipol Gruppo SpA Italy 1.6%
Oceanagold Canada 1.6%

A “weighted average” measures a characteristic by the market capitalization of each stock. Price/book ratio is the weighted average of the price/book ratios of all the stocks in a portfolio. The P/B ratio of a company is calculated by dividing the market price of its stock by the company’s per-share book value. The price/earnings ratio is the weighted average of the price/earnings ratios of the stocks in a portfolio. The FY2 P/E ratio is a forward P/E ratio using a next-twenty-four months EPS estimate in the denominator.

*Active defined as Fund weight minus MSCI ACWI ex USA Small Cap Index weight. Holdings are subject to change.

SECTOR WEIGHTS
Sector Fund Benchmark
Industrials 24.6% 20.2%
Information Technology 16.6% 11.4%
Materials 12.2% 13.6%
Consumer Discretionary 8.8% 10.5%
Financials 7.6% 11.9%
Health Care 6.4% 6.5%
Utilities 6.0% 3.2%
Communication Services 5.8% 3.6%
Real Estate 4.9% 8.9%
Energy 4.1% 4.7%
Consumer Staples 1.4% 5.4%
Equity Funds 0.0% 0.0%
TOP 10 COUNTRIES
Country Fund Benchmark
Japan 21.2% 23.0%
Canada 12.5% 8.2%
Taiwan 8.9% 6.5%
South Korea 8.3% 4.4%
United Kingdom 7.4% 7.7%
India 5.2% 5.7%
Indonesia 5.1% 0.6%
China 5.0% 3.3%
Australia 3.4% 6.6%
Israel 3.0% 3.1%
Regional Allocation
  • Emerging Asia 34.6%
  • Pacific 28.0%
  • North America 12.5%
  • Europe - Other 11.7%
  • Euro 5.2%
  • Developed Middle East 3.0%
  • Emerging Europe, Middle East, Africa 2.3%
  • Emerging Latin America 1.0%
  • 0.0%

Commentary (As of March 31, 2026)

Highlights

  • Global equity markets fell sharply in March as the outbreak of war in the Middle East triggered an energy shock and broad risk aversion.
  • The strategy outperformed for the period.
  • Causeway’s portfolio combines lower valuation with more favorable growth, quality, momentum, and estimate revisions, which we believe enhances downside resilience.

Portfolio Attribution

The Causeway International Small Cap Fund (“Fund”), on a net asset value basis, outperformed the Index during the month. To evaluate stocks in our investible universe, our multi-factor quantitative model employs five bottom-up factor categories –valuation, sentiment, technical indicators, quality, and corporate events – and two top-down factor categories assessing macroeconomic and country aggregate characteristics. Though alpha factor performance was more mixed in March, most alpha factors posted positive performance in the first quarter overall. Our quality, valuation, and corporate events factor categories led returns in March, though our sentiment and technical factors posted negative returns given the sharp change in market leadership. For the first quarter overall, all factors delivered positive returns except for quality, which had been out of favor recently as the only alpha factor category with negative returns over the last twelve months. Our technical factors were the best-performing factor group in the first quarter and over the last twelve months. Our macroeconomic and country aggregate factors posted positive returns in March as countries exhibiting stronger metrics (such as Taiwan and Norway) outperformed those with relatively weaker characteristics (such as Australia and India). All alpha factor group returns remain positive on an inception to date basis.

Investment Outlook

Amid a backdrop of rising energy prices, the new chair of the US Federal Reserve (“Fed”), Kevin Warsh, faces a challenge. He needs to determine if the rising prices are transitory as he seeks to balance inflation and growth considerations. Rising US interest rates driven by inflation concerns and a flight to safety amid market volatility have contributed to falling international currencies.

International small caps (ACWI ex USA Small Cap Index) continue to trade at a rare discount to their larger-cap (ACWI ex USA Index) peers on a forward P/E basis despite typically trading at a premium. In addition to the attractive relative valuation of the asset class overall, Causeway’s International Small Cap portfolio continues to trade at a substantial discount to the Index while simultaneously exhibiting more favorable growth, quality, momentum, and positive estimate revisions than the Index. We believe that this highly attractive combination of characteristics better insulates our portfolio from future volatility.

We believe another attractive feature of international small caps is that they exhibit greater valuation dispersion than large caps on both a forward earnings yield and B/P basis. This indicates more information content in the valuation ratios of small caps. In addition to exhibiting greater valuation dispersion, small caps exhibit a higher long-term earnings per share growth trend.

We continue to monitor the fluid conflict in the Middle East and the Fund remains underweight stocks in the EMEA and Developed Middle East regions due primarily to bottom-up considerations.

The market commentary expresses the portfolio managers’ views as of the date of this report and should not be relied on as research or investment advice regarding any stock. These views and the fund holdings and characteristics are subject to change. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Any securities identified and described in this report do not represent all of the securities purchased, sold or recommended for client accounts. The reader should not assume that an investment in the securities identified was or will be profitable. Diversification does not protect against market loss. Current and future holdings will be subject to risk. International and emerging markets investments may involve risk of capital loss from unfavorable fluctuation in currency values, from differences in generally accepted accounting principles or from social, economic or political instability in other nations. Emerging markets and smaller companies involve additional risks and higher volatility.

Distributions

Table Header Dividends Short-term capital gains Long-term capital gains
2025 $0.7613 $0.2609 $1.5623
2024 $0.7366 $0.2918 $0.4332
2023 $0.8478 $0.0000 $0.0192
2022 $0.3363 $0.0000 $0.0000
2021 $0.4823 $0.0000 $0.0000
2020 $0.4107 $0.0000 $0.0000
2019 $0.4390 $0.0000 $0.0000
2018 $0.3165 $0.0000 $0.0000
2017 $0.3792 $0.2375 $0.4794
2016 $0.2901 $0.0000 $0.0000
2015 $0.2407 $0.0000 $0.0000

Distributions are per share. Distribution amounts are based on gains and losses realized and income earned by the Fund through October 31 (or earlier under certain circumstances).

Documents

Fund information:

Forms: