Unified Series Trust

07/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/29/2024 12:05

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

SUMMARY PROSPECTUS
July 29, 2024
ABSOLUTE INVESTMENT ADVISERS LLC
ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF
(ABEQ)

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Fund's prospectus and other information about the Fund, including its statement of additional information (SAI) and most recent reports to shareholders, online at www.absoluteadvisers.com. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (833) 267-3383 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. This Summary Prospectus incorporates by reference the Fund's entire prospectus and SAI, each dated July 29, 2024.

ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Summary Section

Investment Objective

The Absolute Select Value ETF (the "Fund") seeks positive absolute returns.

Fees and Expenses of the Fund

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. Investors may pay brokerage commissions and incur other charges on their purchases and sales of exchange-traded fund shares, which are not reflected in the table or Example below.

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

Management Fees 0.85%
Other Expenses 0.28%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses 1.13%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement1 (0.28)%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement) 0.85%
(1) The Fund's adviser, Absolute Investment Advisers LLC (the "Adviser") has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or reimburse the Fund's other expenses in order to limit total annual Fund operating expenses to 0.85% of the average daily net assets of the Fund through July 31, 2025 (excluding portfolio transaction and other investment-related costs (including brokerage fees and commissions); taxes; borrowing costs (such as interest and dividend expenses on securities sold short); acquired fund fees and expenses; fees and expenses associated with investments in other collective investment vehicles or derivative instruments (including for example option and swap fees and expenses); any amounts payable pursuant to a distribution or service plan adopted in accordance with Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended; any administrative and/or shareholder servicing fees payable pursuant to a plan adopted by the Board of Trustees (the "Board"); expenses incurred in connection with any merger or reorganization; extraordinary expenses (such as litigation expenses, indemnification of Trust officers and Trustees and contractual indemnification of Fund service providers); and other expenses that the Trustees agree have not been incurred in the ordinary course of the Fund's business). This expense cap may not be terminated prior to this date except by the Board upon sixty days' written notice to the Fund's adviser. Each waiver/expense payment by the Adviser is subject to recoupment by the Adviser from the Fund in the three years following the date the particular waiver/expense payment occurred, but only if such recoupment can be achieved without exceeding the annual expense limitation in effect at the time of the waiver/expense payment and any expense limitation in effect at the time of the recoupment.

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ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Expense Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year, the Fund's operating expenses remain the same, and the expense reduction/reimbursement described above remains in place for the contractual period only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1 year 3 years 5 years 10 years
$87 $331 $595 $1,350

Portfolio Turnover. The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual operating expenses or in the Example above, affect the Fund's performance. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 18% of the average value of its portfolio. (This portfolio turnover rate excludes securities received or delivered from in-kind processing of creations or redemptions.)

Principal Investment Strategies

St. James Investment Company, LLC, the Fund's investment sub-adviser (the "Subadviser"), seeks to achieve the Fund's objective by investing primarily in equity securities of U.S. companies that the Subadviser believes are priced at a substantial discount to the Subadviser's estimate of fair value. However, the Fund may invest in companies of any market capitalization and in any economic sector, including equity securities of foreign companies that trade on U.S. exchanges, either directly or through American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"). The Subadviser, which actively manages the Fund, uses a five-stage process to identify, purchase, and sell companies that it believes are fundamentally attractive and will yield positive absolute returns, meaning it seeks positive returns in all market conditions, over complete market cycles, net of fees and expenses, and not returns that outperform a specific benchmark.

The Subadviser expects that, because of its "bottom up" approach to company analysis, from time to time, the Fund could be overweight in certain market sectors. The Subadviser's strategy is based on company by company analysis, not market sector analysis. The Fund is non-diversified, which means that it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in fewer issuers than a diversified fund.

The Fund may also invest all or substantially all of its assets in cash and cash equivalents, including money market funds and other short-term fixed income investments, in seeking to protect principal, or when, in the Subadviser's opinion, there are not sufficient companies at valuations appropriate for investment. As an alternative to holding cash or cash equivalents, the Subadviser may invest the Fund's assets in shares of other investment companies, including open-end and closed-end funds and exchange traded funds ("ETFs") (collectively, "Underlying Funds") in order for the Fund to be more fully invested.

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ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Principal Risks

All investments involve risks, and the Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not insured or guaranteed by any government agency. As with any mutual fund investment, the Fund's returns and share price will fluctuate, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Market and Geopolitical Risk. The increasing interconnectivity between global economies and financial markets increases the likelihood that events or conditions in one region or financial market may adversely impact issuers in a different country, region or financial market. Securities in the Fund's portfolio may underperform due to inflation (or expectations for inflation), interest rates, global demand for particular products or resources, natural disasters, climate change and climate related events, pandemics, epidemics, terrorism, international conflicts, regulatory events and governmental or quasi-governmental actions. The occurrence of global events similar to those in recent years may result in market volatility and may have long term effects on both the U.S. and global financial markets. There is a risk that you may lose money by investing in the Fund.

Value Style Risk. Investing in "value" stocks presents the risk that the stocks may never reach what the Subadviser believes are their full market values, either because the market fails to recognize what the Subadviser considers to be the companies' true business values or because the Subadviser misjudged those values. In addition, value stocks may fall out of favor with investors and underperform growth stocks during given periods.

Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and is thus subject to management risk. The Subadviser will apply its investment techniques and strategies in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results.

Fluctuation of Net Asset Value Risk. The net asset value ("NAV") of the Fund's shares will generally fluctuate with changes in the market value of the Fund's holdings. The market prices of the shares will generally fluctuate in accordance with changes in NAV as well as the relative supply of and demand for the shares on the Exchange (as defined in the "Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares" section of this prospectus).

Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, and periods of high volatility and disruption in the creation/redemption process of the Fund. Any of these factors, among others, may lead to the Fund's shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.

Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant (as defined in the "How to Buy and Sell Shares" section of this prospectus) may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that act as Authorized Participants. To the extent that these institutions exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation and/or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units (as defined in the "Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares" section of this prospectus), Fund shares may trade at a discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts and/or delisting.

Company Risk. The value of the Fund may decrease in response to the activities and financial prospects of an individual company in the Fund's portfolio. The value of an individual company can be more volatile than the market as a whole.

Sector Concentration Risk. The Fund may focus its investments in securities of a particular sector. Economic, legislative or regulatory developments may occur that significantly affect the sector. This may cause the Fund's NAV to fluctuate more than that of a fund that does not focus in a particular sector.

Large Cap Company Risk. Larger, more established companies may be unable to attain the high growth rates of successful, smaller companies during periods of economic expansion.

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ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Small and Medium Cap Company Risk. Securities of companies with small and medium market capitalizations are often more volatile and less liquid than investments in larger companies. Small and medium cap companies may face a greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of the Fund's portfolio.

Underlying Funds Risk. When the Fund invests in an Underlying Fund, the Fund indirectly will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses payable directly by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Fund will incur higher expenses, many of which may be duplicative. In addition, the Fund may be affected by losses of the Underlying Funds and the level of risk arising from the investment practices of the Underlying Funds (such as the use of leverage). ETFs and closed-end funds are subject to additional risks, such as the fact that their shares may trade at a market price above or below their net asset value or that an active market may not develop.

Money Market Fund Risks. When the Fund invests in an Underlying Fund, including a money market fund, the Fund indirectly will bear its proportionate share of any fees and expenses payable directly by the Underlying Fund. Therefore, the Fund will incur higher expenses, many of which may be duplicative. Although each underlying money market fund in which the Fund may invest seeks to maintain the value of the investments at $1.00 per share, there is no assurance that the Underlying Fund will be able to do so.

Equity Securities Risk. The net asset value of the Fund will fluctuate based on changes in the value of the U.S. equity securities held by the Fund. Equity prices can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions.

Foreign Company Risk. Investing in foreign companies may involve risks not associated with equity investments in U.S. companies, including currency fluctuation, inflation, local withholding and other taxes, different financial reporting practices and regulatory standards, changes in political conditions, nationalization, expropriation, and investment and repatriation restrictions. The Fund may lose money due to political, security, economic and geographic events affecting issuers of non-U.S. companies.

Depositary Receipt Risk. ADRs are receipts, issued by depository banks in the United States, for shares of a foreign-based company that entitle the holder to dividends and capital gains on the underlying security. ADRs may be sponsored or unsponsored. In addition to the risks of investing in foreign securities, there is no guarantee that an ADR issuer will continue to offer a particular ADR. As a result, the Fund may have difficulty selling the ADR or selling them quickly and efficiently at the prices at which they have been valued. The issuers of unsponsored ADRs are not obligated to disclose information that is considered material in the U.S. and voting rights with respect to the deposited securities are not passed through. ADRs may not track the prices of the underlying foreign securities on which they are based, and their values may change materially at times when U.S. markets are not open for trading.

Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. The Fund's investments in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. In addition, developed countries may be adversely impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.

Inflation Risk. At any time, the Fund may have significant investments in cash or cash equivalents. When a substantial portion of a portfolio is held in cash or cash equivalents, there is the risk that the value of the cash account, including interest, will not keep pace with inflation, thus reducing purchasing power over time.

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ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is non-diversified, it will hold larger positions in a smaller number of securities than funds that are "diversified." This means that an increase or decrease in the value of a single security held by the Fund likely will have a greater impact on the Fund's net asset value and total return than a diversified fund.

Issuer Cybersecurity Risk. Issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, counterparties with which the Fund engages in transactions, exchange and other financial market operators, banks, brokers, dealers and other financial institutions may experience cybersecurity breaches. These breaches may result in harmful disruptions to operations and may negatively impact the financial condition of an issuer or market participant. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and its agents seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

Performance

The bar chart below shows how the Fund's investment results have varied from year to year. The table below shows how the Fund's average annual total returns compare over time to those of a broad-based securities market index and a secondary performance index. This information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. Past performance of the Fund is no guarantee of how it will perform in the future.

Annual Total Return

(year ended December 31st)

The Fund's year to date return as of June 30, 2024 was 6.38%.

Highest/Lowest quarterly results during this time period were:

Best Quarter: Fourth Quarter 2022 11.62%

Worst Quarter: Second Quarter 2022 (9.66)%

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ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Average Annual Total Returns

(for the periods ended December 31, 2023)

Since
Inception
(January 21,
Absolute Select Value ETF 1 Year 2020)
Return Before Taxes 4.59% 4.58%
Return After Taxes on Distributions 3.85% 4.21%
Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares 3.07% 3.48%
S&P 500 Total Return Index1
(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses and taxes) 26.29% 11.42%
Russell 1000® Value Index1
(reflects no deductions for fees, expenses and taxes) 11.46% 7.15%
(1) As of the date of this prospectus, the Fund changed its primary index to the S&P 500 Total Return Index due to new regulatory requirements for broad-based index comparison. The S&P 500 Total Return Index is a market capitalization weighted index of 500 leading publicly traded companies in the U.S. The Russell 1000 Value Index is an unmanaged market capitalization weighted index of the 1,000 largest U.S. companies with lower price-to-book ratios and lower forecasted growth values. The indices are widely recognized unmanaged indices of equity securities and are representative of a broader domestic equity market and range of securities than is found in the Fund's portfolio. Individuals cannot invest directly in an index; however, an individual can invest in exchange-traded funds or other investment vehicles that attempt to track the performance of a benchmark index.

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on an investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their Fund shares through tax-deferred arrangements, such as 401(k) plans or IRAs. The indices' returns presented above assume reinvestment of all distributions and exclude the effect of taxes and fees (if expenses and taxes were deducted, the actual returns of the indices would be lower).

Current performance of the Fund may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Performance data current to the most recent month end may be obtained by calling 1-833- 267-3383.

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ABSOLUTE SELECT VALUE ETF

Portfolio Management

Investment Adviser - Absolute Investment Advisers LLC

Investment Subadviser - St. James Investment Company, LLC

Portfolio Manager

- Robert J. Mark, Managing Member of the Subadviser, has been the portfolio manager of the Fund since its inception in January 2020.

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

The Fund issues and redeems shares at NAV only in large blocks of shares (each block of shares is called a "Creation Unit") and only to Authorized Participants that have entered into agreements with the Fund's distributor (the "Distributor"). Creation Units are issued and redeemed for cash and/or in-kind for securities. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the shares are not redeemable securities of the Fund.

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on NYSE Arca, Inc. ("NYSE Arca" or the "Exchange") and trade at market prices rather than NAV. An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market. Shares of the Fund may trade at a price that is greater than, at, or less than NAV. Individual shares may only be purchased and sold in secondary market transactions through brokers.

Tax Information

The Fund's distributions are taxable and will be taxed as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred account, such as a 401(k) plan, individual retirement account (IRA) or 529 college savings plan. Tax-deferred arrangements may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from those accounts.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase Fund shares through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank or trust company), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create conflicts of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

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