Valic Company I

09/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/30/2024 12:11

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

497K
Summary Prospectus
October 1, 2024
VALIC Company I
Systematic Growth Fund
(Ticker: VCBCX)
The Fund's Statutory Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, each dated October 1, 2024, as amended and supplemented from time to time, and the most recent shareholder reports are incorporated into and made part of this Summary Prospectus by reference. The Fund is offered only to registered and unregistered separate accounts of The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company and its affiliates and to qualifying retirement plans and IRAs and is not intended for use by other investors.
Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's Statutory Prospectus, which contains more information about the Fund and its risks. You can find the Statutory Prospectus and the above-incorporated information online at https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/rs/prospectus-and-reports/annuities#underlyingfunds. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 800-448-2542 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected].
The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities, nor has it determined that this Summary Prospectus is accurate or complete. It is a criminal offense to state otherwise.
Investment Objective
The Fund seeks total return.
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. The table and the example below do not reflect the separate account fees charged in the variable annuity or variable life insurance policy ("Variable Contracts") in which the Fund is offered. If separate account fees were shown, the Fund's annual operating expenses would be higher. Please see your Variable Contract prospectus for more details on the separate account fees.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Management Fees
0.72%
Other Expenses
0.11%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.83%
Fee Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1
0.18%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee
Waivers and/or Expense Reimbursements1
0.65%
1
The Fund's investment adviser, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company ("VALIC"), has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee until September 30, 2025, so that the advisory fee payable by the Fund to VALIC equals 0.580% on the first $250 million of the Fund's average daily net assets, 0.555% on the next $250 million of the Fund's average daily net assets, 0.530% on the next 300 million of the Fund's average daily net assets, 0.505% on the next $200 million of the Fund's average daily net assets and 0.450% on the Fund's average daily net assets over $1 billion. This agreement may be modified or discontinued prior to such time only with the approval of
the Board of Directors of VALIC Company I ("VC I"), including a majority of the directors who are not "interested persons" of VC I as defined in the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem or hold all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same (except that the Example incorporates any appliable fee waiver and/or expense limitation arrangements for only the first year). The Example does not reflect charges imposed by the Variable Contract. If the Variable Contract fees were reflected, the expenses would be higher. See the Variable Contract prospectus for information on such charges. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions and the net expenses shown in the fee table, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
$66
$247
$443
$1,009
Portfolio Turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance.
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Systematic Growth Fund
During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 56% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Fund
The Fund invests primarily in equity securities of issuers included in the Russell 1000® Growth Index (the "Index") at the time of purchase. The Index is comprised of U.S. large- and mid-cap companies that exhibit certain growth characteristics, as defined by the index provider. As of July 31, 2024, the median stock by market capitalization in the Index was approximately $20.1 billion and the largest stock by market capitalization was $3.5 trillion. The size of the companies in the Index changes with market conditions and the composition of the Index. The size of the companies in which the Fund invests may be outside of this capitalization range and may change with market conditions as well.
The equity securities in which the Fund invests include common stock, preferred stock, convertible securities, rights, and warrants. The Fund may at times have significant exposure to one or more industries or sectors and may be overweight with respect to certain securities (i.e., the Fund will hold a greater percentage of those securities than the Index) and underweight with respect to others (i.e., the Fund will hold a lesser percentage of those securities than the Index). Such weightings may change over time.
Each of the Fund's subadvisers manages a portion of the Fund's assets using different investment strategies and techniques.
One subadviser employs a proprietary, dynamic multifactor approach to managing the Fund's assets that is based on quantitative and qualitative research and analysis. In selecting securities, the subadviser seeks to allocate its portion of the Fund's assets to equity securities the subadviser believes share complementary factor exposures. Factors are characteristics that are important in explaining the returns and risks of a group of securities. Among the factors that the subadviser uses to select equity securities for the Fund are: (1) mean reversion (e.g., stocks that are inexpensive relative to their historical fundamentals); (2) trend following (e.g., strong momentum and higher growth potential); and (3) risk aversion (e.g., financially healthy, stable, and lower volatility companies). In exceptional circumstances, the subadviser may exclude, remove, or include an issuer or security in the Fund's portfolio where it believes the data available does not accurately reflect current events, or to adjust the risk profile of the Fund appropriately. The subadviser may engage in frequent and active trading of portfolio securities with respect to its portion of the Fund's assets.
The other subadviser uses a rules-based methodology that emphasizes quantitatively based stock selection, portfolio construction, and efficient implementation to seek to capture common sources of active equity returns among factors. Among the factors that the subadviser's methodology employs are: (1) value (i.e., how attractively a stock is priced relative to its "fundamentals," such as book value and free cash flow); (2) momentum (i.e., whether a company's share price is trending up or down); (3) quality (i.e., profitability) and (4) low volatility (i.e., a relatively low degree of fluctuation in a company's share price over time). The subadviser seeks to capitalize on the low correlations in returns across these factors by diversifying exposure to securities selected based on such factors. The subadviser may, in its discretion, make changes to its quantitative techniques, or use other quantitative techniques that are based on the subadviser's proprietary research.
The subadviser constructs its portion of the Fund's portfolio by investing assets in the securities comprising the Index and adjusting the relative weight of each security based on the security's attractiveness when evaluated based on the factors as described above, subject to the Fund being constrained to long-only positions. The subadviser will rebalance its portion of the Fund's portfolio according to the process set forth above on a quarterly basis. The subadviser generally employs a strategy to continue to hold securities between quarterly rebalancings, even if there are adverse developments concerning a particular security, an industry, the economy, or the stock market generally. The subadviser may reduce the position size of a security or sell a security during quarterly rebalancings if the security no longer has favorable scores in one or more of the four factors.
In order to generate additional income, the Fund may lend portfolio securities to broker-dealers and other financial institutions provided that the value of the loaned securities does not exceed 30% of the Fund's total assets. These loans earn income for the Fund and are collateralized by cash and securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies or instrumentalities.
The Fund is a non-diversified fund, which means that it may invest in a smaller number of issuers than a diversified fund.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund
As with any mutual fund, there can be no assurance that the Fund's investment objective will be met or that the net return on an investment in the Fund will exceed what could have been obtained through other investment or savings vehicles. Shares of the Fund are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by any bank, government
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Systematic Growth Fund
entity or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. If the value of the assets of the Fund goes down, you could lose money.
The following is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Fund.
Management Risk. The investment style or strategy used by the subadviser may fail to produce the intended result. The subadviser's assessment of a particular security or company may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or underperformance.
Equity Securities Risk. The Fund invests principally in equity securities and is therefore subject to the risk that stock prices will fall and may underperform other asset classes. Individual stock prices fluctuate from day-to-day and may decline significantly. The prices of individual stocks may be negatively affected by poor company results or other factors affecting individual prices, as well as industry and/or economic trends and developments affecting industries or the securities market as a whole.
Growth Style Risk. Generally, "growth" stocks are stocks of companies that a subadviser believes have anticipated earnings ranging from steady to accelerated growth. Many investors buy growth stocks because of anticipated superior earnings growth, but earnings disappointments often result in sharp price declines. Growth companies usually invest a high portion of earnings in their own businesses so their stocks may lack the dividends that can cushion share prices in a down market. In addition, the value of growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the value of other stocks, because growth stocks trade at higher prices relative to current earnings.
Factor-Based Investing Risk. There can be no assurance that the factor selection process employed by the portfolio managers will enhance performance. Exposure to factors may detract from performance in some market environments, which may continue for prolonged periods.
Large- and Mid-Cap Company Risk. Investing in large- and mid-cap companies carries the risk that due to current market conditions these companies may be out of favor with investors. Large-cap companies may be unable to respond quickly to new competitive challenges or attain the high growth rate of successful smaller companies. Stocks of mid-cap companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies due to, among other reasons, narrower product lines, more limited financial resources and fewer experienced managers.
Preferred Stock Risk. Unlike common stock, preferred stock generally pays a fixed dividend from a company's earnings and may have a preference over common stock on the distribution of a company's assets in the event of bankruptcy or liquidation. Preferred stockholders' liquidation rights are subordinate to the company's debt holders and creditors. If interest rates rise, the fixed dividend on preferred stocks may be less attractive and the price of preferred stocks may decline. Preferred stockholders typically do not have voting rights.
Convertible Securities Risk. Convertible security values may be affected by market interest rates, issuer defaults and underlying common stock values; security values may fall if market interest rates rise and rise if market interest rates fall. Additionally, an issuer may have the right to buy back the securities at a time unfavorable to the Fund.
Warrants and Rights Risk. Warrants and rights can provide a greater potential for profit or loss than an equivalent investment in the underlying security. Warrants and rights have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer other than a purchase option. Prices of warrants and rights do not necessarily move in tandem with the prices of the underlying securities and therefore are highly volatile and speculative investments. Warrants and rights may lack a liquid secondary market for resale. They have no voting rights, pay no dividends and have no rights with respect to the assets of the issuer other than a purchase option. If a warrant or right held by the Fund is not exercised by the date of its expiration, the Fund would lose the entire purchase price of the warrant or right.
Quantitative Investing Risk. The value of securities selected using quantitative analysis can react differently to issuer, political, market, and economic developments from the market as a whole or securities selected using only fundamental analysis. The factors used in quantitative analysis and the weight placed on those factors may not be predictive of a security's value. In addition, factors that affect a security's value can change over time and these changes may not be reflected in the quantitative model.
Sector Risk. Companies with similar characteristics may be grouped together in broad categories called sectors. Sector risk is the risk that securities of companies within specific sectors of the economy can perform differently than the overall market. This may be due to changes in such things as the regulatory or competitive environment or to changes in investor perceptions regarding a sector. Because the Fund may allocate relatively more assets to
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Systematic Growth Fund
certain sectors than others, the Fund's performance may be more susceptible to any developments which affect those sectors emphasized by the Fund.
Active Trading Risk. High portfolio turnover rates that are associated with active trading may result in higher transaction costs, which can adversely affect the Fund's performance. Active trading tends to be more pronounced during periods of increased market volatility.
Market Risk. The Fund's share price can fall because of weakness in the broad market, a particular industry, or specific holdings or due to adverse political or economic developments here or abroad, changes in investor psychology, or heavy institutional selling and other conditions or events (including, for example, military confrontations, war, terrorism, disease/virus, outbreaks and epidemics). The prices of individual securities may fluctuate, sometimes dramatically, from day to day. The prices of stocks and other equity securities tend to be more volatile than those of fixed-income securities.
Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund may invest in a smaller number of issuers, its value may be affected to a greater extent by the performance of any one of those issuers or by any single economic, political, market or regulatory event affecting any one of those issues than a fund that invests in a larger number of issuers.
Securities Lending Risk. Engaging in securities lending could increase the market and credit risk for Fund investments. The Fund may lose money if it does not recover borrowed securities, the value of the collateral falls, or the value of investments made with cash collateral declines. The Fund's loans will be collateralized by securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. Government or its agencies and instrumentalities, which subjects the Fund to the credit risk of the U.S. Government or the issuing federal agency or instrumentality. If the value of either the cash collateral or the Fund's investments of the cash collateral falls below the amount owed to a borrower, the Fund also may incur losses that exceed the amount it earned on lending the security. Securities lending also involves the risks of delay in receiving additional collateral or possible loss of rights in the collateral if the borrower fails. Another risk of securities lending is the risk that the loaned portfolio securities may not be available to the Fund on a timely basis and the Fund may therefore lose the opportunity to sell the securities at a desirable price.
Performance Information
The following Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table illustrate the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from calendar year to calendar year and comparing the Fund's average annual returns to those of the S&P 500® Index (a broad-based securities market index) and the Russell 1000® Growth Index, which is relevant to the Fund because it has characteristics similar to the Fund's investment strategies. Effective May 1, 2023, the Fund changed its benchmark index against which the Fund measures its performance from the S&P 500® Index to the Russell 1000® Growth Index. Fund management believes that the Russell 1000® Growth Index is more representative of the securities in which the Fund invests. The Fund's returns prior to May 1, 2023, as reflected in the bar chart and table, are the returns of the Fund when it followed different investment strategies under the name "Blue Chip Growth Fund." Fees and expenses incurred at the contract level are not reflected in the bar chart or table. If these amounts were reflected, returns would be less than those shown. Of course, past performance of the Fund is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
Effective May 1, 2023, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. ("GSAM") and Wellington Management Company LLP ("Wellington Management") assumed subadvisory responsibilities for the Fund. Prior to May 1, 2023, T. Rowe Price Associates, Inc. served as subadviser to the Fund.
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Systematic Growth Fund
During the period shown in the bar chart:
Highest Quarterly
Return:
June 30, 2020
27.59%
Lowest Quarterly
Return:
June 30, 2022
-25.46%
Year to Date Most
Recent Quarter:
June 30, 2024
22.32%
Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended December 31, 2023)
1
Year
5
Years
10
Years
Fund
44.81%
12.46%
11.81%
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction
for fees, expenses or taxes)
26.29%
15.69%
12.03%
Russell 1000® Growth Index (reflects
no deduction for fees, expenses or
taxes)
42.68%
19.50%
14.86%
Investment Adviser
The Fund's investment adviser is VALIC.
The Fund is subadvised by GSAM and Wellington Management..
Portfolio Managers
Name and Title
Portfolio
Manager of the
Fund Since
GSAM
Andrew Alford, MBA, PhD
Managing Director and Portfolio
Manager
2023
Karhan E. Akcoglu, PhD
Vice President and Portfolio Manager
2021
Wellington Management
Matthew J. Kyller, CFA
Managing Director and Portfolio
Manager
2023
Thomas S. Simon, CFA, FRM
Senior Managing Director and Portfolio
Manager
2023
Purchases and Sales of Fund Shares
Shares of the Funds may only be purchased or redeemed through Variable Contracts offered by the separate accounts of VALIC or other participating life insurance companies and through qualifying retirement plans ("Plans") and IRAs. Shares of each Fund may be purchased and redeemed each day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the Fund's net asset value determined after receipt of a request in good order.
The Funds do not have any initial or subsequent investment minimums. However, your insurance company may impose investment or account value minimums. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your Variable Contract contains additional information about purchases and redemptions of the Funds' shares.
Tax Information
A Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax so long as it qualifies as a regulated investment company and distributes its income and gains each year to its shareholders. However, contractholders may be subject to federal income tax (and a federal Medicare tax of 3.8% that applies to net income, including taxable annuity payments, if applicable) upon withdrawal from a Variable Contract. Contractholders should consult the prospectus (or other offering document) for the Variable Contract for additional information regarding taxation.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and
Other Financial Intermediaries
The Funds are not sold directly to the general public but instead are offered to registered and unregistered separate accounts of VALIC and its affiliates and to Plans and IRAs. The Funds and their related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company or its affiliates for recordkeeping and distribution. These payments may create a conflict of interest as they may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including the Funds as underlying investment options in a variable contract. Visit your sponsoring insurance company's website for more information.
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