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PIMCO Core Bond Strategies

Is your core bond allocation doing what it should?


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Helping Investors Through Up and Down Markets

Investors look to core bonds for three primary reasons: diversification, capital preservation and attractive performance. PIMCO Total Return Fund has a history of actively pursuing these benefits.

Outperformance

Total Return Fund has outperformed its benchmark for over 91% of rolling 3-year periods net of fees since inception.

Diversification

Total Return Fund has demonstrated resiliency during large equity and credit sell-offs, including 2008 where the Fund returned 4.81% net of fees for the calendar year.

Capital Preservation

Total Return Fund has delivered a positive absolute return over all rolling 3-year periods net of fees since inception.

Average Annual Returns 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year 10 Year Since Inception
PIMCO Total Return Fund 6.30% -3.25% 1.31% 1.93% 6.27%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index 5.53% -3.31% 1.10% 1.81% 5.45%

All data as of 31 December 2023. Source: PIMCO, Bloomberg. Performance is shown for the institutional class, net of fees. Inception Date: 11 May 1987. Benchmark: Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index. Gross Expense Ratio: 0.49%. Adjusted Expense Ratio: 0.46%. The Adjusted Expense Ratio excludes certain investment expenses, such as interest expense from borrowings and repurchase agreements and dividend expense from investments on short sales, incurred directly by the Fund or indirectly through the Fund’s investments in underlying PIMCO Funds (if applicable), none of which are paid to PIMCO.

Performance quoted represents past performance. Past performance is not a guarantee or a reliable indicator of future results. Investment return and the principal value of an investment will fluctuate. Shares may be worth more or less than original cost when redeemed. Current performance may be lower or higher than performance shown. For performance current to the most recent month-end, visit www.pimco.com or call (888) 87-PIMCO


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Disclosures

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the funds carefully before investing. This and other information are contained in the fund’s prospectus and summary prospectus, if available, which may be obtained by contacting your investment professional or PIMCO representative or by visiting www.pimco.com. Please read them carefully before you invest or send money. 

Investments made by a Fund and the results achieved by a Fund are not expected to be the same as those made by any other PIMCO-advised Fund, including those with a similar name, investment objective or policies. A new or smaller Fund’s performance may not represent how the Fund is expected to or may perform in the long-term. New Funds have limited operating histories for investors to evaluate and new and smaller Funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. A Fund may be forced to sell a comparatively large portion of its portfolio to meet significant shareholder redemptions for cash, or hold a comparatively large portion of its portfolio in cash due to significant share purchases for cash, in each case when the Fund otherwise would not seek to do so, which may adversely affect performance. 

Exchange Traded Funds (“ETF”)are afforded certain exemptions from the Investment Company Act. The exemptions allow, among other things, for individual shares to trade on the secondary market. Individual shares cannot be directly purchased from or redeemed by the ETF. Purchases and redemptions directly with ETFs are only accomplished through creation unit aggregations or “baskets” of shares. Shares of an ETF, traded on the secondary market, are bought and sold at market price (not NAV). Brokerage commissions will reduce returns. Investment policies, management fees and other information can be found in the individual ETF’s prospectus. Buying or selling ETF shares on an exchangemay require the payment of fees, such as brokerage commissions, and other fees to financial intermediaries.  In addition, an investor may incur costs attributed 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 (the bid-ask spread). Due to the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment returns. Investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who expect to engage in frequent trading. Net Asset Value (NAV) represents an ETF’s per-share value. The per-share value of an ETF is calculated by dividing the total value of the securities in its portfolio, less any liabilities, by the number of ETF shares outstanding. ETF shares are valued as of the close of regular trading on the New York Stock Exchange (normally 4:00 P.M. Eastern Time) (The “NYSE Close”) on each business day. The Fund’s Net Asset Value, shares outstanding and total net assets are calculated as of the close of regular trading on each day that the New York Stock Exchange is open, and do not reflect security transactions or Fund shares created or redeemed on the date stated. Such transactions are recorded on the next business day and reported on the website the following business day. Returns are average annualized total returns, except for those periods of less than one year, which are cumulative. Market returns are based upon the midpoint of the bid/ask spread at 4:00 pm Eastern time (when NAV is normally determined for most ETFs), and do not represent the returns you would receive if you traded shares at other times. Current holdings are subject to risk. Holdings are subject to change at any time. An investment in an ETF involves risk, including the loss of principal. Investment return, price, yield and Net Asset Value (NAV) will fluctuate with changes in market conditions. Investments may be worth more or less than the original cost when redeemed. Market Price is the Official Closing Price on NYSE Arcaor the New York Stock Exchange, as applicable, or if it more accurately reflects market value at the time as of which NAV is calculated, the midpoint between the national best bid and national best offer as of that time. ETF shares may be bought or sold throughout the day at their market price on the exchange on which they are listed. However, there can be no guarantee that an active trading market for PIMCO ETF shares will develop or be maintained, or that their listing will continue or remain unchanged. Premium/Discount is the difference between the market price and NAV expressed as a percentage of NAV.

A word about risk: Investing in the bond market is subject to risks, including market, interest rate, issuer, credit, inflation risk, and liquidity risk. The value of most bonds and bond strategies are impacted by changes in interest rates. Bonds and bond strategies with longer durations tend to be more sensitive and volatile than those with shorter durations; bond prices generally fall as interest rates rise, and low interest rate environments increase this risk. Reductions in bond counterparty capacity may contribute to decreased market liquidity and increased price volatility. Bond investments may be worth more or less than the original cost when redeemed. Investing in foreign denominated and/or domiciled securities may involve heightened risk due to currency fluctuations, and economic and political risks, which may be enhanced in emerging markets. Mortgage and asset-backed securities may be sensitive to changes in interest rates, subject to early repayment risk, and their value may fluctuate in response to the market’s perception of issuer creditworthiness; while generally supported by some form of government or private guarantee there is no assurance that private guarantors will meet their obligations. High-yield, lower-rated, securities involve greater risk than higher-rated securities; portfolios that invest in them may be subject to greater levels of credit and liquidity risk than portfolios that do not. Derivatives may involve certain costs and risks such as liquidity, interest rate, market, credit, management and the risk that a position could not be closed when most advantageous. Investing in derivatives could lose more than the amount invested.  Diversification does not ensure against loss.

PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund is a diversified portfolio of high-quality bonds that is actively managed to maximize return in a risk-controlled framework while focusing on environmental-, social-, and governance oriented (ESG) principles.[1] Please see the Fund’s prospectus for more detailed information related to its investment objectives, investment strategies and approach to ESG.

[1] The Fund considers ESG factors to choose securities that comprise the fund and to proactively engage with issuers to realize ESG-objectives. Environmental (“E”) factors can include matters such as climate change, pollution, waste, and how an issuer protects and/or conserves natural resources. Social (“S”) factors can include how an issuer manages its relationships with individuals, such as its employees, shareholders, customers and its community. Governance (“G”) factors can include how an issuer operates, such as its leadership, pay and incentive structures, internal controls, and the rights of equity and debt holders.

A Fund’s ESG investing strategy may select or exclude securities of certain issuers for reasons other than financial performance. Such strategy carries the risk that the Fund’s performance will differ from similar funds that do not utilize an ESG investing strategy. For example, the application of this strategy could affect the Fund’s exposure to certain sectors or types of investments, which could negatively impact the Fund’s performance

PIMCO is committed to the integration of Environmental, Social and Governance ("ESG") factors into our broad research process and engaging with issuers on sustainability factors and our climate change investment analysis.  At PIMCO, we define ESG integration as the consistent consideration of material ESG factors into our investment research process with the goal of enhancing our clients’ risk-adjusted returns. Relevant factors may include, but are not limited to: climate change risks, resource efficiency, natural capital, human capital management, human rights, regulatory risks, and reputation risk at an issuer. Further information is available in PIMCO’s Sustainable Investment Policy Statement.

ESG investing is qualitative and subjective by nature, and there is no guarantee that the factors utilized by PIMCO or any judgment exercised by PIMCO will reflect the opinions of any particular investor, and the factors utilized by PIMCO may differ from the factors that any particular investor considers relevant in evaluating an issuer’s ESG practices. In evaluating an issuer, PIMCO is dependent upon information and data obtained through voluntary or third-party reporting that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, or present conflicting information and data with respect to an issuer, which in each case could cause PIMCO to incorrectly assess an issuer’s business practices with respect to its ESG practices. Socially responsible norms differ by region, and an issuer’s ESG practices or PIMCO’s assessment of an issuer’s ESG practices may change over time. There is no standardized industry definition or certification for certain ESG categories, for example “green bonds”; as such, the inclusion of securities in these statistics involves PIMCO’s subjectivity and discretion. There is no assurance that the ESG investing strategy or techniques employed will be successful. Past performance is not a guarantee or reliable indicator of future results.

There is no guarantee that these investment strategies will work under all market conditions or are suitable for all investors and each investor should evaluate their ability to invest long-term, especially during periods of downturn in the market. Investors should consult their investment professional prior to making an investment decision.

Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index represents securities that are SEC-registered, taxable and dollar-denominated. The index covers the U.S. investment grade fixed-rate bond market, with index components for government and corporate securities, mortgage pass-through securities and asset-backed securities. These major sectors are subdivided into more specific indices that are calculated and reported on a regular basis. It is not possible to invest directly in an index.

Morningstar Rating™ as of 31 March 2024 for the institutional share class; other classes may have different performance characteristics. A rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a fund. The PIMCO Total Return Fund was rated against the following numbers of Intermediate Core-Plus Bond funds over the following time periods: Overall 3 Stars (557 funds rated); 3 Yrs. 3 Stars (557 funds rated); 5 Yrs. 3 Stars (527 funds rated); 10 Yrs. 3 Stars (368 funds rated). The PIMCO Total Return ESG Fund was rated against the following numbers of Intermediate Core-Plus Bond funds over the following time periods: Overall 3 Stars (557 funds rated); 3 Yrs. 2 Stars (557 funds rated); 5 Yrs. 2 Stars (527 funds rated); 10 Yrs. 3 Stars (368 funds rated). The PIMCO Active Bond Exchange-Traded Fund was rated against the following numbers of Intermediate Core-Plus Bond funds over the following time periods: Overall 3 Stars (557 funds rated); 3 Yrs. 3 Stars (557 funds rated); 5 Yrs. 3 Stars (527 funds rated); 10 Yrs. 3 Stars (368 funds rated).

A rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a fund. ©2024 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. The Morningstar RatingTM for funds, or "star rating", is calculated for managed products (including mutual funds, variable annuity and variable life subaccounts, exchange-traded funds, closed-end funds, and separate accounts) with at least a three-year history. Exchange-traded funds and open-ended mutual funds are considered a single population for comparative purposes. It is calculated based on a Morningstar Risk-Adjusted Return measure that accounts for variation in a managed product's monthly excess performance, placing more emphasis on downward variations and rewarding consistent performance. The top 10% of products in each product category receive 5 stars, the next 22.5% receive 4 stars, the next 35% receive 3 stars, the next 22.5% receive 2 stars, and the bottom 10% receive 1 star. The Overall Morningstar Rating for a managed product is derived from a weighted average of the performance figures associated with its three-, five-, and 10-year (if applicable) Morningstar Rating metrics. The weights are: 100% three-year rating for 36-59 months of total returns, 60% five-year rating/40% three-year rating for 60-119 months of total returns, and 50% 10-year rating/30% five-year rating/20% three-year rating for 120 or more months of total returns. While the 10-year overall star rating formula seems to give the most weight to the 10-year period, the most recent three-year period actually has the greatest impact because it is included in all three rating periods. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

PIMCO as a general matter provides services to qualified institutions, financial intermediaries and institutional investors. Individual investors should contact their own financial professional to determine the most appropriate investment options for their financial situation. This material contains the current opinions of the manager and such opinions are subject to change without notice. This material has been distributed for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, strategy or investment product. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission. PIMCO is a trademark of Allianz Asset Management of America LLC in the United States and throughout the world.

PIMCO Investments LLC, distributor, 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, is a company of PIMCO.

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