Virtus Global Real Estate Securities Fund Wins Lipper Award for Consistent Three-Year Performance

HARTFORD, Conn., March 24, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Virtus Investment Partners, Inc. VRTS, which operates a multi-manager asset management business, today announced that the Virtus Global Real Estate Securities Fund (Class I: VGSIX) has been honored with a 2016 Lipper Fund Award as the best global real estate fund for the three-year period ended December 31, 2015. To earn this distinction, the fund had the highest "Lipper Leader for Consistent Return (Effective Return)" value in its classification for the three-year period.

Geoffrey P. Dybas, CFA, global head, REITs and senior portfolio manager at Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co., subadviser to the fund, and Frank J. Haggerty, Jr., CFA, senior managing director and portfolio manager at Duff & Phelps, have managed the fund since its inception in 2009. Duff & Phelps specializes in managing listed real asset investment strategies for institutions and individuals, including global real estate securities, as well as global listed infrastructure, global utilities and MLPs. Dybas and Haggerty also manage the Virtus Real Estate Securities Fund, which is focused on U.S. investments, and the Virtus International Real Estate Securities Fund.

"We are honored that Geoff and Frank have been recognized by Lipper for their successful approach to managing real estate portfolios including the Virtus Global Real Estate Securities Fund," said Frank Waltman, executive vice president, product management at Virtus. "The fund has benefited from their extensive knowledge of the global real estate market and from Duff & Phelps' consistent investment philosophy, process, and style. This Lipper Fund Award is a recognition of their exceptional portfolio management skill and long-term success in managing their portfolios."

The Virtus Global Real Estate Securities Fund seeks to generate strong total returns with lower correlation to traditional stock and bond markets. The fund provides global exposure to the real estate securities market by focusing on high-quality commercial real estate owner-operators with a rental business profile. These companies derive 70 percent or more of total revenue from rental income and the rental model offers stable cash flows, consistent income, and higher risk-adjusted returns than developers that are focused on residential merchant-based real estate projects.

The Lipper Fund Awards are part of the Thomson Reuters Awards for Excellence, a global family of awards that honor funds and fund management firms that have excelled in providing consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers.

About Duff & Phelps Investment Management
Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co., the investment subadviser of the fund with $9.2 billion in assets under management as of December 31, 2015, has more than 35 years of experience managing investment portfolios, including institutional separate accounts and open- and closed-end funds investing in utilities, infrastructure, and real estate investment trusts (REITs). For more information about Duff & Phelps visit www.dpimc.com.

About Virtus Investment Partners
Virtus Investment Partners VRTS is a distinctive partnership of boutique investment managers singularly committed to the long-term success of individual and institutional investors. Virtus offers access to a variety of investment styles across multiple disciplines to meet a wide array of investor needs, and provides products and services through affiliated managers and select subadvisers, each with a distinct investment style, autonomous investment process, and individual brand. Its affiliates include Duff & Phelps Investment Management, Euclid Advisors, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management, Kleinwort Benson Investors International, Newfleet Asset Management, Rampart Investment Management, Virtus ETF Solutions,and Zweig Advisers. Additional information can be found at www.virtus.com.

Fund Risks

Equity Securities: The market price of equity securities may be adversely affected by financial market, industry, or issuer-specific events. Focus on a particular style or on small or medium-sized companies may enhance that risk. Industry/Sector Concentration: A fund that focuses its investments in a particular industry or sector will be more sensitive to conditions that affect that industry or sector than a non-concentrated fund. Real Estate: The fund may be negatively affected by factors specific to the real estate market, including interest rates, leverage, property, and management. Foreign & Emerging Markets: Investing internationally, especially in emerging markets, involves additional risks such as currency, political, accounting, economic, and market risk. Prospectus: For additional information on risks, please see the fund's prospectus

Performance data quoted represents past results. Past performance is no guarantee of future results and current performance may be higher or lower than the performance shown. Investment return and principal value will fluctuate so your shares, when redeemed may be worth more or less than their original cost. Please visit Virtus.com for performance data current to the most recent month-end.

Lipper ranks the fund based on the total return as of 12/31/15. Each fund is ranked within a universe of funds similar in portfolio characteristics and capitalization. Rankings do not include the effect of a fund's sales load, if applicable. Lipper ranking is for Class I shares only, other classes may have different performance characteristics. Lipper, Inc. is a nationally recognized organization that ranks the performance of mutual funds.

Investors should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses of any Virtus Mutual Fund before investing. The prospectus and summary prospectus contain this and other information about the Fund. Please contact your financial representative, call 1-800-243-4361, or visit www.virtus.com to obtain a current prospectus and/or summary prospectus. You should read the prospectus and/or summary prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Distributed by VP Distributors, LLC, member FINRA and subsidiary of Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121031/NE03346LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/virtus-global-real-estate-securities-fund-wins-lipper-award-for-consistent-three-year-performance-300241080.html

SOURCE Virtus Investment Partners, Inc.