Sterling Capital Funds

02/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/19/2026 14:26

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company (Form 497K)

Summary Prospectus February 11, 2026

Sterling Capital Enhanced Core Bond ETF

Ticker: SCEC

Before you invest, you may want to review the Fund's Prospectus, which contains information about the Fund and its risks. The Fund's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated February 11, 2026, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Fund's Prospectus and other information about the Fund online at www.sterlingcapitalfunds.com/funds. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-228-1872 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected].

Investment Objective

The Fund seeks a high level of current income and a competitive total return.

Fee Table

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between Sterling Capital Funds (the "Trust") and Sterling Capital Management LLC ("Sterling Capital" or the "Adviser") (the "Investment Advisory Agreement") provides that the Adviser will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except the Management Fees set forth in the table below, Distribution and Service (Rule 12b-1) Fees, distribution expenses, investment-related expenses of any kind, borrowing and other investment-related costs and fees, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest expenses, taxes and governmental fees, litigation and indemnification fees and expenses of any kind, custody or other expenses attributable to negative interest rates on investments or cash, short dividend expense, salaries and other compensation or expenses, including travel expenses, of any of the Trust's executive officers and employees, if any, who are not officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners or employees of the Adviser or its subsidiaries or affiliates, organizational and offering expenses of the Trust and the Fund, costs related to any meetings of shareholders, fees or expenses incurred in connection with securities lending, any other expenses which are capitalized in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, extraordinary expenses, and such other expenses as may be approved by the Fund's Board. You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

Maximum Sales Charge (load) on Purchases (as a % of offering price)

None

Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (load) (as a % of the lesser of the cost of your shares or their net asset value at the time of redemption)

None

Redemption Fee

None

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

Management Fee

0.39%

Distribution and Service (12b-1) Fees(1)

None

Other Expenses(2)

0.00%

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

0.39%

(1) The Fund has adopted a Rule 12b-1 Distribution Plan, and the Board of Trustees (the "Board") has authorized a 12b-1 fee not to exceed 0.25% of the average daily net assets of Fund shares. No Distribution and Service (12b-1) fee is currently paid by the Fund or will be made during the first twelve (12) month period from the date of this prospectus. Thereafter, 12b-1 fees may only be imposed after approval by the Fund's Board.

(2) Amounts have been estimated for the current fiscal year.

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 and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

1
Year

3
Years

$40

$125

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 fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. For the semi-annual period beginning on commencement of the Predecessor Fund's operations on March 13, 2025 and ended June 30, 2025, the portfolio turnover rate of the Predecessor Fund (defined below) was 35% of the average value of its portfolio.

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Strategy, Risks and Performance

Principal Strategy

The Fund is an actively managed exchange traded fund ("ETF") that seeks competitive total return through any combination of high current income and capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of fixed-income securities. The Fund implements an "enhanced core" strategy by allocating assets between investment-grade bonds and high-yield, lower-rated bonds to achieve the Fund's performance objectives. To pursue its investment objective, the Fund will invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes in a diversified portfolio of bonds, including: securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities, corporate bonds, asset-backed securities, mortgage-backed securities, including commercial mortgage-backed securities and collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations ("CLOs"), municipal securities, restricted debt securities (including privately placed commercial paper and Rule 144A securities), and bonds that are below investment grade, which are commonly referred to as "high yield" or "junk" bonds. All securities will be U.S. dollar-denominated although the Fund may invest in U.S. dollar-denominated foreign and emerging market securities. The Fund invests primarily in securities that are investment grade, but may invest up to 20% of its net assets in bonds that are below investment grade ("high yield" or "junk" bonds).

The Fund defines "investment-grade bonds" as securities that are rated in one of the four highest rating categories (AAA, AA, A or BBB) by at least one nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO) at the time of purchase. If a bond is not rated, the portfolio managers will determine if the bond is of comparable quality. The Fund may continue to hold securities that are downgraded below investment grade after purchase, if the adviser determines it is in the best interest of shareholders to retain such securities.

The Fund may also invest in preferred stock and variable and floating rate instruments to achieve its investment objectives.

In managing the portfolio, the portfolio managers use a "top down" investment management approach focusing on interest rate risk, allocation among sectors, credit risk, and individual securities selection. The portfolio managers focus on macro trends in the economy to establish a duration target that changes over time with movements in interest rates and changing market conditions. Duration is the expected life of a fixed income security and is used to determine the sensitivity of the security's price to changes in interest rates. Duration accounts for the time until all payments of interest and principal on a security are expected to be made, including how these payments are affected by prepayments and by changes in interest rates. For yield curve management, in addition to the trend in interest rates, other factors such as future inflation expectations, supply factors and future interest rate expectations are considered. Sector weightings are driven by a combination of the portfolio manager's macro view on interest rates and volatility as well as relative spread analysis (a comparison of current and historical valuation relationships between various sectors). Utilizing fundamental analysis, the portfolio managers then select individual securities consistent with the current duration target by looking for the best relative values within particular sectors. This includes an analysis of the structure and embedded features of potential securities. Features that are analyzed include puts, calls, sinking fund requirements (scheduled early retirements of the specific debt instrument), prepayment and extension risk, and individual company financial data for potential corporate holdings. Scenario analysis (e.g., evaluation of financial models with different key variables) is typically used to estimate the future cash flows for structured products and other securities with potentially variable returns of principal. These analyses are used to estimate the potential risk of each security. By comparing valuations on securities in the same sector or industry with similar risk profiles, the manager can determine where investors are being best compensated for a commensurate level of risk.

The Fund may trade securities actively. Additionally, the portfolio managers may consider selling a security owned by the Fund to reduce exposure to a particular sector, if the portfolio managers see a deterioration in the underlying fundamentals of an issuer or if the actions of the issuer violate the investment thesis of owning the security (or, in another words, the original reasoning for purchasing the security), when the portfolio managers find other attractive securities that the portfolio managers believe are less expensive and offer relatively greater income or growth potential, and in response to macro level adjustments to duration and yield curve contributions (which are changes made to portfolio duration or yield curve positioning due to changes in the portfolio managers' macroeconomic outlook).

The Fund may invest in certain types of derivative instruments for hedging and investment purposes. Although the Fund may invest in derivatives of any kind, the Fund currently expects to invest in swaps, including credit default swaps, futures contracts and forward foreign currency contracts to gain efficient investment exposures as an alternative to cash investments or to hedge against portfolio exposures. While the use of derivatives is not a primary investment strategy of the Fund, there may be times when it becomes practical to invest in these instruments, particularly when managing risk. The most common use case for derivatives in the portfolio would be when the portfolio managers seek to efficiently achieve a specific duration or yield curve positioning without needing to alter the underlying cash sector allocations. Derivatives may also be used as efficient substitutes for cash securities during large inflows or outflows to the Fund. The Fund's investments in derivatives will be counted toward the Fund's 80% policy to the extent that they provide investment exposure to bonds or other securities within that policy or to one or more market risk factors associated with such investments.

Principal Risks

All investments carry a certain amount of risk, and the Fund cannot guarantee that it will achieve its investment objective. An investment in the Fund is not a deposit or obligation of any bank, is not endorsed or guaranteed by any bank and is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") or any other government agency. You may lose money by investing in the Fund. Below are the principal risks of investing in the Fund.

ETF Structure Risks. The Fund is structured as an ETF and is subject to risks related to exchange trading, including:

The Fund's shares are listed for trading on a national securities exchange (the "Exchange") and are bought and sold on the secondary market at market prices. Although it is expected that the market price of Fund shares will typically approximate the Fund's net asset value ("NAV"), there may be times when the market price reflects a significant premium or discount to NAV, including during periods of high market volatility or other unusual market conditions.

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Although the Fund's shares are listed on the Exchange, it is possible that an active trading market in the Fund's shares may not be maintained.

The Fund could potentially face trading halts and/or delisting from the Exchange. This risk is heightened in times of market stress, including at both the Fund share level and at the Fund holdings level.

Only an authorized participant (an "Authorized Participant") may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting.

To the extent that the Fund effects its creation and redemptions in cash, as it intends regularly to do, the Fund may need to sell securities to generate the necessary funds for a redemption. Such sales may result in the Fund realizing capital gains, which under applicable tax regulations must be distributed to all shareholders, leading to potential tax liabilities for shareholders that would not have been incurred had the redemptions been in-kind. Such cash redemptions may also result in the Fund incurring brokerage costs that might not have been incurred if the purchase or redemption of Creation Units were effected in kind, and the imposition of such costs may decrease the Fund's net asset value. The use of cash creations and redemptions may also cause the Fund's shares to trade in the market at wider bid-ask spreads or greater premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV.

Interest Rate Risk: The possibility that the value of the Fund's investments will change or decline due to a change in interest rates. Interest rate risk is generally higher for longer-term debt instruments and lower for shorter-term debt instruments.

Fixed Income Market Risk: Fixed income securities markets may, in response to governmental intervention, economic or market developments (including potentially a reduction in the number of broker-dealers willing to engage in market-making activity), or other factors, experience periods of increased volatility and reduced liquidity.

Credit Risk: The possibility that an issuer cannot make timely interest and principal payments on its debt securities such as bonds. The lower a security's rating, the greater its credit risk. Changes in actual or perceived creditworthiness may occur quickly.

Mortgage-Backed and Asset-Backed Securities Risk: Mortgage-backed and other asset-backed securities may be particularly sensitive to changes in prevailing interest rates. Rising interest rates tend to extend the duration of mortgage-backed securities, making them more sensitive to changes in interest rates, and may reduce the market value of the securities. Mortgage-backed securities are also subject to pre-payment risk. Due to their often complicated structures, various mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may be difficult to value and may constitute illiquid securities. Furthermore, debtors may be entitled to the protection of a number of state and federal consumer protection credit laws with respect to these securities, which may give the debtor the right to avoid or reduce payment.

High-Yield/High-Risk Debt Securities: High-yield/high-risk debt securities are securities that are rated below investment grade by the primary rating agencies. These securities are considered speculative and involve greater risk of loss than investment grade debt securities.

Active Trading Risk: The Fund may trade securities actively, which could increase its transaction costs (thereby lowering its performance) and may increase the amount of taxes that a shareholder pays, by increasing the amount of the Fund's realized capital gains and increasing the portion of the Fund's realized capital gains that are short-term capital gains.

Collateralized Loan Obligations Risk: Collateralized loan obligations are structured investment vehicles typically collateralized by a pool of loans, which may include, among others, senior secured loans, senior unsecured loans, and subordinate corporate loans, including loans that may be rated below investment grade or equivalent unrated loans. Collateralized loan obligations are subject to the risks of substantial losses, including losses due to actual defaults by borrowers of the loans underlying the collateralized loan obligations, which will be greater during periods of economic or financial stress. Collateralized loan obligations may also lose value due to collateral defaults and impairment of subordinate tranches, market anticipation of defaults, and investor aversion to collateralized loan obligation securities as a class. The Fund may invest in collateralized loan obligations that hold loans of uncreditworthy borrowers, which may absorb losses from underlying borrower defaults before senior tranches. Investments in such collateralized loan obligations present a greater risk of loss. In addition, collateralized loan obligations are subject to interest rate risk, credit risk, prepayment/call risk and fixed income market risk.

Counterparty Risk: The possibility that a counterparty to a contract will default or otherwise become unable to honor a financial obligation.

Derivatives Risk: The possibility that the Fund will suffer a loss from its use of derivatives. The primary risk with many derivatives is that they can amplify a gain or loss, potentially earning or losing substantially more money than the actual cost of the derivative instrument. It is possible that the Fund's liquid assets may be insufficient to support its obligations under its derivatives positions. The Fund's use of derivatives such as futures transactions and swap transactions involves other risks, such as the credit risk relating to the other party to a derivative contract (which is heightened for over-the-counter swaps and other derivatives as compared to centrally cleared derivatives), the risk of difficulties in pricing and valuation, and the risk that changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with relevant assets, rates or indices. There is also the risk that the Fund may be unable to terminate or sell a derivatives position at an advantageous time or price. When the Fund uses credit default swaps to gain indirect long exposure to an issuer or a fixed income security by selling credit protection on such issuer or security, the Fund is exposed to the risk that it will be required to pay the full notional value of the swap contract in the event of a default.

Emerging Markets Risk: The risks associated with foreign investments (see "Foreign Investment Risk" below) are particularly pronounced in connection with investments in emerging markets.

Estimated Maturity Risk: The possibility that an underlying security holder will exercise its right to pay principal on an obligation earlier or later than expected. This may happen when there is a rise or fall

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in interest rates. These events may shorten or lengthen the duration (i.e., interest rate sensitivity) and potentially reduce the value of these securities.

Focused Investment Risk: Investments focused in asset classes, countries, regions, sectors, industries, or issuers that are subject to the same or similar risk factors and investments whose prices are closely correlated are subject to greater overall risk than investments that are more diversified or whose prices are not as closely correlated.

Forward Foreign Currency Contracts Risk: A forward currency contract is an agreement between two parties to buy and sell a currency at a set price on a future date. The market value of a forward currency contract fluctuates with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. While forward foreign currency exchange contracts do not eliminate fluctuations in the value of foreign securities, they do allow the Fund to establish a fixed rate of exchange for a future point in time. Use of such contracts, therefore, can have the effect of reducing returns and minimizing opportunities for gain. The Fund could also lose money when the contract is settled.

Futures Contracts Risk. The volatility of futures contracts prices has been historically greater than the volatility of stocks and bonds. The liquidity of the futures market depends on participants entering into offsetting transactions rather than making or taking delivery. To the extent participants decide to make or take delivery, liquidity in the futures market could be reduced.

Foreign Investment Risk: Foreign securities involve risks not typically associated with investing in U.S. securities. Foreign securities may be adversely affected by various factors, including currency fluctuations and social, economic or political instability. These risks are particularly pronounced for emerging markets.

Income Risk: The possibility that the Fund's income will decline due to a decrease in interest rates. Income risk is generally higher for shorter-term bonds and lower for longer-term bonds.

Liquidity Risk: The possibility that certain securities may be difficult or impossible to sell at the time and the price that would normally prevail in the market. The seller may have to lower the price, sell other securities instead or forego an investment opportunity, any of which could have a negative effect on Fund management or performance.

Management Risk: The risk that an investment technique used by the Fund's portfolio manager may fail to produce the intended result.

Market Risk: The possibility that the Fund's investment holdings will decline in price because of a market decline, or other domestic, regional, or global events. Markets generally move in cycles, with periods of rising prices followed by periods of falling prices. The value of your investment will tend to increase or decrease in response to these movements.

Municipal Securities Risk: Municipal obligations are issued by or on behalf of states, territories and possessions of the United States and their political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities and the District of Columbia to obtain funds for various public purposes. Municipal obligations are subject to more credit risk than U.S. government securities that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States. The ability of municipalities to meet their obligations will depend on the availability of tax and other revenues, economic, political and other conditions within the state and municipality, and the underlying fiscal condition of the state and municipality. As with other fixed income securities, municipal securities also expose their holders to market risk because their values typically change as interest rates fluctuate.

Operational and Technology Risk: Cyber-attacks, disruptions, or failures that affect the Fund's service providers, counterparties, market participants, or issuers of securities held by the Fund may adversely affect the Fund and its shareholders, including by causing losses for the Fund or impairing Fund operations.

Preferred Stock Risk: Preferred stock represents an interest in a company that generally entitles the holder to receive, in preference to the holders of common stock, dividends and a fixed share of the proceeds resulting from a liquidation of the company. Preferred stocks are generally subordinated in right of payment to all debt obligations and creditors of the issuer.

Prepayment/Call Risk: When mortgages and other obligations are prepaid and when securities are called, the Fund may have to reinvest in securities with a lower yield or fail to recover additional amounts (i.e., premiums) paid for securities with higher interest rates, resulting in an unexpected capital loss. Call risk is the possibility that, during periods of declining interest rates, a bond issuer will "call" - or repay - higher-yielding bonds before their stated maturity date. In both cases, investors receive their principal back and are typically forced to reinvest it in bonds that pay lower interest rates.

Private Placement Risk: Privately issued securities are restricted securities that are not publicly traded, and may be less liquid than those that are publicly traded. Accordingly, the Fund may not be able to redeem or resell its interests in a privately issued security at an advantageous time or at an advantageous price which may result in a loss to the Fund.

Smaller Fund Risk: A smaller fund's performance may not represent how the fund is expected to or may perform in the long term if and when it becomes larger and has fully implemented its investment strategies. Investment positions may have a disproportionate impact (negative or positive) on performance in smaller funds. Smaller funds may also require a period of time before they are fully invested in securities that meet their investment objectives and policies and achieve a representative portfolio composition. Fund performance may be lower or higher during this "ramp-up" period, and may also be more volatile, than would be the case after the fund is fully invested. Similarly, a smaller fund's investment strategy may require a longer period of time to show returns that are representative of the strategy. Smaller funds may not attract sufficient assets to achieve investment and trading efficiencies. If a smaller fund were to fail to successfully implement its investment strategies or achieve its investment objective, performance may be negatively impacted.

Swap Risk: A swap is a contract that generally obligates the parties to exchange payments based on a specified reference security, basket of securities, security index or index component. Swaps can involve greater risks than direct investment in securities because swaps may be leveraged and are subject to counterparty risk (e.g., the risk of a counterparty defaulting on the obligation or bankruptcy), credit risk and valuation risk (i.e., swaps may be difficult to value). Certain swaps may also be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.

Credit Default Swaps Risk: A credit default swap enables an investor to buy or sell protection against a credit event with respect to an issuer, such as an issuer's failure to make timely payments of interest or principal on its debt obligations, bankruptcy or

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restructuring. Credit default swaps are subject to credit risk of the underlying issuer and to counterparty credit risk. If the counterparty fails to meet its obligations, the Fund may lose money.

U.S. Government Securities Risk: The Fund invests in securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities (such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac securities). Although U.S. government securities issued directly by the U.S. government are guaranteed by the U.S. Treasury, other U.S. government securities issued by an agency or instrumentality of the U.S. government may not be. No assurance can be given that the U.S. government would provide financial support to its agencies and instrumentalities if not required to do so by law.

Variable and Floating Rate Instrument Risk: Variable and floating rate instruments are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than other fixed rate instruments; however, the value of floating rate instruments may decline if their interest rates do not rise as quickly, or as much, as general interest rates.

For more information about the Fund's risks, please see the "Additional Investment Strategies and Risks" section in this Prospectus.

Performance

The Fund is adopting the performance of the Sterling Capital Enhanced Core Bond ETF (the "Predecessor Fund") as a result of the Reorganization. Prior to the Reorganization, the Fund had not yet commenced operations. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Predecessor Fund does not have a full calendar year of performance history. In the future, performance information will be presented in this section of the Prospectus. Performance information will contain a bar chart and table that provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund (and the Predecessor Fund for periods prior to the Reorganization) by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing the Fund's average annual returns for certain time periods as compared to a broad measure of market performance. Investors should be aware that past performance before and after taxes is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.sterlingcapital.com/etf or by calling 1-888-637-7798.

Management

Investment Adviser

Sterling Capital Management LLC

Portfolio Managers

Mark M. Montgomery, CFA®
Senior Managing Director, CIO and Head of Fixed Income of Sterling Capital and Co-Portfolio Manager
Since inception

Peter L. Brown, CFA®
Managing Director and Head of Investment Grade Credit of Sterling Capital and Co-Portfolio Manager
Since inception

Robert Brown, CFA®
Managing Director and Head of Non-Investment Grade Credit of Sterling Capital and Co-Portfolio Manager
Since inception

Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares

Individual shares of the Fund may only be purchased and sold in the secondary market (i.e., on a national securities exchange) through a broker or dealer at market prices. Because Fund shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, Fund shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (premium) or less than NAV (discount). When buying or selling shares in the secondary market, you 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) (the "bid-ask spread"). When available, recent information regarding the Fund's NAV, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads will be available at www.sterlingcapital.com/etf.

Tax Information

The Fund normally distributes its net investment income and net realized capital gains, if any, to shareholders. These distributions are generally taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-advantaged arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan (which may be taxable upon withdrawal) or an individual retirement account (which may be taxable upon withdrawal). A sale of shares may result in capital gain or loss.

Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries

If you purchase the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Fund and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Fund shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict 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 Web site for more information.

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Sterling Capital Funds published this content on February 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via EDGAR on February 19, 2026 at 20:26 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]