JNL Series Trust

01/21/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/21/2022 09:06

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company (Form 497K)

Summary Prospectus - April 26, 2021, as amended January 21, 2022
JNL Multi-Manager International Small Cap Fund
Class A
Class I
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 the Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") and most recent reports to shareholders, online at http://connect.rightprospectus.com/Jackson. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-644-4565 (Annuity and Life Service Center), 1-800-599-5651 (NY Annuity and Life Service Center), 1-800-777-7779 (for contracts purchased through a bank or financial institution) or 1-888-464-7779 (for NY contracts purchased through a bank or financial institution), or by sending an email request to [email protected]. The current Prospectus and SAI, both dated April 26, 2021, as amended, are incorporated by reference into (which means they legally are a part of) this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective. The investment objective of the Fund is long-term capital appreciation.
Expenses. This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund.
The expenses do not reflect the expenses of the variable insurance contracts or the separate account through which you indirectly invest in the Fund, whichever may be applicable, and the total expenses would be higher if they were included.
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)
Not Applicable
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Class A
Management Fee
0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.30%
Other Expenses1
0.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
1.21%
1
"Other Expenses" include an Administrative Fee of 0.15% which is payable to Jackson National Asset Management, LLC ("JNAM" or "Adviser").

Annual Fund Operating Expenses
(Expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Class I
Management Fee
0.75%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees
0.00%
Other Expenses1
0.16%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses
0.91%
1
"Other Expenses" include an Administrative Fee of 0.15% which is payable to Jackson National Asset Management, LLC ("JNAM" or "Adviser").

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. Also, this example does not reflect the expenses of the variable insurance contracts or the separate account through which you indirectly invest in the Fund, whichever may be applicable, and the total expenses would be higher if they were included. The table below shows the expenses you would pay on a $10,000 investment, assuming (1) 5% annual return; (2) redemption at the end of each time period; and (3) that the Fund operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
JNL Multi-Manager International Small Cap Fund Class A
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
$123
$384
$665
$1,466

JNL Multi-Manager International Small Cap Fund Class I
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
$93
$290
$504
$1,120

Portfolio Turnover (% of average value of portfolio). 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. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Expense Example above, affect the Fund's performance.
Period
1/1/2020 - 12/31/2020
87
%

Principal Investment Strategies. The Fund seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus the amount of any borrowings made for investment purposes) in international small cap strategies, sometimes referred to as "sleeves," managed by unaffiliated investment managers ("Sub-Advisers"). Each Sub-Adviser generally provides day-to-day management for a portion of the Fund's assets.
Each Sub-Adviser may use different investment strategies in managing Fund assets, acts independently from the others, and uses its own methodology for selecting investments. Jackson National Asset Management, LLC ("JNAM" or "Adviser") is responsible for identifying and retaining the Sub-Advisers for the selected strategies and for monitoring the services provided by the Sub-Advisers. JNAM provides qualitative and quantitative supervision as part of its process for selecting and monitoring the Sub-Advisers. JNAM is also responsible for selecting the Fund's investment strategies and for determining the amount of Fund assets to allocate to each Sub-Adviser. Based on JNAM's ongoing evaluation of the Sub-Advisers, JNAM may adjust allocations among Sub-Advisers.
Below are the principal investment strategies for each sleeve, but the Sub-Advisers may also implement other investment strategies in keeping with their respective sleeve's objective.
WCM International Small Cap Growth Strategy
•
WCM Investment Management, LLC ("WCM") constructs the strategy by investing in equity securities or depositary receipts of small capitalization companies domiciled outside of the United States, including in emerging and frontier market countries. WCM considers small capitalization companies to be companies with market capitalizations within the range of those companies included in the Morningstar® Global ex-US Small Cap Target Market Exposure IndexSM ("Index") at the time of purchase. Because small capitalization companies are defined by reference to the Index, the range of market capitalization of companies in which the WCM International Small Cap Growth Strategy invests may vary with market conditions. WCM will consider the market capitalization range by country. Investments in companies that move above or below the capitalization range of the Index may continue to be held by the WCM International Small Cap Growth Strategy at the Sub-Adviser's discretion.
Causeway International Small Cap Strategy
•
Causeway Capital Management LLC ("Causeway") constructs the strategy by investing primarily in common stocks of companies with smaller market capitalizations located in developed and emerging markets outside the U.S. Smaller market capitalization companies have market capitalizations that do not exceed the highest market capitalization of a company within the Index at the time of purchase. As of December 31, 2020, the Index included companies with market capitalizations of up to $11 billion and included companies in both developed and emerging markets outside the U.S. Investments in companies include both developed and emerging markets outside the U.S. Some of these companies, although small compared with larger U.S. companies, might be large companies in their local markets. The Causeway International Small Cap Strategy may invest in a wide range of industries. Investments in companies that move above or below the capitalization range of the Index may continue to be held by the Causeway International Small Cap Strategy at the Sub-Adviser's discretion.
Baillie Gifford International Smaller Companies Strategy
•
Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited ("Baillie Gifford") constructs the strategy by investing in an international portfolio of common stocks of smaller companies located in countries of developed and emerging markets. When selecting companies for initial inclusion in the Baillie Gifford International Smaller Companies Strategy, Baillie Gifford seeks to invest in companies with a market capitalization in the region of $2 billion or lower. The Baillie Gifford International Smaller Companies Strategy may continue to hold, and may increase its investment in, portfolio companies whose market capitalization subsequently increases. The Baillie Gifford International Smaller Companies Strategy expects over time to have a substantial portion of its portfolio invested in companies with a market capitalization in excess of $2 billion. The Baillie Gifford International Smaller Companies Strategy currently defines a "smaller company" as a company with a market capitalization that does not exceed $10 billion.
Emerging and frontier countries or markets are those countries or markets with low-to-middle-income economies as classified by the World Bank or included in any of the Morningstar Emerging Markets Index. The Sub-Advisers consider a company to be in an emerging or frontier country or market if the company has been registered, incorporated, or organized under the laws of, has headquarters or its principal offices in, or has its stock exchange listing or its securities principally traded in, the emerging or frontier country or market, or if the company derives at least 50% of its revenues, net profits or incremental revenue growth (typically over the past five years) from, or has at least 50% of assets or production capacities in, the emerging or frontier country or market. The Sub-Advisers consider a company to be domiciled in a country if the company is registered, incorporated or organized under the laws of that country, has headquarters or its principal place of business in that country, or has its stock exchange listing or its securities principally traded in that country.

The Fund generally will invest in the securities of companies domiciled in at least three different countries. However, from time to time, the Fund may invest a significant portion of its assets in the securities of companies domiciled in one or a few countries. The Fund may make significant investments in certain sectors or group of sectors from time to time.
The Fund's equity investments include common stock and depositary receipts. The Fund's investments in depositary receipts may include American, European, Canadian and Global Depositary Receipts ("ADRs," "EDRs," "CDRs", and "GDRs," respectively), and other similar securities. ADRs are receipts that represent interests in foreign securities held on deposit by U.S. banks. EDRs and GDRs have the same qualities as ADRs, except that they may be traded in several international trading markets.
The Fund may participate in initial public offerings ("IPOs") and in securities offerings that are not registered in the U.S. In some emerging markets, the Fund may invest in companies that qualify as smaller companies but still are among the largest in that market.
The Fund may invest in Rule 144A and Regulation S securities. Rule 144A securities are securities offered as exempt from registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") but are typically treated as liquid securities because there is a market for such securities. Regulation S securities are securities of U.S. and non-U.S. issuers that are issued through private offerings without registration with the SEC pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Fund. An investment in the Fund is not guaranteed. As with any mutual fund, the value of the Fund's shares will change, and you could lose money by investing in the Fund. The principal risks associated with investing in the Fund include:
•
Market risk - Portfolio securities may decline in value due to factors affecting securities markets generally, such as real or perceived adverse economic, political, or regulatory conditions, inflation, changes in interest or currency rates or adverse investor sentiment, public health issues, including widespread disease and virus epidemics or pandemics such as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, war, terrorism or natural disasters, among others. Adverse market conditions may be prolonged and may not have the same impact on all types of securities. The values of securities may fall due to factors affecting a particular issuer, industry or the securities market as a whole.
•
Equity securities risk - Common and preferred stocks represent equity ownership in a company. Stock markets are volatile, and equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed-income securities. The price of equity or equity-related securities will fluctuate and can decline and reduce the value of a portfolio investing in equity or equity-related securities. The value of equity or equity-related securities purchased or held by the Fund could decline if the financial condition of the companies the Fund invests in decline or if overall market and economic conditions deteriorate. They may also decline due to factors that affect a particular industry or industries, such as labor shortages or an increase in production costs and competitive conditions within an industry. In addition, they may decline due to general market conditions that are not specifically related to a company or industry, such as real or perceived adverse economic conditions, changes in the general outlook for corporate earnings, changes in interest or currency rates or generally adverse investor sentiment.
•
Managed portfolio risk - As an actively managed portfolio, the value of the Fund's investments could decline because the financial condition of an issuer may change (due to such factors as management performance, reduced demand or overall market changes), financial markets may fluctuate or overall prices may decline, or the Sub-Adviser's investment techniques could fail to achieve the Fund's investment objective or negatively affect the Fund's investment performance.
•
Mid-capitalization and small-capitalization investing risk - The securities of mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than those associated with larger, more established companies and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements. Securities of such issuers may lack sufficient market liquidity to enable a Fund to effect sales at an advantageous time or without a substantial drop in price. Both mid-capitalization and small-capitalization companies often have narrower markets and more limited managerial and financial resources than larger, more established companies. As a result, their performance can be more volatile and they face greater risk of business failure, which could increase the volatility of a Fund's portfolio. Generally, the smaller the company size, the greater these risks become.
•
Investment style risk - The returns from a certain investment style may be lower than the returns from the overall stock market. Value stocks may not increase in price if other investors fail to recognize the company's value or the factors that are expected to increase the price of the security do not occur. Growth stock prices frequently reflect projections of future earnings or revenues, and if earnings growth expectations are not met, their stock prices will likely fall, which may reduce the value of a Fund's investment in those stocks. Over market cycles, different investment styles may sometimes outperform other investment styles (for example, growth investing may outperform value investing).
•
Emerging markets and less developed countries risk - Emerging market and less developed countries generally are located in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Central and South America and Africa.Investments in, or exposure to, securities that are tied economically to emerging market and less developed countries are subject to all of the risks of investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities, generally to a greater extent than in developed markets, among other risks. Investments in securities that are tied economically to emerging markets involve greater risk from economic and political systems that typically are less developed, and likely to be less stable, than those in more advanced countries. The Fund also will be subject to the risk of adverse foreign currency rate fluctuations. Emerging market and less developed countries may also have economies that are predominantly based on only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities. The risks of nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation of assets of non-U.S. issuers is also greater in emerging and less developed countries. As a result of these risks, investments in securities tied economically to emerging markets tend to be more volatile than investments in securities of developed countries.
•
Foreign securities risk - Investments in, or exposure to, foreign securities involve risks not typically associated with U.S. investments. These risks include, among others, adverse fluctuations in foreign currency values, possible imposition of foreign withholding or other taxes on income payable on the securities, as well as adverse political, social and economic developments, such as political upheaval, acts of terrorism, financial troubles, or natural disasters. Many foreign securities markets, especially those in emerging market countries, are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. securities markets, and the costs of trading in those markets is often higher than in U.S. securities markets. There may also be less publicly available information about issuers of foreign securities compared to issuers of U.S. securities. In addition, the economies of certain foreign markets may not compare favorably with the economy of the United States with respect to issues such as growth of gross national product, reinvestment of capital, resources and balance of payments position.
•
Allocation risk - The Fund's ability to achieve its investment objective depends upon the investment manager's analysis of such factors as macroeconomic trends, outlooks for various industries and asset class valuations, and its ability to select an appropriate mix of asset classes based on its analysis of such factors. TheFund is subject to the risk of changes in market, investment, and economic conditions in the selection and percentages of allocations.
•
Depositary receipts risk - Depositary receipts, such as American depositary receipts ("ADRs"), global depositary receipts ("GDRs"), and European depositary receipts ("EDRs"), may be issued in sponsored or un-sponsored programs. In a sponsored program, a security issuer has made arrangements to have its securities traded in the form of depositary receipts. In an un-sponsored program, the issuer may not be directly involved in the creation of the program. Depositary receipts involve many of the same risks as direct investments in foreign securities. These risks include: fluctuations in currency exchange rates, which are affected by international balances of payments and other economic and financial conditions; government intervention; and speculation. With respect to certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, political and social upheaval, and economic instability. Investments in depositary receipts that are traded over the counter may also subject the Fund to liquidity risk.
•
Investments in IPOs risk - IPOs issued by unseasoned companies with little or no operating history are risky and highly volatile.
•
Foreign regulatory risk - The Adviser is a subsidiary of Jackson. Jackson is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jackson Financial Inc., which is a subsidiary of Prudential plc. Prudential plc is a publicly traded company incorporated in the United Kingdom and is not affiliated in any manner with Prudential Financial Inc., a company whose principal place of business is in the United States of America, or with The Prudential Assurance Company Ltd, a subsidiary of M&G plc, a company incorporated in the United Kingdom. Through its ownership structure, the Adviser has a number of global financial industry affiliates. As a result of this structure, and the asset management and financial industry business activities of the Adviser and its affiliates, the Adviser and the Fund may be prohibited or limited in effecting transactions in certain securities. Additionally, the Adviser and the Fund may encounter trading limitations or restrictions because of aggregation issues or other foreign regulatory requirements. Foreign regulators or foreign laws may impose position limits on securities held by the Fund, and the Fund may be limited as to which securities it may purchase or sell, as well as the timing of such purchases or sales. These foreign regulatory limits may increase the Fund's expenses and may limit the Fund's performance.
•
Frontier market countries risk - Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies and even less developed capital markets than traditional developing markets, and, as a result, the risks of investing in developing market countries are magnified in frontier market countries. The magnification of risks is the result of: potential for extreme price volatility and illiquidity in frontier markets; government ownership or control of parts of private sector and of certain companies; trade barriers, exchange controls, managed adjustments in relative currency values and other protectionist measures imposed or negotiated by the countries with which frontier market countries trade; and the relatively new and unsettled securities laws in many frontier market countries.
•
Rule 144A securities risk - Rule 144A securities are securities offered as exempt from registration with the SEC, but may be treated as liquid securities because there is a market for such securities. Rule 144A securities may have an active trading market, but carry the risk that the active trading market may not continue. To the extent that institutional buyers become, for a time, uninterested in purchasing Rule 144A securities, investing in such securities could increase the Fund's level of illiquidity.
•
Regulation S securities risk - Regulation S securities may be less liquid than publicly traded securities and may not be subject to the disclosure and other investor protection requirements that would be applicable if they were publicly traded. Accordingly, Regulation S securities may involve a high degree of business and financial risk and may result in substantial losses.


Performance. The performance information shown provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund's performance from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compared with those of a broad-based securities market index which has investment characteristics similar to those of the Fund. The Fund's past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Fund will perform in the future.
The returns shown in the bar chart and table do not include charges that will be imposed by variable insurance products. If these amounts were reflected, returns would be less than those shown.
Effective April 26, 2021, the Fund was combined with JNL/Franklin Templeton International Small Cap Fund ("Acquired Fund"), with the Fund as the surviving Fund. The performance shown is the Fund's historic performance and does not reflect the performance of the Acquired Fund.
Effective December 31, 2021, for consistency with the Fund's principal investment strategies, the Fund will replace the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA Small Cap NR USD Index with the Morningstar® Global ex-US Small Cap Target Market Exposure IndexSM (Net) as the Fund's primary benchmark.
Annual Total Returns as of December 31
Class A
Best Quarter (ended 6/30/2020): 33.42%; Worst Quarter (ended 3/31/2020): -25.68%
Annual Total Returns as of December 31
Class I
Best Quarter (ended 6/30/2020): 33.50%; Worst Quarter (ended 3/31/2020): -25.59%
Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/2020
1 year
Life of Fund (August 13, 2018)
JNL Multi-Manager International Small Cap Fund (Class A)
32.18
%
15.38
%
MSCI All Country World Index ex USA Small Cap NR USD Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
14.24
%
7.69
%

Average Annual Total Returns as of 12/31/2020
1 year
Life of Class (August 13, 2018)
JNL Multi-Manager International Small Cap Fund (Class I)
32.68
%
15.74
%
MSCI All Country World Index ex USA Small Cap NR USD Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
14.24
%
7.69
%

Portfolio Management.
Investment Adviser to the Fund:
Jackson National Asset Management, LLC ("JNAM")
Sub-Advisers:
Baillie Gifford Overseas Limited ("Baillie Gifford")
Causeway Capital Management LLC ("Causeway")
WCM Investment Management, LLC ("WCM")
Portfolio Managers:
Name:
Joined Fund Management Team In:
Title:
William Harding, CFA
August 2018
Senior Vice President, Chief Investment Officer and Portfolio Manager, JNAM
Sean Hynes, CFA, CAIA
August 2018
Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Manager, JNAM
Mark Pliska, CFA
August 2018
Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Manager, JNAM
Praveen Kumar
April 2021
Portfolio Manager, Baillie Gifford & Co.*
Brian Lum, CFA
April 2021
Portfolio Manager, Baillie Gifford & Co.*
Charlie Broughton, CFA
October 2021
Portfolio Manager, Baillie Gifford & Co.*
Steve Vaughan, CFA
April 2021
Portfolio Manager, Baillie Gifford & Co.*
Arjun Jayaraman, Ph.D., CFA
August 2018
Head of Quantitative Research and Portfolio Manager, Causeway
MacDuff Kuhnert
August 2018
Director and Portfolio Manager, Causeway
Joe Gubler, CFA
August 2018
Director and Portfolio Manager, Causeway
Ryan Myers
January 2021
Director and Portfolio Manager, Causeway
Gregory S. Ise, CFA
August 2018
Portfolio Manager and Business Analyst, WCM
Sanjay Ayer, CFA
August 2018
Portfolio Manager and Business Analyst, WCM
* Baillie Gifford & Co. is the 100% owner of Baillie Gifford.
Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares
Only separate accounts of Jackson National Life Insurance Company ("Jackson") or Jackson National Life Insurance Company of New York ("Jackson NY") and series, including fund of funds, of registered investment companies in which either or both of those insurance companies invest may purchase shares of the Fund. You may invest indirectly in the Fund through your purchase of a variable annuity or life insurance contract issued by a separate account of Jackson or Jackson NY that invests directly, or through a fund of funds, in this Fund. Any minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements and redemption procedures are governed by the applicable separate account through which you invest indirectly.
This Fund serves as an underlying investment by insurance companies, affiliated investment companies, and retirement plans for funding variable annuity and life insurance contracts and retirement plans.
Tax Information
The Fund's shareholders are separate accounts of Jackson or Jackson NY and mutual funds owned directly or indirectly by such separate accounts. Accordingly, the Fund's dividends and other distributions generally are not taxable to you, the contract owner or plan participant, but no further discussion is included about the U.S. federal income tax consequences to you. You should consult the prospectus of the appropriate separate account or description of the plan for a discussion of the U.S. federal income tax consequences to you of your contract, policy or plan.
Payments to Broker-Dealers and Financial Intermediaries
If you invest in the Fund under a variable insurance contract or a plan that offers a variable insurance contract as a plan option through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a financial institution), 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 Website for more information.