SunAmerica Series Trust

04/29/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/29/2024 13:42

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

497K
Summary Prospectus
May 1, 2024
SunAmerica Series Trust
SA Federated Hermes Corporate Bond Portfolio
(Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3 Shares)
SunAmerica Series Trust's Statutory Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, each dated May 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 Portfolio is offered only to the separate accounts of certain affiliated and unaffiliated life insurance companies and to other mutual funds. This Summary Prospectus is not intended for use by other investors.
Before you invest, you may want to review SunAmerica Series Trust's Statutory Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Statutory Prospectus and the above-incorporated information online at https://www.corebridgefinancial.com/getprospectus. You can also get this information at no cost by calling (800) 445-7862 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 Goal
The Portfolio's investment goal is high total return with only moderate price risk.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Portfolio. 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 Portfolio is offered. If separate account fees were shown, the Portfolio's annual operating expenses would be higher. Please see your Variable Contract prospectus for more details on the separate account fees.
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Class 1
Class 2
Class 3
Management Fees
0.52%
0.52%
0.52%
Service (12b-1) Fees
None
0.15%
0.25%
Other Expenses
0.03%
0.03%
0.03%
Total Annual Portfolio
Operating Expenses
0.55%
0.70%
0.80%
Expense Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same. 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
Class 1
$56
$176
$307
$689
Class 2
72
224
390
871
Class 3
82
255
444
990
Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio 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 portfolio operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance.
During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 5% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies of the Portfolio
The Portfolio attempts to achieve its goal by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of its net assets in corporate bonds. For purposes of this policy, corporate bonds include any corporate fixed income security.
The subadviser seeks to enhance the Portfolio's performance by allocating relatively more of its portfolio to the security type that the subadviser expects to offer the best balance between current income and risk. The
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SA Federated Hermes Corporate Bond Portfolio
subadviser may lengthen or shorten duration from time to time based on its interest rate outlook, but the Portfolio has no set duration parameters. Duration measures the price sensitivity of a fixed income security to changes in interest rates.
The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade fixed income securities, but may invest up to 35% of its net assets in securities rated below investment grade, or "junk bonds," including loan participations and assignments, which are rated below investment grade or are deemed by the subadviser to be below investment grade. Junk bonds are considered speculative. The Portfolio may also invest in foreign securities (up to 20% of net assets); and when-issued and delayed delivery transactions. The Portfolio may invest in illiquid investments (up to 15% of assets).
The Portfolio may use derivative contracts to implement elements of its investment strategy in an attempt to: manage duration of the Portfolio, gain exposure to certain indices, currencies and interest rates based on anticipated changes in the volatility of Portfolio assets, obtain premiums or realize gains from the trading of a derivative instrument, or hedge against potential losses in the Portfolio. Such derivatives may include: credit default swaps and CDX-swaps (up to 5% of total assets); and up to 10% of total assets for all other derivatives, including options, futures, interest rate futures, currency swaps, total return swaps, interest rate swaps, caps, floors and collars.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio
As with any mutual fund, there can be no assurance that the Portfolio's investment goal will be met or that the net return on an investment in the Portfolio will exceed what could have been obtained through other investment or savings vehicles. Shares of the Portfolio are not bank deposits and are not guaranteed or insured by any bank, government entity or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. If the value of the assets of the Portfolio goes down, you could lose money.
The following is a summary of the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.
Bonds Risk. The value of your investment in the Portfolio may go up or down in response to changes in interest rates or defaults (or even the potential for future defaults) by bond issuers.
Junk Bonds Risk. The Portfolio may invest significantly in junk bonds, which are considered speculative. Junk bonds carry a substantial risk of default or changes in the issuer's creditworthiness, or they may already be in default at the time of purchase.
Foreign Investment Risk. The Portfolio's investments in the securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets involve additional risk. Foreign countries in which the Portfolio invests may have markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile than U.S. markets. The value of the Portfolio's investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable government actions, and political or financial instability and other conditions or events (including, for example, military confrontations, war, terrorism, sanctions, disease/virus, outbreaks and epidemics). Lack of relevant data and reliable public information may also affect the value of these securities.
Illiquidity Risk. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Portfolio reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without the sale or disposition significantly changing the market value of the investment. Illiquidity risk exists when particular investments are difficult to sell. Although most of the Portfolio's investments must be liquid at the time of investment, investments may lack liquidity after purchase by the Portfolio, particularly during periods of market turmoil. When the Portfolio holds illiquid investments, its investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets, and if the Portfolio is forced to sell these investments to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Portfolio may suffer a loss. In addition, when there is illiquidity in the market for certain investments, the Portfolio, due to limitations on illiquid investments, may be unable to achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the Portfolio's share price may fall dramatically. Portfolios that invest in non-investment grade fixed income securities and emerging market country issuers will be especially subject to the risk that during certain periods, the liquidity of particular issuers or industries, or all securities within a particular investment category, will shrink or disappear suddenly and without warning as a result of adverse economic, market or political events, or adverse investor perceptions.
Credit Default Swaps Risk.A credit default swap is an agreement between two parties: a buyer of credit protection and a seller of credit protection. The buyer in a credit default swap agreement is obligated to pay the seller a periodic stream of payments over the term of the swap agreement. If no default or other designated credit event occurs, the seller of credit protection will have received a fixed rate of income throughout the term of the
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SA Federated Hermes Corporate Bond Portfolio
swap agreement. If a default or designated credit event does occur, the seller of credit protection must pay the buyer of credit protection the full value of the reference obligation. Credit default swaps increase counterparty risk when the Portfolio is the buyer. Commodity Futures Trading Commission rules require that certain credit default swaps be executed through a centralized exchange or regulated facility and be cleared through a regulated clearinghouse. As a general matter, these rates have increased costs in connection with trading these instruments.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is any financial instrument whose value is based on, and determined by, another security, index, rate or benchmark (i.e., stock options, futures, caps, floors, etc.). To the extent a derivative contract is used to hedge another position in the Portfolio, the Portfolio will be exposed to the risks associated with hedging described below. To the extent an option, futures contract, swap, or other derivative is used to enhance return, rather than as a hedge, the Portfolio will be directly exposed to the risks of the contract. Unfavorable changes in the value of the underlying security, index, rate or benchmark may cause sudden losses. Gains or losses from the Portfolio's use of derivatives may be substantially greater than the amount of the Portfolio's investment. Certain derivatives have the potential for undefined loss. Derivatives are also associated with various other risks, including market risk, leverage risk, hedging risk, counterparty risk, valuation risk, regulatory risk, illiquidity risk and interest rate risk. The primary risks associated with the Portfolio's use of derivatives are market risk, counterparty risk and hedging risk.
Leverage Risk. The Portfolio may engage in certain transactions that may expose it to leverage risk, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed delivery or forward commitment transactions and derivatives. The use of leverage may cause the Portfolio to liquidate portfolio positions at inopportune times in order to meet regulatory asset coverage requirements, fulfill leverage contract terms, or for other reasons. Leveraging, including borrowing, tends to increase the Portfolio's exposure to market risk, interest rate risk or other risks, and thus may cause the Portfolio to be more volatile than if the Portfolio had not utilized leverage.
Hedging Risk. While hedging strategies can be very useful and inexpensive ways of reducing risk, they are sometimes ineffective due to unexpected changes in the market. Hedging also involves the risk that changes in the value of the related security will not match those of the instruments being hedged as expected, in which case any losses on the instruments being hedged may not be
reduced. For gross currency hedges, there is an additional risk, to the extent that these transactions create exposure to currencies in which the Portfolio's securities are not denominated.
Counterparty Risk. Counterparty risk is the risk that a counterparty to a security, loan or derivative held by the Portfolio becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties. The Portfolio may experience significant delays in obtaining any recovery in a bankruptcy or other reorganization proceeding, and there may be no recovery or limited recovery in such circumstances.
Call Risk. The risk that an issuer will exercise its right to pay principal on a debt obligation (such as a mortgage-backed security or convertible security) that is held by the Portfolio earlier than expected. This may happen when there is a decline in interest rates. Under these circumstances, the Portfolio may be unable to recoup all of its initial investment and will also suffer from having to reinvest in lower-yielding securities.
Credit Risk. Credit risk applies to most debt securities, but is generally not a factor for obligations backed by the "full faith and credit" of the U.S. Government. The Portfolio could lose money if the issuer of a debt security is unable or perceived to be unable to pay interest or to repay principal when it becomes due.

An issuer with a lower credit rating will be more likely than a higher rated issuer to default or otherwise become unable to honor its financial obligations. Issuers with low credit ratings typically issue junk bonds. In addition to the risk of default, junk bonds may be more volatile, less liquid, more difficult to value and more susceptible to adverse economic conditions or investor perceptions than other bonds.
Interest Rate Risk. Fixed income securities may be subject to volatility due to changes in interest rates. Duration is a measure of interest rate risk that indicates how price-sensitive a bond is to changes in interest rates. Longer-term and lower coupon bonds tend to be more sensitive to changes in interest rates. Any future changes in monetary policy made by central banks and/or their governments are likely to affect the level of interest rates.
Issuer Risk. The value of a security may decline for a number of reasons directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand for the issuer's goods and services.
Management Risk. The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment portfolio. The Portfolio's portfolio managers
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SA Federated Hermes Corporate Bond Portfolio
apply investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions, but there can be no guarantee that these decisions or the individual securities selected by the portfolio managers will produce the desired results.
Loan Participations and Assignments Risk. The lack of a liquid secondary market for loan participations and assignments may have an adverse impact on the value of such securities and the Portfolio's ability to dispose of particular assignments or participations when necessary to meet the Portfolio's liquidity needs or in response to a specific economic event such as a deterioration in the creditworthiness of the borrower. The lack of a liquid secondary market for assignments and participations also may make it more difficult for the Portfolio to assign a value to these securities for purposes of valuing the Portfolio and calculating its net asset value.
Market Risk. The Portfolio's share price or the market as a whole can decline for many reasons or be adversely affected by a number of factors, including, without limitation: weakness in the broad market, a particular industry, or specific holdings; adverse political, regulatory or economic developments in the United States or abroad; changes in investor psychology; heavy institutional selling; military confrontations, war, terrorism and other armed conflicts, disease/virus outbreaks and epidemics; recessions; taxation and international tax treaties; currency, interest rate and price fluctuations; and other conditions or events. In addition, the subadviser's assessment of securities held in the Portfolio may prove incorrect, resulting in losses or poor performance even in a rising market.
When-Issued and Delayed Delivery Transactions Risk. When-issued and delayed delivery securities involve the risk that the security the Portfolio buys will lose value prior to its delivery. There also is the risk that the security will not be issued or that the other party to the transaction will not meet its obligation. If this occurs, the Portfolio may lose both the investment opportunity for the assets it set aside to pay for the security and any gain in the security's price.
Affiliated Fund Rebalancing Risk. The Portfolio may be an investment option for other mutual funds for which
SunAmerica Asset Management, LLC ("SunAmerica") serves as investment adviser that are managed as "funds of funds." From time to time, the Portfolio may experience relatively large redemptions or investments due to the rebalancing of a fund of funds. In the event of such redemptions or investments, the Portfolio could be required to sell securities or to invest cash at a time when it is not advantageous to do so.
Performance Information
The following bar chart illustrates the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio's performance from calendar year to calendar year and the table compares the Portfolio's average annual returns to those of the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (a broad-based securities market index) and a blended index.The blended index consists of 75% Bloomberg U.S. Credit Index and 25% Bloomberg U.S. High Yield - 2% Issuer Cap (the "Blended Index"). The Blended Index is relevant to the Portfolio because it has characteristics similar to the Portfolio's investment strategies. 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 is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.
(Class 1 Shares)
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SA Federated Hermes Corporate Bond Portfolio
During the period shown in the bar chart:
Highest Quarterly
Return:
June 30, 2020
10.02%
Lowest Quarterly
Return:
March 31, 2022
-6.84%
Year to Date Most
Recent Quarter:
March 31, 2024
-0.17%
Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended December 31, 2023)
1
Year
5
Years
10
Years
Class 1 Shares
8.06%
3.14%
3.23%
Class 2 Shares
7.85%
2.97%
3.07%
Class 3 Shares
7.75%
2.87%
2.97%
Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses
or taxes)
5.53%
1.10%
1.81%
Blended Index
9.49%
3.20%
3.30%
Investment Adviser
The Portfolio's investment adviser is SunAmerica.
The Portfolio is subadvised by Federated Investment Management Company.
Portfolio Managers
Name and Title
Portfolio
Manager of the
Portfolio Since
Brian S. Ruffner
Vice President, Senior Portfolio
Manager
2009
Randal Stuckwish
Vice President, Portfolio Manager
2024
Purchases and Sales of Portfolio Shares
Shares of the Portfolios may only be purchased or redeemed through Variable Contracts offered by the separate accounts of participating life insurance companies and by other portfolios of the Trust and Seasons Series Trust. Shares of a Portfolio may be
purchased and redeemed each day the New York Stock Exchange is open, at the Portfolio's net asset value determined after receipt of a request in good order.
The Portfolios do not have any initial or subsequent investment minimums. However, your insurance company may impose investment or account minimums. Please consult the prospectus (or other offering document) for your Variable Contract which may contain additional information about purchases and redemptions of Portfolio shares.
Tax Information
The Portfolios will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax so long as they qualify as regulated investment companies and distribute their income and gains each year to their shareholders. However, contractholders may be subject to U.S. federal income tax (and a U.S. federal Medicare tax of 3.8% that applies to net investment 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 Portfolios are not sold directly to the general public but instead are offered as an underlying investment option for Variable Contracts and to other portfolios of the Trust and Seasons Series Trust. A Portfolio and its related companies may make payments to the sponsoring insurance company (or its affiliates) for distribution and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest as they may be a factor that the insurance company considers in including a Portfolio as an underlying investment option in the Variable Contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your Variable Contract may contain additional information about these payments.
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