EQ Advisors Trust

04/30/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/30/2024 11:39

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

EQ/AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio
EQ/AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio- Class IA1, Class IB and Class K Shares
Summary Prospectusdated May 1, 2024
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio's Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. The Portfolio's Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"), each dated May 1, 2024, as may be amended or supplemented from time to time, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Portfolio's Prospectus, SAI, reports to shareholders and other information about the Portfolio online at https://equitable-funds.com/allportfolios.aspx. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-877-222-2144 or by sending an e-mail request to [email protected]. This Summary Prospectus is intended for use in connection with a variable contract as defined in Section 817(d) of the Internal Revenue Code and certain other eligible investors and is not intended for use by other investors.
Investment Objective:Seeks to achieve long-term growth of capital.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Portfolio. The table below does not reflect any fees and expenses associated with variable life insurance contracts and variable annuity certificates and contracts ("Contracts"), which would increase overall fees and expenses. See the Contract prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Not applicable.
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
EQ/AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio
Class IA
Shares
Class IB
Shares
Class K
Shares
Management Fee
0.52%
0.52%
0.52%
Distribution and/or Service Fees (12b-1 fees)
0.25%
0.25%
0.00%
Other Expenses
0.16%
0.16%
0.16%
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
0.93%
0.93%
0.68%
Example
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other portfolios. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year, and that the Portfolio's operating expenses remain the same. This Example does not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses including redemption fees (if any) at the Contract level. If such fees and expenses were reflected, the total expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you redeem or hold your shares, your costs would be:
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class IA Shares
$95
$296
$515
$1,143
Class IB Shares
$95
$296
$515
$1,143
Class K Shares
$69
$218
$379
$847
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 fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 38% of the average value of its portfolio.
1
The Portfolio's Class IA shares are expected to be combined with the Portfolio's Class IB shares effective after the close of business on June 21, 2024 (the "Effective Date"). As of the Effective Date, Class IA shares of the Portfolio will no longer be offered and all references to Class IA shares are deleted from this Prospectus.
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Investments, Risks, and Performance
Principal Investment Strategy
Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of small capitalization companies with market capitalizations within the range of the Russell 2500™ Index at the time of purchase (market capitalization range of approximately $24 million to $22.25 billion as of December 31, 2023). The size of companies in the index changes with market conditions, which can result in changes to the market capitalization range of companies in the index. The Portfolio's assets normally are allocated between two portions, each of which is managed using a different but complementary investment strategy. One portion of the Portfolio is actively managed by a Sub-Adviser ("Active Allocated Portion"); the other portion of the Portfolio seeks to track the performance of a particular index or indices ("Index Allocated Portion"). The Active Allocated Portion consists of approximately 50% of the Portfolio's net assets, and the Index Allocated Portion consists of approximately 50% of the Portfolio's net assets. These percentages are targets established by the Adviser; actual allocations may deviate from these targets.
The Active Allocated Portion invests primarily in U.S. common stocks and other equity securities issued by small capitalization companies that the Sub-Adviser believes to have favorable growth prospects. The Portfolio may at times invest in companies in cyclical industries, companies whose securities are temporarily undervalued, companies in special situations (e.g., change in management, new products or changes in customer demand) and less widely known companies. The Sub-Adviser combines fundamental and quantitative analysis in its stock selection process. The Sub-Adviser may sell a security for a variety of reasons, including to invest in a company believed by the Sub-Adviser to offer superior investment opportunities.
The Index Allocated Portion seeks to track the performance (before fees and expenses) of the Russell 2000® Index ("Russell 2000") with minimal tracking error. The Portfolio invests in a statistically selected sample of the securities found in the Russell 2000 (market capitalization range of approximately $20.75 million to $16.18 billion as of December 31, 2023) in a process known as "sampling." This process selects stocks for the Index Allocated Portion so that industry weightings, market capitalizations and fundamental characteristics (price to book ratios, price to earnings ratios, debt to asset ratios and dividend yields) closely match those of the securities included in the Russell 2000. The Portfolio's investments in equity securities of small-cap companies included in the Russell 2000 may include financial instruments that derive their value from such securities.
Principal Risks
An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency.The value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, and you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.
The following risks can negatively affect the Portfolio's performance. The most significant risks as of the date of this Prospectus are presented first, followed by additional principal risks in alphabetical order.
Market Risk -The Portfolio is subject to the risk that the securities markets will move down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based on overall economic conditions and other factors, which may negatively affect Portfolio performance. Securities markets also may experience long periods of decline in value. The value of a security can be more volatile than the market as a whole and can perform differently from the market as a whole. Any issuer of securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by a variety of factors, such as poor management decisions; reduced demand for the issuer's goods or services; competitive pressures; negative perception in the marketplace; loss of major customers; strategic initiatives such as mergers or acquisitions and the market response to any such initiatives; and the historical and prospective earnings of the issuer. The value of a security also may decline due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions, inflation rates and/or investor expectations concerning such rates, changes in interest rates, recessions, or adverse investor sentiment generally. During a general downturn in the securities markets, multiple asset classes may decline in value simultaneously. Even when securities markets perform well, there can be no assurance that the investments held by the Portfolio will increase in value along with the broader market. Changes in the financial condition of (or other event affecting) a single issuer can impact an individual sector or industry, or the securities markets as a whole. The value of a security also may decline due to factors that affect a particular sector or industry.
Geopolitical events, including acts of terrorism, tensions, war or other open conflicts between nations, or political or economic dysfunction within some nations that are global economic powers or major producers of oil, may lead to overall instability in world economies and markets generally and have led, and may in the future lead, to increased market volatility and may have adverse
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long-term effects. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic, political or other developments. Events such as environmental and natural disasters or other catastrophes, public health crises (such as epidemics and pandemics), social unrest, and cybersecurity incidents, and governments' reactions (or failure to react) to such events, could cause uncertainty in the markets and may adversely affect the performance of the global economy. Impacts from climate change may include significant risks to global financial assets and economic growth. The extent and duration of such events and resulting market disruptions could be substantial and could magnify the impact of other risks to the Portfolio. The value and liquidity of the Portfolio's investments may be negatively affected by developments in other countries and regions, whether or not the Portfolio invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries or regions directly affected.
Changes in government or central bank policies and political, diplomatic and other events within the United States and abroad could cause uncertainty in the markets, may affect investor and consumer confidence, and may adversely impact financial markets and the broader economy, perhaps suddenly and to a significant degree. High public debt in the United States and other countries creates ongoing systemic and market risks and policymaking uncertainty and may negatively affect economic conditions and the value of markets, sectors and companies in which the Portfolio invests.
In addition, markets and market participants are increasingly reliant on information data systems. Inaccurate data, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of issuers, or the market at large.
Equity Risk -In general, the values of stocks and other equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to changes in a company's financial condition as well as general market, economic and political conditions and other factors. Stock markets tend to run in cycles, with periods when stock prices generally go up and periods when stock prices generally go down. However, stock markets also can move up and down rapidly and unpredictably. In addition, common stock prices may be particularly sensitive to rising interest rates, which increase borrowing costs and the costs of capital. The Portfolio may experience a significant or complete loss on its investment in an equity security.
Small-Cap and Mid-Cap Company Risk -Small-cap and mid-cap companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies The shares of smaller companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can adversely affect the pricing of these securities and the Portfolio's ability to purchase and sell these securities. In general, these risks are greater for small-cap companies than for mid-cap companies.
Investment Style Risk -The Portfolio may use a particular style or set of styles - in this case, a "growth" style - to select investments. A particular style may be out of favor or may not produce the best results over short or longer time periods. Growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other stocks. Growth investing also is subject to the risk that the stock price of one or more companies will fall or will fail to appreciate as anticipated by the Portfolio, regardless of movements in the securities market. Growth stocks also tend to be more volatile than value stocks, so in a declining market their prices may decrease more than value stocks in general. Growth stocks also may increase the volatility of the Portfolio's share price.
Index Strategy Risk -The Portfolio employs an index strategy for a portion of the Portfolio and generally will not modify its index strategy to respond to changes in market trends or the economy, which means that the Portfolio may be particularly susceptible to a general decline in the market segment relating to the relevant index. In addition, although the index strategy attempts to closely track the relevant index, the Portfolio may not invest in all of the securities in the index. Therefore, there can be no assurance that the performance of the index strategy will match that of the relevant index. To the extent that the Portfolio utilizes a representative sampling approach, it may experience greater tracking error than it would if the Portfolio sought to replicate the index.
Sector Risk -From time to time, based on market or economic conditions, the Portfolio may have significant positions in one or more sectors of the market. To the extent the Portfolio invests more heavily in particular sectors, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors. Individual sectors may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the broader market. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political, regulatory or other events.
Portfolio Management Risk -The Portfolio is subject to the risk that strategies used by an investment manager and its securities selections fail to produce the intended results. An investment manager's judgments or decisions about the quality, relative yield or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security or issuer, industry, sector, region or market segment, or about the economy or interest rates, may be incorrect or otherwise may not produce the intended results, which may result in losses to the Portfolio. In addition, many processes used in Portfolio management, including security selection, rely, in whole or in part, on the use of various technologies. The Portfolio may suffer losses if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the quantitative, analytic or other
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tools, resources, information and data used, or the analyses employed or relied on, by an investment manager, or if such tools, resources, information or data are used incorrectly, fail to produce the desired results, or otherwise do not work as intended. There can be no assurance that the use of these technologies will result in effective investment decisions for the Portfolio.
Special Situations Risk -The Portfolio may seek to benefit from "special situations," such as mergers, consolidations, bankruptcies, liquidations, reorganizations, restructurings, tender or exchange offers or other unusual events expected to affect a particular issuer. In general, securities of companies which are the subject of a tender or exchange offer or a merger, consolidation, bankruptcy, liquidation, reorganization or restructuring proposal sell at a premium to their historic market price immediately prior to the announcement of the transaction. However, it is possible that the value of securities of a company involved in such a transaction will not rise and in fact may fall, in which case the Portfolio would lose money. It is also possible that the transaction may not be completed as anticipated or may take an excessive amount of time to be completed, in which case the Portfolio may not realize any premium on its investment and could lose money if the value of the securities declines during the Portfolio's holding period. In some circumstances, the securities purchased may be illiquid making it difficult for the Portfolio to dispose of them at an advantageous price.
Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio's performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio's average annual total returns for the past one, five and ten years through December 31, 2023, compared to the returns of a broad-based securities market index.The additional securities market index shows how the Portfolio's performance compared with the returns of another index that has characteristics relevant to the Portfolio's investment strategies. Past performance is not an indication of future performance.
The performance results do not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results.
Calendar Year Annual Total Returns - Class IB
Best quarter (% and time period)
31.12%
2020 2nd Quarter
Worst quarter (% and time period)
-23.41%
2020 1st Quarter
Average Annual Total Returns
One
Year
Five
Years
Ten
Years
EQ/AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio - Class IA
17.74%
10.59%
7.78%
EQ/AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio - Class IB
17.70%
10.59%
7.78%
EQ/AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio - Class K
17.97%
10.85%
8.05%
Russell 3000® Index1 (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
25.96%
15.16%
11.48%
Russell 2000® Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
18.66%
9.22%
7.16%
1
This index replaced the prior broad-based securities market index in order to satisfy a change in regulatory requirements.
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Who Manages the PORTFOLIO
Investment Adviser: Equitable Investment Management Group, LLC ("EIM" or the "Adviser")
Portfolio Managers:The members of the team that are jointly and primarily responsible for (i) the selection, monitoring and oversight of the Portfolio's Sub-Advisers, and (ii) allocating assets among the Portfolio's Allocated Portions are:
Name
Title
Date Began
Managing
the Portfolio
Kenneth T. Kozlowski, CFP®, CLU, ChFC
Executive Vice President and Chief Investment
Officer of EIM
May 2011
Alwi Chan, CFA®
Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief
Investment Officer of EIM
May 2009
Sub-Adviser: AllianceBernstein L.P. ("AllianceBernstein" or the "Sub-Adviser")
Portfolio Managers:The members of the team that are jointly and primarily responsible for the securities selection, research and trading for the Active Allocated Portion of the Portfolio are:
Name
Title
Date Began
Managing
the Portfolio
Samantha Lau
Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager/
Research Analyst of AllianceBernstein
April 2005
Wen-Tse Tseng
Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager/
Research Analyst of AllianceBernstein
May 2006
Portfolio Managers:The members of the team that are jointly and primarily responsible for the securities selection, research and trading for the Index Allocated Portion of the Portfolio are:
Name
Title
Date Began
Managing
the Portfolio
Joshua Lisser
Senior Vice President/Chief Investment Officer,
Index Strategies of AllianceBernstein
December 2008
Geoff Tomlinson, CFA®
Portfolio Manager, Index Strategies of
AllianceBernstein
January 2022
The Adviser is responsible for overseeing Sub-Advisers and recommending their hiring, termination and replacement to the Board of Trustees. The Adviser has been granted relief by the Securities and Exchange Commission to hire, terminate and replace Sub-Advisers for the Portfolio and enter into and amend sub-advisory agreements on behalf of the Portfolio subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees and without obtaining shareholder approval. The Adviser may not enter into a sub-advisory agreement on behalf of the Portfolio with an "affiliated person" of the Adviser unless the sub-advisory agreement is approved by the Portfolio's shareholders. The relief does not extend to any increase in the advisory fee paid by the Portfolio to the Adviser; any such increase would be subject to shareholder approval.
PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF PORTFOLIO SHARES
The Portfolio's shares are currently sold only to insurance company separate accounts in connection with Contracts issued by Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company ("Equitable Financial") or other affiliated or unaffiliated insurance companies and The Equitable 401(k) Plan. Shares also may be sold to other portfolios managed by EIM that currently sell their shares to such accounts and to other investors eligible under applicable federal income tax regulations. Class K shares may be sold only to other portfolios of the Trust and certain group annuity plans.
The Portfolio does not have minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements. Shares of the Portfolio are redeemable on any business day (which typically is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open) upon receipt of a request. All
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redemption requests will be processed and payment with respect thereto will normally be made within seven days after tender. Please refer to your Contract prospectus for more information on purchasing and redeeming Portfolio shares.
TAX INFORMATION
The Portfolio's shareholders are (or may include) insurance company separate accounts and other investors eligible under applicable federal income tax regulations. Distributions made by the Portfolio to such an account, and exchanges and redemptions of Portfolio shares made by such an account, ordinarily do not cause the holders of underlying Contracts to recognize income or gain for federal income tax purposes at the time of the distributions, exchanges or redemptions; the holders generally are taxed only on amounts they withdraw from their Contract. See the prospectus for your Contract for further tax information.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES
The Portfolio is not sold directly to the general public but instead is offered as an underlying investment option for Contracts and to other eligible investors. The Portfolio and the Adviser and its affiliates may make payments to sponsoring insurance companies (and their affiliates) or other financial intermediaries for distribution and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing an insurance company or other financial intermediary and your financial adviser to recommend the Portfolio over another investment or by influencing an insurance company to include the Portfolio as an underlying investment option in the Contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your Contract may contain additional information about these payments. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
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