Hartford Series Fund Inc.

04/16/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/16/2024 09:46

Summary Prospectus by Investment Company - Form 497K

HARTFORD HEALTHCARE HLS FUND
Summary Prospectus
April 29, 2024
Hartford Healthcare HLS Fund
Class IA shares and Class IB shares of the Fund are closed to certain qualified pension and retirement plans. For more information, please see the section entitled "Further Information on the Funds - Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares" in the Fund's statutory prospectus.
Class IA
Class IB
HIAHX
HBGHX
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, reports to shareholders, and other information about the Fund online at http://www.hartfordfunds.com/prospectuses.html#hls. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-888-843-7824 or request a copy of the prospectus by sending an e-mail to [email protected] Fund's prospectus and statement of additional information dated April 29, 2024, each as may be amended, supplemented or restated, are incorporated by reference into this summary prospectus. The Fund's statement of additional information may be obtained, free of charge, in the same manner as the Fund's prospectus. This summary prospectus should be read together with your variable contract prospectus (or other disclosure document) or plan documents.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE. The Fund seeks long-term capital appreciation.
YOUR EXPENSES. The table below describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold, and sell shares of the Fund. Please note that fees and expenses in this table and the example below do not include fees and expenses that will be applied at the variable contract level or by a qualified pension or retirement plan and would be higher if such fees and expenses were included. You should review your variable contract prospectus (or other disclosure document) or plan documents for more information on those fees and expenses.
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment):
Share Classes
IA
IB
Management fees
0.85%
0.85%
Distribution and/or service (12b-1) fees
None
0.25%
Other expenses
0.07%
0.07%
Total annual fund operating expenses
0.92%
1.17%
Example. The example below is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The example assumes that:
You invest $10,000
Your investment has a 5% return each year
The Fund's operating expenses remain the same
You reinvest all dividends and distributions
Your actual costs may be higher or lower. Based on these assumptions, you would pay the following expenses whether or not you were to redeem your investment at the end of each time period indicated:
Share Classes
Year 1
Year 3
Year 5
Year 10
IA
$94
$293
$509
$1,131
IB
$119
$372
$644
$1,420
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. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund's performance. During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 28% of the average value of its portfolio.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY. Under normal circumstances, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets in the equity securities of health care-related companies worldwide as selected by the sub-adviser, Wellington Management Company LLP ("Wellington Management"). Wellington Management's investment process focuses on stock selection through fundamental analysis. The Fund takes a broad approach to investing in the health care sector. The Fund may invest in health-related companies, including companies in the pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical delivery, medical products, medical services, managed health care, health information services and emerging health-related subsectors. The Fund's assets will be allocated across the major subsectors of the health care sector, with some representation typically maintained in each major subsector. The Fund will normally invest at least 25% of its total assets, in the aggregate, in the following industries: pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, medical products and health services. The Fund will invest in securities of issuers located in a number of different countries throughout the world, one of which may be the United States; however, the Fund has no limit on the amount of assets that may be invested in each country. The Fund may invest in securities of companies of any market capitalization.
PRINCIPAL RISKS. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are described below. When you sell your shares they may be worth more or less than what you paid for them, which means that you could lose money as a result of your investment. An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. As with any fund, there is no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its investment objective.
Market Risk - Market risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Fund invests will go down in value, including the possibility that the markets will go down sharply and unpredictably. Securities of a company may decline in value due to its financial prospects and activities, including certain operational impacts, such as data breaches and cybersecurity attacks. Securities may also decline in value due to general market and economic movements and trends, including adverse changes to credit markets, or as a result of other events such as geopolitical events, natural disasters, or widespread pandemics (such as COVID-19) or other adverse public health developments.
Healthcare Concentration Risk - Developments affecting the healthcare sector, including the pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, medical products, and health services industries, may have a disproportionate impact on the Fund. The Fund's focus on healthcare-related securities increases its exposure to the risks associated with the healthcare sector, including changes in laws or regulations, lawsuits and regulatory proceedings, changes in funding or subsidies, patent and intellectual property considerations, intense competition and rapid technological change, the long and costly process for obtaining product approval by government agencies, the potential for obsolescence, and the rising cost of medical products and services (especially for companies dependent upon a relatively limited number of products or services). The success of pharmaceutical companies is highly dependent on the development, procurement and marketing of drugs. Demand for biotechnology products and services may fluctuate due to unexpected events, including but not limited to global health crises like pandemics which could strain health care systems and alter health care needs. Health care providers may have difficulty obtaining staff to deliver services. As a result of the Fund's focus on the healthcare sector, the Fund may be subject to increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse developments than a fund that invests more widely.
Equity Risk - The risk that the price of equity or equity related securities may decline due to changes in a company's financial condition and overall market and economic conditions.
Mid Cap and Small Cap Securities Risk - Investments in mid- and small-capitalization companies involve greater risks than investments in larger, more established companies. Many of these companies are young and have limited operating or business history. These securities may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements and may lack sufficient market liquidity, and these issuers often face greater business risks, including the risk of bankruptcy.
Large Cap Securities Risk - The securities of large market capitalization companies may underperform other segments of the market because such companies may be less responsive to competitive challenges and opportunities and may be unable to attain high growth rates during periods of economic expansion.
Active Investment Management Risk - The risk that, if the sub-adviser's investment strategy does not perform as expected, the Fund could underperform its peers or lose money. Although the sub-adviser considers several factors when making investment decisions, the sub-adviser may not evaluate every factor prior to investing in a company or issuer, and the sub-adviser may determine that certain factors are more significant than others.
Foreign Investments Risk - Investments in foreign securities may be riskier, more volatile, and less liquid than investments in U.S. securities. Differences between the U.S. and foreign regulatory regimes and securities markets, including the less stringent investor protection, less stringent accounting, corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure standards of some foreign markets, as well as political and economic developments in foreign countries
2
and regions and the U.S. (including the imposition of sanctions, tariffs, or other governmental restrictions), may affect the value of the Fund's investments in foreign securities. Changes in currency exchange rates may also adversely affect the Fund's foreign investments.
Emerging Markets Risk - The risks related to investing in foreign securities are generally greater with respect to investments in companies that conduct their principal business activities in emerging markets or whose securities are traded principally on exchanges in emerging markets. The risks of investing in emerging markets include risks of illiquidity, increased price volatility, smaller market capitalizations, less government regulation and oversight, less extensive and less frequent accounting, financial, auditing and other reporting requirements, significant delays in settlement of trades, risk of loss resulting from problems in share registration and custody and substantial economic and political disruptions. In addition, the imposition of exchange controls (including repatriation restrictions), sanctions, confiscations, trade restrictions (including tariffs) and other government restrictions by the United States and other governments may also result in losses. Frontier markets are those emerging markets that are considered to be among the smallest, least mature and least liquid, and as a result, the risks of investing in emerging markets are magnified in frontier markets.
Currency Risk - The risk that the value of the Fund's investments in foreign securities or currencies will be affected by the value of the applicable currency relative to the U.S. dollar. When the Fund sells a foreign currency or foreign currency denominated security, its value may be worth less in U.S. dollars even if the investment increases in value in its local market. U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers may also be affected by currency risk, as the revenue earned by issuers of these securities may also be affected by changes in the issuer's local currency.
Large Shareholder Transaction Risk - The Fund may experience adverse effects when certain large shareholders redeem or purchase large amounts of shares of the Fund. Such redemptions may cause the Fund to sell securities at times when it would not otherwise do so or borrow money (at a cost to the Fund), which may negatively impact the Fund's performance and liquidity. Similarly, large purchases may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would. These transactions may also increase transaction costs.
The Fund is subject to certain other risks. For more information regarding risks and investments, please see "Additional Information Regarding Investment Strategies and Risks" and "More Information About Risks" in the Fund's statutory prospectus.
PAST PERFORMANCE. The performance information below indicates the risks of investing in the Fund. Keep in mind that past performance does not indicate future results. Updated performance information is available at hartfordfunds.com. The returns in the bar chart and table:
Assume reinvestment of all dividends and distributions
Would be lower if the effect of sales charges or other fees that may be applied at the contract or plan level were included.
The bar chart:
Shows how the Fund's total return has varied from year to year
Shows the returns of Class IA shares. Returns for Class IB shares differ only to the extent that the classes do not have the same expenses.
Total returns by calendar year
During the periods shown in the chart above:
Returns
Quarter Ended
Best Quarter Return
21.04%
June 30, 2020
Worst Quarter Return
-15.60%
December 31, 2018
3
Average Annual Total Returns. The table below shows returns for the Fund over time compared to those of two indices. The S&P Composite 1500 Health Care Index serves as the Fund's performance index because the Fund's investment manager believes it is more representative of the Fund's investment strategy. The S&P 500 Index serves as the Fund's regulatory index and provides a broad measure of market performance.
Average annual total returns for periods ending December 31, 2023
Share Classes
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class IA
4.11%
10.88%
10.18%
Class IB
3.81%
10.61%
9.89%
S&P Composite 1500 Health Care Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
1.92%
11.24%
11.32%
S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
26.29%
15.69%
12.03%
MANAGEMENT. The Fund's investment manager is Hartford Funds Management Company, LLC. The Fund's sub-adviser is Wellington Management. The Fund is managed by a team of global industry analysts. Each member of the team manages a portion of the Fund based upon their specific areas of coverage within the health care sector. The allocations to each sub-sector are determined by the team with the S&P Composite 1500 Health Care Index sub-industry classifications providing a framework for such allocations.
Portfolio Manager
Title
Involved with
Fund Since
Rebecca D. Sykes, CFA
Senior Managing Director and Global Industry Analyst
2007
Wen Shi, PhD, CFA
Managing Director and Global Industry Analyst
2015
David M. Khtikian, CFA
Managing Director and Global Industry Analyst
2013
PURCHASE AND SALE OF FUND SHARES. Class IA shares and Class IB shares of the Fund generally may only be purchased or redeemed through variable contracts and qualified pension plans or retirement plans. Class IA shares and Class IB shares of the Fund are closed to certain qualified pension and retirement plans. For more information, please see the section entitled "Further Information on the Funds - Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares" in the Fund's statutory prospectus.
Class IA shares and Class IB shares of the Fund do not have any initial or subsequent investment minimums. Any initial or subsequent investment requirements and redemption procedures are governed by the applicable variable contract or plan through which you invest.
TAX INFORMATION. Under current law, owners of variable contracts and qualified pension or retirement plan participants that have invested in the Fund are not subject to federal income tax on Fund earnings and distributions or on gains realized upon the sale or redemption of Fund shares until such amounts are withdrawn from the variable contract or pension or retirement plan. You should review your variable contract prospectus (or other disclosure document) or plan documents for more information.
PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES. The Fund and its related companies may make payments to insurance companies (or their affiliates), plan sponsors and other financial intermediaries for distribution and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the financial intermediary and its employees to include the Fund as an investment option or to recommend the Fund over another investment option. Ask your financial intermediary or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
4 April 29, 2024 HLSSUM-HC_04292024