497K 1 f25270d1.htm PSF PGIM TOTAL RETURN BOND PORTFOLIO 497K PSF PGIM Total Return Bond Portfolio 497K
 
THE PRUDENTIAL SERIES FUND
PSF PGIM Total Return Bond Portfolio 
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS • MAY 1, 2023
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio's Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (SAI), Annual Report and other information about the Portfolio online at www.prudential.com/variableinsuranceportfolios. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-346-3778 or by sending an e-mail to: service@prudential.com. The Portfolio’s Prospectus and SAI, both dated MAY 1, 2023, as supplemented and amended from time to time, and the Portfolio’s most recent shareholder report, dated December 31, 2022 are all hereby incorporated by reference into (legally made a part of) this Summary Prospectus.
 
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The investment objective of the Portfolio is a high level of income over a longer term while providing reasonable safety of capital.
PORTFOLIO FEES AND EXPENSES
The table below shows the fees and expenses that you may pay if you invest in shares of the Portfolio. The table does not include Contract charges. Because Contract charges are not included, the total fees and expenses that you will incur will be higher than the fees and expenses set forth in the table. See your Contract prospectus for more information about Contract charges. 
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
 
 
 
Class I Shares
Class III Shares
Management Fees
0.40%
0.40%
+ Distribution and/or Service Fees (12b-1 Fees)
None
0.25%
+ Other Expenses
0.03%
0.03%
= Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
0.43%
0.68%
Example.  The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The table does not include Contract charges. Because Contract charges are not included, the total fees and expenses that you will incur will be higher than the fees and expenses set forth in the example. See your Contract prospectus for more information about Contract charges.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio 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 Portfolio’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
5 Years
10 Years
PSF PGIM Total Return Bond Portfolio Class I Shares
$44
$138
$241
$542
PSF PGIM Total Return Bond Portfolio Class III 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 portfolio operating expenses or in the example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the Portfolio's most recent fiscal year ended December 31, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 182% of the average value of its portfolio.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS AND PERFORMANCE
Principal Investment Strategies.  In pursuing its investment objective, the Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in bonds.
The Portfolio normally invests at least 70% of its investable assets in high-grade debt obligations and high-quality money market investments. The Portfolio will normally invest in intermediate and long-term debt obligations, but will adjust the mix of its short-term, intermediate-term and long-term debt obligations in an attempt to benefit from price appreciation
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when interest rates go down and to incur smaller declines when interest rates go up. In addition, the Portfolio may also invest up to 30% of its assets in lower rated securities which are riskier and considered speculative (sometimes referred to as “junk bonds”). The Portfolio also may invest up to 20% of its total assets in debt securities issued outside the US by US or foreign issuers whether or not such securities are denominated in the US dollar. The Portfolio may invest in mortgage-related securities and asset-backed securities, including collateralized debt obligations, collateralized loan obligations and other credit-related asset-backed securities.
In managing the Portfolio’s assets, the subadviser uses a combination of top-down economic analysis and bottom-up research in conjunction with proprietary quantitative models and risk management systems. In the top-down economic analysis, the subadviser develops views on economic, policy and market trends. In its bottom-up research, the subadviser develops an internal rating and outlook on issuers. The rating and outlook are determined based on a thorough review of the financial health and trends of the issuer. The subadviser may also consider investment factors such as expected total return, yield, spread, and potential for price appreciation as well as credit quality, maturity and risk. The Portfolio may invest in a security based upon the expected total return rather than the yield of such security.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio. The risks summarized below are the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio. The relative significance of the risks summarized below may change over time. All investments have risks to some degree, and it is possible that you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. While the Portfolio makes every effort to achieve its objective, the Portfolio cannot guarantee success.
Fixed Income Securities Risk. Investment in fixed income securities involves a variety of risks, including that: an issuer or guarantor of a security will be unable or unwilling to pay obligations when due; due to decreases in liquidity, the Portfolio may be unable to sell its securities holdings within a reasonable time at the price it values the security or at any price; and the Portfolio’s investment may decrease in value when interest rates rise. Volatility in interest rates and in fixed income markets may increase the risk that the Portfolio’s investment in fixed income securities will go down in value. Risks associated with changing interest rates are currently heightened because any increase or decrease may be sudden and significant, with unpredictable effects on the markets and the Portfolio’s investments. Changes in interest rates may also affect the liquidity of the Portfolio’s investments in fixed income securities.
High Yield Risk. Investments in fixed income securities rated below investment grade and unrated securities of similar credit quality (i.e., “high yield securities” or “junk bonds”) may be more sensitive to interest rate, credit, call, and liquidity risks than investments in investment grade securities, and have predominantly speculative characteristics.
Foreign Investment Risk. Investments in foreign securities generally involve more risk than investments in securities of US issuers, including: changes in currency exchange rates may affect the value of foreign securities held by the Portfolio; foreign markets generally are more volatile than, and generally are not subject to regulatory requirements comparable to, US markets; foreign financial reporting standards usually differ from those in the US; foreign exchanges are often less liquid than US markets; political or social developments may adversely affect the value of foreign securities; foreign holdings may be subject to special taxation and limitations on repatriating investment proceeds; and certain events in foreign markets may adversely affect foreign and domestic issuers, including, among others, military conflict, geopolitical developments, interruptions in the global supply chain, natural disasters, and outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Asset-Backed and/or Mortgage-Backed Securities Risk. Asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities are fixed income securities that represent an interest in an underlying pool of assets, such as credit card receivables or, in the case of mortgage-backed securities, mortgage loans. Like fixed income securities, asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities are subject to interest rate risk, liquidity risk, and credit risk, which may be heightened in connection with investments in loans to “subprime” borrowers. Certain asset-backed and mortgage-backed securities are subject to the risk that those obligations will be repaid sooner than expected or later than expected, either of which may result in lower-than-expected returns. Mortgage-backed securities, because they are backed by mortgage loans, are also subject to risks related to real estate, and securities backed by private-issued mortgages may experience higher rates of default on the underlying mortgages than securities backed by government-issued mortgages.
Bank Loan Investments Risk. The Portfolio's ability to receive payments of principal and interest and other amounts in connection with loans (whether through participations, assignments or otherwise) will depend primarily on the financial condition of the borrower. The failure by the Portfolio to receive scheduled interest or principal payments on a loan because of a default, bankruptcy or any other reason would adversely affect the income of the Portfolio and would likely reduce the value of its assets. Even with loans secured by collateral, there is the risk that the value of the collateral may decline, may be insufficient to meet the obligations of the borrower, or be difficult to liquidate. In the event of a default, the Portfolio may have difficulty collecting on any collateral and would not have the ability to collect on any collateral for an uncollateralized loan. Further, the Portfolio's access to collateral, if any, may be limited by bankruptcy laws. In addition, loan participations generally are subject to restrictions on transfer, and only limited opportunities may exist to sell loan participations in secondary markets. As a result, it may be difficult for the Portfolio to value loans or sell loans at an acceptable price when it wants to sell them. Loans trade in an over-the-counter market, and confirmation and settlement, which are effected through standardized procedures and documentation, may have an impact on the length
and timing of completing trades. To the extent the Portfolio invests in loans of non-US issuers, the risks of investing in non-US issuers are applicable. Loans may not be considered to be “securities” and as a result may not benefit from the protections of the federal securities laws, including anti-fraud protections and those with respect to the use of material non-public information, so that purchasers, such as the Portfolio, may not have the benefit of these protections.
Covenant-Lite Risk. Some of the loans or debt obligations in which the Portfolio may invest or get exposure to may be “covenant-lite,” which means the loans or obligations contain fewer financial maintenance covenants than other loans or obligations (in some cases, none) and do not include terms that allow the lender to monitor the borrower’s performance and declare a default if certain criteria are breached. An investment by the Portfolio in a covenant-lite loan may potentially hinder the ability to reprice credit risk associated with the issuer and reduce the ability to restructure a problematic loan and mitigate potential loss. The Portfolio may also experience difficulty, expenses or delays in enforcing its rights on its holdings of covenant-lite loans or obligations. As a result of these risks, the Portfolio’s exposure to losses may be increased, which could result in an adverse impact on the Portfolio’s net income and net asset value.
Derivatives Risk. A derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends upon, or is derived from, the value of one or more underlying investments, such as an asset, reference rate, or index. The use of derivatives is a highly specialized activity that involves a variety of risks in addition to and greater than those associated with investing directly in securities, including the risk that: the party on the other side of a derivative transaction will be unable to honor its financial obligation; leverage created by investing in derivatives may result in losses to the Portfolio; derivatives may be difficult or impossible for the Portfolio to buy or sell at an opportune time or price, and may be difficult to terminate or otherwise offset; derivatives used for hedging may reduce or magnify losses but also may reduce or eliminate gains; and the price of commodity-linked derivatives may be more volatile than the prices of traditional equity and debt securities. The Portfolio is subject to a derivatives risk management program, which may limit the ability of the Portfolio to invest in derivatives.
Economic and Market Events Risk. Events in the US and global financial markets, including actions taken by the US Federal Reserve or foreign central banks to stimulate or stabilize economic growth, may at times result in periods of unusually high volatility in a market or a segment of a market, which could negatively impact performance. Reduced liquidity in credit and fixed income markets could adversely affect issuers worldwide. In addition, it remains uncertain that governmental entities will intervene in response to market disturbances, and the effect of any such future intervention cannot be predicted.
Expense Risk. The actual cost of investing in the Portfolio may be higher than the expenses shown in the “Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses” table above for a variety of reasons, including, for example, if the Portfolio’s average net assets decrease.
Liquidity and Valuation Risk. The Portfolio may hold one or more securities for which there are no or few buyers and sellers or the securities are subject to limitations on transfer. The Portfolio may be unable to sell those portfolio holdings at the desired time or price, and may have difficulty determining the value of such securities for the purpose of determining the Portfolio’s net asset value. In such cases, investments owned by the Portfolio may be valued at fair value pursuant to policies and procedures adopted and implemented by the Manager. No assurance can be given that the fair value prices accurately reflect the value of the security. The Portfolio is subject to a liquidity risk management program, which limits the ability of the Portfolio to invest in illiquid investments.
Market and Management Risk. Markets in which the Portfolio invests may experience volatility and go down in value, and possibly sharply and unpredictably in short periods of time. Investment techniques, risk analyses, and investment strategies, which may include quantitative models or methods, used by a subadviser in making investment decisions for the Portfolio are subject to human error and may not produce the intended or desired results. The value of the Portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of domestic or global events, including war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters, or events, political or civil instability, and public health emergencies, among others. Such events may reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and significantly adversely impact the economy. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Portfolio will be achieved.
Portfolio Turnover Risk. A subadviser may engage in active trading on behalf of the Portfolio—that is, frequent trading of the Portfolio’s securities—in order to take advantage of new investment opportunities or yield differentials. The Portfolio's turnover rate may be higher than that of other mutual funds. Portfolio turnover generally involves some expense to the Portfolio, including brokerage commissions or dealer mark-ups and other transaction costs on the sale of securities and reinvestment in other securities.
Regulatory Risk. The Portfolio is subject to a variety of laws and regulations which govern its operations. The Portfolio is subject to regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC), and depending on the Portfolio, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC). Similarly, the businesses and other issuers of the securities and other instruments in which the Portfolio invests are also subject to considerable regulation. Changes in laws and regulations may materially impact the Portfolio, a security, business, sector, or market.
Past Performance. The bar chart and table 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 returns for 1, 5, and 10 years compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. Past performance does not mean that the Portfolio will achieve similar results in the future.
The annual returns and average annual returns shown in the chart and table are after deduction of expenses and do not include Contract charges. If Contract charges were included, the returns shown would have been lower than those shown. Consult your Contract prospectus for information about Contract charges.
Annual return information in the bar chart is provided only for Class I shares. Because all of the Portfolio’s shares are invested in the same portfolio of securities, annual returns for Class III shares would be lower because Class III shares do not have the same expenses as Class I shares.
 
 
   
Best Quarter:
Worst Quarter:
6.80%
2nd
Quarter
2020
-6.61%
2nd
Quarter
2022
 
Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended December 31, 2022)
 
 
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Since
Inception
Inception
Date
PSF PGIM Total Return Bond Class I Shares
-14.81%
0.30%
1.98%
-
 
PSF PGIM Total Return Bond Class III Shares
-15.09%
N/A
N/A
-8.24%
4/26/21
Index
 
 
Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
-13.01%
0.02%
1.06%
-7.42%*
 
*Since Inception returns for the Indexes are measured from the month-end closest to the inception date.
MANAGEMENT OF THE PORTFOLIO 
Investment Manager
Subadviser
Portfolio Managers
Title
Service Date
PGIM Investments LLC
PGIM Fixed Income*
Robert Tipp, CFA
Managing Director,
Chief Investment
Strategist, and Head of
Global Bonds
September 2002
 
PGIM Limited
Michael J. Collins, CFA
Managing Director and
Senior Portfolio
Manager
November 2009
 
 
Richard Piccirillo
Managing Director and
Senior Portfolio
Manager
February 2013
 
 
Gregory Peters
Managing Director and
Co-Chief Investment
Officer
April 2014
 
 
Lindsay Rosner, CFA
Principal
September 2021
*PGIM Fixed Income is a business unit of PGIM, Inc.
TAX INFORMATION
Contract owners should consult their Contract prospectus for information on the federal tax consequences to them. In addition, Contract owners may wish to consult with their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investments in the Contracts and the Portfolio, including the application of state and local taxes. The Portfolio currently intends to be treated as a partnership for federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Portfolio's income, gains, losses, deductions, and
credits are “passed through” pro rata directly to the Participating Insurance Companies and retain the same character for federal income tax purposes.
FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY COMPENSATION
If you purchase your Contract through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Participating Insurance Company, the Portfolio, or their related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of the Contract, the selection of the Portfolio, 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 Contract over another investment or insurance product, or to recommend the Portfolio over another investment option under the Contract. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.
Notes
Notes
  
 
 
 
 
By Mail:
The Prudential Series Fund, 655 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102
By Telephone:
1-800-346-3778
On the Internet:
www.prudential.com/variableinsuranceportfolios
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