XML 60 R63.htm IDEA: XBRL DOCUMENT v3.22.1
Total
Class S | Sustainable Equity Portfolio
GOAL
The Fund seeks long-term growth of capital by investing primarily in securities of companies that meet the Fund’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria.
Fees and Expenses
These tables describe the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold or sell shares of the Fund. These tables do not reflect any fees and expenses charged by your insurance company under your variable contract or by your qualified plan. If the tables did reflect such fees and expenses, the overall expenses would be higher than those shown. Please refer to the prospectus for your variable contract or your qualified plan documentation for information on their separate fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees
Class S
Sustainable Equity Portfolio
Class S
USD ($)
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment) none
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a % of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses
Class S
Sustainable Equity Portfolio
Class S
Management fees 0.83%
Distribution and/or shareholder service (12b-1) fees 0.25%
Other expenses 0.08%
Total annual operating expenses 1.16%
Expense Example
The expense example can help you compare costs among mutual funds. The example assumes that you invested $10,000 for the periods shown, that you redeemed all of your shares at the end of those periods, that the Fund earned a hypothetical 5% total return each year, and that the Fund’s expenses were those in the table. Actual performance and expenses may be higher or lower.
Expense Example
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class S | Sustainable Equity Portfolio | Class S | USD ($) 118 368 638 1,409
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 operating expenses or in the example, affect the Fund’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate was 15% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
To pursue its goal, the Fund seeks to invest primarily in common stocks of mid- to large-capitalization companies that meet the Fund's quality oriented financial and ESG criteria. The Fund defines mid-capitalization companies as those with a total market capitalization of $2 billion and above and large-capitalization companies as those with a total market capitalization of $10 billion and above, both at the time of initial purchase.
The Fund seeks to reduce risk by investing across many different industries.
The Portfolio Manager employs a research driven and valuation sensitive approach to stock selection, with a focus on long term sustainability. This sustainable investment approach seeks to identify high quality, well-positioned companies with leadership that is focused on ESG as defined by best in class operating practices. As part of their focus on quality, the Portfolio Manager looks for solid balance sheets, strong management teams with a track record of success, good cash flow, the prospect for above-average earnings growth and the sustainability of those earnings, as well as of the company’s business model, over the long term. The Portfolio Manager seeks to purchase the stock of businesses that he believes to be well positioned and undervalued by the market. Among companies that meet these criteria, the Portfolio Manager looks for those that show leadership in environmental, social and governance considerations, including progressive workplace practices and community relations.
In addition, the Portfolio Manager typically looks at a company’s record in public health and the nature of its products. The Portfolio Manager judges firms on their corporate citizenship overall, considering their accomplishments as well as their goals. While these judgments are inevitably subjective, the Fund endeavors to avoid companies that derive revenue from gambling or the production of alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or nuclear power. The Fund also does not invest in any company that derives its total revenue primarily from non-consumer sales to the military. The Fund also seeks to avoid companies whose business materially involves the exploration and production of fossil fuels.
Please see the Statement of Additional Information for a detailed description of the Fund’s Enhanced ESG Criteria.
Although the Fund invests primarily in domestic stocks, it may also invest in stocks of foreign companies.
The Portfolio Manager follows a disciplined selling strategy and may sell a stock when it reaches a target price, if a company’s business fails to perform as expected, or when other opportunities appear more attractive.
As a sustainable fund, the Fund is required by the federal securities laws to have a policy, which it cannot change without providing investors at least 60 days' written notice, of investing at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities selected in accordance with its ESG criteria. The 80% test is applied at the time the Fund invests; later percentage changes caused by a change in Fund assets, market values or company circumstances will not require the Fund to dispose of a holding. In practice, the Portfolio Manager intends to hold only securities selected in accordance with the Fund's Enhanced ESG Criteria.
Valuation Sensitive Investing. In addition to employing traditional value criteria–that is, looking for value among companies whose stock prices are below their historical average, based on earnings, cash flow, or other financial measures–the Portfolio Manager may buy a company’s shares if they look more fully priced based on Wall Street consensus estimates of earnings, but still inexpensive relative to the Portfolio Manager’s estimates. The Portfolio Manager looks for these companies to rise in price as they outperform Wall Street’s expectations, because he believes some aspects of the business have not been fully appreciated or appropriately priced by other investors.
PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT RISKS
Most of the Fund’s performance depends on what happens in the stock market, the Portfolio Manager's evaluation of those developments, and the success of the Portfolio Manager in implementing the Fund's investment strategies. The market's behavior can be difficult to predict, particularly in the short term. There can be no guarantee that the Fund will achieve its goal. The Fund may take temporary defensive and cash management positions; to the extent it does, it will not be pursuing its principal investment strategies.
The actual risk exposure taken by the Fund in its investment program will vary over time, depending on various factors including the Portfolio Manager's evaluation of issuer, political, regulatory, market, or economic developments. There can be no guarantee that the Portfolio Manager will be successful in his attempts to manage the risk exposure of the Fund or will appropriately evaluate or weigh the multiple factors involved in investment decisions, including issuer, market and/or instrument-specific analysis and valuation.
The Fund is a mutual fund, not a bank deposit, and is not guaranteed or insured 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 Fund.
Each of the following risks, which are described in alphabetical order and not in order of any presumed importance, can significantly affect the Fund’s performance. The relative importance of, or potential exposure as a result of, each of these risks will vary based on market and other investment-specific considerations.
Currency Risk. Currency risk is the risk that foreign currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities or other instruments denominated in or indexed to foreign currencies, changes in currency exchange rates could adversely impact investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time and can be affected unpredictably by various factors, including investor perception and changes in interest rates; intervention, or failure to intervene, by U.S. or foreign governments, central banks, or supranational entities; or by currency controls or political developments in the U.S. or abroad.
ESG Criteria Risk. The Fund’s application of ESG criteria is designed and utilized to help identify companies that demonstrate the potential to create economic value or reduce risk; however as with the use of any investment criteria in selecting a portfolio, there is no guarantee that the criteria used by the Fund will result in the selection of issuers that will outperform other issuers, or help reduce risk in the portfolio. The use of the Fund’s ESG criteria could also affect the Fund’s exposure to certain sectors or
industries, and could impact the Fund’s investment performance depending on whether the ESG criteria used are ultimately reflected in the market.
Foreign Risk. Foreign securities involve risks in addition to those associated with comparable U.S. securities. Additional risks include exposure to less developed or less efficient trading markets; social, political, diplomatic, or economic instability; trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.); fluctuations in foreign currencies or currency redenomination; potential for default on sovereign debt; nationalization or expropriation of assets; settlement, custodial or other operational risks; higher transaction costs; confiscatory withholding or other taxes; and less stringent auditing, corporate disclosure, governance, and legal standards. As a result, foreign securities may fluctuate more widely in price, and may also be less liquid, than comparable U.S. securities. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. In addition, foreign markets may perform differently than the U.S. market. The effect of economic instability on specific foreign markets or issuers may be difficult to predict or evaluate. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be affected significantly by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.
Securities of issuers traded on foreign exchanges may be suspended, either by the issuers themselves, by an exchange, or by governmental authorities. Trading suspensions may be applied from time to time to the securities of individual issuers for reasons specific to that issuer, or may be applied broadly by exchanges or governmental authorities in response to market events. In the event that the Fund holds material positions in such suspended securities, the Fund’s ability to liquidate its positions or provide liquidity to investors may be compromised and the Fund could incur significant losses.
Issuer-Specific Risk. An individual security may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the market as a whole.
The Fund's portfolio may contain fewer securities than the portfolios of other mutual funds, which increases the risk that the value of the Fund could go down because of the poor performance of one or a few investments.
Market Volatility Risk. Markets may be volatile and values of individual securities and other investments, including those of a particular type, may decline significantly in response to adverse issuer, political, regulatory, market, economic or other developments that may cause broad changes in market value, public perceptions concerning these developments, and adverse investor sentiment or publicity. Geopolitical and other risks, including environmental and public health risks may add to instability in world economies and markets generally. Changes in value may be temporary or may last for extended periods. If the Fund sells a portfolio position before it reaches its market peak, it may miss out on opportunities for better performance.
Mid- and Large-Cap Companies Risk. At times, mid- and large-cap companies may be out of favor with investors. Compared to smaller companies, large-cap companies may be unable to respond as quickly to changes and opportunities and may grow at a slower rate. Compared to larger companies, mid-cap companies may depend on a more limited management group, may have a shorter history of operations, less publicly available information, less stable earnings, and limited product lines, markets or financial resources. The securities of mid-cap companies are often more volatile and less liquid than the securities of larger companies and may be more affected than other types of securities by the underperformance of a sector, during market downturns, or by adverse publicity and investor perceptions.
Recent Market Conditions. National economies are substantially interconnected, as are global financial markets, which creates the possibility that conditions in one country or region might adversely impact issuers in a different country or region. Some countries, including the U.S., have in recent years adopted more protectionist trade policies. The rise in protectionist trade policies, changes to some major international trade agreements and the potential for changes to others, could affect the economies of many nations in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. Markets have been sensitive to the outlook for resolving the U.S.-China “trade war,” a trend that may continue in the future. Russia’s assertion of its influence in its surrounding region, including potential actions in Ukraine, increases the likelihood of additional sanctions by the U.S. and other countries, which may cause volatility in the markets.
High public debt in the U.S. and other countries creates ongoing systemic and market risks and policymaking uncertainty, and there may be a further increase in public debt due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic relief and public health measures. Governments and central banks have moved to limit the potential negative economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic with interventions that are unprecedented in size and scope and may continue to do so, but the ultimate impact of these efforts is uncertain. Governments’ efforts to limit potential negative economic effects of the pandemic may be altered, delayed, or eliminated at inopportune times for political, policy or other reasons. Interest rates have been unusually low in recent years in the U.S. and abroad. It is difficult to predict the impact on various markets of a significant rate increase or other significant policy changes, perhaps in response to indications of increasing inflation. Over the longer term, rising
interest rates may present a greater risk than has historically been the case due to the current period of relatively low rates and the effect of government fiscal and monetary policy initiatives and potential market reaction to those initiatives or their alteration or cessation.
The impact of the pandemic has negatively affected and may continue to affect the economies of many nations, individual companies and the global securities and commodities markets, including their liquidity, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time. The pandemic has accelerated trends toward working remotely and shopping on-line, which may negatively affect the value of office and commercial real estate and companies that have been slow to transition to an on-line business model, and has disrupted the supply chains that many businesses depend on. The travel, hospitality and public transit industries may suffer long-term negative effects from the pandemic and resulting changes to public behavior.
Over the past several years, the U.S. has moved away from tighter industry regulation, a trend that appears to be changing. Increased regulation may impose added costs on the Fund and its service providers for monitoring and compliance, and affect the businesses of various portfolio companies, in ways that cannot necessarily be foreseen at the present time.
Climate Change. There is widespread concern about the potential effects of global climate change on property and security values. A rise in sea levels, a change in weather patterns, including an increase in powerful storms and large wildfires, and/or a climate-driven increase in flooding could cause properties to lose value or become unmarketable altogether. Unlike previous declines in the real estate market, properties in affected zones may not ever recover their value. The U.S. administration appears concerned about the climate change problem and is focusing regulatory and public works projects around those concerns. Regulatory changes tied to concerns about climate change could adversely affect the value of certain land and the viability of certain industries.
Losses related to climate change could adversely affect corporate issuers and mortgage lenders, the value of mortgage-backed securities, the bonds of municipalities that depend on tax or other revenues and tourist dollars generated by affected properties, and insurers of the property and/or of corporate, municipal or mortgage-backed securities. Since property and security values are driven largely by buyers’ perceptions, it is difficult to know the time period over which these market effects might unfold.
Redemption Risk. The Fund may experience periods of large or frequent redemptions that could cause the Fund to sell assets at inopportune times, which could have a negative impact on the Fund’s overall liquidity, or at a loss or depressed value. Redemption risk is greater to the extent that one or more investors or intermediaries control a large percentage of investments in the Fund and the risk is heightened during periods of declining or illiquid markets. Large redemptions could hurt the Fund’s performance, increase transaction costs, and create adverse tax consequences.
Sector Risk. From time to time, based on market or economic conditions, the Fund may have significant positions in one or more sectors of the market. To the extent the Fund 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 or regulatory events.
Value Stock Risk. Value stocks may remain undervalued for extended periods of time, may decrease in value during a given period, may not ever realize what the portfolio management team believes to be their full value, or the portfolio management team’s assumptions about intrinsic value or potential for appreciation may be incorrect. This may happen, among other reasons, because of a failure to anticipate which stocks or industries would benefit from changing market or economic conditions or investor preferences.
A summary of the Fund’s additional principal investment risks is as follows:
Risk of Increase in Expenses. A decline in the Fund’s average net assets during the current fiscal year due to market volatility or other factors could cause the Fund’s expenses for the current fiscal year to be higher than the expense information presented in “Fees and Expenses.”
Operational and Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund and its service providers, and your ability to transact with the Fund, may be negatively impacted due to operational matters arising from, among other problems, human errors, systems and technology disruptions or failures, or cybersecurity incidents. Cybersecurity incidents may allow an unauthorized party to gain access to fund assets, customer data, or proprietary information, or cause the Fund or its service providers, as well as the securities trading venues and their service providers, to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality. Cybersecurity incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. It is not possible for the Manager or the other Fund service providers to identify all of
the cybersecurity or other operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects. Most issuers in which the Fund invests are heavily dependent on computers for data storage and operations, and require ready access to the internet to conduct their business. Thus, cybersecurity incidents could also affect issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, leading to significant loss of value.
Risk Management. Risk is an essential part of investing. No risk management program can eliminate the Fund’s exposure to adverse events; at best, it may only reduce the possibility that the Fund will be affected by such events, and especially those risks that are not intrinsic to the Fund’s investment program. The Fund could experience losses if judgments about risk prove to be incorrect.
Valuation Risk. The Fund may not be able to sell an investment at the price at which the Fund has valued the investment. Such differences could be significant, particularly for illiquid securities and securities that trade in relatively thin markets and/or markets that experience extreme volatility. If market or other conditions make it difficult to value some investments, SEC rules and applicable accounting protocols may require the Fund to value these investments using more subjective methods, known as fair value methodologies. Using fair value methodologies to price investments may result in a value that is different from an investment’s most recent price and from the prices used by other mutual funds to calculate their NAVs. The Fund’s ability to value its investments in an accurate and timely manner may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by third party service providers, such as pricing services or accounting agents.
PERFORMANCE
The following bar chart and table provide an indication of the risks of investing in the Fund. The bar chart shows how the Fund’s performance has varied from year to year. The table below the bar chart shows what the returns would equal if you averaged out actual performance over various lengths of time and compares the returns with the returns of a broad-based market index. The index, which is described in “Description of Index” in the prospectus, has characteristics relevant to the Fund's investment strategy. The performance information does not reflect variable contract or qualified plan fees and expenses. If such fees and expenses were reflected, returns would be less than those shown. Please refer to the prospectus for your variable contract or your qualified plan documentation for information on their separate fees and expenses.
Returns would have been lower/higher if Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC had not reimbursed/recouped certain expenses and/or waived a portion of the investment management fees during certain of the periods shown.
Past performance is not a prediction of future results. Visit www.nb.com or call 800-877-9700 for updated performance information.
year-by-year % Returns as of 12/31 each year
Bar Chart
Best quarter:    Q2 '20, 19.16%
Worst quarter:    Q1 '20, -21.43%
average annual total % returns as of 12/31/21
Sustainable Equity Portfolio
Average Annual Returns - Class S - Sustainable Equity Portfolio
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Class S 23.16% 15.43% 14.11%
S&P 500® Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 28.71% 18.47% 16.55%