497K 1 d479616d497k.htm AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC. - GROWTH PORTFOLIO - CLASS B AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. - Growth Portfolio - Class B
LOGO    SUMMARY PROSPECTUS    May 1, 2013

AllianceBernstein Variable Products Series Fund, Inc.

Growth Portfolio—Class B

 

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, both dated May 1, 2013, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. For free paper or electronic copies of the Portfolio’s Prospectus and other information about the Portfolio, go to http://www.alliancebernstein.com/links/variable, email a request to prorequest@alliancebernstein.com, call (800) 227-4618, or ask any insurance company that offers shares of the Portfolio.

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital.

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The operating expenses information below is designed to assist Contractholders of variable products that invest in the Portfolio in understanding the fees and expenses that they may pay as an investor. Because the information does not reflect deductions at the separate account level or contract level for any charges that may be incurred under a contract, Contractholders that invest in the Portfolio should refer to the variable contract prospectus for a description of fees and expenses that apply to Contractholders. Inclusion of these charges would increase the fees and expenses provided below.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)

N/A

Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

   

Management Fees

     .75%   
Distribution (12b-1) Fees      .25%   
Other Expenses      .31%   
  

 

 

 

Total Portfolio Operating Expenses

     1.31%   
  

 

 

 

 

 

Examples

The Examples are intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Examples assume 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 Examples also assume that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses stay the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

 

   

After 1 Year

   $ 133   
After 3 Years    $ 415   
After 5 Years    $ 718   
After 10 Years    $ 1,579   

Portfolio Turnover

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys or sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Examples, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 83% of the average value of its portfolio.

 

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PRINCIPAL STRATEGIES

The Portfolio invests primarily in a domestic portfolio of equity securities of companies selected by the Portfolio’s Adviser for their growth potential within various market sectors. The Adviser seeks to identify companies or industries for which other investors have underestimated earnings potential—for example, some hidden earnings driver (including, but not limited to, reduced competition, market share gain, better margin trend, increased customer base or similar factors) that would cause a company to grow faster than market forecasts.

In managing the Portfolio, the Adviser allocates investments among broad sector groups and selects specific investments based on the fundamental company research conducted by the Adviser’s large internal research staff, assessing the current and forecasted investment opportunities and conditions, as well as diversification and risk considerations. The Adviser’s research focus is on companies with high sustainable growth prospects, high or improving return on invested capital, transparent business models, and strong and lasting competitive advantages.

The Portfolio has the flexibility to invest across the capitalization spectrum. The Portfolio is designed for those seeking exposure to companies of various sizes, and typically has substantial investments in both large-capitalization companies and mid-capitalization companies, and may also invest in small-capitalization companies.

The Portfolio may enter into derivatives transactions, such as options, futures contracts, forwards and swaps. The Portfolio may use options strategies involving the purchase and/or writing of various combinations of call and/or put options, including on individual securities and stock indices, futures contracts (including futures contracts on individual securities and stock indices) or shares of exchange-traded funds. These transactions may be used, for example, in an effort to earn extra income, to adjust exposure to individual securities or markets, or to protect all or a portion of the Portfolio’s portfolio from a decline in value.

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Market Risk: The value of the Portfolio’s assets will fluctuate as the stock or bond market fluctuates. The value of its investments may decline, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, simply because of economic changes or other events that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing, such as growth, may underperform the market generally.

 

 

Capitalization Risk: Investments in small- and mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than investments in large-capitalization companies. Investments in small-capitalization companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources.

 

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives may be illiquid, difficult to price, and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio, and may be subject to counterparty risk to a greater degree than more traditional investments.

 

 

Focused Portfolio Risk: Investments in a limited number of companies may have more risk because changes in the value of a single security may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the Portfolio’s net asset value.

 

 

Management Risk: The Portfolio is subject to management risk because it is an actively-managed investment fund. The Adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Portfolio, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results.

As with all investments, you may lose money by investing in the Portfolio.

BAR CHART AND PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

The bar chart and performance information provide an indication of the historical risk of an investment in the Portfolio by showing:

 

 

how the Portfolio’s performance changed from year to year over ten years; and

 

 

how the Portfolio’s average annual returns for one, five and ten years compare to those of a broad-based securities market index.

The performance information does not take into account separate account charges. If separate account charges were included, an investor’s return would be lower. The Portfolio’s past performance, of course, does not necessarily indicate how it will perform in the future.

 

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Bar Chart

 

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During the period shown in the bar chart, the Portfolio’s:

Best Quarter was up 15.55%, 1st quarter, 2012; and Worst Quarter was down -22.13%, 4th quarter, 2008.

Performance Table

Average Annual Total Returns

(For the periods ended December 31, 2012)

 

        1 Year        5 Years        10 Years  
Portfolio        13.58%           0.08%           6.76%   
Russell 1000® Growth Index
(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
       15.26%           3.12%           7.52%   

INVESTMENT ADVISER

AllianceBernstein L.P. is the investment adviser for the Portfolio.

PORTFOLIO MANAGERS

The following table lists the persons responsible for day-to-day management of the Portfolio’s portfolio:

 

Employee    Length of Service    Title
Bruce K. Aronow    Since March 2013    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
     
Frank V. Caruso    Since 2008    Senior Vice President of the Adviser
     
John H. Fogarty    Since March 2013    Senior Vice President of the Adviser

PURCHASE AND SALE OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

The Portfolio offers its shares through the separate accounts of life insurance companies (“Insurers”). You may only purchase and sell shares through these separate accounts. See the prospectus of the separate account of the participating insurance company for information on the purchase and sale of the Portfolio’s shares.

TAX INFORMATION

The Portfolio may pay income dividends or make capital gains distributions. The income and capital gains distributions are expected to be made in shares of the Portfolio. See the prospectus of the separate account of the participating insurance company for federal income tax information.

PAYMENTS TO INSURERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

If you purchase shares of the Portfolio through an Insurer or other financial intermediary, the Portfolio and its related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of Portfolio shares and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the Insurer or other financial intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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