0001193125-23-215806.txt : 20230818 0001193125-23-215806.hdr.sgml : 20230818 20230818125035 ACCESSION NUMBER: 0001193125-23-215806 CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE: N-CSRS PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT: 13 CONFORMED PERIOD OF REPORT: 20230630 FILED AS OF DATE: 20230818 DATE AS OF CHANGE: 20230818 EFFECTIVENESS DATE: 20230818 FILER: COMPANY DATA: COMPANY CONFORMED NAME: AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC. CENTRAL INDEX KEY: 0000825316 IRS NUMBER: 000000000 FISCAL YEAR END: 1231 FILING VALUES: FORM TYPE: N-CSRS SEC ACT: 1940 Act SEC FILE NUMBER: 811-05398 FILM NUMBER: 231184837 BUSINESS ADDRESS: STREET 1: ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN LP STREET 2: 1345 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10105 BUSINESS PHONE: 2129691000 MAIL ADDRESS: STREET 1: ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN LP STREET 2: 1345 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS CITY: NEW YORK STATE: NY ZIP: 10105 FORMER COMPANY: FORMER CONFORMED NAME: ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND INC DATE OF NAME CHANGE: 19920703 0000825316 S000010429 AB Sustainable International Thematic Portfolio C000028824 Class A C000028825 Class B 0000825316 S000010431 AB International Value Portfolio C000028828 Class A C000028829 Class B 0000825316 S000010432 AB Large Cap Growth Portfolio C000028830 Class A C000028831 Class B 0000825316 S000010435 AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio C000028836 Class A C000028837 Class B 0000825316 S000010436 AB Discovery Value Portfolio C000028838 Class A C000028839 Class B 0000825316 S000010443 AB Balanced Hedged Allocation Portfolio C000028852 Class A C000028853 Class B 0000825316 S000010447 AB Sustainable Global Thematic Portfolio C000028860 Class A C000028861 Class B 0000825316 S000010448 AB Relative Value Portfolio C000028862 Class A C000028863 Class B 0000825316 S000031722 AB Dynamic Asset Allocation Portfolio C000098721 Class A C000098722 Class B 0000825316 S000049082 AB Global Risk Allocation-Moderate Portfolio C000154813 Class A C000154814 Class B N-CSRS 1 d469608dncsrs.htm AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC. AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc.

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM N-CSR

 

 

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number: 811-05398

 

 

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

1345 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10105

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

 

 

Joseph J. Mantineo

Alliance Bernstein L.P.

1345 Avenue of the Americas

New York, New York 10105

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (800) 221-5672

Date of fiscal year end: December 31, 2023

Date of reporting period: June 30, 2023

 

 

 


ITEM 1. REPORTS TO STOCKHOLDERS.


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS

SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO


 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each class’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

    Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
    Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
    Expenses Paid
During Period*
    Annualized
Expense Ratio*
    Total
Expenses Paid
During Period+
    Total
Annualized
Expense Ratio+
 

Class A

           

Actual

  $   1,000     $ 1,076.10     $ 3.50       0.68   $ 3.91       0.76

Hypothetical**

  $ 1,000     $   1,021.42     $   3.41       0.68   $   3.81       0.76
           

Class B

           

Actual

  $ 1,000     $ 1,073.60     $ 4.78       0.93   $ 5.19       1.01

Hypothetical**

  $ 1,000     $ 1,020.18     $ 4.66       0.93   $ 5.06       1.01

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

+   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Portfolio’s total expenses are equal to the classes’ annualized expense ratio plus the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the weighted average expense ratio of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios in which it invests, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

1


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

SECURITY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF

   $ 54,656,080          30.8

Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF

     27,745,773          15.6  

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

     27,710,055          15.6  

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF

     21,141,000          11.9  

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF

     11,770,452          6.6  

Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF

     5,900,288          3.3  

S&P 500 Index

     4,971,770          2.8  

U.S. Treasury Inflation Index

     4,690,551          2.6  

Vanguard Small-Cap ETF

     4,176,690          2.4  

Vanguard Real Estate ETF

     4,094,440          2.3  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   166,857,099          93.9

SECURITY TYPE BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECURITY TYPE    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Investment Companies

   $ 157,194,778          88.6

Inflation-Linked Securities

     4,690,551          2.7  

Purchased Options—Calls

     2,582,770          1.5  

Purchased Options—Puts

     2,389,000          1.3  

Corporates—Investment Grade

     192,224          0.1  

Short-Term Investments

     10,274,585          5.8  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   177,323,908          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s security type breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

 

2


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Company       
    
    
Shares
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–88.6%

     

FUNDS AND INVESTMENT TRUSTS–88.6%(a)

     

iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF

      313,200     $ 21,141,000  

iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF

      238,800       11,770,452  

iShares Core S&P 500 ETF

      122,627       54,656,080  

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

      282,900       27,710,055  

Vanguard Mid-Cap ETF(b)

      26,800       5,900,288  

Vanguard Real Estate ETF(b)

      49,000       4,094,440  

Vanguard Small-Cap ETF(b)

      21,000       4,176,690  

Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF

      381,700       27,745,773  
     

 

 

 

Total Investment Companies
(cost $158,287,597)

      157,194,778  
     

 

 

 
    Principal
Amount
(000)
       

INFLATION-LINKED SECURITIES–2.6%

     

UNITED STATES–2.6%

     

U.S. Treasury Inflation Index
0.125%, 01/15/2032(c)
(cost $5,362,485)

    U.S.$       5,334       4,690,551  
     

 

 

 
    Notional
Amount
       

PURCHASED OPTIONS–CALLS–1.5%

     

OPTIONS ON EQUITY INDICES–1.5%

     

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 15;
Exercise Price: USD 4,200.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       6,300,000       1,003,650  

 

        
    
Notional
Amount
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 12;
Exercise Price: USD 4,000.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       4,800,000     $ 981,420  

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 10;
Exercise Price: USD 4,300.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       4,300,000       597,700  
     

 

 

 

Total Purchased Options–Calls
(premiums paid $1,955,535)

        2,582,770  
     

 

 

 

PURCHASED OPTIONS–PUTS–1.4%

     

OPTIONS ON EQUITY INDICES–1.4%

     

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 50;
Exercise Price: USD 4,200.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       21,000,000       950,750  

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 35;
Exercise Price: USD 4,100.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       14,350,000       601,125  

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 27;
Exercise Price: USD 4,000.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       10,800,000       409,725  

 

3


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

        
    
Notional
Amount
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Dec 2024; Contracts: 20;
Exercise Price: USD 4,300.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(d)

    USD       8,600,000     $ 427,400  
     

 

 

 

Total Purchased Options–Puts
(premiums paid $7,009,410)

        2,389,000  
     

 

 

 
    Principal
Amount
(000)
       

CORPORATES–INVESTMENT GRADE–0.1%

     

INDUSTRIAL–0.1%

     

SERVICES–0.1%

     

Chicago Parking Meters LLC
4.93%, 12/30/2025(e)
(cost $200,000)

    U.S.$       200       192,224  
     

 

 

 
    Shares        

COMMON STOCKS–0.0%

     

ENERGY–0.0%

     

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–0.0%

     

Gazprom PJSC(e)(f)

      31,460       –0 – 

LUKOIL PJSC(e)(f)

      790       –0 – 
     

 

 

 
        –0 – 
     

 

 

 

MATERIALS–0.0%

     

METALS & MINING–0.0%

     

MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC (ADR)(d)(e)(f)

      2,540       –0 – 
     

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $272,623)

        –0 – 
     

 

 

 

 

         

    
Shares

    U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–5.8%

     

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–5.8%

     

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(a)(g)(h)
(cost $10,274,585)

                  10,274,585     $ 10,274,585  
     

 

 

 

Total Investments Before Security Lending Collateral for Securities Loaned–100.0%
(cost $183,362,235)

        177,323,908  
     

 

 

 

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–1.6%

     

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–1.6%

     

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(a)(g)(h)
(cost $2,937,000)

      2,937,000       2,937,000  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–101.6% 
(cost $186,299,235)

        180,260,908  

Other assets less liabilities–(1.6)%

        (2,900,201
     

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

      $ 177,360,707  
     

 

 

 

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

FUTURES (see Note D)

 

Description    Number of
Contracts
    

Expiration

Month

     Current
Notional
     Value and
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Purchased Contracts

 

E-Mini Russell 2000 Futures

     10        September 2023      $ 951,850      $ 960  

MSCI EAFE Futures

     41        September 2023        4,418,775        30,660  

MSCI Emerging Markets Futures

     37        September 2023        1,846,115        (18,579

S&P 500 E-Mini Futures

     82        September 2023        18,401,825        598,653  

S&P Mid 400 E-Mini Futures

     4        September 2023        1,057,640        24,825  

U.S. Long Bond (CBT) Futures

     50        September 2023        6,345,313        5,252  

U.S. T-Note 10 Yr (CBT) Futures

     536        September 2023          60,174,375          (1,171,802
           

 

 

 
   $ (530,031
           

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. Additionally, shareholder reports for AB funds can be obtained by calling AB at (800) 227-4618.

 

(b)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(c)   Position, or a portion thereof, has been segregated to collateralize margin requirements for open futures contracts.

 

(d)   Non-income producing security.

 

(e)   Fair valued by the Adviser.

 

(f)   Security in which significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were used in determining fair value.

 

(g)   Affiliated investments.

 

(h)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

Currency Abbreviations:

USD—United States Dollar

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

CBT—Chicago Board of Trade

EAFE—Europe, Australia, and Far East

ETF—Exchange Traded Fund

MSCI—Morgan Stanley Capital International

PJSC—Public Joint Stock Company

See notes to financial statements.

 

5


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $173,087,650)

   $ 167,049,323 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $13,211,585—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $2,937,000)

     13,211,585  

Foreign currencies, at value (cost $6,722)

     6,793  

Receivable for variation margin on futures

     403,424  

Unaffiliated dividends and interest receivable

     64,937  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     47,541  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     14,457  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     5  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     180,798,065  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     2,937,000  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     130,802  

Advisory fee payable

     68,975  

Distribution fee payable

     35,397  

Administrative fee payable

     22,483  

Foreign capital gains tax payable

     8,989  

Directors’ fees payable

     310  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     150  

Accrued expenses

     233,252  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     3,437,358  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 177,360,707  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 20,232  

Additional paid-in capital

     169,232,565  

Distributable earnings

     8,107,910  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 177,360,707  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $ 16,079,018          1,805,169        $ 8.91  
B      $   161,281,689          18,426,781        $   8.75  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $11,094,531 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

6


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $8,301)

   $ 1,711,426  

Affiliated issuers

     214,857  

Interest

     104,133  

Securities lending income

     15,494  
  

 

 

 
     2,045,910  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     404,999  

Distribution fee—Class B

     204,662  

Transfer agency—Class A

     254  

Transfer agency—Class B

     2,555  

Custody and accounting

     66,506  

Administrative

     47,950  

Audit and tax

     44,554  

Printing

     19,400  

Legal

     17,555  

Directors’ fees

     9,883  

Miscellaneous

     7,026  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     825,344  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (5,394
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     819,950  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     1,225,960  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain (loss) on:

  

Investment transactions(a)

     (24,871

Futures

     1,767,221  

Foreign currency transactions

     (117

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

  

Investments

     9,191,433  

Futures

     664,929  

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     2,079  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     11,600,674  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 12,826,634  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Net of foreign realized capital gains taxes of $4,811.

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


    
BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment income

   $ 1,225,960     $ 2,576,399  

Net realized gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     1,742,233       10,294,648  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     9,858,441       (58,310,497

Contributions from Affiliates (see Note B)

     –0 –      2,636  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     12,826,634       (45,436,814

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Class A

     –0 –      (2,419,129

Class B

     –0 –      (24,164,652

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (12,856,353     3,638,903  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total decrease

     (29,719     (68,381,692

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     177,390,426       245,772,118  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 177,360,707     $ 177,390,426  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

8


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Balanced Hedged Allocation Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) (formerly known as AB Balanced Wealth Strategy Portfolio) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is to maximize total return consistent with the determination of AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) of reasonable risk. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, the Adviser serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

9


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which are then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3.

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

Options are valued using market-based inputs to models, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency, where such inputs and models are available. Alternatively, the values may be obtained through unobservable management determined inputs and/or management’s proprietary models. Where models are used, the selection of a particular model to value an option depends upon the contractual terms of, and specific risks inherent in, the option as well as the availability of pricing information in the market. Valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, measures of volatility and correlations of such inputs. Exchange traded options generally will be classified as Level 2. For options that do not trade on an exchange but trade in liquid markets, inputs can generally be verified and model selection does not involve significant management judgment. Options are classified within Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy when all of the significant inputs can be corroborated to market evidence. Otherwise such instruments are classified as Level 3.

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Valuations of mortgage-backed or other asset-backed securities, by pricing vendors, are based on both proprietary and industry recognized models and discounted cash flow techniques. Significant inputs to the valuation of these instruments are value of the collateral, the rates and timing of delinquencies, the rates and timing of prepayments, and default and loss expectations, which are driven in part by housing prices for residential mortgages. Significant inputs are determined based on relative value analyses, which incorporate comparisons to instruments with similar collateral and risk profiles, including relevant indices. Mortgage and asset-backed securities for which management has collected current observable data through pricing services are generally categorized within Level 2. Those investments for which current observable data has not been provided are classified as Level 3.

Other fixed income investments, including non-U.S. government and corporate debt, are generally valued using quoted market prices, if available, which are typically impacted by current interest rates, maturity dates and any perceived credit risk of the issuer. Additionally, in the absence of quoted market prices, these inputs are used by pricing vendors to derive a valuation based upon industry or proprietary models which incorporate issuer specific data with relevant yield/spread comparisons with more widely quoted bonds with similar key characteristics. Those investments for which there are observable inputs are classified as Level 2. Where the inputs are not observable, the investments are classified as Level 3.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

       Level 1      Level 2      Level 3     Total  

Investments in Securities:

            

Assets:

 

Investment Companies

     $ 157,194,778      $ –0 –     $             –0 –    $ 157,194,778  

Inflation-Linked Securities

       –0 –       4,690,551        –0 –      4,690,551  

Purchased Options—Calls

       –0 –       2,582,770        –0 –      2,582,770  

Purchased Options—Puts

       –0 –       2,389,000        –0 –      2,389,000  

Corporates—Investment Grade

       –0 –       192,224        –0 –      192,224  

Common Stocks

       –0 –       –0 –       0 (a)      –0 – 

Short-Term Investments

       10,274,585        –0 –       –0 –      10,274,585  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

       2,937,000        –0 –       –0 –      2,937,000  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

       170,406,363        9,854,545        0 (a)      180,260,908  

Other Financial Instruments(b):

            

Assets:

 

Futures

       660,350        –0 –       –0 –      660,350 (c) 

Liabilities:

 

Futures

       (1,190,381      –0 –       –0 –      (1,190,381 )(c) 
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

     $ 169,876,332      $ 9,854,545      $ 0 (a)    $ 179,730,877  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a)   The Portfolio held securities with zero market value at period end.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

 

(c)   Only variation margin receivable (payable) at period end is reported within the statement of assets and liabilities. This amount reflects cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures and centrally cleared swaps as reported in the portfolio of investments. Where applicable, centrally cleared swaps with upfront premiums are presented here at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

 

 

11


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .45% of the first $2.5 billion, .425% of the next $2.5 billion and .40% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. Prior to May 2, 2022, the Portfolio paid the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .55% of the first $2.5 billion, .45% of the next $2.5 billion and .40% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The Adviser has agreed to waive its fees and bear certain expenses to the extent necessary to limit total operating expenses on an annual basis (the “Expense Caps”) to .75% and 1.00% of daily average net assets for Class A and Class B shares, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, there was no such reimbursement. This fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement extends through May 1, 2024 and then may be extended by the Adviser for additional one-year terms.

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,950.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $4,628.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
     Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 7,692      $ 25,166      $ 22,583      $ 10,275      $ 215  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     1,978        71,467        70,508        2,937        8  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

            $ 13,212      $ 223  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Adviser reimbursed the Portfolio $2,636 for trading losses incurred due to a trade entry error.

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

     Purchases     Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

   $ –0 –    $ 12,330,227  

U.S. government securities

     –0 –      –0 – 

 

13


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 5,304,946  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (11,873,304
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized depreciation

   $ (6,568,358
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The principal types of derivatives utilized by the Portfolio, as well as the methods in which they may be used are:

 

   

Futures

The Portfolio may buy or sell futures for investment purposes or for the purpose of hedging its portfolio against adverse effects of potential movements in the market. The Portfolio bears the market risk that arises from changes in the value of these instruments and the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and movements in the price of the assets, reference rates or indices which they are designed to track. Among other things, the Portfolio may purchase or sell futures for foreign currencies or options thereon for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investment in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

At the time the Portfolio enters into futures, the Portfolio deposits and maintains as collateral an initial margin with the broker, as required by the exchange on which the transaction is effected. Such amount is shown as cash collateral due from broker on the statement of assets and liabilities. Pursuant to the contract, the Portfolio agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract. Such receipts or payments are known as variation margin and are recorded by the Portfolio as unrealized gains or losses. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of the contract. The credit/counterparty risk for exchange-traded futures is generally less than privately negotiated futures, since the clearinghouse, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded future, has robust risk mitigation standards, including the requirement to provide initial and variation margin. When the contract is closed, the Portfolio records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the time it was closed.

Use of long futures subjects the Portfolio to risk of loss in excess of the amounts shown on the statement of assets and liabilities, up to the notional value of the futures. Use of short futures subjects the Portfolio to unlimited risk of loss. Under some circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of futures can vary from the previous day’s settlement price, which could effectively prevent liquidation of unfavorable positions.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held futures for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

 

   

Option Transactions

For hedging and investment purposes, the Portfolio may purchase and write (sell) put and call options on U.S. and foreign securities, including government securities, and foreign currencies that are traded on U.S. and foreign securities exchanges and over-the-counter markets. Among other things, the Portfolio may use options transactions for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions” and may use options strategies involving the purchase and/or writing of various combinations of call and/or put options, for hedging and investment purposes.

The risk associated with purchasing an option is that the Portfolio pays a premium whether or not the option is exercised. Additionally, the Portfolio bears the risk of loss of the premium and change in market value should the counterparty not perform under the contract. If a put or call purchased option by the Portfolio were permitted to expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Portfolio. Put and call purchased options are accounted for in the same manner as portfolio securities. The cost of securities acquired through the exercise of call options is increased by premiums paid. The proceeds from securities sold through the exercise of put options are decreased by the premiums paid.

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

When the Portfolio writes an option, the premium received by the Portfolio is recorded as a liability and is subsequently adjusted to the current market value of the written option. The Portfolio’s maximum payment for written put options equates to the number of shares multiplied by the strike price. In certain circumstances maximum payout amounts may be partially offset by recovery values of the respective referenced assets and upfront premium received upon entering into the contract. Premiums received from written options which expire unexercised are recorded by the Portfolio on the expiration date as realized gains from written options. The difference between the premium received and the amount paid on effecting a closing purchase transaction, including brokerage commissions, is also treated as a realized gain, or if the premium received is less than the amount paid for the closing purchase transaction, as a realized loss. If a call option is exercised, the premium received is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security or currency in determining whether the Portfolio has realized a gain or loss. If a put option is exercised, the premium received reduces the cost basis of the security or currency purchased by the Portfolio. In writing an option, the Portfolio bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security or currency underlying the written option. Exercise of the written option by the Portfolio could result in the Portfolio selling or buying a security or currency at a price different from the current market value.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held purchased options for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio had entered into the following derivatives:

 

   

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

 

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

  Fair Value    

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

  Fair Value  

Interest rate contracts

  Receivable for variation margin on futures   $ 5,252   Payable for variation margin on futures   $ 1,171,802

Equity contracts

  Receivable for variation margin on futures     655,098   Payable for variation margin on futures     18,579

Equity contracts

  Investments in securities, at value     4,971,770      
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total

      $5,632,120       $ 1,190,381  
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

*   Only variation margin receivable/payable at period end is reported within the statement of assets and liabilities.

This amount reflects cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures and centrally cleared swaps as reported in the portfolio of investments.

 

Derivative Type

  

Location of Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives
Within Statement of Operations

   Realized Gain or
(Loss) on
Derivatives
    Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or
(Depreciation)
 

Interest rate contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on futures; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures    $ (908   $ (700,457

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on futures; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures      1,768,129       1,365,386  

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments      –0 –      (3,175,995
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

      $ 1,767,221     $ (2,511,066
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

15


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The following table represents the average monthly volume of the Portfolio’s derivative transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

 

Futures:

 

Average notional amount of buy contracts

   $ 94,279,891  

Average notional amount of sale contracts

   $ 11,027,693 (a) 

Purchased Options:

 

Average notional amount

   $ 70,150,000  

 

(a)   Positions were open for one month during the period.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

Government Money Market
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities
on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ 11,094,531     $ 2,937,000     $ 8,396,834     $ 7,990     $ 7,504     $ 766  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    10,046       124,450       $ 88,311     $ 1,307,388  

Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      264,675         –0 –      2,419,127  

Shares redeemed

    (166,029     (289,813       (1,433,872     (2,886,339
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (155,983     99,312       $ (1,345,561   $ 840,176  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    290,863       888,386       $ 2,504,184     $ 8,974,615  

Shares issued on reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      2,684,961         –0 –      24,164,652  

Shares redeemed

    (1,642,135     (3,131,166       (14,014,976     (30,340,540
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (1,351,272     442,181       $ (11,510,792   $ 2,798,727  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 68% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

Allocation Risk—The allocation of investments among the different investment styles, such as growth or value, equity or debt securities, or U.S. or non-U.S. securities may have a more significant effect on the Portfolio’s net asset value, or NAV, when one of these investment strategies is performing more poorly than others.

ETF Risk—ETFs, are investment companies and are subject to market and selection risk. When the Portfolio invests in an ETF, the Portfolio bears its share of the ETF’s expenses and runs the risk that the ETF may not achieve its investment objective.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Emerging-Market Risk—Investments in emerging market countries may have more risk because the markets are less developed and less liquid, and because these investments may be subject to increased economic, political, regulatory or other uncertainties.

 

17


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce the Portfolio’s returns.

Interest-Rate Risk—Changes in interest rates will affect the value of investments in fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of existing investments in fixed-income securities tends to fall and this decrease in value may not be offset by higher income from new investments. Interest-rate risk is generally greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or durations. The Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the recent end of a period of historically low rates and the effect of potential central bank monetary policy, and government fiscal policy, initiatives and resulting market reactions to those initiatives.

Credit Risk—An issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other contract, may be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The issuer or guarantor may default, causing a loss of the full principal amount of a security and accrued interest. The degree of risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. There is the possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security.

Below Investment-Grade Securities Risk—Investments in fixed-income securities with lower ratings (“junk bonds”) tend to have a higher probability that an issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific corporate developments, interest rate sensitivity and negative perceptions of the junk bond market generally, and may be more difficult to trade than other types of securities.

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

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

Real Assets Risk—The Portfolio’s investments in securities linked to real assets involve significant risks, including financial, operating, and competitive risks. Investments in securities linked to real assets expose the Portfolio to adverse macroeconomic conditions, such as a rise in interest rates or a downturn in the economy in which the asset is located. Changes in inflation rates or in the market’s inflation expectations may adversely affect the market value of inflation-sensitive equities. The Portfolio’s investments in real estate securities have many of the same risks as direct ownership of real estate, including the risk that the value of real estate could decline due to a variety of factors that affect the real estate market generally. Investments in real estate investment trusts, or REITs, may have additional risks. REITs are dependent on the capability of their managers, may have limited diversification, and could be significantly affected by changes in tax laws. Some REITs may utilize leverage, which increases investment risk and may potentially increase the Portfolio’s losses.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022      2021  

Distributions paid from:

     

Ordinary income

   $ 8,298,483      $ 2,456,552  

Net long-term capital gains

     18,285,298        3,780,596  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 26,583,781      $ 6,237,148  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

19


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

   $ 1,625,224  

Undistributed capital gains

     8,899,982  

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     (15,230,130 )(a) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ (4,704,924
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the recognition for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain derivative instruments.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) – Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

20


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $8.28       $11.75       $10.61       $10.24       $10.10       $11.86  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .07       .15       .16       .13       .19       .23  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    .56       (2.25     1.29       .78       1.58       (.87

Contributions from Affiliates

    –0 –      .00 (c)      .00 (c)      –0 –      –0 –      .00 (c) 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    .63       (2.10     1.45       .91       1.77       (.64
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.35     (.06     (.24     (.29     (.23

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (1.02     (.25     (.30     (1.34     (.89
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (1.37     (.31     (.54     (1.63     (1.12
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $8.91       $8.28       $11.75       $10.61       $10.24       $10.10  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(d)*

    7.61     (18.99 )%      13.73     9.41     18.53     (6.17 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $16,079       $16,241       $21,879       $21,252       $24,347       $23,967  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .68 %^      .63     .56     .55     .55     .66

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .69 %^      .71     .75     .77     .75     .75

Net investment income(b)

    1.58 %^      1.50     1.43     1.38     1.81     2.05

Portfolio turnover rate

    0     135 %**      63 %**      66 %**      63 %**      150 %** 
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .08 %^      .09     .20     .22     .22     .11

 

 

See footnote summary on page 23.

 

21


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $8.15       $11.58       $10.47       $10.10       $9.98       $11.73  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .06       .12       .13       .11       .16       .20  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    .54       (2.22     1.26       .78       1.56       (.86

Contributions from Affiliates

    –0 –      .00 (c)      .00 (c)      –0 –      –0 –      .00 (c) 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    .60       (2.10     1.39       .89       1.72       (.66
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.31     (.03     (.22     (.26     (.20

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (1.02     (.25     (.30     (1.34     (.89
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (1.33     (.28     (.52     (1.60     (1.09
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $8.75       $8.15       $11.58       $10.47       $10.10       $9.98  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(d)*

    7.36     (19.17 )%      13.36     9.25     18.20     (6.41 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $161,282       $161,149       $223,893       $222,427       $231,071       $220,274  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .93 %^      .88     .81     .80     .80     .91

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .94 %^      .96     1.00     1.02     1.00     1.00

Net investment income(b)

    1.34 %^      1.24     1.20     1.14     1.57     1.79

Portfolio turnover rate

    0     135 %**      63 %**      66 %**      63 %**      150 %** 
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .08 %^      .09     .20     .22     .22     .11

 

 

See footnote summary on page 23.

 

22


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Amount is less than $.005.

 

(d)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(e)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, such waiver amounted to .01% (annualized), .08%, .19%, ..20%, .20% and .09%, respectively.

 

(f)   The expense ratios presented below exclude interest/bank overdraft expense:

 

     Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Class A

            

Net of waivers/reimbursements

     .68 %^      .63     .56     .55     .54     .66

Before waivers/reimbursements

     .69 %^      .71     .75     .77     .75     .75

Class B

            

Net of waivers/reimbursements

     .93 %^      .88     .81     .80     .79     .91

Before waivers/reimbursements

     .94 %^      .96     1.00     1.02     1.00     1.00

 

*   Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Portfolio resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Portfolio’s performance for the year ended December 31, 2022 by .02%.

 

**   The Portfolio accounts for dollar roll transactions as purchases and sales.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

23


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

24


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Balanced Hedged Allocation Portfolio (formerly AB Balanced Wealth Strategy Portfolio) (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on August 2-3, 2022 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President for the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund and the money market fund advised by the Adviser in which the Fund invests a portion of its assets.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2020 and 2021 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is

 

25


BALANCED HEDGED ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors noted that the Fund was not profitable to the Adviser in the periods reviewed.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund and the money market fund advised by the Adviser in which the Fund invests, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Fund’s unprofitability to the Adviser would be exacerbated without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class B Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class B Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended May 31, 2022 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s pro forma contractual effective advisory fee rate (reflecting a reduction in the advisory fee rate effective May 2022 with a peer group median. Taking into account the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year, the directors noted that the Adviser’s pro forma total rate of compensation was equal to the peer group median.

The directors considered the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund.

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class B shares of the Fund in comparison to a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class B expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The information provided included a pro forma expense ratio to reflect changes to the Fund’s expenses effective May 2022. The Adviser had agreed to cap the Fund’s expenses, but the directors noted that the Fund’s pro forma expense ratio was currently below the level of the Adviser’s cap. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s pro forma expense ratio was above the expense group median. After reviewing and discussing the Adviser’s explanation for this, the directors concluded that the Fund’s pro forma expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on

 

26


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

27


VPS-BHA-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each class’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
 

Class A

           

Actual

   $   1,000      $   1,083.10      $   4.39        0.85

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,020.58      $ 4.26        0.85
           

Class B

           

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,082.40      $ 5.68        1.10

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,019.34      $ 5.51        1.10

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

SECURITY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

U.S. Treasury Notes & Bonds

   $ 85,854,641          34.6

Apple, Inc.

     8,499,572          3.4  

Microsoft Corp.

     6,669,476          2.7  

Amazon.com, Inc.

     3,333,044          1.3  

NVIDIA Corp.

     2,893,880          1.2  

Tesla, Inc.

     2,067,983          0.8  

Alphabet, Inc.—Class A

     1,974,452          0.8  

Alphabet, Inc.—Class C

     1,799,550          0.7  

Meta Platforms, Inc.—Class A

     1,760,335          0.7  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

     1,241,974          0.5  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   116,094,907          46.7

PORTFOLIO BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

ASSET CLASSES      ALLOCATION  

Equities

      

US Large Cap

       42.7

International Large Cap

       18.1  

Emerging Market Equities

       1.0  
      

 

 

 

Sub-total

       61.8  
      

 

 

 

Fixed Income

      

U.S. Bonds

       37.8  

International Bonds

       0.4  
      

 

 

 

Sub-total

       38.2  
      

 

 

 

Total

       100.0

SECURITY TYPE BREAKDOWN3

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECURITY TYPE    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Common Stocks

   $ 157,325,383          63.8

Governments—Treasuries

     85,854,641          34.8  

Options Purchased—Puts

     760,473          0.3  

Short-Term Investments

     2,612,463          1.1  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   246,552,960          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio breakdown is expressed as an approximate percentage of the Portfolio’s total investments inclusive of derivative exposure, based on the Adviser’s internal classification guidelines.

 

3   The Portfolio’s security type breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

 

2


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

COMMON STOCKS–63.3%

 

   
     

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–14.1%

     

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT–0.4%

     

Arista Networks, Inc.(a)

      722     $ 117,007  

Cisco Systems, Inc.

      11,343       586,887  

F5, Inc.(a)

      167       24,426  

Juniper Networks, Inc.

      890       27,884  

Motorola Solutions, Inc.

      464       136,082  

Nokia Oyj

      14,818       62,085  

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson–Class B

      8,083       43,917  
     

 

 

 
        998,288  
     

 

 

 

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–0.6%

     

Amphenol Corp.–Class A

      1,649       140,083  

Arrow Electronics, Inc.(a)

      160       22,917  

Azbil Corp.

      299       9,463  

CDW Corp./DE

      375       68,812  

Cognex Corp.

      478       26,778  

Corning, Inc.

      2,229       78,104  

Halma PLC

      1,051       30,422  

Hamamatsu Photonics KK

      349       17,134  

Hexagon AB–Class B

      5,749       70,714  

Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.

      89       11,849  

Ibiden Co., Ltd.

      341       19,402  

Keyence Corp.

      624       296,498  

Keysight Technologies, Inc.(a)

      494       82,720  

Kyocera Corp.

      859       46,697  

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

      1,617       92,882  

Omron Corp.

      453       27,815  

Shimadzu Corp.

      578       17,865  

TDK Corp.

      1,062       41,423  

TE Connectivity Ltd.

      877       122,920  

Teledyne Technologies, Inc.(a)

      131       53,855  

Trimble, Inc.(a)

      684       36,211  

Venture Corp., Ltd.

      462       5,044  

Yaskawa Electric Corp.(b)

      638       29,414  

Yokogawa Electric Corp.

      534       9,885  

Zebra Technologies Corp.–Class A(a)

      143       42,304  
     

 

 

 
        1,401,211  
     

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–0.8%

     

Accenture PLC–Class A

      1,749       539,706  

Akamai Technologies, Inc.(a)

      433       38,914  

Bechtle AG

      227       9,015  

Capgemini SE

      457       86,530  

CGI, Inc.(a)

      587       61,901  

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.–Class A

      1,411       92,110  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

EPAM Systems, Inc.(a)

      160     $ 35,960  

Fujitsu Ltd.

      551       71,345  

Gartner, Inc.(a)

      219       76,718  

GoDaddy, Inc.–Class A(a)

      404       30,352  

International Business Machines Corp.

      2,512       336,131  

Itochu Techno-Solutions Corp.

      255       6,462  

MongoDB, Inc.(a)

      194       79,732  

NEC Corp.

      709       34,395  

Nomura Research Institute Ltd.

      1,054       29,119  

NTT Data Corp.

      1,722       24,144  

Obic Co., Ltd.

      221       35,472  

Okta, Inc.(a)

      427       29,612  

Otsuka Corp.

      330       12,854  

SCSK Corp.

      392       6,169  

Shopify, Inc.–Class A(a)

      3,316       214,317  

Snowflake, Inc.–Class A(a)

      720       126,706  

TIS, Inc.

      594       14,883  

Twilio, Inc.–Class A(a)

      492       31,301  

VeriSign, Inc.(a)

      260       58,752  

Wix.com Ltd.(a)

      150       11,736  
     

 

 

 
        2,094,336  
     

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–3.8%

     

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(a)

      4,457       507,697  

Advantest Corp.

      577       77,713  

Analog Devices, Inc.

      1,401       272,929  

Applied Materials, Inc.

      2,341       338,368  

ASM International NV(b)

      130       55,198  

ASML Holding NV

      1,117       810,192  

Broadcom, Inc.

      1,155       1,001,882  

Disco Corp.

      268       42,490  

Enphase Energy, Inc.(a)

      380       63,642  

Entegris, Inc.

      415       45,990  

First Solar, Inc.(a)

      281       53,415  

Infineon Technologies AG

      3,616       148,915  

Intel Corp.

      11,551       386,265  

KLA Corp.

      384       186,248  

Lam Research Corp.

      374       240,430  

Lasertec Corp.(b)

      271       40,953  

Lattice Semiconductor Corp.(a)

      381       36,603  

Marvell Technology, Inc.

      2,373       141,858  

Microchip Technology, Inc.

      1,517       135,908  

Micron Technology, Inc.

      3,031       191,286  

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

      125       67,529  

NVIDIA Corp.

      6,841       2,893,880  

NXP Semiconductors NV

      720       147,370  

ON Semiconductor Corp.(a)

      1,195       113,023  

Qorvo, Inc.(a)

      277       28,262  

QUALCOMM, Inc.

      3,088       367,595  

Renesas Electronics Corp.(a)

      3,517       66,374  

 

3


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Rohm Co., Ltd.

      279     $ 26,428  

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

      441       48,814  

SolarEdge Technologies, Inc.(a)

      156       41,972  

STMicroelectronics NV

      1,893       94,410  

SUMCO Corp.(b)

      934       13,251  

Teradyne, Inc.

      432       48,095  

Texas Instruments, Inc.

      2,513       452,390  

Tokyo Electron Ltd.(b)

      1,290       185,797  

Tower Semiconductor Ltd.(a)

      304       11,229  

Wolfspeed, Inc.(a)(b)

      345       19,179  
     

 

 

 
        9,403,580  
     

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–4.9%

     

Adobe, Inc.(a)

      1,271       621,506  

ANSYS, Inc.(a)

      241       79,595  

Aspen Technology, Inc.(a)

      81       13,576  

Atlassian Corp., Ltd.–Class A(a)

      416       69,809  

Autodesk, Inc.(a)

      595       121,743  

Bentley Systems, Inc.–
Class B

      620       33,623  

BILL Holdings, Inc.(a)(b)

      265       30,965  

Black Knight, Inc.(a)

      429       25,624  

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.(a)

      757       177,532  

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.(a)

      268       33,666  

Cloudflare, Inc.–Class A(a)

      755       49,354  

Coinbase Global, Inc.–Class A(a)(b)

      458       32,770  

Constellation Software, Inc./Canada(b)

      56       116,027  

Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc.–Class A(a)

      618       90,766  

CyberArk Software Ltd.(a)

      114       17,822  

Dassault Systemes SE

      1,849       81,931  

Datadog, Inc.–Class A(a)

      692       68,079  

Descartes Systems Group, Inc. (The)(a)

      235       18,825  

DocuSign, Inc.(a)

      559       28,559  

Dropbox, Inc.–Class A(a)

      725       19,336  

Fair Isaac Corp.(a)

      70       56,645  

Fortinet, Inc.(a)

      1,846       139,539  

Gen Digital, Inc.

      1,593       29,550  

HubSpot, Inc.(a)

      130       69,172  

Intuit, Inc.

      777       356,014  

Microsoft Corp.

      19,585       6,669,476  

Monday.com Ltd.(a)

      53       9,075  

Nemetschek SE

      160       11,945  

Nice Ltd.(a)

      176       36,224  

Open Text Corp.(b)

      745       30,987  

Oracle Corp.

      4,486       534,238  

Oracle Corp. Japan

      142       10,561  

Palantir Technologies, Inc.–Class A(a)

      4,979       76,328  

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(a)

      838       214,117  

PTC, Inc.(a)

      311       44,255  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Roper Technologies, Inc.

      295     $ 141,836  

Sage Group PLC (The)

      2,815       33,067  

Salesforce, Inc.(a)

      2,770       585,190  

SAP SE

      2,892       395,069  

ServiceNow, Inc.(a)

      565       317,513  

Splunk, Inc.(a)

      436       46,255  

Synopsys, Inc.(a)

      422       183,743  

Temenos AG (REG)

      177       14,094  

Trend Micro, Inc./Japan

      389       18,830  

Tyler Technologies, Inc.(a)

      116       48,310  

UiPath, Inc.–Class A(a)

      986       16,338  

Unity Software, Inc.(a)

      628       27,268  

VMware, Inc.–Class A(a)

      653       93,829  

WiseTech Global Ltd.

      459       24,620  

Workday, Inc.–Class A(a)

      565       127,628  

Xero Ltd.(a)

      398       31,888  

Zoom Video Communications, Inc.–Class A(a)

      650       44,122  

Zscaler, Inc.(a)

      241       35,258  
     

 

 

 
        12,204,092  
     

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE, STORAGE & PERIPHERALS–3.6%

     

Apple, Inc.

      43,819       8,499,572  

Brother Industries Ltd.

      585       8,562  

Canon, Inc.(b)

      2,711       71,263  

Dell Technologies, Inc.–Class C

      713       38,581  

FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.

      1,009       60,119  

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

      3,588       60,278  

HP, Inc.

      2,455       75,393  

Logitech International SA (REG)

      456       27,217  

NetApp, Inc.

      593       45,305  

Ricoh Co., Ltd.

      1,472       12,544  

Seagate Technology Holdings PLC

      515       31,863  

Seiko Epson Corp.

      792       12,365  

Western Digital Corp.(a)

      884       33,530  
     

 

 

 
        8,976,592  
     

 

 

 
        35,078,099  
     

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–9.2%

     

BANKS–3.4%

     

ABN AMRO Bank NV(c)

      1,118       17,377  

AIB Group PLC

      3,701       15,576  

ANZ Group Holdings Ltd.

      8,317       131,656  

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA

      16,700       128,301  

Banco Santander SA

      45,568       168,699  

Bank Hapoalim BM

      3,449       28,442  

Bank Leumi Le-Israel BM

      4,275       32,035  

Bank of America Corp.

      19,783       567,574  

Bank of Ireland Group PLC

      2,963       28,289  

Bank of Montreal(b)

      1,966       177,552  

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Bank of Nova Scotia (The)(b)

      3,300     $ 165,106  

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (REG)(b)

      84       8,873  

Barclays PLC

      43,058       84,118  

BNP Paribas SA

      3,077       194,177  

BOC Hong Kong Holdings Ltd.

      10,031       30,728  

CaixaBank SA

      11,427       47,334  

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce(b)

      2,509       107,121  

Chiba Bank Ltd. (The)

      1,414       8,575  

Citigroup, Inc.

      5,391       248,202  

Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

      1,341       34,973  

Commerzbank AG

      2,887       32,005  

Commonwealth Bank of Australia(b)

      4,676       313,043  

Concordia Financial Group Ltd.(b)

      2,921       11,421  

Credit Agricole SA

      3,352       39,801  

Danske Bank A/S(a)

      1,910       46,521  

DBS Group Holdings Ltd.

      4,175       97,498  

DNB Bank ASA

      2,576       48,173  

Erste Group Bank AG

      952       33,394  

Fifth Third Bancorp

      1,879       49,249  

FinecoBank Banca Fineco SpA

      1,691       22,762  

First Citizens BancShares, Inc./NC–Class A

      30       38,503  

First Horizon Corp.

      1,488       16,770  

Hang Seng Bank Ltd.

      1,305       18,604  

HSBC Holdings PLC

      55,330       438,094  

Huntington Bancshares, Inc./OH

      3,996       43,077  

ING Groep NV

      10,024       135,139  

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA

      44,700       117,192  

Israel Discount Bank Ltd.–Class A

      3,425       17,111  

Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd.

      4,018       31,333  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

      8,119       1,180,827  

KBC Group NV

      693       48,372  

KeyCorp

      2,561       23,664  

Lloyds Banking Group PLC

      183,505       101,726  

M&T Bank Corp.

      466       57,672  

Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA

      1,528       18,294  

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

      31,587       232,830  

Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd.

      427       14,279  

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.

      6,654       101,709  

National Australia Bank Ltd.(b)

      8,692       152,874  

National Bank of Canada

      935       69,662  

NatWest Group PLC

      15,881       48,540  

Nordea Bank Abp (Stockholm)

      8,985       97,871  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Ltd.

      9,327     $ 84,848  

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)

      1,105       139,175  

Regions Financial Corp.

      2,559       45,601  

Resona Holdings, Inc.

      5,922       28,354  

Royal Bank of Canada

      3,838       366,547  

Shizuoka Financial Group, Inc.

      1,194       8,626  

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB–Class A

      4,475       49,495  

Societe Generale SA

      2,014       52,377  

Standard Chartered PLC

      6,665       57,986  

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.

      3,633       155,708  

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc.

      917       32,531  

Svenska Handelsbanken AB–Class A

      4,039       33,815  

Swedbank AB–Class A

      2,351       39,676  

Toronto-Dominion Bank (The)

      5,045       312,697  

Truist Financial Corp.

      3,678       111,627  

UniCredit SpA

      5,106       118,733  

United Overseas Bank Ltd.

      2,692       55,862  

US Bancorp

      4,242       140,156  

Webster Financial Corp.

      483       18,233  

Wells Fargo & Co.

      10,422       444,811  

Westpac Banking Corp.(b)

      9,718       138,371  
     

 

 

 
        8,357,947  
     

 

 

 

CAPITAL MARKETS–1.8%

     

3i Group PLC

      2,695       66,801  

Abrdn PLC

      5,544       15,396  

Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

      292       96,991  

Amundi SA(c)

      169       9,984  

Ares Management Corp.–Class A

      439       42,298  

ASX Ltd.(b)

      536       22,556  

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (The)

      2,227       99,146  

BlackRock, Inc.

      416       287,514  

Blackstone, Inc.

      1,956       181,849  

Brookfield Asset Management Ltd.–Class A (Canada)

      970       31,661  

Brookfield Corp. (Canada)

      3,903       131,401  

Carlyle Group, Inc. (The)(b)

      601       19,202  

Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

      293       40,437  

Charles Schwab Corp. (The)

      4,161       235,845  

CME Group, Inc.

      997       184,734  

Daiwa Securities Group, Inc.

      3,663       18,875  

Deutsche Bank AG (REG)

      5,367       56,422  

Deutsche Boerse AG

      527       97,292  

EQT AB(b)

      984       18,944  

Euronext NV(c)

      237       16,120  

FactSet Research Systems, Inc.

      107       42,870  

 

5


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Franklin Resources, Inc.

      831     $ 22,196  

Futu Holdings Ltd. (ADR)(a)(b)

      150       5,961  

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)

      925       298,349  

Hargreaves Lansdown PLC

      985       10,211  

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd.

      2,601       98,549  

IGM Financial, Inc.(b)

      230       7,002  

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.

      1,550       175,274  

Invesco Ltd.

      952       16,003  

Japan Exchange Group, Inc.(b)

      1,388       24,288  

Julius Baer Group Ltd.

      592       37,360  

KKR & Co., Inc.

      1,669       93,464  

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

      1,112       118,354  

LPL Financial Holdings, Inc.

      218       47,400  

Macquarie Group Ltd.

      1,017       121,011  

MarketAxess Holdings, Inc.

      105       27,449  

Moody’s Corp.

      457       158,908  

Morgan Stanley

      3,474       296,680  

MSCI, Inc.

      222       104,182  

Nasdaq, Inc.

      948       47,258  

Nomura Holdings, Inc.

      8,021       30,580  

Northern Trust Corp.

      577       42,779  

Onex Corp.(b)

      190       10,494  

Partners Group Holding AG

      63       59,399  

Raymond James Financial, Inc.

      567       58,838  

S&P Global, Inc.

      909       364,409  

SBI Holdings, Inc.

      595       11,475  

Schroders PLC

      2,232       12,418  

SEI Investments Co.

      316       18,840  

Singapore Exchange Ltd.

      1,635       11,643  

St. James’s Place PLC

      1,517       20,979  

State Street Corp.

      932       68,204  

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

      622       69,676  

TMX Group Ltd.

      770       17,327  

Tradeweb Markets, Inc.–Class A

      308       21,092  

UBS Group AG (REG)

      8,785       178,060  
     

 

 

 
        4,422,450  
     

 

 

 

CONSUMER FINANCE–0.2%

     

Ally Financial, Inc.

      749       20,231  

American Express Co.

      1,752       305,198  

Capital One Financial Corp.

      1,059       115,823  

Discover Financial Services

      719       84,015  

Synchrony Financial

      1,186       40,229  
     

 

 

 
        565,496  
     

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–1.9%

     

Adyen NV(a)(b)(c)

      61       105,632  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Apollo Global Management, Inc.

      1,106     $ 84,952  

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.–Class B(a)

      3,596       1,226,236  

Block, Inc.(a)

      1,499       99,788  

Edenred

      691       46,286  

Element Fleet Management Corp.

      1,086       16,543  

Equitable Holdings, Inc.

      994       26,997  

Eurazeo SE

      121       8,519  

EXOR NV

      301       26,872  

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.

      1,641       89,763  

Fiserv, Inc.(a)

      1,726       217,735  

FleetCor Technologies, Inc.(a)

      194       48,710  

Global Payments, Inc.

      731       72,018  

GMO Payment Gateway, Inc.

      164       12,864  

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert NV

      276       21,758  

Industrivarden AB–Class A

      360       9,984  

Industrivarden AB–
Class C(b)

      427       11,783  

Investor AB–Class A

      1,208       24,176  

Investor AB–Class B

      4,793       95,884  

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.

      202       33,801  

Kinnevik AB–Class B(a)

      672       9,322  

L E Lundbergforetagen AB–Class B

      210       8,943  

M&G PLC

      6,209       15,111  

Mastercard, Inc.–Class A

      2,358       927,401  

Mitsubishi HC Capital, Inc.

      2,423       14,386  

Nexi SpA(a)(b)(c)

      1,634       12,820  

Nuvei Corp.(a)(b)(c)

      173       5,109  

ORIX Corp.

      3,231       58,921  

PayPal Holdings, Inc.(a)

      2,954       197,120  

Sofina SA(b)

      43       8,915  

Toast, Inc.–Class A(a)(b)

      847       19,117  

Visa, Inc.–Class A

      4,501       1,068,898  

Wendel SE

      74       7,600  

Wise PLC–Class A(a)

      1,702       14,226  

Worldline SA/France(a)(c)

      662       24,242  
     

 

 

 
        4,672,432  
     

 

 

 

INSURANCE–1.9%

     

Admiral Group PLC

      587       15,546  

Aegon NV(b)

      4,673       23,722  

Aflac, Inc.

      1,609       112,308  

Ageas SA/NV

      447       18,121  

AIA Group Ltd.

      31,637       321,321  

Allianz SE (REG)

      1,117       260,176  

Allstate Corp. (The)

      723       78,836  

American Financial Group, Inc./OH

      201       23,869  

American International Group, Inc.

      2,032       116,921  

 

6


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Aon PLC–Class A

      569     $ 196,419  

Arch Capital Group Ltd.(a)

      1,032       77,245  

Arthur J Gallagher & Co.

      592       129,985  

Assicurazioni Generali SpA

      2,806       57,063  

Assurant, Inc.

      147       18,481  

Aviva PLC

      7,714       38,811  

AXA SA

      5,080       150,121  

Baloise Holding AG (REG)

      127       18,681  

Brown & Brown, Inc.

      669       46,054  

Chubb Ltd.

      1,147       220,866  

Cincinnati Financial Corp.

      436       42,432  

Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc.

      2,513       47,797  

Erie Indemnity Co.–Class A

      71       14,911  

Everest Re Group Ltd.

      119       40,681  

Fairfax Financial Holdings Ltd.

      63       47,189  

Fidelity National Financial, Inc.

      716       25,776  

Gjensidige Forsikring ASA

      553       8,859  

Globe Life, Inc.

      254       27,843  

Great-West Lifeco, Inc.

      774       22,477  

Hannover Rueck SE

      167       35,454  

Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)

      865       62,297  

Helvetia Holding AG (REG)

      103       13,960  

iA Financial Corp., Inc.

      287       19,552  

Insurance Australia Group Ltd.

      6,784       25,799  

Intact Financial Corp.

      486       75,038  

Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd.

      6,067       43,605  

Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd.

      492       7,394  

Legal & General Group PLC

      16,542       47,894  

Loews Corp.

      544       32,303  

Manulife Financial Corp.

      5,123       96,833  

Markel Group, Inc.(a)

      36       49,794  

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.

      1,371       257,858  

Medibank Pvt Ltd.

      7,627       17,916  

MetLife, Inc.

      1,823       103,054  

MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.

      1,192       42,211  

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG in Muenchen (REG)

      388       145,660  

NN Group NV

      694       25,690  

Phoenix Group Holdings PLC

      2,078       14,060  

Poste Italiane SpA(b)(c)

      1,446       15,664  

Power Corp. of Canada(b)

      1,608       43,285  

Principal Financial Group, Inc.

      673       51,040  

Progressive Corp. (The)

      1,622       214,704  

Prudential Financial, Inc.

      1,016       89,632  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Prudential PLC

      7,624     $ 107,677  

QBE Insurance Group Ltd.

      4,122       43,037  

Sampo Oyj–Class A

      1,274       57,218  

Sompo Holdings, Inc.

      822       36,883  

Sun Life Financial, Inc.

      1,625       84,712  

Suncorp Group Ltd.

      3,507       31,511  

Swiss Life Holding AG (REG)

      86       50,369  

Swiss Re AG

      836       84,238  

T&D Holdings, Inc.(b)

      1,296       19,007  

Talanx AG

      175       10,047  

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

      4,912       113,239  

Travelers Cos., Inc. (The)

      640       111,142  

Tryg A/S

      997       21,591  

Willis Towers Watson PLC

      295       69,473  

WR Berkley Corp.

      584       34,783  

Zurich Insurance Group AG

      417       198,362  
     

 

 

 
        4,806,497  
     

 

 

 

MORTGAGE REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUSTS (REITs)–0.0%

     

Annaly Capital Management, Inc.

      1,367       27,354  
     

 

 

 
        22,852,176  
     

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–8.1%

     

BIOTECHNOLOGY–1.1%

     

AbbVie, Inc.

      4,886       658,291  

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

      344       65,339  

Amgen, Inc.

      1,480       328,589  

Argenx SE(a)

      155       60,111  

Biogen, Inc.(a)

      401       114,225  

BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Inc.(a)

      520       45,074  

CSL Ltd.

      1,336       247,399  

Exact Sciences Corp.(a)

      494       46,386  

Genmab A/S(a)

      183       69,349  

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

      3,459       266,585  

Grifols SA(a)(b)

      826       10,597  

Horizon Therapeutics PLC(a)

      601       61,813  

Incyte Corp.(a)

      525       32,681  

Moderna, Inc.(a)

      908       110,322  

Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.(a)

      270       25,461  

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

      298       214,125  

Seagen, Inc.(a)

      389       74,867  

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB(a)(b)

      471       9,206  

United Therapeutics Corp.(a)

      129       28,477  

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

      714       251,264  
     

 

 

 
        2,720,161  
     

 

 

 

 

7


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–1.6%

     

Abbott Laboratories

      4,813     $ 524,713  

Alcon, Inc.

      1,384       114,820  

Align Technology, Inc.(a)

      202       71,435  

Asahi Intecc Co., Ltd.(b)

      541       10,651  

Avantor, Inc.(a)

      1,869       38,389  

Baxter International, Inc.

      1,390       63,328  

Becton Dickinson & Co.

      787       207,776  

BioMerieux

      115       12,075  

Boston Scientific Corp.(a)

      3,981       215,332  

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

      112       12,112  

Cochlear Ltd.(b)

      183       28,037  

Coloplast A/S–Class B

      329       41,170  

Cooper Cos., Inc. (The)

      137       52,530  

Demant A/S(a)

      255       10,793  

DENTSPLY SIRONA, Inc.

      588       23,532  

Dexcom, Inc.(a)

      1,074       138,020  

DiaSorin SpA(b)

      70       7,292  

Edwards Lifesciences Corp.(a)

      1,679       158,380  

EssilorLuxottica SA

      806       151,988  

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp., Ltd.

      1,604       24,153  

GE Healthcare, Inc.

      1,007       81,809  

Getinge AB–Class B(b)

      633       11,105  

Hologic, Inc.(a)

      683       55,303  

Hoya Corp.

      1,048       125,410  

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(a)

      230       115,513  

Insulet Corp.(a)

      193       55,650  

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a)

      970       331,682  

Koninklijke Philips NV(a)

      2,555       55,361  

Masimo Corp.(a)

      124       20,404  

Medtronic PLC

      3,685       324,648  

Novocure Ltd.(a)

      263       10,915  

Olympus Corp.

      3,280       51,907  

ResMed, Inc.

      407       88,929  

Siemens Healthineers AG(c)

      781       44,263  

Smith & Nephew PLC

      2,418       39,010  

Sonova Holding AG (REG)

      144       38,425  

STERIS PLC

      275       61,869  

Straumann Holding AG (REG)

      309       50,245  

Stryker Corp.

      945       288,310  

Sysmex Corp.

      491       33,632  

Teleflex, Inc.

      130       31,464  

Terumo Corp.

      1,851       58,954  

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.

      581       84,594  
     

 

 

 
        3,965,928  
     

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–1.3%

     

AmerisourceBergen Corp.

      476       91,597  

Amplifon SpA(b)

      345       12,655  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Cardinal Health, Inc.

      714     $ 67,523  

Centene Corp.(a)

      1,525       102,861  

Cigna Group (The)

      823       230,934  

CVS Health Corp.

      3,545       245,066  

DaVita, Inc.(a)

      150       15,070  

EBOS Group Ltd.(b)

      424       9,580  

Elevance Health, Inc.

      658       292,343  

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

      569       27,193  

Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

      1,169       32,424  

HCA Healthcare, Inc.

      576       174,804  

Henry Schein, Inc.(a)

      363       29,439  

Humana, Inc.

      347       155,154  

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings

      245       59,126  

McKesson Corp.

      380       162,378  

Molina Healthcare, Inc.(a)

      161       48,500  

Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

      310       43,574  

Ramsay Health Care Ltd.(b)

      508       19,086  

Sonic Healthcare Ltd.

      1,235       29,370  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

      2,584       1,241,974  

Universal Health Services, Inc.–Class B

      174       27,452  
     

 

 

 
        3,118,103  
     

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE TECHNOLOGY–0.0%

     

M3, Inc.

      1,130       24,639  

Veeva Systems, Inc.–Class A(a)

      403       79,685  
     

 

 

 
        104,324  
     

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES TOOLS & SERVICES–0.8%

     

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

      819       98,485  

Bachem Holding AG (REG)(b)

      94       8,208  

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.–Class A(a)

      62       23,505  

Bio-Techne Corp.

      436       35,591  

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.(a)

      142       29,855  

Danaher Corp.

      1,919       460,560  

Eurofins Scientific SE

      374       23,767  

Illumina, Inc.(a)

      438       82,121  

IQVIA Holdings, Inc.(a)

      516       115,981  

Lonza Group AG (REG)

      207       123,726  

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.(a)

      62       81,322  

QIAGEN NV(a)

      631       28,363  

Repligen Corp.(a)

      147       20,795  

Revvity, Inc.

      350       41,576  

Sartorius AG

      73       25,291  

Sartorius Stedim Biotech

      77       19,231  

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

      1,069       557,751  

Waters Corp.(a)

      164       43,713  

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

      206       78,789  
     

 

 

 
        1,898,630  
     

 

 

 

 

8


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

PHARMACEUTICALS–3.3%

     

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

      4,985     $ 74,239  

AstraZeneca PLC

      4,293       615,420  

Bayer AG (REG)

      2,721       150,621  

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

      5,825       372,509  

Catalent, Inc.(a)

      499       21,637  

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.(b)

      1,783       50,778  

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

      5,058       160,714  

Eisai Co., Ltd.

      745       50,492  

Eli Lilly & Co.

      2,237       1,049,108  

GSK PLC

      11,340       200,974  

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC

      458       11,022  

Ipsen SA

      105       12,639  

Jazz Pharmaceuticals PLC(a)

      176       21,819  

Johnson & Johnson

      7,196       1,191,082  

Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.(b)

      705       13,067  

Merck & Co., Inc.

      7,028       810,961  

Merck KGaA

      358       59,260  

Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.

      106       4,337  

Novartis AG (REG)

      5,677       572,352  

Novo Nordisk A/S–Class B

      4,585       740,659  

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

      994       17,935  

Orion Oyj–Class B

      296       12,284  

Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

      1,078       39,543  

Pfizer, Inc.

      15,632       573,382  

Recordati Industria Chimica e Farmaceutica SpA

      289       13,806  

Roche Holding AG (BR)

      89       29,226  

Roche Holding AG (Genusschein)

      1,946       594,444  

Royalty Pharma PLC– Class A

      1,043       32,062  

Sanofi

      3,143       338,362  

Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

      759       32,014  

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

      4,343       136,468  

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Sponsored ADR)(a)

      3,076       23,162  

UCB SA

      350       31,030  

Viatris, Inc.

      3,314       33,074  

Zoetis, Inc.

      1,281       220,601  
     

 

 

 
        8,311,083  
     

 

 

 
        20,118,229  
     

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–7.1%

     

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–0.2%

     

Aisin Corp.

      343       10,592  

Aptiv PLC(a)

      751       76,670  

BorgWarner, Inc.

      647       31,645  

Bridgestone Corp.(b)

      1,568       64,416  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Cie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA

      1,878     $ 55,554  

Continental AG

      305       23,043  

Denso Corp.(b)

      1,160       78,244  

Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

      562       10,199  

Lear Corp.

      164       23,542  

Magna International, Inc.

      753       42,511  

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.

      1,919       23,512  

Valeo

      573       12,313  
     

 

 

 
        452,241  
     

 

 

 

AUTOMOBILES–1.6%

     

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

      917       112,797  

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Preference Shares)

      165       18,803  

Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Preference Shares)(a)(c)

      316       39,256  

Ferrari NV

      349       114,105  

Ford Motor Co.

      10,881       164,629  

General Motors Co.

      3,852       148,533  

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

      4,223       127,931  

Isuzu Motors Ltd.

      1,612       19,556  

Lucid Group, Inc.(a)(b)

      1,774       12,223  

Mazda Motor Corp.

      1,565       15,124  

Mercedes-Benz Group AG

      2,370       190,764  

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

      6,379       26,180  

Porsche Automobil Holding SE (Preference Shares)(a)

      424       25,554  

Renault SA

      532       22,447  

Rivian Automotive, Inc.–Class A(a)(b)

      1,782       29,688  

Stellantis NV (Italy)

      6,229       109,511  

Subaru Corp.

      1,681       31,660  

Suzuki Motor Corp.

      981       35,574  

Tesla, Inc.(a)

      7,900       2,067,983  

Toyota Motor Corp.(b)

      29,270       470,430  

Volkswagen AG

      82       13,706  

Volkswagen AG (Preference Shares)

      571       76,784  

Volvo Car AB– Class B(a)(b)

      1,650       6,565  

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.(b)

      795       22,855  
     

 

 

 
        3,902,658  
     

 

 

 

BROADLINE RETAIL–1.7%

     

Amazon.com, Inc.(a)

      25,568       3,333,044  

Canadian Tire Corp., Ltd.–Class A(b)

      149       20,371  

Cie Financiere Richemont SA (REG)

      1,446       245,629  

Dollarama, Inc.(b)

      790       53,504  

eBay, Inc.

      1,487       66,454  

Etsy, Inc.(a)

      345       29,190  

MercadoLibre, Inc.(a)

      126       149,260  

 

9


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Next PLC

      338     $ 29,638  

Pan Pacific International Holdings Corp.

      971       17,390  

Prosus NV(a)

      2,220       162,580  

Rakuten Group, Inc.(b)

      2,613       9,105  

Wesfarmers Ltd.(b)

      3,142       103,590  
     

 

 

 
        4,219,755  
     

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTORS–0.1%

     

D’ieteren Group

      61       10,796  

Genuine Parts Co.

      388       65,661  

LKQ Corp.

      740       43,120  

Pool Corp.

      109       40,836  
     

 

 

 
        160,413  
     

 

 

 

DIVERSIFIED CONSUMER SERVICES–0.0%

     

IDP Education Ltd.(b)

      693       10,263  

Pearson PLC

      1,784       18,703  
     

 

 

 
        28,966  
     

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–1.3%

     

Accor SA

      510       18,978  

Airbnb, Inc.–Class A(a)

      1,145       146,743  

Amadeus IT Group SA(a)

      1,248       95,036  

Aramark

      649       27,939  

Aristocrat Leisure Ltd.

      1,634       42,276  

Booking Holdings, Inc.(a)

      105       283,535  

Caesars Entertainment, Inc.(a)

      596       30,378  

Carnival Corp.(a)

      2,781       52,366  

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.(a)

      77       164,703  

Compass Group PLC

      4,832       135,311  

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

      335       55,972  

Delivery Hero SE(a)(c)

      480       21,178  

Domino’s Pizza, Inc.

      98       33,025  

DoorDash, Inc.–Class A(a)

      706       53,952  

Entain PLC

      1,630       26,357  

Evolution AB(c)

      508       64,376  

Expedia Group, Inc.(a)

      410       44,850  

Flutter Entertainment PLC(a)

      489       98,416  

Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd.(a)

      5,343       34,039  

Genting Singapore Ltd.

      15,869       11,065  

Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.

      736       107,125  

Hyatt Hotels Corp.–Class A

      132       15,124  

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

      480       33,181  

Just Eat Takeaway.com NV(a)(b)(c)

      578       8,860  

La Francaise des Jeux SAEM(c)

      291       11,453  

Las Vegas Sands Corp.(a)

      952       55,216  

Lottery Corp., Ltd. (The)

      6,164       21,132  

Marriott International, Inc./MD–Class A

      727       133,543  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

McDonald’s Corp.

      2,022     $ 603,385  

McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan Ltd.(b)

      192       7,465  

MGM Resorts International

      826       36,278  

Oriental Land Co., Ltd./Japan(b)

      3,005       117,153  

Restaurant Brands International, Inc.(b)

      819       63,498  

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.(a)

      637       66,082  

Sands China Ltd.(a)

      6,020       20,617  

Sodexo SA

      245       26,979  

Starbucks Corp.

      3,183       315,308  

Vail Resorts, Inc.

      112       28,197  

Whitbread PLC

      559       24,063  

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

      284       29,993  

Yum! Brands, Inc.

      776       107,515  
     

 

 

 
        3,272,662  
     

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–0.3%

     

Barratt Developments PLC

      2,725       14,322  

Berkeley Group Holdings PLC

      298       14,855  

DR Horton, Inc.

      856       104,167  

Garmin Ltd.

      424       44,219  

Iida Group Holdings Co., Ltd.

      411       6,945  

Lennar Corp.–Class A

      703       88,093  

Mohawk Industries, Inc.(a)

      150       15,474  

NVR, Inc.(a)

      9       57,155  

Open House Group Co., Ltd.

      200       7,220  

Panasonic Holdings Corp.

      6,071       74,442  

Persimmon PLC

      884       11,518  

PulteGroup, Inc.

      621       48,239  

SEB SA

      69       7,136  

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.

      983       14,202  

Sekisui House Ltd.

      1,689       34,117  

Sharp Corp./Japan(a)(b)

      597       3,348  

Sony Group Corp.

      3,534       319,015  

Taylor Wimpey PLC

      9,781       12,778  

Whirlpool Corp.

      151       22,467  
     

 

 

 
        899,712  
     

 

 

 

LEISURE PRODUCTS–0.1%

     

Bandai Namco Holdings, Inc.

      1,637       37,909  

BRP, Inc.(b)

      101       8,538  

Hasbro, Inc.

      365       23,641  

Shimano, Inc.(b)

      260       43,526  

Yamaha Corp.(b)

      394       15,177  
     

 

 

 
        128,791  
     

 

 

 

SPECIALTY RETAIL–1.1%

     

Advance Auto Parts, Inc.

      165       11,600  

AutoZone, Inc.(a)

      51       127,161  

Bath & Body Works, Inc.

      598       22,425  

Best Buy Co., Inc.

      544       44,581  

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Burlington Stores, Inc.(a)

      180     $ 28,330  

CarMax, Inc.(a)

      438       36,661  

Chewy, Inc.–Class A(a)

      272       10,736  

Dick’s Sporting Goods, Inc.

      172       22,737  

Dufry AG (REG)(a)

      273       12,452  

Dynatrace, Inc.(a)

      600       30,882  

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

      557       142,856  

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB–Class B

      1,820       31,299  

Home Depot, Inc. (The)

      2,805       871,345  

Industria de Diseno Textil SA

      3,021       117,178  

JD Sports Fashion PLC

      7,177       13,332  

Kingfisher PLC

      5,369       15,824  

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

      1,652       372,856  

Nitori Holdings Co., Ltd.

      213       23,919  

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.(a)

      171       163,356  

Ross Stores, Inc.

      948       106,299  

TJX Cos., Inc. (The)

      3,192       270,650  

Tractor Supply Co.

      305       67,435  

Ulta Beauty, Inc.(a)

      139       65,413  

USS Co., Ltd.

      553       9,155  

Zalando SE(a)(c)

      620       17,880  

ZOZO, Inc.

      271       5,622  
     

 

 

 
        2,641,984  
     

 

 

 

TEXTILES, APPAREL & LUXURY GOODS–0.7%

     

adidas AG

      449       87,164  

Burberry Group PLC

      1,047       28,252  

Deckers Outdoor Corp.(a)

      73       38,519  

Gildan Activewear, Inc.

      497       16,023  

Hermes International

      88       191,287  

Kering SA

      207       114,305  

Lululemon Athletica, Inc.(a)

      322       121,877  

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE

      765       721,328  

Moncler SpA

      571       39,506  

NIKE, Inc.–Class B

      3,412       376,583  

Pandora A/S

      251       22,435  

Puma SE

      292       17,596  

Swatch Group AG (The)

      81       23,684  

Swatch Group AG (The) (REG)

      146       8,029  

VF Corp.

      914       17,448  
     

 

 

 
        1,824,036  
     

 

 

 
        17,531,218  
     

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–7.0%

     

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–1.0%

     

Airbus SE

      1,642       237,403  

Axon Enterprise, Inc.(a)

      192       37,463  

BAE Systems PLC

      8,456       99,707  

Boeing Co. (The)(a)

      1,577       332,999  

CAE, Inc.(a)

      880       19,696  

Dassault Aviation SA

      69       13,824  

Elbit Systems Ltd.

      74       15,489  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

General Dynamics Corp.

      647     $ 139,202  

HEICO Corp.

      121       21,410  

HEICO Corp.–Class A

      205       28,823  

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.

      1,083       53,673  

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

      111       25,264  

Kongsberg Gruppen ASA

      245       11,136  

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

      523       102,388  

Lockheed Martin Corp.

      632       290,960  

MTU Aero Engines AG

      149       38,646  

Northrop Grumman Corp.

      401       182,776  

Raytheon Technologies Corp.

      4,052       396,934  

Rheinmetall AG

      121       33,148  

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC(a)

      23,173       44,562  

Saab AB–Class B

      222       12,018  

Safran SA

      947       148,404  

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd.

      3,908       10,664  

Textron, Inc.

      568       38,414  

Thales SA

      291       43,600  

TransDigm Group, Inc.

      152       135,914  
     

 

 

 
        2,514,517  
     

 

 

 

AIR FREIGHT & LOGISTICS–0.4%

     

CH Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

      321       30,286  

Deutsche Post AG (REG)

      2,787       136,179  

DSV A/S

      516       108,381  

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

      428       51,844  

FedEx Corp.

      662       164,110  

Nippon Express Holdings, Inc.(b)

      241       13,594  

SG Holdings Co., Ltd.

      852       12,153  

United Parcel Service, Inc.–Class B

      2,003       359,038  

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd.

      696       12,616  
     

 

 

 
        888,201  
     

 

 

 

BUILDING PRODUCTS–0.5%

     

A O Smith Corp.

      346       25,182  

AGC, Inc.(b)

      522       18,779  

Allegion PLC

      244       29,285  

Assa Abloy AB–Class B

      2,775       66,703  

Builders FirstSource, Inc.(a)

      382       51,952  

Carlisle Cos., Inc.

      142       36,427  

Carrier Global Corp.

      2,312       114,930  

Cie de Saint-Gobain

      1,357       82,623  

Daikin Industries Ltd.(b)

      719       147,327  

Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc.

      352       25,326  

Geberit AG (REG)

      95       49,788  

Johnson Controls International PLC

      1,903       129,670  

Kingspan Group PLC

      428       28,489  

 

11


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Lennox International, Inc.

      89     $ 29,020  

Lixil Corp.

      772       9,826  

Masco Corp.

      624       35,805  

Nibe Industrier AB–Class B

      4,197       39,907  

Otis Worldwide Corp.

      1,145       101,917  

Owens Corning

      252       32,886  

ROCKWOOL A/S–Class B

      26       6,724  

TOTO Ltd.

      361       10,915  

Trane Technologies PLC

      632       120,876  

Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd.

      4,186       6,544  
     

 

 

 
        1,200,901  
     

 

 

 

COMMERCIAL SERVICES & SUPPLIES–0.4%

     

Brambles Ltd.

      3,848       37,001  

Cintas Corp.

      254       126,258  

Copart, Inc.(a)

      1,188       108,357  

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.(b)

      566       16,078  

GFL Environmental, Inc.(b)

      643       24,968  

RB Global, Inc.

      503       30,186  

Rentokil Initial PLC

      6,979       54,567  

Republic Services, Inc.

      613       93,893  

Rollins, Inc.

      682       29,210  

Secom Co., Ltd.

      570       38,577  

Securitas AB–Class B

      1,362       11,187  

TOPPAN, Inc.

      636       13,745  

Waste Connections, Inc.

      714       102,052  

Waste Management, Inc.

      1,122       194,577  
     

 

 

 
        880,656  
     

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING–0.2%

     

ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA(b)

      577       20,289  

AECOM

      366       30,996  

Bouygues SA

      570       19,148  

Eiffage SA

      204       21,299  

Epiroc AB–Class A

      1,825       34,569  

Epiroc AB–Class B

      1,080       17,480  

Ferrovial SE(b)

      1,410       44,573  

Kajima Corp.

      1,103       16,654  

Obayashi Corp.

      1,784       15,429  

Quanta Services, Inc.

      402       78,973  

Shimizu Corp.

      1,517       9,605  

Skanska AB–Class B(b)

      942       13,217  

Taisei Corp.

      400       13,975  

Vinci SA

      1,472       171,040  

WSP Global, Inc.(b)

      345       45,580  
     

 

 

 
        552,827  
     

 

 

 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–0.6%

     

ABB Ltd. (REG)

      4,353       171,251  

AMETEK, Inc.

      638       103,280  

Eaton Corp. PLC

      1,103       221,813  

Emerson Electric Co.

      1,583       143,087  

Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

      330       14,528  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Generac Holdings, Inc.(a)

      172     $ 25,650  

Hubbell, Inc.

      149       49,402  

Legrand SA

      739       73,312  

Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

      5,258       74,332  

Nidec Corp.

      1,183       65,190  

Prysmian SpA

      705       29,486  

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

      318       104,765  

Schneider Electric SE

      1,503       273,060  

Sensata Technologies Holding PLC

      422       18,986  

Siemens Energy AG(a)

      1,438       25,426  

Vestas Wind Systems A/S(a)

      2,796       74,338  
     

 

 

 
        1,467,906  
     

 

 

 

GROUND TRANSPORTATION–0.7%

     

Aurizon Holdings Ltd.(b)

      5,097       13,335  

Canadian National Railway Co.

      1,574       190,603  

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Ltd. (Canada)(b)

      2,578       208,225  

Central Japan Railway Co.

      407       50,994  

CSX Corp.

      5,673       193,449  

East Japan Railway Co.(b)

      793       43,975  

Grab Holdings Ltd.–Class A(a)(b)

      4,203       14,416  

Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.

      638       21,095  

JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

      230       41,637  

Keio Corp.(b)

      216       6,795  

Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd.(b)

      351       14,549  

Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

      428       14,823  

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.

      446       24,780  

MTR Corp., Ltd.

      3,764       17,328  

Norfolk Southern Corp.

      631       143,085  

Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.(b)

      726       9,728  

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

      274       101,311  

TFI International, Inc.

      217       24,723  

Tobu Railway Co., Ltd.(b)

      482       12,924  

Tokyu Corp.(b)

      1,453       17,524  

U-Haul Holding Co. (Non voting)

      269       13,630  

Uber Technologies, Inc.(a)

      5,019       216,670  

Union Pacific Corp.

      1,690       345,808  

West Japan Railway Co.

      548       22,792  
     

 

 

 
        1,764,199  
     

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL CONGLOMERATES–0.6%

     

3M Co.

      1,527       152,837  

CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd.

      7,047       43,010  

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

DCC PLC

      274     $ 15,328  

General Electric Co.

      3,020       331,747  

Hikari Tsushin, Inc.

      86       12,344  

Hitachi Ltd.

      2,622       163,027  

Honeywell International, Inc.

      1,844       382,630  

Investment AB Latour–Class B(b)

      410       8,140  

Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd.

      1,000       25,786  

Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd.

      640       32,454  

Keppel Corp., Ltd.

      3,974       19,778  

Lifco AB–Class B

      645       14,047  

Siemens AG (REG)

      2,105       350,905  

Smiths Group PLC

      975       20,399  

Toshiba Corp.(b)

      1,145       35,929  
     

 

 

 
        1,608,361  
     

 

 

 

MACHINERY–1.2%

     

Alfa Laval AB

      802       29,255  

Alstom SA

      895       26,716  

Atlas Copco AB–Class A

      7,438       107,381  

Atlas Copco AB–Class B

      4,322       53,889  

Caterpillar, Inc.

      1,430       351,851  

CNH Industrial NV

      2,833       40,859  

Cummins, Inc.

      392       96,103  

Daifuku Co., Ltd.

      806       16,600  

Daimler Truck Holding AG

      1,367       49,270  

Deere & Co.

      780       316,048  

Dover Corp.

      387       57,141  

FANUC Corp.

      2,670       93,732  

Fortive Corp.

      978       73,125  

GEA Group AG

      419       17,542  

Graco, Inc.

      465       40,153  

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.

      258       7,254  

Hoshizaki Corp.(b)

      302       10,843  

Husqvarna AB–Class B(b)

      1,162       10,543  

IDEX Corp.

      210       45,205  

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

      845       211,385  

Indutrade AB

      756       17,063  

Ingersoll Rand, Inc.

      1,122       73,334  

Knorr-Bremse AG

      201       15,365  

Komatsu Ltd.

      2,500       67,620  

Kone Oyj–Class B

      941       49,162  

Kubota Corp.(b)

      2,751       40,272  

Kurita Water Industries Ltd.(b)

      279       10,711  

Makita Corp.(b)

      595       16,818  

Metso Oyj

      1,836       22,155  

MINEBEA MITSUMI, Inc.(b)

      933       17,696  

MISUMI Group, Inc.

      730       14,697  

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

      863       40,307  

NGK Insulators Ltd.

      596       7,121  

Nordson Corp.

      143       35,490  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

PACCAR, Inc.

      1,447     $ 121,042  

Parker-Hannifin Corp.

      356       138,854  

Pentair PLC

      457       29,522  

Rational AG

      15       10,862  

Sandvik AB

      2,952       57,635  

Schindler Holding AG

      113       26,533  

Schindler Holding AG (REG)

      65       14,632  

Seatrium Ltd.(a)

      112,843       10,466  

SKF AB–Class B

      943       16,432  

SMC Corp.

      210       116,710  

Snap-on, Inc.

      148       42,652  

Spirax-Sarco Engineering PLC

      205       27,020  

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

      424       39,733  

Techtronic Industries Co., Ltd.

      3,244       35,475  

Toro Co. (The)

      289       29,377  

Toyota Industries Corp.

      406       29,088  

VAT Group AG(c)

      75       31,066  

Volvo AB–Class A

      554       11,808  

Volvo AB–Class B

      4,179       86,484  

Wartsila OYJ Abp(b)

      1,311       14,783  

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp.

      499       54,725  

Xylem, Inc./NY

      663       74,667  
     

 

 

 
        3,102,272  
     

 

 

 

MARINE TRANSPORTATION–0.1%

     

AP Moller–Maersk A/S–Class A

      9       15,693  

AP Moller–Maersk A/S–Class B

      14       24,616  

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd.(b)

      300       7,356  

Kuehne & Nagel International AG (REG)

      151       44,730  

Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd.(b)

      917       22,062  

Nippon Yusen KK(b)

      1,289       28,627  

SITC International Holdings Co., Ltd.

      3,000       5,494  
     

 

 

 
        148,578  
     

 

 

 

PASSENGER AIRLINES–0.0%

     

Air Canada(a)

      486       9,168  

ANA Holdings, Inc.(a)

      395       9,409  

Delta Air Lines, Inc.(a)

      445       21,155  

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (REG)(a)

      1,655       16,970  

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.

      358       7,763  

Qantas Airways Ltd.(a)

      2,465       10,215  

Singapore Airlines Ltd.(b)

      2,936       15,555  

Southwest Airlines Co.

      411       14,882  
     

 

 

 
        105,117  
     

 

 

 

 

13


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–0.7%

     

Adecco Group AG (REG)(b)

      443     $ 14,509  

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

      1,148       252,319  

BayCurrent Consulting, Inc.

      300       11,281  

Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.

      367       40,957  

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

      326       53,995  

Bureau Veritas SA

      814       22,332  

Ceridian HCM Holding, Inc.(a)

      406       27,190  

Clarivate PLC(a)(b)

      1,028       9,797  

Computershare Ltd.(b)

      1,588       24,782  

CoStar Group, Inc.(a)

      1,127       100,303  

Equifax, Inc.

      342       80,473  

Experian PLC

      2,545       97,680  

Intertek Group PLC

      447       24,231  

Jacobs Solutions, Inc.

      351       41,730  

Leidos Holdings, Inc.

      361       31,941  

Paychex, Inc.

      899       100,571  

Paycom Software, Inc.

      151       48,507  

Paylocity Holding Corp.(a)

      116       21,406  

Persol Holdings Co., Ltd.

      481       8,705  

Randstad NV

      306       16,138  

Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.

      3,886       124,023  

RELX PLC (London)

      5,270       175,811  

Robert Half International, Inc.

      299       22,491  

SGS SA (REG)

      415       39,259  

SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc.

      622       37,693  

Teleperformance

      164       27,512  

Thomson Reuters Corp.

      453       61,161  

TransUnion

      535       41,907  

Verisk Analytics, Inc.

      400       90,412  

Wolters Kluwer NV

      713       90,532  
     

 

 

 
        1,739,648  
     

 

 

 

TRADING COMPANIES & DISTRIBUTORS–0.5%

     

AerCap Holdings NV(a)

      460       29,219  

Ashtead Group PLC

      1,215       84,237  

Beijer Ref AB(b)

      932       11,905  

Brenntag SE

      428       33,392  

Bunzl PLC

      935       35,631  

Fastenal Co.

      1,581       93,263  

Ferguson PLC

      569       89,509  

ITOCHU Corp.

      3,301       131,121  

Marubeni Corp.

      4,208       71,721  

Mitsubishi Corp.

      3,411       164,911  

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

      3,631       137,426  

MonotaRO Co., Ltd.(b)

      632       8,071  

Reece Ltd.(b)

      626       7,798  

Sumitomo Corp.

      3,089       65,533  

Toromont Industries Ltd.

      228       18,731  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Toyota Tsusho Corp.

      592     $ 29,586  

United Rentals, Inc.

      193       85,956  

Watsco, Inc.(b)

      93       35,477  

WW Grainger, Inc.

      126       99,362  
     

 

 

 
        1,232,849  
     

 

 

 

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE–0.1%

     

Aena SME SA(c)

      208       33,664  

Aeroports de Paris

      83       11,926  

Auckland International Airport Ltd.(a)

      3,467       18,221  

Getlink SE

      990       16,848  

Transurban Group(b)

      8,531       81,227  
     

 

 

 
        161,886  
     

 

 

 
        17,367,918  
     

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–4.7%

     

BEVERAGES–1.1%

     

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

      2,406       136,366  

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.(b)

      1,264       49,043  

Brown-Forman Corp.–
Class B

      859       57,364  

Budweiser Brewing Co. APAC Ltd.(c)

      4,137       10,705  

Carlsberg AS–Class B

      273       43,716  

Coca-Cola Co. (The)

      11,382       685,424  

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC

      570       36,725  

Coca-Cola HBC AG(a)

      610       18,196  

Constellation Brands, Inc.–Class A

      460       113,220  

Davide Campari-Milano NV(b)

      1,447       20,054  

Diageo PLC

      6,244       268,435  

Heineken Holding NV

      319       27,760  

Heineken NV

      718       73,837  

Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc.

      2,531       79,144  

Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

      2,128       31,075  

Molson Coors Beverage Co.–Class B

      522       34,368  

Monster Beverage Corp.(a)

      2,174       124,875  

PepsiCo, Inc.

      3,788       701,613  

Pernod Ricard SA

      572       126,398  

Remy Cointreau SA

      64       10,273  

Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd.(b)

      338       12,253  

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd.(b)

      1,999       14,991  
     

 

 

 
        2,675,835  
     

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL–1.1%

     

Aeon Co., Ltd.

      1,725       35,322  

Albertsons Cos., Inc.–
Class A

      794       17,325  

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc.

      2,176     $ 111,580  

Carrefour SA

      1,644       31,155  

Coles Group Ltd.

      3,706       45,506  

Costco Wholesale Corp.

      1,229       661,669  

Dollar General Corp.

      607       103,057  

Dollar Tree, Inc.(a)

      613       87,966  

Empire Co., Ltd.–Class A

      433       12,300  

Endeavour Group Ltd./Australia(b)

      3,968       16,700  

George Weston Ltd.

      174       20,571  

HelloFresh SE(a)

      453       11,204  

J Sainsbury PLC

      4,567       15,612  

Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA

      784       21,598  

Kesko Oyj–Class B

      756       14,237  

Kobe Bussan Co., Ltd.

      396       10,278  

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV

      2,702       92,119  

Kroger Co. (The)

      1,888       88,736  

Loblaw Cos., Ltd.

      445       40,739  

MatsukiyoCocokara & Co.

      300       16,851  

Metro, Inc./CN

      646       36,485  

Ocado Group PLC(a)(b)

      1,602       11,593  

Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd.

      2,112       91,243  

Sysco Corp.

      1,406       104,325  

Target Corp.

      1,275       168,173  

Tesco PLC

      20,267       63,933  

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

      2,031       57,863  

Walmart, Inc.

      4,106       645,381  

Welcia Holdings Co., Ltd.

      240       4,999  

Woolworths Group Ltd.

      3,375       89,425  
     

 

 

 
        2,727,945  
     

 

 

 

FOOD PRODUCTS–1.0%

     

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

      1,258       50,115  

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

      1,513       114,322  

Associated British Foods PLC

      964       24,411  

Barry Callebaut AG (REG)

      10       19,321  

Bunge Ltd.

      415       39,155  

Campbell Soup Co.

      539       24,638  

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG

      3       37,719  

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG (REG)

      1       124,119  

Conagra Brands, Inc.

      1,320       44,510  

Danone SA

      1,778       108,962  

Darling Ingredients, Inc.(a)

      443       28,259  

General Mills, Inc.

      1,627       124,791  

Hershey Co. (The)

      408       101,878  

Hormel Foods Corp.

      832       33,463  

J M Smucker Co. (The)

      296       43,710  

JDE Peet’s NV(b)

      348       10,352  

Kellogg Co.

      759       51,157  

Kerry Group PLC–Class A

      442       43,141  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Kikkoman Corp.

      395     $ 22,558  

Kraft Heinz Co. (The)

      2,209       78,419  

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.

      404       46,440  

McCormick & Co., Inc./MD

      695       60,625  

MEIJI Holdings Co., Ltd.

      540       12,059  

Mondelez International, Inc.–Class A

      3,775       275,348  

Mowi ASA(b)

      1,217       19,309  

Nestle SA (REG)

      7,616       916,140  

Nisshin Seifun Group, Inc.

      462       5,711  

Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd.

      164       13,560  

Orkla ASA

      2,080       14,956  

Salmar ASA

      201       8,100  

Saputo, Inc.

      698       15,638  

Tyson Foods, Inc.–Class A

      791       40,373  

WH Group Ltd.(c)

      22,359       11,908  

Wilmar International Ltd.

      5,113       14,404  

Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.

      342       21,630  
     

 

 

 
        2,601,201  
     

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS–0.7%

     

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

      676       67,755  

Clorox Co. (The)

      342       54,392  

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

      2,189       168,641  

Essity AB–Class B

      1,686       44,901  

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

      288       20,274  

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Preference Shares)

      469       37,509  

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

      935       129,086  

Procter & Gamble Co. (The)

      6,534       991,469  

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC

      1,984       149,099  

Unicharm Corp.(b)

      1,094       40,680  
     

 

 

 
        1,703,806  
     

 

 

 

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS–0.4%

     

Beiersdorf AG

      279       36,946  

Estee Lauder Cos., Inc. (The)–Class A

      642       126,076  

Haleon PLC

      14,066       57,733  

Kao Corp.(b)

      1,293       46,923  

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

      138       7,504  

Kose Corp.

      96       9,228  

L’Oreal SA

      667       311,140  

Shiseido Co., Ltd.(b)

      1,063       48,185  

Unilever PLC (London)

      6,996       364,311  
     

 

 

 
        1,008,046  
     

 

 

 

TOBACCO–0.4%

     

Altria Group, Inc.

      4,947       224,099  

British American Tobacco PLC

      5,882       195,432  

 

15


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Imperial Brands PLC

      2,431     $ 53,809  

Japan Tobacco, Inc.(b)

      3,290       72,071  

Philip Morris International, Inc.

      4,299       419,668  
     

 

 

 
        965,079  
     

 

 

 
        11,681,912  
     

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION SERVICES–4.4%

     

DIVERSIFIED TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES–0.9%

     

AT&T, Inc.

      19,745       314,933  

BCE, Inc.

      202       9,210  

BT Group PLC

      19,254       29,962  

Cellnex Telecom SA(a)(c)

      1,565       63,232  

Charter Communications, Inc.–
Class A(a)

      273       100,292  

Comcast Corp.–Class A

      11,650       484,057  

Deutsche Telekom AG (REG)

      8,976       195,843  

Elisa Oyj

      394       21,033  

HKT Trust & HKT Ltd.

      9,744       11,346  

Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane SpA(c)

      930       12,276  

Koninklijke KPN NV

      8,944       31,930  

Liberty Global PLC–Class A(a)

      452       7,621  

Liberty Global PLC–Class C(a)

      713       12,670  

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.

      81,675       96,646  

Orange SA

      5,156       60,255  

Quebecor, Inc.–Class B(b)

      426       10,499  

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.

      22,333       41,364  

Sirius XM Holdings, Inc.(b)

      2,154       9,758  

Spark New Zealand Ltd.

      5,182       16,216  

Swisscom AG (REG)

      72       44,938  

Telecom Italia SpA/Milano(a)(b)

      27,595       7,780  

Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG

      2,471       6,955  

Telefonica SA

      14,394       58,439  

Telenor ASA(b)

      1,937       19,640  

Telia Co. AB

      6,795       14,907  

Telstra Group Ltd.

      11,199       32,127  

TELUS Corp.

      1,303       25,357  

Verizon Communications, Inc.

      11,631       432,557  

Washington H Soul Pattinson & Co., Ltd.(b)

      649       13,778  
     

 

 

 
        2,185,621  
     

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT–0.7%

     

Activision Blizzard, Inc.(a)

      2,064       173,995  

Bollore SE

      2,451       15,285  

Capcom Co., Ltd.

      468       18,552  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Electronic Arts, Inc.

      760     $ 98,572  

Embracer Group AB(a)(b)

      1,816       4,541  

Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd.

      246       4,261  

Konami Group Corp.

      230       12,061  

Liberty Media Corp-Liberty Formula One–Class C(a)

      546       41,103  

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.(a)

      449       40,908  

Netflix, Inc.(a)

      1,234       543,565  

Nexon Co., Ltd.

      1,040       19,944  

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

      2,860       130,383  

ROBLOX Corp.–Class A(a)

      1,164       46,909  

Roku, Inc.(a)

      340       21,746  

Sea Ltd. (ADR)(a)

      944       54,790  

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

      218       10,143  

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.(a)

      467       68,724  

Toho Co., Ltd./Tokyo

      296       11,275  

Universal Music Group NV

      2,269       50,405  

Walt Disney Co. (The)(a)

      5,059       451,668  

Warner Bros Discovery, Inc.(a)

      6,408       80,356  
     

 

 

 
        1,899,186  
     

 

 

 

INTERACTIVE MEDIA & SERVICES–2.3%

     

Adevinta ASA(a)

      807       5,303  

Alphabet, Inc.–Class A(a)

      16,495       1,974,452  

Alphabet, Inc.–Class C(a)

      14,876       1,799,550  

Auto Trader Group PLC(c)

      2,544       19,753  

Match Group, Inc.(a)

      773       32,350  

Meta Platforms, Inc.–Class A(a)

      6,134       1,760,335  

Pinterest, Inc.–Class A(a)

      1,647       45,029  

REA Group Ltd.(b)

      147       14,121  

Scout24 SE(c)

      208       13,180  

SEEK Ltd.

      933       13,630  

Snap, Inc.–Class A(a)

      2,756       32,631  

Z Holdings Corp.(b)

      7,335       17,678  

ZoomInfo Technologies, Inc.(a)

      783       19,880  
     

 

 

 
        5,747,892  
     

 

 

 

MEDIA–0.2%

     

CyberAgent, Inc.(b)

      1,104       8,070  

Dentsu Group, Inc.(b)

      526       17,299  

Fox Corp.–Class A

      822       27,948  

Fox Corp.–Class B

      394       12,565  

Hakuhodo DY Holdings, Inc.

      581       6,133  

Informa PLC

      3,817       35,243  

Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc. (The)

      1,070       41,281  

Liberty Broadband Corp.–Class C(a)

      332       26,596  

Liberty Media Corp.–Liberty SiriusXM–Class C(a)

      454       14,859  

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

News Corp.–Class A

      1,058     $ 20,631  

Omnicom Group, Inc.

      558       53,094  

Paramount Global–Class B

      1,353       21,526  

Publicis Groupe SA

      634       50,882  

Trade Desk, Inc. (The)–Class A(a)

      1,230       94,981  

Vivendi SE

      1,985       18,223  

WPP PLC

      2,976       31,194  
     

 

 

 
        480,525  
     

 

 

 

WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES–0.3%

     

KDDI Corp.

      4,068       125,633  

Rogers Communications, Inc.–Class B

      982       44,802  

SoftBank Corp.

      7,887       84,275  

SoftBank Group Corp.(b)

      2,862       134,971  

T-Mobile US, Inc.(a)

      1,669       231,824  

Tele2 AB–Class B

      1,479       12,232  

Vodafone Group PLC

      63,541       59,908  
     

 

 

 
        693,645  
     

 

 

 
        11,006,869  
     

 

 

 

ENERGY–2.9%

     

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES–0.2%

     

Baker Hughes Co.

      2,802       88,571  

Halliburton Co.

      2,500       82,475  

Schlumberger NV

      3,933       193,189  

Tenaris SA

      1,307       19,552  
     

 

 

 
        383,787  
     

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–2.7%

     

Aker BP ASA

      875       20,529  

Ampol Ltd.

      659       13,164  

APA Corp.

      861       29,420  

ARC Resources Ltd.(b)

      1,695       22,609  

BP PLC

      49,004       285,320  

Cameco Corp.(b)

      1,199       37,552  

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.

      3,067       172,433  

Cenovus Energy, Inc.

      3,962       67,292  

Cheniere Energy, Inc.

      675       102,843  

Chesapeake Energy Corp.(b)

      317       26,527  

Chevron Corp.

      4,985       784,390  

ConocoPhillips

      3,356       347,715  

Coterra Energy, Inc.

      2,127       53,813  

Devon Energy Corp.

      1,811       87,544  

Diamondback Energy, Inc.

      478       62,790  

Enbridge, Inc.

      5,608       208,445  

ENEOS Holdings, Inc.

      7,937       27,281  

Eni SpA

      6,429       92,554  

EOG Resources, Inc.

      1,628       186,308  

EQT Corp.

      998       41,048  

Equinor ASA

      2,638       76,815  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Exxon Mobil Corp.

      11,242     $ 1,205,704  

Galp Energia SGPS SA

      1,362       15,916  

Hess Corp.

      766       104,138  

HF Sinclair Corp.

      427       19,048  

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

      524       10,514  

Imperial Oil Ltd.(b)

      562       28,754  

Inpex Corp.(b)

      2,618       28,763  

Keyera Corp.(b)

      634       14,621  

Kinder Morgan, Inc.

      5,603       96,484  

Marathon Oil Corp.

      1,725       39,709  

Marathon Petroleum Corp.

      1,223       142,602  

Neste Oyj

      1,171       45,087  

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

      1,990       117,012  

OMV AG

      408       17,325  

ONEOK, Inc.

      1,239       76,471  

Ovintiv, Inc. (New York)

      673       25,621  

Parkland Corp.(b)

      388       9,665  

Pembina Pipeline Corp.

      1,524       47,914  

Phillips 66

      1,277       121,800  

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.

      648       134,253  

Repsol SA(b)

      3,676       53,464  

Santos Ltd.

      9,143       45,747  

Shell PLC

      18,964       565,728  

Suncor Energy, Inc.(b)

      3,687       108,154  

Targa Resources Corp.

      595       45,279  

TC Energy Corp.(b)

      2,819       113,930  

Texas Pacific Land Corp.

      18       23,697  

TotalEnergies SE

      6,552       376,115  

Tourmaline Oil Corp.(b)

      891       41,982  

Valero Energy Corp.

      1,019       119,529  

Williams Cos., Inc. (The)

      3,374       110,094  

Woodside Energy Group Ltd.(b)

      5,258       121,626  
     

 

 

 
        6,773,138  
     

 

 

 
        7,156,925  
     

 

 

 

MATERIALS–2.6%

     

CHEMICALS–1.3%

     

Air Liquide SA

      1,450       260,036  

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

      615       184,211  

Akzo Nobel NV

      472       38,588  

Albemarle Corp.

      325       72,504  

Arkema SA

      156       14,710  

Asahi Kasei Corp.

      3,375       22,852  

BASF SE

      2,475       120,244  

Celanese Corp.

      292       33,814  

CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

      543       37,695  

Chr Hansen Holding A/S

      292       20,299  

Clariant AG (REG)(a)

      597       8,637  

Corteva, Inc.

      1,974       113,110  

Covestro AG(a)(c)

      535       27,837  

Croda International PLC

      387       27,664  

Dow, Inc.

      1,961       104,443  

DSM-Firmenich AG(a)

      484       52,085  

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

      1,271       90,800  

Eastman Chemical Co.

      330       27,628  

 

17


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Ecolab, Inc.

      710     $ 132,550  

EMS-Chemie Holding AG (REG)

      20       15,156  

Evonik Industries AG

      546       10,404  

FMC Corp.

      347       36,206  

Givaudan SA (REG)

      26       86,240  

ICL Group Ltd.

      2,142       11,757  

IMCD NV(b)

      158       22,738  

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.

      707       56,270  

Johnson Matthey PLC

      508       11,277  

JSR Corp.

      412       11,839  

Linde PLC

      1,354       515,982  

LyondellBasell Industries NV–Class A

      721       66,209  

Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.

      3,505       21,081  

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

      440       12,969  

Mosaic Co. (The)

      919       32,165  

Nippon Paint Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

      2,622       21,700  

Nippon Sanso Holdings Corp.(b)

      450       9,777  

Nissan Chemical Corp.

      297       12,807  

Nitto Denko Corp.

      414       30,729  

Novozymes A/S–Class B

      566       26,409  

Nutrien Ltd.(b)

      1,384       81,708  

OCI NV(a)

      292       7,014  

Orica Ltd.

      1,257       12,453  

PPG Industries, Inc.

      652       96,692  

RPM International, Inc.

      357       32,034  

Sherwin-Williams Co. (The)

      680       180,554  

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

      5,045       168,593  

Sika AG (REG)

      405       115,992  

Solvay SA

      206       23,035  

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

      3,872       11,769  

Symrise AG

      368       38,586  

Toray Industries, Inc.

      3,753       20,925  

Tosoh Corp.

      716       8,469  

Umicore SA(b)

      580       16,216  

Wacker Chemie AG

      51       7,006  

Westlake Corp.

      106       12,664  

Yara International ASA

      458       16,182  
     

 

 

 
        3,251,314  
     

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS–0.2%

     

CRH PLC

      2,050       113,093  

Heidelberg Materials AG

      401       32,978  

Holcim AG(a)

      1,535       103,470  

James Hardie Industries PLC(a)

      1,224       32,651  

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.

      172       79,411  

Vulcan Materials Co.

      369       83,187  
     

 

 

 
        444,790  
     

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

CONTAINERS & PACKAGING–0.1%

     

Amcor PLC

      4,114     $ 41,058  

Avery Dennison Corp.

      225       38,655  

Ball Corp.

      871       50,701  

CCL Industries, Inc.– Class B

      412       20,253  

Crown Holdings, Inc.

      333       28,928  

International Paper Co.

      919       29,233  

Packaging Corp. of America

      249       32,908  

Sealed Air Corp.

      400       16,000  

SIG Group AG(a)

      846       23,372  

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

      720       24,030  

Westrock Co.

      705       20,494  
     

 

 

 
        325,632  
     

 

 

 

METALS & MINING–0.9%

     

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd.

      1,363       68,060  

Alcoa Corp.

      494       16,761  

Anglo American PLC

      3,519       100,198  

Antofagasta PLC

      1,092       20,307  

ArcelorMittal SA

      1,337       36,479  

Barrick Gold Corp. (Toronto)

      4,878       82,518  

BHP Group Ltd.(b)

      14,029       421,739  

BlueScope Steel Ltd.

      1,276       17,561  

Boliden AB

      757       21,936  

Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc.(a)

      1,426       23,900  

Endeavour Mining PLC

      514       12,344  

First Quantum Minerals Ltd.

      1,630       38,561  

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.(b)

      4,689       69,579  

Franco-Nevada Corp.

      531       75,681  

Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.

      3,962       158,480  

Glencore PLC

      29,559       167,596  

IGO Ltd.(b)

      1,887       19,260  

Ivanhoe Mines Ltd.–Class A(a)(b)

      1,686       15,400  

JFE Holdings, Inc.

      1,278       18,271  

Kinross Gold Corp.(b)

      3,478       16,593  

Lundin Mining Corp.

      1,798       14,088  

Mineral Resources Ltd.(b)

      481       23,036  

Newcrest Mining Ltd.

      2,476       44,168  

Newmont Corp. (New York)

      2,200       93,852  

Nippon Steel Corp.(b)

      2,195       45,940  

Norsk Hydro ASA

      3,724       22,200  

Northern Star Resources Ltd.(b)

      3,184       25,940  

Nucor Corp.

      698       114,458  

Pan American Silver Corp.(b)

      1,008       14,685  

Pilbara Minerals Ltd.(b)

      7,472       24,558  

Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co.

      163       44,269  

Rio Tinto Ltd.(b)

      1,028       78,724  

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Rio Tinto PLC

      3,118     $ 198,148  

South32 Ltd.

      12,632       31,802  

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

      452       49,236  

Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.

      672       21,694  

Teck Resources Ltd.– Class B

      1,262       53,100  

voestalpine AG

      321       11,536  

Wheaton Precious Metals Corp.

      1,251       54,101  
     

 

 

 
        2,366,759  
     

 

 

 

PAPER & FOREST PRODUCTS–0.1%

     

Holmen AB–Class B

      260       9,344  

Mondi PLC

      1,344       20,504  

Oji Holdings Corp.

      2,381       8,903  

Stora Enso Oyj–Class R

      1,611       18,691  

Svenska Cellulosa AB SCA–Class B(b)

      1,677       21,407  

UPM-Kymmene Oyj

      1,478       44,040  

West Fraser Timber Co., Ltd.(b)

      158       13,574  
     

 

 

 
        136,463  
     

 

 

 
        6,524,958  
     

 

 

 

UTILITIES–1.7%

     

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–1.0%

     

Acciona SA(b)

      69       11,715  

Alliant Energy Corp.

      695       36,474  

American Electric Power Co., Inc.

      1,425       119,985  

BKW AG

      59       10,431  

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

      1,739       21,215  

CK Infrastructure Holdings Ltd.

      903       4,790  

CLP Holdings Ltd.

      3,629       28,265  

Constellation Energy Corp.

      907       83,036  

Duke Energy Corp.

      2,134       191,505  

Edison International

      1,060       73,617  

EDP–Energias de Portugal SA

      8,111       39,644  

Elia Group SA/NV

      82       10,418  

Emera, Inc.(b)

      751       30,930  

Endesa SA(b)

      879       18,888  

Enel SpA

      22,524       151,866  

Entergy Corp.

      588       57,253  

Evergy, Inc.

      636       37,155  

Eversource Energy

      966       68,509  

Exelon Corp.

      2,753       112,157  

FirstEnergy Corp.

      1,507       58,592  

Fortis, Inc./Canada(b)

      1,341       57,790  

Fortum Oyj

      1,242       16,621  

Hydro One Ltd.(b)(c)

      911       26,029  

Iberdrola SA

      16,121       210,521  

Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (The)(b)

      1,871       23,474  
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Mercury NZ Ltd.

      1,920     $ 7,674  

NextEra Energy, Inc.

      5,604       415,817  

NRG Energy, Inc.

      643       24,042  

Origin Energy Ltd.

      4,771       26,816  

Orsted AS(c)

      524       49,676  

PG&E Corp.(a)

      4,974       85,951  

Power Assets Holdings Ltd.

      2,858       15,003  

PPL Corp.

      2,041       54,005  

Red Electrica Corp. SA(b)

      1,123       18,885  

Southern Co. (The)

      3,023       212,366  

SSE PLC

      3,019       70,796  

Terna–Rete Elettrica Nazionale

      3,896       33,230  

Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings, Inc.(a)

      4,184       15,346  

Verbund AG

      189       15,163  

Xcel Energy, Inc.

      1,524       94,747  
     

 

 

 
        2,640,397  
     

 

 

 

GAS UTILITIES–0.1%

     

AltaGas Ltd.(b)

      779       13,995  

APA Group

      3,267       21,137  

Atmos Energy Corp.

      400       46,536  

Enagas SA(b)

      689       13,541  

Hong Kong & China Gas Co., Ltd.

      30,787       26,661  

Naturgy Energy Group SA(b)

      349       10,404  

Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.

      940       14,408  

Snam SpA(b)

      5,584       29,184  

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

      1,050       22,909  

UGI Corp.

      580       15,643  
     

 

 

 
        214,418  
     

 

 

 

INDEPENDENT POWER AND RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY PRODUCERS–0.1%

     

AES Corp. (The)

      1,852       38,392  

Brookfield Renewable Corp.–Class A

      357       11,262  

Corp. ACCIONA Energias Renovables SA(b)

      182       6,089  

EDP Renovaveis SA(b)

      719       14,368  

Meridian Energy Ltd.

      3,576       12,314  

Northland Power, Inc.

      694       14,475  

RWE AG

      1,751       76,302  

Vistra Corp.

      946       24,832  
     

 

 

 
        198,034  
     

 

 

 

MULTI-UTILITIES–0.4%

     

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp.(b)

      1,892       15,639  

Ameren Corp.

      727       59,374  

Canadian Utilities Ltd.–Class A

      362       9,376  

CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

      1,744       50,838  

Centrica PLC

      15,747       24,829  

CMS Energy Corp.

      808       47,470  

 

19


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Consolidated Edison, Inc.

      960     $ 86,784  

Dominion Energy, Inc.

      2,282       118,185  

DTE Energy Co.

      571       62,821  

E.ON SE

      6,217       79,418  

Engie SA

      5,058       84,231  

National Grid PLC

      9,832       130,356  

NiSource, Inc.

      1,143       31,261  

Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.

      1,381       86,464  

Sempra Energy

      872       126,954  

Veolia Environnement SA

      1,880       59,512  

WEC Energy Group, Inc.

      874       77,122  
     

 

 

 
        1,150,634  
     

 

 

 

WATER UTILITIES–0.1%

     

American Water Works Co., Inc.

      539       76,942  

Essential Utilities, Inc.

      695       27,738  

Severn Trent PLC

      680       22,168  

United Utilities Group PLC

      1,888       23,086  
     

 

 

 
        149,934  
     

 

 

 
        4,353,417  
     

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE–1.5%

     

DIVERSIFIED REITs–0.1%

     

British Land Co. PLC (The)

      2,439       9,406  

Daiwa House REIT Investment Corp.

      7       13,421  

GPT Group (The)(b)

      5,305       14,679  

Land Securities Group PLC

      1,950       14,258  

Mirvac Group(b)

      10,927       16,501  

Nomura Real Estate Master Fund, Inc.

      13       14,994  

Stockland

      6,611       17,772  

WP Carey, Inc.

      592       39,996  
     

 

 

 
        141,027  
     

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE REITs–0.1%

     

Healthcare Realty Trust, Inc.

      1,054       19,879  

Healthpeak Properties, Inc.

      1,514       30,431  

Ventas, Inc.

      1,108       52,375  

Welltower, Inc.

      1,375       111,224  
     

 

 

 
        213,909  
     

 

 

 

HOTEL & RESORT REITs–0.0%

     

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

      1,975       33,239  
     

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL REITs–0.2%

     

CapitaLand Ascendas REIT

      8,639       17,437  

GLP J-Reit

      13       12,822  

Goodman Group

      4,687       63,007  

Mapletree Logistics Trust

      9,093       10,937  

Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc.

      6       12,059  

Prologis, Inc.

      2,558       313,687  

Segro PLC

      3,349       30,542  

Warehouses De Pauw CVA

      451       12,386  
     

 

 

 
        472,877  
     

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

OFFICE REITs–0.1%

     

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

      455     $ 51,638  

Boston Properties, Inc.

      413       23,785  

Covivio SA/France

      131       6,188  

Dexus(b)

      2,978       15,509  

Gecina SA

      128       13,655  

Japan Real Estate Investment Corp.

      4       15,222  

Nippon Building Fund, Inc.(b)

      5       19,661  
     

 

 

 
        145,658  
     

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT–0.2%

     

Azrieli Group Ltd.

      118       6,667  

Capitaland Investment Ltd./Singapore(b)

      6,504       15,980  

CBRE Group, Inc.–
Class A(a)

      861       69,491  

City Developments Ltd.

      1,050       5,237  

CK Asset Holdings Ltd.

      5,031       27,956  

Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd.

      183       18,539  

Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.

      1,644       43,438  

ESR Group Ltd.(c)

      4,748       8,177  

Fastighets AB Balder–Class B(a)

      1,805       6,609  

FirstService Corp.(b)

      111       17,095  

Hang Lung Properties Ltd.

      4,030       6,236  

Henderson Land Development Co., Ltd.

      3,938       11,727  

Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd.

      2,395       9,365  

Hulic Co., Ltd.(b)

      1,001       8,577  

LEG Immobilien SE(a)

      205       11,828  

Lendlease Corp., Ltd.(b)

      1,909       9,905  

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

      3,035       36,057  

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

      2,469       49,211  

New World Development Co., Ltd.(b)

      3,625       8,959  

Nomura Real Estate Holdings, Inc.

      231       5,492  

Sagax AB–Class B

      528       10,441  

Sino Land Co., Ltd.

      9,242       11,378  

Sumitomo Realty & Development Co., Ltd.

      756       18,734  

Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd.

      3,616       45,687  

Swire Pacific Ltd.–Class A

      435       3,342  

Swire Properties Ltd.

      2,422       5,968  

Swiss Prime Site AG (REG)

      213       18,503  

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield(a)

      327       17,247  

UOL Group Ltd.

      370       1,764  

Vonovia SE

      1,983       38,727  

Wharf Real Estate Investment Co., Ltd.

      3,876       19,447  

 

20


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

Zillow Group, Inc.–
Class C(a)

      425     $ 21,361  
     

 

 

 
        589,145  
     

 

 

 

RESIDENTIAL REITs–0.2%

     

American Homes 4 Rent–Class A

      900       31,905  

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

      388       73,437  

Camden Property Trust

      296       32,225  

Canadian Apartment Properties REIT

      229       8,792  

Equity LifeStyle Properties, Inc.

      490       32,776  

Equity Residential

      997       65,772  

Essex Property Trust, Inc.

      179       41,940  

Invitation Homes, Inc.

      1,694       58,273  

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

      323       49,051  

Sun Communities, Inc.

      345       45,009  

UDR, Inc.

      866       37,203  
     

 

 

 
        476,383  
     

 

 

 

RETAIL REITs–0.1%

     

CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust

      14,593       20,680  

Japan Metropolitan Fund Invest

      21       14,051  

Kimco Realty Corp.

      1,716       33,839  

Klepierre SA

      595       14,782  

Link REIT

      6,173       34,366  

Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust(b)

      6,196       7,454  

Realty Income Corp.

      1,829       109,356  

Regency Centers Corp.

      427       26,376  

RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust

      406       5,909  

Scentre Group

      14,374       25,421  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

      905       104,509  

Vicinity Ltd.

      10,716       13,197  
     

 

 

 
        409,940  
     

 

 

 

SPECIALIZED REITs–0.5%

     

American Tower Corp.

      1,291       250,377  

Crown Castle, Inc.

      1,201       136,842  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

      807       91,893  

Equinix, Inc.

      259       203,040  

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

      374       55,670  

Gaming and Leisure Properties, Inc.

      726       35,182  

Iron Mountain, Inc.

      807       45,854  

Public Storage

      439       128,135  

SBA Communications Corp.

      300       69,528  

VICI Properties, Inc.

      2,781       87,407  

Weyerhaeuser Co.

      2,016       67,556  
     

 

 

 
        1,171,484  
     

 

 

 
        3,653,662  
     

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $93,464,731)

        157,325,383  
     

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
        Principal
Amount
(000)
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                         

GOVERNMENTS–TREASURIES–34.6%

     

UNITED STATES–34.6%

     

U.S. Treasury Bonds

     

1.25%, 05/15/2050

    $       552     $ 309,806  

2.25%, 08/15/2046

      3,477       2,533,791  

2.25%, 08/15/2049

      287       208,165  

2.25%, 02/15/2052

      2,286       1,648,774  

2.375%, 11/15/2049

      584       434,890  

2.375%, 05/15/2051

      1,859       1,379,652  

2.50%, 02/15/2045

      288       222,216  

2.50%, 05/15/2046

      42       32,452  

2.75%, 08/15/2047

      143       115,043  

2.875%, 05/15/2043

      300       249,849  

2.875%, 08/15/2045

      2,897       2,386,733  

2.875%, 11/15/2046

      187       153,449  

2.875%, 05/15/2049

      313       258,521  

2.875%, 05/15/2052

      417       345,316  

3.00%, 05/15/2045

      265       223,345  

3.00%, 02/15/2047

      238       199,705  

3.00%, 05/15/2047

      409       343,940  

3.00%, 02/15/2048

      350       294,690  

3.00%, 08/15/2048

      792       667,349  

3.00%, 02/15/2049

      257       216,751  

3.125%, 02/15/2043

      521       453,003  

3.50%, 02/15/2039

      12       11,678  

3.625%, 08/15/2043

      1,869       1,750,154  

3.625%, 05/15/2053

      362       347,734  

3.75%, 11/15/2043

      98       92,960  

4.00%, 11/15/2052

      208       213,125  

4.25%, 05/15/2039

      134       139,737  

4.375%, 11/15/2039

      502       530,763  

4.50%, 08/15/2039

      179       192,014  

4.75%, 02/15/2037

      465       514,049  

4.75%, 02/15/2041

      37       40,885  

5.25%, 11/15/2028

      1,257       1,319,051  

5.375%, 02/15/2031

      359       391,537  

5.50%, 08/15/2028

      762       805,392  

6.00%, 02/15/2026

      1,336       1,376,606  

6.125%, 11/15/2027

      1,389       1,489,917  

6.25%, 05/15/2030

      374       423,544  

6.875%, 08/15/2025

      471       489,295  

U.S. Treasury Notes

     

0.25%, 08/31/2025

      2,242       2,034,978  

0.25%, 09/30/2025

      1,168       1,057,225  

0.375%, 01/31/2026

      2,433       2,184,267  

0.50%, 02/28/2026

      1,120       1,005,720  

0.625%, 05/15/2030

      934       747,609  

0.625%, 08/15/2030

      997       793,944  

0.75%, 04/30/2026

      908       817,394  

0.75%, 05/31/2026

      1,952       1,752,386  

0.75%, 08/31/2026

      1,015       904,847  

0.875%, 09/30/2026

      1,513       1,353,336  

1.00%, 07/31/2028

      1,145       981,480  

1.125%, 10/31/2026

      1,163       1,045,428  

1.25%, 12/31/2026

      919       826,453  

1.375%, 11/15/2031

      73       59,745  

1.50%, 08/15/2026

      1,541       1,408,089  

 

21


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
        Principal
Amount
(000)
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                       

1.50%, 02/15/2030

    $       523     $ 447,566  

1.625%, 02/15/2026

      2,203       2,040,873  

1.625%, 08/15/2029

      937       817,121  

1.625%, 05/15/2031

      3,081       2,617,406  

1.75%, 11/15/2029

      984       862,471  

1.875%, 02/15/2032

      1,787       1,529,560  

2.00%, 02/15/2025

      1,108       1,054,141  

2.00%, 08/15/2025

      811       764,939  

2.00%, 11/15/2026

      4,808       4,446,082  

2.125%, 05/15/2025

      2,550       2,420,432  

2.25%, 11/15/2025

      909       859,004  

2.25%, 08/15/2027

      2,292       2,117,674  

2.25%, 11/15/2027

      3,588       3,303,571  

2.375%, 05/15/2027

      4,367       4,065,497  

2.375%, 05/15/2029

      1,327       1,209,320  

2.625%, 12/31/2023

      3,619       3,570,541  

2.625%, 02/15/2029

      451       417,461  

2.75%, 02/15/2024

      3,213       3,160,582  

2.75%, 02/15/2028

      129       120,898  

2.75%, 08/15/2032

      949       869,155  

2.875%, 05/15/2028

      400       377,470  

2.875%, 05/15/2032

      2,242       2,077,631  

3.125%, 11/15/2028

      912       868,300  

3.125%, 08/31/2029

      727       690,138  

3.375%, 05/15/2033

      655       631,545  

3.50%, 04/30/2028

      794       771,270  

3.50%, 02/15/2033

      1,420       1,382,601  

3.625%, 03/31/2028

      1,209       1,180,085  

4.125%, 10/31/2027

      603       599,210  

4.125%, 11/15/2032

      787       803,315  
     

 

 

 

Total Governments–Treasuries
(cost $94,494,792)

        85,854,641  
     

 

 

 
          Notional
Amount
       

PURCHASED OPTIONS–PUTS–0.3%

     

OPTIONS ON EQUITY INDICES–0.3%

     

Euro STOXX 50 Index Expiration: Jun 2024; Contracts: 1,070;
Exercise Price: EUR 3,600.00; Counterparty: UBS AG(a)

    EUR       3,852,000       85,156  

FTSE 100 Index
Expiration: Apr 2024; Contracts: 240; Exercise Price: GBP 6,600.00; Counterparty: UBS AG(a)

    GBP       1,584,000       29,580  
    
    
    
Company
        Notional
Amount
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                       

Nikkei 225 Index Expiration: May 2024; Contracts: 15,000; Exercise Price: JPY 27,000.00; Counterparty: UBS AG(a)

    JPY       405,000,000     $ 62,097  

S&P 500 Index
Expiration: Jun 2024; Contracts: 8,400; Exercise Price: USD 3,675.00; Counterparty: UBS AG(a)

    USD       30,870,000       583,640  
     

 

 

 

Total Purchased Options–Puts (premiums paid $974,149)

        760,473  
     

 

 

 
          Shares        

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–1.1%

     

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–1.1%

     

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $2,612,463)

      2,612,463       2,612,463  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITY LENDING COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–99.3%
(cost $191,546,135)

        246,552,960  
     

 

 

 

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–0.6%

     

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–0.6%

     

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $1,490,734)

      1,490,734       1,490,734  
     

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–99.9% (cost $193,036,869)

        248,043,694  

Other assets less liabilities–0.1%

        305,935  
     

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

      $   248,349,629  
     

 

 

 

 

22


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

FUTURES (see Note D)

 

Description    Number of
Contracts
     Expiration
Month
     Current
Notional
     Value and
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Purchased Contracts

           

10 Yr Canadian Bond Futures

     4        September 2023      $ 369,972      $ (3,298

FTSE 100 Index Futures

     13        September 2023        1,245,101        11,100  

Hang Seng Index Futures

     9        July 2023        1,080,034        121  

Long Gilt Futures

     4        September 2023        484,124        (4,665

MSCI EAFE Futures

     1        September 2023        107,775        386  

MSCI Emerging Markets Futures

     48        September 2023        2,394,960        (80,470

Nikkei 225 (OSE) Futures

     2        September 2023        459,753        13,596  

OMXS 30 Index Futures

     47        July 2023        1,009,367        55  

S&P 500 E-Mini Futures

     7        September 2023        1,570,888        24,067  

TOPIX Index Futures

     7        September 2023        1,109,948        35,379  

U.S. T-Note 2 Yr (CBT) Futures

     54        September 2023          10,980,563        (129,878

U.S. T-Note 5 Yr (CBT) Futures

     15        September 2023        1,606,406        (9,621

U.S. T-Note 10 Yr (CBT) Futures

     107        September 2023        12,012,422        (176,108

U.S. Ultra Bond (CBT) Futures

     40        September 2023        5,448,750        68,231  

Sold Contracts

           

Euro STOXX 50 Index Futures

     35        September 2023        1,690,760        (26,830

MSCI Singapore IX ETS Futures

     22        July 2023        469,965        (984

S&P/TSX 60 Index Futures

     10        September 2023        1,839,743        (29,833

SPI 200 Futures

     25        September 2023        2,981,438        (37,870
           

 

 

 
            $   (346,622
           

 

 

 

FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS (see Note D)

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Bank of America, NA

       GBP        482          USD        596          07/21/2023        $ (15,919

Bank of America, NA

       USD        2,029          GBP        1,629          07/21/2023          39,501  

Bank of America, NA

       EUR        1,331          USD        1,468          07/31/2023          13,802  

Bank of America, NA

       JPY        403,578          USD        2,899          08/25/2023          79,937  

Barclays Capital

       USD        3,932          CAD        5,193          08/24/2023          (8,565

Barclays Capital

       USD        1,180          SEK        12,463          09/13/2023          (20,908

BNP Paribas SA

       USD        2,085          NZD        3,384          08/24/2023          (8,004

Citibank, NA

       JPY        71,847          USD        513          08/25/2023          10,701  

Citibank, NA

       USD        4,005          AUD        5,873          08/25/2023          (86,911

Deutsche Bank AG

       USD        6,522          EUR        6,007          07/31/2023          41,060  

Deutsche Bank AG

       USD        691          CAD        925          08/24/2023          7,576  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

       USD        625          GBP        494          07/21/2023          2,326  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

       USD        1,495          GBP        1,171          07/21/2023          (7,563

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

       EUR        678          USD        746          07/31/2023          5,406  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

       EUR        839          USD        912          07/31/2023          (4,570

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

       AUD        5,336          USD        3,629          08/25/2023          69,882  

HSBC Bank USA

       USD        925          EUR        846          07/31/2023          (966

HSBC Bank USA

       USD        1,088          NOK        11,429          09/13/2023          (21,065

HSBC Bank USA

       USD        874          SEK        9,312          09/13/2023          (7,575

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

       EUR        4,354          USD        4,762          07/31/2023          4,663  

 

23


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CHF        3,919          USD        4,391          07/21/2023        $ 6,040  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       GBP        1,966          USD        2,503          07/21/2023          5,280  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CAD        6,746          USD        5,064          08/24/2023          (32,759

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       SEK        3,516          USD        328          09/13/2023          959  

UBS AG

       USD        4,666          JPY        642,582          08/25/2023          (177,581
                         

 

 

 
                          $   (105,253
                         

 

 

 

TOTAL RETURN SWAPS (see Note D)

 

Counterparty & Referenced Obligation    Rate
Paid/
Received
    Payment
Frequency
     Current
Notional
(000)
     Maturity
Date
     Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Pay Total Return on Reference Obligation

                

Morgan Stanley Capital Services LLC
Swiss Market Index Futures

     0.00     Maturity        CHF        340        09/15/2023      $   48  

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(c)   Security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A or Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities are considered restricted, but liquid and may be resold in transactions exempt from registration. At June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value of these securities amounted to $721,717 or 0.3% of net assets.

 

(d)   Affiliated investments.

 

(e)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

 

(f)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

Currency Abbreviations:

AUD—Australian Dollar

CAD—Canadian Dollar

CHF—Swiss Franc

EUR—Euro

GBP—Great British Pound

JPY—Japanese Yen

NOK—Norwegian Krone

NZD—New Zealand Dollar

SEK—Swedish Krona

USD—United States Dollar

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

CBT—Chicago Board of Trade

EAFE—Europe, Australia, and Far East

ETS—Emission Trading Scheme

FTSE—Financial Times Stock Exchange

MSCI—Morgan Stanley Capital International

OMXS—Stockholm Stock Exchange

OSE—Osaka Securities Exchange

REG—Registered Shares

REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust

SPI—Share Price Index

TOPIX—Tokyo Price Index

TSX—Toronto Stock Exchange

See notes to financial statements.

 

24


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $188,933,672)

   $ 243,940,497 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $4,103,197—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $1,490,734)

     4,103,197  

Cash

     1,743  

Cash collateral due from broker

     1,573,898  

Foreign currencies, at value (cost $528,738)

     525,765  

Unaffiliated interest and dividends receivable

     912,593  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     429,830  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     402,491  

Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     287,133  

Receivable for variation margin on futures

     80,896  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     11,077  

Receivable for variation margin on centrally cleared swaps

     810  

Unrealized appreciation on total return swaps

     48  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     252,269,978  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     1,381,699  

Cash collateral due to broker

     900,000  

Payable for investment securities purchased and foreign currency transactions

     635,448  

Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     392,386  

Custody and accounting fees payable

     223,694  

Advisory fee payable

     133,365  

Collateral due to securities lending agent

     109,035  

Distribution fee payable

     53,693  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     31,489  

Administrative fee payable

     21,320  

Payable for terminated centrally cleared credit default swaps

     3,226  

Directors’ fees payable

     296  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     154  

Accrued expenses

     34,544  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     3,920,349  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 248,349,629  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 29,089  

Additional paid-in capital

     204,135,421  

Distributable earnings

     44,185,119  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 248,349,629  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $ 214,046          24,902        $ 8.60  
B      $   248,135,583          29,064,384        $   8.54  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $6,411,653 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

25


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $186,935)

   $ 1,636,891  

Affiliated issuers

     63,175  

Interest

     1,120,244  

Securities lending income

     8,643  
  

 

 

 
     2,828,953  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     849,789  

Distribution fee—Class B

     303,227  

Transfer agency—Class B

     1,310  

Custody and accounting

     92,836  

Audit and tax

     53,550  

Administrative

     47,089  

Legal

     19,357  

Printing

     13,180  

Directors’ fees

     10,260  

Miscellaneous

     20,671  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     1,411,269  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (76,312
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     1,334,957  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     1,493,996  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain (loss) on:

  

Investment transactions

     (4,025,706

Forward currency exchange contracts

     (229,667

Futures

     (750,202

Swaps

     16,175  

Foreign currency transactions

     8,285  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

  

Investments

     22,958,358  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     (214,306

Futures

     (259,458

Swaps

     (6,579

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     (12,242
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     17,484,658  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 18,978,654  
  

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

26


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment income

   $ 1,493,996     $ 2,229,545  

Net realized loss on investment and foreign currency transactions

     (4,981,115     (6,155,550

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     22,465,773       (51,515,846
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     18,978,654       (55,441,851

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Class A

     –0 –      (82,065

Class B

     –0 –      (88,612,765

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (6,226,292     77,402,279  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     12,752,362       (66,734,402

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     235,597,267       302,331,669  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 248,349,629     $ 235,597,267  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

27


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Dynamic Asset Allocation Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is to maximize total return consistent with AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) determination of reasonable risk. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, the Adviser serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or

 

28


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which are then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3.

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

Options are valued using market-based inputs to models, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency, where such inputs and models are available. Alternatively, the values may be obtained through unobservable management determined inputs and/or management’s proprietary models. Where models are used, the selection of a particular model to value an option depends upon the contractual terms of, and specific risks inherent in, the option as well as the availability of pricing information in the market. Valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, measures of volatility and correlations of such inputs. Exchange traded options generally will be classified as Level 2. For options that do not trade on an exchange but trade in liquid markets, inputs can generally be verified and model selection does not involve significant management judgment. Options are classified within Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy when all of the significant inputs can be corroborated to market evidence. Otherwise such instruments are classified as Level 3.

Other fixed income investments, including non-U.S. government and corporate debt, are generally valued using quoted market prices, if available, which are typically impacted by current interest rates, maturity dates and any perceived credit risk

 

29


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

of the issuer. Additionally, in the absence of quoted market prices, these inputs are used by pricing vendors to derive a valuation based upon industry or proprietary models which incorporate issuer specific data with relevant yield/spread comparisons with more widely quoted bonds with similar key characteristics. Those investments for which there are observable inputs are classified as Level 2. Where the inputs are not observable, the investments are classified as Level 3.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Investments in Securities:

        

Assets:

        

Common Stocks:

        

Information Technology

   $ 31,491,953     $ 3,586,146     $             –0 –    $ 35,078,099  

Financials

     15,089,363       7,762,813       –0 –      22,852,176  

Health Care

     14,515,056       5,603,173       –0 –      20,118,229  

Consumer Discretionary

     12,095,966       5,435,252       –0 –      17,531,218  

Industrials

     10,496,609       6,871,309       –0 –      17,367,918  

Consumer Staples

     7,303,167       4,378,745       –0 –      11,681,912  

Communication Services

     9,283,624       1,723,245       –0 –      11,006,869  

Energy

     5,341,425       1,815,500       –0 –      7,156,925  

Materials

     3,347,469       3,177,489       –0 –      6,524,958  

Utilities

     2,882,063       1,471,354       –0 –      4,353,417  

Real Estate

     2,712,057       941,605       –0 –      3,653,662  

Governments—Treasuries

     –0 –      85,854,641       –0 –      85,854,641  

Purchased Options—Puts

     –0 –      760,473       –0 –      760,473  

Short-Term Investments

     2,612,463       –0 –      –0 –      2,612,463  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

     1,490,734       –0 –      –0 –      1,490,734  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     118,661,949       129,381,745       –0 –      248,043,694  

Other Financial Instruments(a):

        

Assets:

 

   

Futures

     152,935       –0 –      –0 –      152,935 (b) 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      287,133       –0 –      287,133  

Total Return Swaps

     –0 –      48       –0 –      48  

Liabilities:

 

   

Futures

     (499,557     –0 –      –0 –      (499,557 )(b) 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      (392,386     –0 –      (392,386
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 118,315,327     $ 129,276,540     $ –0 –    $ 247,591,867  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

 

(b)   Only variation margin receivable (payable) at period end is reported within the statement of assets and liabilities. This amount reflects cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures and centrally cleared swaps as reported in the portfolio of investments. Where applicable, centrally cleared swaps with upfront premiums are presented here at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and

 

30


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .70% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The Adviser has agreed to waive its fees and bear certain expenses to the extent necessary to limit total operating expenses on an annual basis (the “Expense Caps”) to .85% and 1.10% of daily average net assets for Class A and Class B shares, respectively. The Expense Caps will remain in effect until May 1, 2024 and then may be extended by the Adviser for additional one-year terms. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such reimbursements/waivers amounted to $74,869.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,089.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The

 

31


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $1,351.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
     Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 3,658      $ 21,458      $ 22,504      $ 2,612      $ 63  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     165        6,208        4,882        1,491        2  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

            $ 4,103      $ 65  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.    

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases        Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 3,848,836        $ 10,134,279  

U.S. government securities

       11,894,511          15,491,681  

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 71,128,812  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (16,573,814
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 54,554,998  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

 

32


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The principal types of derivatives utilized by the Portfolio, as well as the methods in which they may be used are:

 

   

Futures

The Portfolio may buy or sell futures for investment purposes or for the purpose of hedging its portfolio against adverse effects of potential movements in the market. The Portfolio bears the market risk that arises from changes in the value of these instruments and the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and movements in the price of the assets, reference rates or indices which they are designed to track. Among other things, the Portfolio may purchase or sell futures for foreign currencies or options thereon for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investment in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

At the time the Portfolio enters into futures, the Portfolio deposits and maintains as collateral an initial margin with the broker, as required by the exchange on which the transaction is effected. Such amount is shown as cash collateral due from broker on the statement of assets and liabilities. Pursuant to the contract, the Portfolio agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract. Such receipts or payments are known as variation margin and are recorded by the Portfolio as unrealized gains or losses. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of the contract. The credit/counterparty risk for exchange-traded futures is generally less than privately negotiated futures, since the clearinghouse, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded future, has robust risk mitigation standards, including the requirement to provide initial and variation margin. When the contract is closed, the Portfolio records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the time it was closed.

Use of long futures subjects the Portfolio to risk of loss in excess of the amounts shown on the statement of assets and liabilities, up to the notional value of the futures. Use of short futures subjects the Portfolio to unlimited risk of loss. Under some circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of futures can vary from the previous day’s settlement price, which could effectively prevent liquidation of unfavorable positions.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held futures for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

 

   

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

The Portfolio may enter into forward currency exchange contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to hedge certain firm purchase and sale commitments denominated in foreign currencies and for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

A forward currency exchange contract is a commitment to purchase or sell a foreign currency at a future date at a negotiated forward rate. The gain or loss arising from the difference between the original contract and the closing of such contract would be included in net realized gain or loss on forward currency exchange contracts. Fluctuations in the value of open forward currency exchange contracts are recorded for financial reporting purposes as unrealized appreciation and/or depreciation by the Portfolio. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of a contract and from unanticipated movements in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held forward currency exchange contracts for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

 

   

Option Transactions

For hedging and investment purposes, the Portfolio may purchase and write (sell) put and call options on U.S. and foreign securities, including government securities, and foreign currencies that are traded on U.S. and foreign securities exchanges and over-the-counter markets. Among other things, the Portfolio may use options transactions for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions” and may use options strategies involving the purchase and/or writing of various combinations of call and/or put options, for hedging and investment purposes.

The risk associated with purchasing an option is that the Portfolio pays a premium whether or not the option is exercised. Additionally, the Portfolio bears the risk of loss of the premium and change in market value should the counterparty not perform under the contract. If a put or call purchased option by the Portfolio were permitted to

 

33


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Portfolio. Put and call purchased options are accounted for in the same manner as portfolio securities. The cost of securities acquired through the exercise of call options is increased by premiums paid. The proceeds from securities sold through the exercise of put options are decreased by the premiums paid.

When the Portfolio writes an option, the premium received by the Portfolio is recorded as a liability and is subsequently adjusted to the current market value of the written option. The Portfolio’s maximum payment for written put options equates to the number of shares multiplied by the strike price. In certain circumstances maximum payout amounts may be partially offset by recovery values of the respective referenced assets and upfront premium received upon entering into the contract. Premiums received from written options which expire unexercised are recorded by the Portfolio on the expiration date as realized gains from written options. The difference between the premium received and the amount paid on effecting a closing purchase transaction, including brokerage commissions, is also treated as a realized gain, or if the premium received is less than the amount paid for the closing purchase transaction, as a realized loss. If a call option is exercised, the premium received is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security or currency in determining whether the Portfolio has realized a gain or loss. If a put option is exercised, the premium received reduces the cost basis of the security or currency purchased by the Portfolio. In writing an option, the Portfolio bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security or currency underlying the written option. Exercise of the written option by the Portfolio could result in the Portfolio selling or buying a security or currency at a price different from the current market value.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held purchased options for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

 

   

Swaps

The Portfolio may enter into swaps to hedge its exposure to interest rates, credit risk, equity markets or currencies. The Portfolio may also enter into swaps for non-hedging purposes as a means of gaining market exposures, making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions” or in order to take a “long” or “short” position with respect to an underlying referenced asset described below under “Total Return Swaps”. A swap is an agreement that obligates two parties to exchange a series of cash flows at specified intervals based upon or calculated by reference to changes in specified prices or rates for a specified amount of an underlying asset. The payment flows are usually netted against each other, with the difference being paid by one party to the other. In addition, collateral may be pledged or received by the Portfolio in accordance with the terms of the respective swaps to provide value and recourse to the Portfolio or its counterparties in the event of default, bankruptcy or insolvency by one of the parties to the swap.

Risks may arise as a result of the failure of the counterparty to the swap to comply with the terms of the swap. The loss incurred by the failure of a counterparty is generally limited to the net interim payment to be received by the Portfolio, and/or the termination value at the end of the contract. Therefore, the Portfolio considers the creditworthiness of each counterparty to a swap in evaluating potential counterparty risk. This risk is mitigated by having a netting arrangement between the Portfolio and the counterparty and by the posting of collateral by the counterparty to the Portfolio to cover the Portfolio’s exposure to the counterparty. Additionally, risks may arise from unanticipated movements in interest rates or in the value of the underlying securities. The Portfolio accrues for the interim payments on swaps on a daily basis, with the net amount recorded within unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swaps on the statement of assets and liabilities, where applicable. Once the interim payments are settled in cash, the net amount is recorded as realized gain/(loss) on swaps on the statement of operations, in addition to any realized gain/(loss) recorded upon the termination of swaps. Upfront premiums paid or received for swaps are recognized as cost or proceeds on the statement of assets and liabilities and are amortized on a straight line basis over the life of the contract. Amortized upfront premiums are included in net realized gain/(loss) from swaps on the statement of operations. Fluctuations in the value of swaps are recorded as a component of net change in unrealized appreciation/depreciation of swaps on the statement of operations.

Certain standardized swaps, including certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps, are (or soon will be) subject to mandatory central clearing. Cleared swaps are transacted through futures commission merchants (“FCMs”) that are members of central clearinghouses, with the clearinghouse serving as central counterparty, similar to transactions in futures contracts. Centralized clearing will be required for additional categories of swaps on a

 

34


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

phased-in basis based on requirements published by the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

At the time the Portfolio enters into a centrally cleared swap, the Portfolio deposits and maintains as collateral an initial margin with the broker, as required by the clearinghouse on which the transaction is effected. Such amount is shown as cash collateral due from broker on the statement of assets and liabilities. Pursuant to the contract, the Portfolio agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract. Such receipts or payments are known as variation margin and are recorded by the Portfolio as unrealized gains or losses. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of the contract. The credit/counterparty risk for centrally cleared swaps is generally less than non-centrally cleared swaps, since the clearinghouse, which is the issuer or counterparty to each centrally cleared swap, has robust risk mitigation standards, including the requirement to provide initial and variation margin. When the contract is closed, the Portfolio records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the time it was closed.

Credit Default Swaps:

The Portfolio may enter into credit default swaps, including to manage its exposure to the market or certain sectors of the market, to reduce its risk exposure to defaults by corporate and sovereign issuers held by the Portfolio, or to create exposure to corporate or sovereign issuers to which it is not otherwise exposed. The Portfolio may purchase credit protection (“Buy Contract”) or provide credit protection (“Sale Contract”) on the referenced obligation of the credit default swap. During the term of the swap, the Portfolio receives/(pays) fixed payments from/(to) the respective counterparty, calculated at the agreed upon rate applied to the notional amount. If the Portfolio is a buyer/(seller) of protection and a credit event occurs, as defined under the terms of the swap, the Portfolio will either (i) receive from the seller/(pay to the buyer) of protection an amount equal to the notional amount of the swap (the “Maximum Payout Amount”) and deliver/(take delivery of) the referenced obligation or (ii) receive/(pay) a net settlement amount in the form of cash or securities equal to the notional amount of the swap less the recovery value of the referenced obligation. In certain circumstances Maximum Payout Amounts may be partially offset by recovery values of the respective referenced obligations, upfront premium received upon entering into the agreement, or net amounts received from settlement of buy protection credit default swaps entered into by the Portfolio for the same referenced obligations with the same counterparty.

Credit default swaps may involve greater risks than if the Portfolio had invested in the referenced obligation directly. Credit default swaps are subject to general market risk, liquidity risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. If the Portfolio is a buyer of protection and no credit event occurs, it will lose the payments it made to its counterparty. If the Portfolio is a seller of protection and a credit event occurs, the value of the referenced obligation received by the Portfolio coupled with the periodic payments previously received, may be less than the Maximum Payout Amount it pays to the buyer, resulting in a net loss to the Portfolio.

Implied credit spreads over U.S. Treasuries of comparable maturity utilized in determining the market value of credit default swaps on issuers as of period end are disclosed in the portfolio of investments. The implied spreads serve as an indicator of the current status of the payment/performance risk and typically reflect the likelihood of default by the issuer of the referenced obligation. The implied credit spread of a particular reference obligation also reflects the cost of buying/selling protection and may reflect upfront payments required to be made to enter into the agreement. Widening credit spreads typically represent a deterioration of the referenced obligation’s credit soundness and greater likelihood of default or other credit event occurring as defined under the terms of the agreement. A credit spread identified as “Defaulted” indicates a credit event has occurred for the referenced obligation.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held credit default swaps for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

Total Return Swaps:

The Portfolio may enter into total return swaps in order to take a “long” or “short” position with respect to an underlying referenced asset. The Portfolio is subject to market price volatility of the underlying referenced asset. A total return swap involves commitments to pay interest in exchange for a market linked return based on a notional

 

35


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

amount. To the extent that the total return of the security, group of securities or index underlying the transaction exceeds or falls short of the offsetting interest obligation, the Portfolio will receive a payment from or make a payment to the counterparty.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held total return swaps for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

The Portfolio typically enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements (“ISDA Master Agreement”) with its OTC derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to OTC counterparties. ISDA Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Portfolio typically may offset with the OTC counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment (close-out netting) in the event of default or termination. In the event of a default by an OTC counterparty, the return of collateral with market value in excess of the Portfolio’s net liability, held by the defaulting party, may be delayed or denied.

The Portfolio’s ISDA Master Agreements may contain provisions for early termination of OTC derivative transactions in the event the net assets of the Portfolio decline below specific levels (“net asset contingent features”). If these levels are triggered, the Portfolio’s OTC counterparty has the right to terminate such transaction and require the Portfolio to pay or receive a settlement amount in connection with the terminated transaction. If OTC derivatives were held at period end, please refer to netting arrangements by the OTC counterparty table below for additional details.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio had entered into the following derivatives:

 

   

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

 

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

  Fair Value    

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

  Fair Value  

Interest rate contracts

  Receivable for variation margin on futures   $ 68,231   Payable for variation margin on futures   $ 323,570

Equity contracts

  Receivable for variation margin on futures     84,704   Payable for variation margin on futures     175,987

Foreign currency contracts

  Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts     287,133     Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts     392,386  

Equity contracts

  Investments in securities, at value     760,473      

Equity contracts

  Unrealized appreciation on total return swaps     48      
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total

    $ 1,200,589       $ 891,943  
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

*   Only variation margin receivable/payable at period end is reported within the statement of assets and liabilities. This amount reflects cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures and centrally cleared swaps as reported in the portfolio of investments.

 

36


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Derivative Type

  

Location of Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives
Within Statement of Operations

   Realized Gain or
(Loss) on
Derivatives
    Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or
(Depreciation)
 

Interest rate contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on futures; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures    $ (429,674   $ (90,896

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on futures; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures      (320,528     (168,562

Foreign currency contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on forward currency exchange contracts; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of forward currency exchange contracts      (229,667     (214,306

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments      (1,252,293     (198,771

Credit contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on swaps; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of swaps      18,432       –0 – 

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on swaps; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of swaps      (2,257     (6,579
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

      $ (2,215,987   $ (679,114
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following table represents the average monthly volume of the Portfolio’s derivative transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

 

Futures:

  

Average notional amount of buy contracts

   $ 26,846,870  

Average notional amount of sale contracts

   $ 8,204,444  

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts:

  

Average principal amount of buy contracts

   $ 24,943,109  

Average principal amount of sale contracts

   $ 21,336,175  

Purchased Options:

  

Average notional amount

   $ 33,861,208  

Centrally Cleared Credit Default Swaps:

  

Average notional amount of sale contracts

   $ 2,437,750 (a) 

Total Return Swaps:

  

Average notional amount

   $ 705,413  

 

(a)   Positions were open for four months during the period.

For financial reporting purposes, the Portfolio does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements in the statement of assets and liabilities.

All OTC derivatives held at period end were subject to netting arrangements. The following table presents the Portfolio’s derivative assets and liabilities by OTC counterparty net of amounts available for offset under ISDA Master Agreements

 

37


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

(“MA”) and net of the related collateral received/pledged by the Portfolio as of June 30, 2023. Exchange-traded derivatives and centrally cleared swaps are not subject to netting arrangements and as such are excluded from the table.

 

Counterparty

   Derivative Assets
Subject to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Received*
    Security Collateral
Received*
    Net Amount of
Derivative
Assets
 

Bank of America, NA

   $ 133,240      $ (15,919   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ 117,321  

Citibank, NA

     10,701        (10,701     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

Deutsche Bank AG

     48,636        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      48,636  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

     77,614        (12,133     –0 –      –0 –      65,481  

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

     4,663        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      4,663  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services LLC/Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     11,368        (11,368     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     959        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      959  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 287,181      $ (50,121   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 237,060
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Counterparty

   Derivative Liabilities
Subject to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Pledged*
    Security Collateral
Pledged*
    Net Amount of
Derivative
Liabilities
 

Bank of America, NA

   $ 15,919      $ (15,919   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ –0 – 

Barclays Capital

     29,473        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      29,473  

BNP Paribas SA

     8,004        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      8,004  

Citibank, NA

     86,911        (10,701     –0 –      –0 –      76,210  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

     12,133        (12,133     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

HSBC Bank USA

     29,606        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      29,606  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services LLC/Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     32,759        (11,368     –0 –      –0 –      21,391  

UBS AG

     177,581        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      177,581  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 392,386      $ (50,121   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 342,265
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*   The actual collateral received/pledged may be more than the amount reported due to over-collateralization.

 

^   Net amount represents the net receivable/payable that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default or termination. The net amount from OTC financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master agreement with the same counterparty.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative

 

38


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

  Government Money Market  
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ 6,411,653     $ 1,490,734     $ 5,306,919     $ 6,764     $ 1,879     $ 92  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    1,577       5,959       $ 13,118     $ 70,320  

Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      9,643         –0 –      82,060  

Shares redeemed

    (5,744     (14,092       (47,735     (183,919
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (4,167     1,510       $ (34,617   $ (31,539
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    795,546       1,391,617       $ 6,673,006     $ 14,302,037  

Shares issued on reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      10,461,956         –0 –      88,612,765  

Shares redeemed

    (1,557,977     (2,353,134       (12,864,681     (25,480,984
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (762,431     9,500,439       $ (6,191,675   $ 77,433,818  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 91% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

 

39


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

Interest-Rate Risk—Changes in interest rates will affect the value of investments in fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of existing investments in fixed-income securities tends to fall and this decrease in value may not be offset by higher income from new investments. Interest rate risk is generally greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or durations. The Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the recent end of a period of historically low rates and the effects of potential central bank monetary policy, and government fiscal policy, initiatives and resulting market reactions to those initiatives.

Credit Risk—An issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other contract, may be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The issuer or guarantor may default, causing a loss of the full principal amount of a security and accrued interest. The degree of risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. There is the possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security. Investments in fixed-income securities with lower ratings tend to have a higher probability that an issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations.

Allocation Risk—The allocation of investments among different global asset classes may have a significant effect on the Portfolio’s net asset value, or NAV, when one of these asset classes is performing more poorly than others. As both the direct investments and derivatives positions will be periodically adjusted to reflect the Adviser’s view of market and economic conditions, there will be transaction costs that may be, over time, significant. In addition, there is a risk that certain asset allocation decisions may not achieve the desired results and, as a result, the Portfolio may incur significant losses.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—The Portfolio’s investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Emerging-Market Risk—Investments in emerging market countries may have more risk because the markets are less developed and less liquid, and because these investments may be subject to increased economic, political, regulatory or other uncertainties.

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce its returns.

ETF Risk—ETFs, are investment companies. When the Portfolio invests in an ETF, the Portfolio bears its share of the ETF’s expenses and runs the risk that the ETF may not achieve its investment objective.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

Leverage Risk—When the Portfolio borrows money or otherwise leverages its investments, its performance may be volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Portfolio’s investments. The Portfolio may create leverage through the use of reverse repurchase arrangements, forward currency exchange contracts, forward commitments, dollar rolls or futures or by borrowing money. The use of other types of derivative instruments by the Portfolio, such as options and swaps, may also result in a form of leverage. Leverage may result in higher returns to the Portfolio than if the Portfolio were not leveraged, but may also adversely affect returns, particularly if the market is declining.

Illiquid Investments Risk—Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your

 

40


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

investment in the Portfolio. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes, large positions and heavy redemptions of Portfolio shares.

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

Real Estate Risk—The Portfolio’s investments in real estate securities have many of the same risks as direct ownership of real estate, including the risk that the value of real estate could decline due to a variety of factors that affect the real estate market generally. Investments in real estate investment trusts, or REITs, may have additional risks. REITs are dependent on the capability of their managers, may have limited diversification, and could be significantly affected by changes in taxes. Some REITs may utilize leverage, which increases investment risk and may potentially increase the Portfolio’s losses.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon,

 

41


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

       2022        2021  

Distributions paid from:

         

Ordinary income

     $ 6,479,716        $ 4,834,682  

Net long-term capital gains

       82,215,114          –0 – 
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

     $ 88,694,830        $ 4,834,682  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

   $ 1,451,825  

Accumulated capital and other losses

     (6,652,111 )(a) 

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     30,406,751 (b) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ 25,206,465  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net capital loss carryforward of $6,536,231. As of December 31, 2022, the cumulative deferred loss on straddles was $115,880.

 

(b)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the recognition for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain derivative instruments, return of capital distributions received from underlying securities, the tax treatment of passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), the tax deferral of losses on wash sales, the tax treatment of partnership investments, and corporate restructuring.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net short-term capital loss carryforward of $3,946,546 and a net long-term capital loss carryforward of $2,589,685, which may be carried forward for an indefinite period.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)—Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

42


    
DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $7.94       $14.94       $13.89       $13.46       $11.91       $13.07  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .06       .12       .14       .15       .23       .20  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    .60       (2.57     1.20       .51       1.60       (1.11
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    .66       (2.45     1.34       .66       1.83       (.91
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.38     (.29     (.23     (.27     (.23

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (4.17     –0 –      –0 –      (.01     (.02
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (4.55     (.29     (.23     (.28     (.25
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $8.60       $7.94       $14.94       $13.89       $13.46       $11.91  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)

    8.31     (18.45 )%      9.67     5.02     15.51     (7.07 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $214       $231       $412       $364       $383       $355  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .85 %^      .84     .82     .80     .80     .78

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .91 %^      .91     .83     .80     .80     .79

Net investment income(b)

    1.46 %^      1.10     .98     1.18     1.78     1.60

Portfolio turnover rate

    7     16     32     13     19     24
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .00 %^      .01     .01     .01     .02     .03

 

 

See footnote summary on page 44.

 

43


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $7.89       $14.85       $13.80       $13.36       $11.82       $12.98  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .05       .09       .12       .12       .19       .17  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    .60       (2.56     1.16       .51       1.60       (1.11
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    .65       (2.47     1.28       .63       1.79       (.94
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.32     (.23     (.19     (.24     (.20

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (4.17     –0 –      –0 –      (.01     (.02
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (4.49     (.23     (.19     (.25     (.22
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $8.54       $7.89       $14.85       $13.80       $13.36       $11.82  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)

    8.24     (18.68 )%      9.28     4.86     15.24     (7.35 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $248,136       $235,366       $301,920       $548,422       $568,985       $533,467  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.10 %^      1.09     1.06     1.05     1.05     1.03

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.16 %^      1.17     1.07     1.06     1.05     1.04

Net investment income(b)

    1.23 %^      .87     .80     .93     1.51     1.35

Portfolio turnover rate

    7     16     32     13     19     24
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .00 %^      .01     .01     .01     .02     .03

 

 

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(d)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2018, such waiver amounted to .01% and .01%, respectively.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

44


    
      
DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

45


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Dynamic Asset Allocation Portfolio (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on August 2-3, 2022 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President for the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund and the underlying funds advised by the Adviser in which the Fund invests a portion of its assets.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2020 and 2021 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts

 

46


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund and the underlying funds fund advised by the Adviser in which the Fund invests, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended May 31, 2022 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review and their discussion with the Adviser of the reasons for the Fund’s underperformance in the periods reviewed, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable. The directors determined to continue to monitor the Fund’s performance closely.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees payable by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual advisory fee rate with a peer group median and noted that it was lower than the median. Taking into account the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year, the directors noted that the Adviser’s total rate of compensation was above the peer group median.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to the those of Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more

 

47


DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The Adviser had agreed to cap the Fund’s expenses, but the directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was currently below the level of the Adviser’s cap. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was above the medians. After reviewing and discussing the Adviser’s explanations of the reasons for this, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund does not contain breakpoints and that they had previously discussed their strong preference for breakpoints in advisory contracts with the Adviser. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. The directors informed the Adviser that they would monitor the Fund’s asset level (which was well below the level at which they would anticipate adding an initial breakpoint) and its profitability to the Adviser and anticipated revisiting the question of breakpoints in the future if circumstances warranted doing so.

 

48


VPS-DAA-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS

SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO

(formerly, Small/Mid Cap Value Portfolio)


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

 

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each class’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
 

Class A

        

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,069.20      $ 4.16        0.81

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,020.78      $ 4.06        0.81
           

Class B

        

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,067.70      $ 5.43        1.06

Hypothetical**

   $   1,000      $   1,019.54      $   5.31        1.06

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE                      PERCENT OF NET  ASSETS            

Dycom Industries, Inc.

   $ 12,214,306          1.8

Berry Global Group, Inc.

     11,526,511          1.7  

First Citizens BancShares, Inc./NC—Class A

     11,012,001          1.6  

Herc Holdings, Inc.

     10,938,421          1.6  

Regal Rexnord Corp.

     10,913,049          1.6  

PulteGroup, Inc.

     10,635,169          1.6  

Cameco Corp.

     10,559,463          1.6  

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.

     10,545,232          1.5  

Vertiv Holdings Co.

     10,357,328          1.5  

IDACORP, Inc.

     10,292,217          1.5  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   108,993,697          16.0

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Industrials

   $   173,106,234          25.5

Financials

     136,782,388          20.2  

Consumer Discretionary

     102,957,338          15.2  

Information Technology

     74,359,934          11.0  

Real Estate

     43,480,397          6.4  

Health Care

     40,701,265          6.0  

Energy

     32,954,206          4.9  

Materials

     27,918,530          4.1  

Utilities

     19,225,976          2.8  

Consumer Staples

     14,329,135          2.1  

Communication Services

     8,867,850          1.3  

Short-Term Investments

     3,272,903          0.5  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $ 677,956,156          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time.

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

COMMON STOCKS–99.1%

   
   

INDUSTRIALS–25.4%

   

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–0.9%

   

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc.–Class A(a)

    200,640     $ 5,856,682  
   

 

 

 

BUILDING PRODUCTS–2.6%

   

Builders FirstSource, Inc.(b)

    75,260       10,235,360  

Masonite International Corp.(b)

    70,269       7,198,356  
   

 

 

 
      17,433,716  
   

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING–4.8%

   

Arcosa, Inc.

    42,537       3,223,029  

Dycom Industries, Inc.(b)

    107,473       12,214,306  

Fluor Corp.(b)

    295,300       8,740,880  

MasTec, Inc.(b)

    71,790       8,469,066  
   

 

 

 
      32,647,281  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–4.2%

   

Regal Rexnord Corp.

    70,910       10,913,049  

Sensata Technologies Holding PLC

    166,520       7,491,735  

Vertiv Holdings Co.

    418,140       10,357,328  
   

 

 

 
      28,762,112  
   

 

 

 

GROUND TRANSPORTATION–3.0%

   

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.

    189,799       10,545,232  

XPO, Inc.(b)

    172,300       10,165,700  
   

 

 

 
      20,710,932  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–3.4%

   

Crane NXT Co.

    98,735       5,572,604  

Oshkosh Corp.

    106,080       9,185,467  

Timken Co. (The)

    96,010       8,787,795  
   

 

 

 
      23,545,866  
   

 

 

 

MARINE TRANSPORTATION–0.8%

   

Star Bulk Carriers Corp.

    308,340       5,457,618  
   

 

 

 

PASSENGER AIRLINES–1.3%

   

Alaska Air Group, Inc.(b)

    168,630       8,967,743  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–2.8%

   

Genpact Ltd.

    180,181       6,769,400  

Korn Ferry

    91,020       4,509,131  

Robert Half International, Inc.

    99,805       7,507,332  
   

 

 

 
      18,785,863  
   

 

 

 

TRADING COMPANIES & DISTRIBUTORS–1.6%

   

Herc Holdings, Inc.

    79,930       10,938,421  
   

 

 

 
      173,106,234  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–20.1%

   

BANKS–10.5%

   

BankUnited, Inc.

    152,861       3,294,155  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

Comerica, Inc.

    200,713     $ 8,502,203  

First BanCorp./Puerto Rico

    678,544       8,291,808  

First Citizens BancShares, Inc./NC–Class A

    8,580       11,012,001  

First Hawaiian, Inc.

    433,638       7,809,820  

Synovus Financial Corp.

    183,872       5,562,128  

Texas Capital Bancshares, Inc.(b)

    141,452       7,284,778  

Webster Financial Corp.

    160,029       6,041,095  

Wintrust Financial Corp.

    115,270       8,370,907  

Zions Bancorp NA(a)

    205,418       5,517,527  
   

 

 

 
      71,686,422  
   

 

 

 

CAPITAL MARKETS–3.5%

   

Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

    61,770       8,524,878  

Moelis & Co.–Class A(a)

    141,937       6,435,423  

Stifel Financial Corp.

    149,587       8,925,856  
   

 

 

 
      23,886,157  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–6.1%

   

American Financial Group, Inc./OH

    61,860       7,345,875  

Everest Re Group Ltd.

    29,457       10,070,170  

Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (The)

    57,790       6,532,004  

Kemper Corp.

    116,460       5,620,360  

Reinsurance Group of America, Inc.

    42,847       5,942,450  

Selective Insurance Group, Inc.

    59,395       5,698,950  
   

 

 

 
      41,209,809  
   

 

 

 
      136,782,388  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–15.1%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–1.6%

   

Dana, Inc.

    300,675       5,111,475  

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (The)(b)

    439,420       6,011,265  
   

 

 

 
      11,122,740  
   

 

 

 

DIVERSIFIED CONSUMER SERVICES–1.1%

   

ADT, Inc.

    1,230,393       7,419,270  
   

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–3.1%

   

Dine Brands Global, Inc.(a)

    109,780       6,370,533  

Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc.(b)

    211,710       9,620,103  

Papa John’s International, Inc.(a)

    73,482       5,425,176  
   

 

 

 
      21,415,812  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–2.6%

   

PulteGroup, Inc.

    136,910       10,635,169  

Taylor Morrison Home Corp.(b)

    140,859       6,869,693  
   

 

 

 
      17,504,862  
   

 

 

 

 

3


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

SPECIALTY RETAIL–2.8%

   

Bath & Body Works, Inc.

    192,210     $ 7,207,875  

Sally Beauty Holdings, Inc.(b)

    442,040       5,459,194  

Williams-Sonoma, Inc.(a)

    51,469       6,440,831  
   

 

 

 
      19,107,900  
   

 

 

 

TEXTILES, APPAREL & LUXURY GOODS–3.9%

   

PVH Corp.

    113,170       9,616,055  

Ralph Lauren Corp.

    73,190       9,024,327  

Tapestry, Inc.

    180,990       7,746,372  
   

 

 

 
      26,386,754  
   

 

 

 
      102,957,338  
   

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–10.9%

   

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT–1.1%

   

Lumentum Holdings, Inc.(a)(b)

    132,870       7,537,715  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–2.6%

   

Avnet, Inc.

    186,010       9,384,205  

Belden, Inc.

    85,314       8,160,284  
   

 

 

 
      17,544,489  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–4.3%

   

Amkor Technology, Inc.

    252,468       7,510,923  

FormFactor, Inc.(b)

    239,050       8,180,291  

Kulicke & Soffa Industries, Inc.

    116,158       6,905,593  

Synaptics, Inc.(b)

    76,067       6,494,601  
   

 

 

 
      29,091,408  
   

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–2.9%

   

ACI Worldwide, Inc.(b)

    249,840       5,788,793  

CommVault Systems, Inc.(b)

    110,676       8,037,291  

Gen Digital, Inc.

    342,870       6,360,238  
   

 

 

 
      20,186,322  
   

 

 

 
      74,359,934  
   

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE–6.4%

   

DIVERSIFIED REITS–0.8%

   

Broadstone Net Lease, Inc.–Class A

    337,471       5,210,552  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE REITs–1.1%

   

Physicians Realty Trust

    522,491       7,309,649  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL REITs–2.1%

   

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.

    86,201       4,537,621  

STAG Industrial, Inc.

    274,898       9,863,340  
   

 

 

 
      14,400,961  
   

 

 

 

RESIDENTIAL REITs–1.1%

   

Apartment Income REIT Corp.

    216,992       7,831,242  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

SPECIALIZED REITs–1.3%

   

CubeSmart

    195,432     $ 8,727,993  
   

 

 

 
      43,480,397  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–6.0%

   

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–3.6%

   

Avantor, Inc.(b)

    343,730       7,060,214  

Envista Holdings Corp.(b)

    288,770       9,771,977  

Integra LifeSciences Holdings Corp.(b)

    189,200       7,781,796  
   

 

 

 
      24,613,987  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–2.4%

   

Acadia Healthcare Co., Inc.(b)

    111,380       8,870,303  

Pediatrix Medical Group, Inc.(b)

    507,880       7,216,975  
   

 

 

 
      16,087,278  
   

 

 

 
      40,701,265  
   

 

 

 

ENERGY–4.9%

   

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES–1.3%

   

ChampionX Corp.

    271,960       8,441,638  
   

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–3.6%

   

Cameco Corp.

    337,040       10,559,463  

HF Sinclair Corp.

    127,785       5,700,489  

Magnolia Oil & Gas Corp.–Class A

    394,862       8,252,616  
   

 

 

 
      24,512,568  
   

 

 

 
      32,954,206  
   

 

 

 

MATERIALS–4.1%

   

CHEMICALS–1.0%

   

Huntsman Corp.

    258,370       6,981,158  
   

 

 

 

CONTAINERS & PACKAGING–1.7%

   

Berry Global Group, Inc.

    179,150       11,526,511  
   

 

 

 

METALS & MINING–1.4%

   

ATI, Inc.(b)

    212,771       9,410,861  
   

 

 

 
      27,918,530  
   

 

 

 

UTILITIES–2.8%

   

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–2.8%

   

IDACORP, Inc.

    100,314       10,292,217  

Portland General Electric Co.

    190,770       8,933,759  
   

 

 

 
      19,225,976  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–2.1%

   

FOOD PRODUCTS–2.1%

   

Hain Celestial Group, Inc. (The)(b)

    463,014       5,792,305  

Nomad Foods Ltd.(b)

    487,262       8,536,830  
   

 

 

 
      14,329,135  
   

 

 

 

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

COMMUNICATION SERVICES–1.3%

   

MEDIA–1.3%

   

Criteo SA (Sponsored ADR)(b)

    262,829     $ 8,867,850  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $613,214,197)

      674,683,253  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–0.5%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–0.5%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB,
5.02%(c)(d)(e)
(cost $3,272,903)

    3,272,903       3,272,903  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITY LENDING COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–99.6%
(cost $616,487,100)

      677,956,156  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES
LOANED–0.8%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–0.8%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB,
5.02%(c)(d)(e)
(cost $5,694,164)

    5,694,164     $ 5,694,164  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–100.4%
(cost $622,181,264)

      683,650,320  

Other assets less liabilities–(0.4)%

      (2,616,820
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 681,033,500  
   

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(b)   Non-income producing security.

 

(c)   Affiliated investments.

 

(d)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(e)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust

See notes to financial statements.

 

5


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $613,214,197)

   $ 674,683,253 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $8,967,067—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $5,694,164)

     8,967,067  

Cash

     58  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     3,466,158  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     781,969  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     118,843  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     27,581  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     688,044,929  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     5,694,164  

Advisory fee payable

     436,797  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     326,877  

Payable for investment securities purchased

     251,815  

Distribution fee payable

     95,283  

Administrative fee payable

     21,835  

Directors’ fees payable

     428  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     150  

Accrued expenses

     184,080  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     7,011,429  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 681,033,500  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 38,714  

Additional paid-in capital

     545,798,395  

Distributable earnings

     135,196,391  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 681,033,500  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class

     Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $   237,127,541          13,344,970        $   17.77  
B      $ 443,905,959          25,368,555        $ 17.50  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $32,361,633 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

6


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $19,107)

   $ 4,958,009  

Affiliated issuers

     120,253  

Interest

     81  

Securities lending income

     35,529  
  

 

 

 
     5,113,872  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     2,526,050  

Distribution fee—Class B

     548,668  

Transfer agency—Class A

     1,140  

Transfer agency—Class B

     2,134  

Administrative

     47,445  

Custody and accounting

     47,029  

Legal

     31,374  

Audit and tax

     23,441  

Printing

     19,154  

Directors’ fees

     13,215  

Miscellaneous

     13,594  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     3,273,244  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (2,714
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     3,270,530  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     1,843,342  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain (loss) on:

  

Investment transactions

     11,858,711  

Foreign currency transactions

     (652

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     30,580,479  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     42,438,538  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 44,281,880  
  

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


 
DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment income

   $ 1,843,342     $ 5,968,602  

Net realized gain on investment transactions

     11,858,059       56,176,032  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     30,580,479       (192,080,807
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     44,281,880       (129,936,173

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Class A

     –0 –      (39,063,484

Class B

     –0 –      (74,247,640

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (22,920,244     52,787,833  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     21,361,636       (190,459,464

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     659,671,864       850,131,328  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 681,033,500     $ 659,671,864  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

8


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Discovery Value Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) (formerly known as AB Small/Mid Cap Value Portfolio) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

9


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

       Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities:

             

Assets:

 

Common Stocks(a)

     $ 674,683,253      $             –0 –     $             –0 –     $ 674,683,253  

Short-Term Investments

       3,272,903        –0 –       –0 –       3,272,903  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

       5,694,164        –0 –       –0 –       5,694,164  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

       683,650,320        –0 –       –0 –       683,650,320  

Other Financial Instruments(b)

       –0 –       –0 –       –0 –       –0 – 
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     $ 683,650,320      $ –0 –     $ –0 –     $ 683,650,320  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a)   See Portfolio of Investments for sector classifications.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .75% of the first $2.5 billion, .65% of the next $2.5 billion and .60% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. The Adviser has agreed to waive its fees and bear certain expenses to the extent necessary to limit total operating expenses on an annual basis (the “Expense Caps”) to 1.20% and 1.45% of daily average net assets for Class A and Class B shares, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, there were no expenses waived by the Adviser.

 

11


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,445.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $2,474.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
     Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 4,206      $ 66,292      $ 67,225      $ 3,273      $ 120  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     207        31,415        25,928        5,694        11  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

            $ 8,967      $ 131  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 151,488,165      $ 173,519,603  

U.S. government securities

       –0 –       –0 – 

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 115,311,073  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (53,842,017
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 61,469,056  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The Portfolio did not engage in derivatives transactions for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

 

13


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Market Value of

Securities

on Loan*

 

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of

Non-Cash

Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

  Government Money Market  
Portfolio

 
  Income
Earned
    Advisory Fee
Waived
 
$32,361,633   $ 5,694,164     $ 27,673,260     $ 24,179     $ 11,350     $ 240  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

         

Shares sold

    711,293       914,008       $ 12,090,087     $ 18,069,372  

Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      2,264,550         –0 –      39,063,484  

Shares redeemed

    (1,116,216     (1,637,209       (18,707,826     (32,043,197
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (404,923     1,541,349       $ (6,617,739   $ 25,089,659  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

         

Shares sold

    993,816       1,801,924       $ 16,614,942     $ 35,459,120  

Shares issued on reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      4,359,814         –0 –      74,247,640  

Shares redeemed

    (1,924,460     (4,193,215       (32,917,447     (82,008,586
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (930,644     1,968,523       $ (16,302,505   $ 27,698,174  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 72% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing 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- and mid-capitalization companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce its returns.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counter-

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

party (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

 

15


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

       2022        2021  

Distributions paid from:

         

Ordinary income

     $ 53,540,355        $ 5,227,027  

Net long-term capital gains

       59,770,769          –0 – 
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

     $ 113,311,124        $ 5,227,027  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

   $ 10,056,569  

Undistributed capital gains

     52,655,176  

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     28,202,767 (a) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ 90,914,512  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)—Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

16


 
DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $16.62       $23.46       $17.39       $17.91       $16.93       $21.68  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .06       .19       .21       .17       .16       .13  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    1.09       (3.74     6.03       .20       3.04       (3.04
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.15       (3.55     6.24       .37       3.20       (2.91
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.22     (.17     (.16     (.11     (.11

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (3.07     –0 –      (.73     (2.11     (1.73
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (3.29     (.17     (.89     (2.22     (1.84
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $17.77       $16.62       $23.46       $17.39       $17.91       $16.93  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    6.92     (15.63 )%      35.95     3.37     20.10     (15.03 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $237,128       $228,586       $286,390       $222,441       $211,046       $188,052  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements

    .81 %^      .80     .80     .83     .82     .81

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements

    .81 %^      .80     .80     .83     .83     .81

Net investment income(b)

    .71 %^      1.00     .98     1.17     .90     .61

Portfolio turnover rate

    23     42     54     58     33     39

 

 

 

See footnote summary on page 18.

 

17


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $16.39       $23.17       $17.19       $17.72       $16.75       $21.48  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .04       .14       .16       .13       .12       .07  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    1.07       (3.68     5.95       .18       3.02       (3.02
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.11       (3.54     6.11       .31       3.14       (2.95
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.17     (.13     (.11     (.06     (.05

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (3.07     –0 –      (.73     (2.11     (1.73
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (3.24     (.13     (.84     (2.17     (1.78
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $17.50       $16.39       $23.17       $17.19       $17.72       $16.75  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    6.77     (15.82 )%      35.60     3.05     19.90     (15.29 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $443,906       $431,086       $563,741       $432,719       $423,246       $374,941  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements

    1.06 %^      1.05     1.05     1.08     1.07     1.06

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements

    1.06 %^      1.05     1.05     1.08     1.08     1.06

Net investment income(b)

    .46 %^      .74     .73     .91     .65     .36

Portfolio turnover rate.

    23     42     54     58     33     39

 

 

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

*   Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Portfolio resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Portfolio’s performance for the year ended December 31, 2018 by .07%.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

18


 
 
DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

19


 
DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Discovery Value Portfolio (formerly AB Small/Mid Cap Value Portfolio) (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts

 

20


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median and took into account the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with that for another fund advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the

 

21


DISCOVERY VALUE PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The Adviser had agreed to cap the Fund’s expenses, but the directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was currently below the level of the Adviser’s cap. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was equal to a median. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

22


VPS-DV-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


      
GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each classes’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
    Total
Expenses Paid
During Period+
     Total
Annualized
Expense Ratio+
 

Class A

                

Actual

   $   1,000      $   1,092.20      $   2.44        0.47   $   2.59        0.50

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,022.46      $ 2.36        0.47   $ 2.51        0.50
                

Class B

                

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,090.20      $ 3.94        0.76   $ 4.09        0.79

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,021.03      $ 3.81        0.76   $ 3.96        0.79

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

+   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fund fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees and expenses from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios acquired fund fees and expenses. The Portfolio’s total expenses are equal to the classes’ annualized expense ratio plus the Portfolio’s pro-rata share of the weighted average expense ratio of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios in which it invests, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

1


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
SECURITY TYPE BREAKDOWN1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

SECURITY TYPE    U.S.$ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Common Stocks

   $ 566,237,542          72.5

Purchased Options—Puts

     508,836          0.1  

Short-Term Investments

     213,952,918          27.4  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   780,699,296          100.0

COUNTRY BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

COUNTRY    U.S.$ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

United States

   $ 411,426,610          52.7

Japan

     37,128,552          4.8  

United Kingdom

     21,540,591          2.8  

France

     19,197,172          2.4  

Germany

     14,166,394          1.8  

Australia

     12,978,478          1.7  

Switzerland

     10,120,178          1.3  

Netherlands

     7,215,615          0.9  

Denmark

     5,060,347          0.6  

Sweden

     4,933,782          0.6  

Spain

     4,192,464          0.5  

Hong Kong

     3,825,051          0.5  

Italy

     3,599,864          0.5  

Other

     11,361,280          1.5  

Short-Term Investments

     213,952,918          27.4  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   780,699,296          100.0

 

 

 

1   The Portfolio’s security type breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivatives transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purpose (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

 

2   The Portfolio’s country breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivatives transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purpose (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details). “Other” country weightings represent 0.3% or less in the following: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Finland, Ireland, Israel, Jordan, Luxembourg, Macau, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa and South Korea.

 

2


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

COMMON STOCKS–69.9%

   
   

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–15.7%

   

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT–0.5%

   

Arista Networks, Inc.(a)

    2,696     $ 436,914  

Cisco Systems, Inc.

    44,227       2,288,305  

F5, Inc.(a)

    653       95,508  

Juniper Networks, Inc.

    3,473       108,809  

Motorola Solutions, Inc.

    1,811       531,130  

Nokia Oyj

    55,560       232,788  

Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson–Class B

    30,232       164,260  
   

 

 

 
      3,857,714  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS &
COMPONENTS–0.6%

   

Amphenol Corp.–Class A

    6,428       546,059  

Azbil Corp.

    1,243       39,341  

CDW Corp./DE

    1,455       266,992  

Corning, Inc.

    8,262       289,500  

Halma PLC

    4,008       116,013  

Hamamatsu Photonics KK

    1,510       74,131  

Hexagon AB–Class B

    21,950       269,992  

Hirose Electric Co., Ltd.

    326       43,402  

Ibiden Co., Ltd.

    1,205       68,561  

Keyence Corp.

    2,058       977,872  

Keysight Technologies, Inc.(a)

    1,924       322,174  

Kyocera Corp.

    3,417       185,755  

Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

    6,138       352,572  

Omron Corp.

    1,854       113,839  

Shimadzu Corp.

    2,567       79,342  

TDK Corp.

    4,191       163,469  

TE Connectivity Ltd.

    3,403       476,964  

Teledyne Technologies, Inc.(a)

    508       208,844  

Trimble, Inc.(a)

    2,675       141,615  

Venture Corp., Ltd.

    2,790       30,461  

Yaskawa Electric Corp.(b)

    2,574       118,669  

Yokogawa Electric Corp.

    2,300       42,576  

Zebra Technologies Corp.–Class A(a)

    555       164,186  
   

 

 

 
      5,092,329  
   

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–0.7%

   

Accenture PLC–Class A

    6,819       2,104,207  

Akamai Technologies, Inc.(a)

    1,643       147,656  

Bechtle AG

    933       37,052  

Capgemini SE

    1,767       334,568  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.–Class A

    5,480     $ 357,734  

DXC Technology Co.(a)

    2,459       65,705  

EPAM Systems, Inc.(a)

    625       140,469  

Fujitsu Ltd.

    1,861       240,967  

Gartner, Inc.(a)

    854       299,165  

International Business Machines Corp.

    9,805       1,312,007  

Itochu Techno-Solutions Corp.

    967       24,504  

NEC Corp.

    2,617       126,957  

Nomura Research Institute Ltd.

    4,139       114,350  

NTT Data Corp.

    6,709       94,066  

Obic Co., Ltd.(b)

    736       118,134  

Otsuka Corp.

    1,284       50,014  

SCSK Corp.

    1,574       24,770  

TIS, Inc.

    2,330       58,379  

VeriSign, Inc.(a)

    978       220,999  

Wix.com Ltd.(a)

    571       44,675  
   

 

 

 
      5,916,378  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–4.4%

   

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(a)

    17,389       1,980,781  

Advantest Corp.

    2,026       272,870  

Analog Devices, Inc.

    5,462       1,064,052  

Applied Materials, Inc.

    9,126       1,319,072  

ASM International NV(b)

    502       213,151  

ASML Holding NV

    4,263       3,092,076  

Broadcom, Inc.

    4,502       3,905,170  

Disco Corp.

    974       154,424  

Enphase Energy, Inc.(a)

    1,480       247,870  

First Solar, Inc.(a)

    1,073       203,967  

Infineon Technologies AG

    13,807       568,603  

Intel Corp.

    45,039       1,506,104  

KLA Corp.

    1,481       718,315  

Lam Research Corp.

    1,451       932,790  

Lasertec Corp.(b)

    797       120,440  

Microchip Technology, Inc.

    5,915       529,925  

Micron Technology, Inc.

    11,817       745,771  

Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.

    486       262,552  

NVIDIA Corp.

    26,705       11,296,749  

NXP Semiconductors NV

    2,805       574,127  

ON Semiconductor Corp.(a)

    4,663       441,027  

Qorvo, Inc.(a)

    1,079       110,090  

QUALCOMM, Inc.

    12,029       1,431,932  

Renesas Electronics Corp.(a)

    13,459       254,002  

Rohm Co., Ltd.

    951       90,083  

 

3


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Skyworks Solutions, Inc.

    1,719     $ 190,276  

SolarEdge Technologies, Inc.(a)

    608       163,582  

STMicroelectronics NV

    7,259       362,031  

SUMCO Corp.(b)

    3,702       52,521  

Teradyne, Inc.

    1,674       186,366  

Texas Instruments, Inc.

    9,801       1,764,376  

Tokyo Electron Ltd.

    4,738       682,407  

Tower Semiconductor Ltd.(a)

    1,221       45,103  
   

 

 

 
      35,482,605  
   

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–5.5%

   

Adobe, Inc.(a)

    4,953       2,421,967  

ANSYS, Inc.(a)

    936       309,133  

Autodesk, Inc.(a)

    2,312       473,058  

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.(a)

    2,944       690,427  

Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.(a)

    1,022       128,384  

CyberArk Software Ltd.(a)

    434       67,847  

Dassault Systemes SE

    7,073       313,411  

Fair Isaac Corp.(a)

    270       218,487  

Fortinet, Inc.(a)

    7,037       531,927  

Gen Digital, Inc.

    6,142       113,934  

Intuit, Inc.

    3,029       1,387,858  

Microsoft Corp.

    80,289       27,341,616  

Monday.com Ltd.(a)

    202       34,586  

Nemetschek SE

    648       48,378  

Nice Ltd.(a)

    687       141,396  

Oracle Corp.

    16,617       1,978,919  

Oracle Corp. Japan(b)

    456       33,914  

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(a)

    3,268       835,007  

PTC, Inc.(a)

    1,150       163,645  

Roper Technologies, Inc.

    1,151       553,401  

Sage Group PLC (The)

    10,307       121,075  

Salesforce, Inc.(a)

    10,572       2,233,441  

SAP SE

    11,041       1,508,283  

ServiceNow, Inc.(a)

    2,200       1,236,334  

Synopsys, Inc.(a)

    1,645       716,249  

Temenos AG (REG)

    677       53,907  

Trend Micro, Inc./Japan

    1,437       69,560  

Tyler Technologies, Inc.(a)

    453       188,661  

WiseTech Global Ltd.

    1,755       94,135  

Xero Ltd.(a)

    1,518       121,622  
   

 

 

 
      44,130,562  
   

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE, STORAGE & PERIPHERALS–4.0%

   

Apple, Inc.

    159,648       30,966,923  

Brother Industries Ltd.

    2,377       34,791  

Canon, Inc.(b)

    10,505       276,141  

FUJIFILM Holdings Corp.

    3,946       235,115  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.

    13,993     $ 235,082  

HP, Inc.

    9,361       287,476  

Logitech International SA (REG)

    1,739       103,793  

NetApp, Inc.

    2,310       176,484  

Ricoh Co., Ltd.

    5,799       49,418  

Seagate Technology Holdings PLC

    2,080       128,690  

Seiko Epson Corp.

    2,818       43,995  

Western Digital Corp.(a)

    3,455       131,048  
   

 

 

 
      32,668,956  
   

 

 

 
      127,148,544  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–9.9%

   

BANKS–3.4%

   

ABN AMRO Bank NV(c)

    4,207       65,390  

AIB Group PLC

    14,132       59,476  

ANZ Group Holdings Ltd.

    31,754       502,659  

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA

    63,278       486,146  

Banco Santander SA

    173,445       642,117  

Bank Hapoalim BM

    12,904       106,414  

Bank Leumi Le-Israel BM

    15,840       118,699  

Bank of America Corp.

    74,865       2,147,877  

Bank of Ireland Group PLC

    11,086       105,843  

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise (REG)(b)

    363       38,342  

Barclays PLC

    164,047       320,480  

BNP Paribas SA

    11,766       742,505  

BOC Hong Kong Holdings Ltd.

    39,083       119,724  

CaixaBank SA

    43,625       180,708  

Chiba Bank Ltd. (The)

    5,340       32,383  

Citigroup, Inc.

    21,021       967,807  

Citizens Financial Group, Inc.

    5,226       136,294  

Comerica, Inc.

    1,422       60,236  

Commerzbank AG

    10,819       119,938  

Commonwealth Bank of Australia(b)

    17,859       1,195,602  

Concordia Financial Group Ltd.

    10,968       42,883  

Credit Agricole SA

    12,536       148,851  

Danske Bank A/S(a)

    7,184       174,976  

DBS Group Holdings Ltd.

    19,178       447,859  

DNB Bank ASA

    9,637       180,219  

Erste Group Bank AG

    3,629       127,298  

Fifth Third Bancorp

    7,350       192,643  

FinecoBank Banca Fineco SpA

    6,144       82,702  

Hang Seng Bank Ltd.

    8,009       114,173  

HSBC Holdings PLC

    211,230       1,672,484  

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Huntington Bancshares, Inc./OH

    15,588     $ 168,039  

ING Groep NV

    38,268       515,914  

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA

    170,649       447,399  

Israel Discount Bank Ltd.–Class A

    12,463       62,263  

Japan Post Bank Co., Ltd.

    15,605       121,691  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

    31,555       4,589,359  

KBC Group NV

    2,670       186,368  

KeyCorp

    10,099       93,315  

Lloyds Banking Group PLC

    698,140       387,013  

M&T Bank Corp.

    1,791       221,654  

Mediobanca Banca di Credito Finanziario SpA

    5,771       69,093  

Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.

    120,729       889,902  

Mizrahi Tefahot Bank Ltd.

    1,725       57,684  

Mizuho Financial Group, Inc.

    25,504       389,841  

National Australia Bank Ltd.

    33,083       581,859  

NatWest Group PLC

    60,628       185,309  

Nordea Bank Abp (Stockholm)

    34,219       372,737  

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Ltd.

    35,443       322,425  

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)

    4,310       542,844  

Regions Financial Corp.

    10,132       180,552  

Resona Holdings, Inc.

    22,172       106,159  

Shizuoka Financial Group, Inc.

    4,497       32,489  

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB–Class A

    16,831       186,155  

Societe Generale SA

    7,691       200,014  

Standard Chartered PLC

    25,196       219,207  

Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc.

    13,849       593,560  

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings, Inc.

    3,559       126,258  

Svenska Handelsbanken AB–Class A

    15,192       127,191  

Swedbank AB–Class A

    8,976       151,480  

Truist Financial Corp.

    14,382       436,494  

UniCredit SpA

    19,493       453,282  

United Overseas Bank Ltd.

    13,375       277,548  

US Bancorp

    15,063       497,682  

Wells Fargo & Co.

    40,517       1,729,266  

Westpac Banking Corp.

    37,102       528,281  

Zions Bancorp NA

    1,599       42,949  
   

 

 

 
      27,426,004  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

CAPITAL MARKETS–1.8%

   

3i Group PLC

    10,347     $ 256,471  

Abrdn PLC

    19,986       55,501  

Ameriprise Financial, Inc.

    1,125       373,680  

Amundi SA(c)

    691       40,823  

ASX Ltd.(b)

    2,054       86,438  

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (The)

    7,754       345,208  

BlackRock, Inc.

    1,617       1,117,573  

Cboe Global Markets, Inc.

    1,140       157,331  

Charles Schwab Corp. (The)

    16,047       909,544  

CME Group, Inc.

    3,884       719,666  

Daiwa Securities Group, Inc.

    13,519       69,664  

Deutsche Bank AG (REG)

    20,492       215,428  

Deutsche Boerse AG

    2,031       374,952  

EQT AB(b)

    3,703       71,289  

Euronext NV(c)

    936       63,662  

FactSet Research Systems, Inc.

    414       165,869  

Franklin Resources, Inc.

    3,083       82,347  

Futu Holdings Ltd. (ADR)(a)(b)

    656       26,069  

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)

    3,590       1,157,919  

Hargreaves Lansdown PLC

    3,584       37,153  

Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd.

    12,730       482,327  

Intercontinental Exchange, Inc.

    6,045       683,569  

Invesco Ltd.

    4,947       83,159  

Japan Exchange Group, Inc.(b)

    5,165       90,380  

Julius Baer Group Ltd.

    2,286       144,264  

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

    4,246       451,916  

Macquarie Group Ltd.

    3,885       462,268  

MarketAxess Holdings, Inc.

    407       106,398  

Moody’s Corp.

    1,704       592,515  

Morgan Stanley

    14,066       1,201,236  

MSCI, Inc.

    865       405,936  

Nasdaq, Inc.

    3,657       182,301  

Nomura Holdings, Inc.

    29,578       112,767  

Northern Trust Corp.

    2,250       166,815  

Partners Group Holding AG

    245       230,996  

Raymond James Financial, Inc.

    2,059       213,662  

S&P Global, Inc.

    3,542       1,419,952  

SBI Holdings, Inc.

    2,467       47,578  

Schroders PLC

    8,348       46,445  

 

5


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Singapore Exchange Ltd.

    8,880     $ 63,236  

St. James’s Place PLC

    5,807       80,308  

State Street Corp.

    3,609       264,107  

T. Rowe Price Group, Inc.

    2,425       271,649  

UBS Group AG (REG)(a)

    33,538       679,770  
   

 

 

 
      14,810,141  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER FINANCE–0.3%

   

American Express Co.

    6,420       1,118,364  

Capital One Financial Corp.

    4,123       450,932  

Discover Financial Services

    2,742       320,403  

Synchrony Financial

    4,628       156,982  
   

 

 

 
      2,046,681  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–2.3%

   

Adyen NV(a)(b)(c)

    233       403,479  

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.–Class B(a)

    19,256       6,566,296  

Edenred

    2,691       180,255  

Eurazeo SE

    464       32,668  

EXOR NV

    1,169       104,362  

Fidelity National Information Services, Inc.

    6,397       349,916  

Fiserv, Inc.(a)

    6,666       840,916  

FleetCor Technologies, Inc.(a)

    797       200,111  

Global Payments, Inc.

    2,829       278,713  

GMO Payment Gateway, Inc.

    481       37,729  

Groupe Bruxelles Lambert NV

    1,090       85,929  

Industrivarden AB–Class A

    1,313       36,415  

Industrivarden AB–Class C(b)

    1,637       45,172  

Investor AB–Class A

    4,614       92,341  

Investor AB–Class B

    18,300       366,093  

Jack Henry & Associates, Inc.

    787       131,689  

Kinnevik AB–Class B(a)(b)

    2,439       33,833  

L E Lundbergforetagen AB–Class B

    871       37,091  

M&G PLC

    22,056       53,677  

Mastercard, Inc.–Class A

    9,035       3,553,465  

Mitsubishi HC Capital, Inc.

    9,305       55,248  

Nexi SpA(a)(b)(c)

    6,113       47,961  

ORIX Corp.

    12,381       225,782  

PayPal Holdings, Inc.(a)

    12,048       803,963  

Sofina SA(b)

    177       36,696  

Visa, Inc.–Class A

    17,474       4,149,725  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Wendel SE

    317     $ 32,558  

Wise PLC–Class A(a)

    6,500       54,331  

Worldline SA/France(a)(c)

    2,518       92,209  
   

 

 

 
      18,928,623  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–2.1%

   

Admiral Group PLC

    2,244       59,429  

Aegon NV(b)

    16,934       85,964  

Aflac, Inc.

    5,937       414,403  

Ageas SA/NV

    1,677       67,984  

AIA Group Ltd.

    123,105       1,250,316  

Allianz SE (REG)

    4,265       993,420  

Allstate Corp. (The)

    2,838       309,456  

American International Group, Inc.

    7,815       449,675  

Aon PLC–Class A

    2,205       761,166  

Arch Capital Group Ltd.(a)

    4,021       300,972  

Arthur J Gallagher & Co.

    2,313       507,865  

Assicurazioni Generali SpA

    10,716       217,920  

Assurant, Inc.

    574       72,163  

Aviva PLC

    29,197       146,897  

AXA SA

    19,396       573,178  

Baloise Holding AG (REG)

    490       72,075  

Brown & Brown, Inc.

    2,542       174,991  

Chubb Ltd.

    4,472       861,128  

Cincinnati Financial Corp.

    1,698       165,249  

Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc.

    9,921       188,696  

Everest Re Group Ltd.

    463       158,281  

Gjensidige Forsikring ASA

    2,015       32,280  

Globe Life, Inc.

    960       105,235  

Hannover Rueck SE

    641       136,083  

Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc. (The)

    3,350       241,267  

Helvetia Holding AG (REG)

    393       53,265  

Insurance Australia Group Ltd.

    24,836       94,448  

Japan Post Holdings Co., Ltd.

    23,203       166,766  

Japan Post Insurance Co., Ltd.

    2,013       30,253  

Legal & General Group PLC

    61,865       179,118  

Lincoln National Corp.

    1,666       42,916  

Loews Corp.

    2,043       121,313  

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc.

    5,342       1,004,723  

Medibank Pvt Ltd.

    27,747       65,177  

MetLife, Inc.

    6,946       392,657  

MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, Inc.

    4,612       163,322  

 

6


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Muenchener Rueckversicherungs-Gesellschaft AG in Muenchen (REG)

    1,481     $ 555,986  

NN Group NV

    2,651       98,134  

Phoenix Group Holdings PLC

    7,768       52,558  

Poste Italiane SpA(b)(c)

    5,263       57,014  

Principal Financial Group, Inc.

    2,438       184,898  

Progressive Corp. (The)

    6,321       836,711  

Prudential Financial, Inc.

    3,941       347,675  

Prudential PLC

    29,109       411,118  

QBE Insurance Group Ltd.

    15,464       161,457  

Sampo Oyj–Class A

    4,862       218,364  

Sompo Holdings, Inc.

    3,390       152,107  

Suncorp Group Ltd.

    13,390       120,312  

Swiss Life Holding AG (REG)

    326       190,934  

Swiss Re AG

    3,206       323,046  

T&D Holdings, Inc.(b)

    4,974       72,948  

Talanx AG(a)

    670       38,465  

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

    19,055       439,286  

Travelers Cos., Inc. (The)

    2,494       433,108  

Tryg A/S

    3,843       83,224  

Willis Towers Watson PLC

    1,149       270,590  

WR Berkley Corp.

    2,168       129,126  

Zurich Insurance Group AG

    1,592       757,296  
   

 

 

 
      16,594,408  
   

 

 

 
      79,805,857  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–9.3%

   

BIOTECHNOLOGY–1.1%

   

AbbVie, Inc.

    19,051       2,566,741  

Amgen, Inc.

    5,770       1,281,055  

Argenx SE(a)

    591       229,197  

Biogen, Inc.(a)

    1,563       445,221  

CSL Ltd.

    5,100       944,412  

Genmab A/S(a)

    703       266,407  

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

    13,469       1,038,056  

Grifols SA(a)(b)

    3,005       38,551  

Incyte Corp.(a)

    1,999       124,438  

Moderna, Inc.(a)

    3,540       430,110  

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

    1,165       837,099  

Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB(a)(b)

    1,717       33,559  

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

    2,781       978,662  
   

 

 

 
      9,213,508  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–1.9%

   

Abbott Laboratories

    18,777       2,047,068  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Alcon, Inc.

    5,314     $ 440,862  

Align Technology, Inc.(a)

    768       271,595  

Asahi Intecc Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,189       43,097  

Baxter International, Inc.

    5,462       248,849  

Becton Dickinson & Co.

    3,067       809,719  

BioMerieux

    475       49,874  

Boston Scientific Corp.(a)

    15,524       839,693  

Carl Zeiss Meditec AG

    450       48,665  

Cochlear Ltd.

    695       106,480  

Coloplast A/S–Class B

    1,275       159,549  

Cooper Cos., Inc. (The)

    534       204,752  

Demant A/S(a)

    964       40,803  

DENTSPLY SIRONA, Inc.

    2,294       91,806  

Dexcom, Inc.(a)

    4,186       537,943  

DiaSorin SpA(b)

    292       30,417  

Edwards Lifesciences Corp.(a)

    6,546       617,484  

EssilorLuxottica SA

    3,094       583,436  

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp., Ltd.

    6,105       91,927  

GE Healthcare, Inc.(a)

    3,928       319,111  

Getinge AB–Class B

    2,520       44,210  

Hologic, Inc.(a)

    2,658       215,218  

Hoya Corp.

    3,805       455,330  

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(a)

    896       449,998  

Insulet Corp.(a)

    753       217,120  

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a)

    3,784       1,293,901  

Koninklijke Philips NV

    9,704       210,263  

Medtronic PLC

    14,366       1,265,645  

Olympus Corp.

    12,496       197,754  

ResMed, Inc.

    1,587       346,759  

Siemens Healthineers AG(c)

    3,007       170,423  

Smith & Nephew PLC

    9,172       147,975  

Sonova Holding AG (REG)

    556       148,361  

STERIS PLC

    1,072       241,179  

Straumann Holding AG (REG)

    1,185       192,688  

Stryker Corp.

    3,648       1,112,968  

Sysmex Corp.

    1,777       121,719  

Teleflex, Inc.

    507       122,709  

Terumo Corp.

    7,115       226,610  

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.

    2,252       327,891  
   

 

 

 
      15,091,851  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–1.5%

   

AmerisourceBergen Corp.

    1,749       336,560  

Amplifon SpA(b)

    1,382       50,691  

Cardinal Health, Inc.

    2,749       259,973  

Centene Corp.(a)

    5,926       399,709  

 

7


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Cigna Group (The)

    3,195     $ 896,517  

CVS Health Corp.

    13,843       956,967  

DaVita, Inc.(a)

    597       59,981  

EBOS Group Ltd.(b)

    1,688       38,140  

Elevance Health, Inc.

    2,560       1,137,382  

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

    2,193       104,806  

Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

    4,406       122,208  

HCA Healthcare, Inc.

    2,228       676,153  

Henry Schein, Inc.(a)

    1,415       114,756  

Humana, Inc.

    1,349       603,178  

Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings

    957       230,953  

McKesson Corp.

    1,464       625,582  

Molina Healthcare, Inc.(a)

    630       189,781  

Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

    1,209       169,937  

Ramsay Health Care Ltd.(b)

    1,960       73,638  

Sonic Healthcare Ltd.

    4,801       114,176  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

    10,053       4,831,874  

Universal Health Services, Inc.–Class B

    680       107,284  
   

 

 

 
      12,100,246  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE TECHNOLOGY–0.0%

   

M3, Inc.

    4,607       100,454  
   

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES TOOLS & SERVICES–0.9%

   

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

    3,193       383,958  

Bachem Holding AG (REG)(b)

    393       34,315  

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.–Class A(a)

    230       87,198  

Bio-Techne Corp.

    1,700       138,771  

Charles River Laboratories International, Inc.(a)

    553       116,268  

Danaher Corp.

    7,171       1,721,040  

Eurofins Scientific SE

    1,485       94,369  

Illumina, Inc.(a)

    1,707       320,045  

IQVIA Holdings, Inc.(a)

    2,004       450,439  

Lonza Group AG (REG)

    788       470,997  

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.(a)

    238       312,170  

QIAGEN NV(a)

    2,427       109,094  

Revvity, Inc.

    1,355       160,960  

Sartorius AG

    278       96,316  

Sartorius Stedim Biotech

    294       73,428  

Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

    4,165       2,173,089  

Waters Corp.(a)

    637       169,786  

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

    802       306,741  
   

 

 

 
      7,218,984  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

PHARMACEUTICALS–3.9%

   

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

    19,122     $ 284,774  

AstraZeneca PLC

    16,387       2,349,145  

Bayer AG (REG)

    10,423       576,966  

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

    22,685       1,450,706  

Catalent, Inc.(a)

    1,945       84,335  

Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.(b)

    7,154       203,739  

Daiichi Sankyo Co., Ltd.

    19,556       621,377  

Eisai Co., Ltd.

    2,714       183,939  

Eli Lilly & Co.

    8,508       3,990,082  

GSK PLC

    43,295       767,298  

Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC

    1,710       41,151  

Ipsen SA

    431       51,882  

Johnson & Johnson

    28,061       4,644,657  

Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,720       50,416  

Merck & Co., Inc.

    27,399       3,161,571  

Merck KGaA

    1,386       229,424  

Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.

    605       24,753  

Novartis AG (REG)

    21,672       2,184,958  

Novo Nordisk A/S–Class B

    17,503       2,827,429  

Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

    4,103       74,032  

Organon & Co.

    2,754       57,311  

Orion Oyj–Class B

    1,167       48,432  

Otsuka Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

    4,092       150,101  

Pfizer, Inc.

    60,958       2,235,939  

Recordati Industria Chimica e Farmaceutica SpA

    1,163       55,560  

Roche Holding AG (BR)

    339       111,320  

Roche Holding AG (Genusschein)

    7,428       2,269,030  

Sanofi

    12,019       1,293,914  

Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

    2,770       116,837  

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

    16,729       525,668  

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    11,113       83,681  

UCB SA

    1,330       117,916  

Viatris, Inc.

    12,947       129,211  

Zoetis, Inc.

    4,990       859,328  
   

 

 

 
      31,856,882  
   

 

 

 
      75,581,925  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–7.8%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–0.2%

   

Aisin Corp.

    1,484       45,827  

Aptiv PLC(a)

    2,921       298,205  

BorgWarner, Inc.

    2,531       123,791  

Bridgestone Corp.(b)

    6,010       246,901  

 

8


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Cie Generale des Etablissements Michelin SCA

    7,150     $ 211,506  

Continental AG

    1,197       90,434  

Denso Corp.

    4,622       311,764  

Koito Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

    2,104       38,181  

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.

    7,148       87,579  

Valeo

    2,088       44,870  
   

 

 

 
      1,499,058  
   

 

 

 

AUTOMOBILES–1.8%

   

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG

    3,497       430,156  

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (Preference Shares)

    653       74,413  

Dr Ing hc F Porsche AG (Preference Shares)(c)

    1,214       150,814  

Ferrari NV

    1,336       436,802  

Ford Motor Co.

    42,436       642,057  

General Motors Co.

    15,011       578,824  

Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

    16,279       493,154  

Isuzu Motors Ltd.

    5,874       71,259  

Mazda Motor Corp.

    5,729       55,366  

Mercedes-Benz Group AG

    9,049       728,366  

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

    23,388       95,987  

Porsche Automobil Holding SE (Preference Shares)

    1,606       96,793  

Renault SA

    2,081       87,805  

Stellantis NV (Italy)

    23,782       418,107  

Subaru Corp.

    6,506       122,532  

Suzuki Motor Corp.

    3,856       139,829  

Tesla, Inc.(a)

    29,091       7,615,151  

Toyota Motor Corp.(b)

    112,121       1,802,018  

Volkswagen AG

    326       54,490  

Volkswagen AG (Preference Shares)

    2,181       293,285  

Volvo Car AB–Class B(a)(b)

    6,056       24,095  

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.(b)

    3,192       91,764  
   

 

 

 
      14,503,067  
   

 

 

 

BROADLINE RETAIL–1.8%

   

Amazon.com, Inc.(a)

    96,389       12,565,270  

Cie Financiere Richemont SA (REG)

    5,519       937,501  

eBay, Inc.

    5,774       258,040  

Etsy, Inc.(a)

    1,332       112,701  

Next PLC

    1,291       113,203  

Pan Pacific International Holdings Corp.

    4,058       72,678  

Prosus NV(a)

    8,492       621,904  

Rakuten Group, Inc.(b)

    10,095       35,176  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Wesfarmers Ltd.

    12,057     $ 397,511  
   

 

 

 
      15,113,984  
   

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTORS–0.1%

   

D’ieteren Group

    230       40,707  

Genuine Parts Co.

    1,517       256,722  

LKQ Corp.

    2,742       159,776  

Pool Corp.

    422       158,098  
   

 

 

 
      615,303  
   

 

 

 

DIVERSIFIED CONSUMER SERVICES–0.0%

   

IDP Education Ltd.(b)

    2,648       39,214  

Pearson PLC

    6,404       67,138  
   

 

 

 
      106,352  
   

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–1.4%

   

Accor SA

    2,014       74,944  

Amadeus IT Group SA(a)

    4,784       364,303  

Aristocrat Leisure Ltd.

    6,278       162,430  

Booking Holdings, Inc.(a)

    399       1,077,432  

Caesars Entertainment, Inc.(a)

    2,324       118,454  

Carnival Corp.(a)

    10,846       204,230  

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.(a)

    298       637,422  

Compass Group PLC

    18,435       516,237  

Darden Restaurants, Inc.

    1,306       218,207  

Delivery Hero SE(a)(c)

    1,890       83,387  

Domino’s Pizza, Inc.

    382       128,730  

Entain PLC

    6,179       99,913  

Evolution AB(c)

    1,961       248,505  

Expedia Group, Inc.(a)

    1,540       168,461  

Flutter Entertainment PLC(a)

    1,866       375,553  

Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd.(a)

    22,738       144,857  

Genting Singapore Ltd.

    60,925       42,481  

Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc.

    2,857       415,836  

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC

    1,827       126,294  

Just Eat Takeaway.com NV(a)(b)(c)

    2,209       33,861  

La Francaise des Jeux SAEM(c)

    1,096       43,137  

Las Vegas Sands Corp.(a)

    3,549       205,842  

Lottery Corp., Ltd. (The)

    22,425       76,879  

Marriott International, Inc./MD–Class A

    2,784       511,393  

McDonald’s Corp.

    7,884       2,352,664  

McDonald’s Holdings Co. Japan Ltd.(b)

    929       36,118  

MGM Resorts International

    3,261       143,223  

 

9


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.(a)

    4,580     $ 99,707  

Oriental Land Co., Ltd./Japan(b)

    11,536       449,742  

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.(a)

    2,375       246,383  

Sands China Ltd.(a)

    24,462       83,775  

Sodexo SA

    953       104,942  

Starbucks Corp.

    12,379       1,226,264  

Whitbread PLC

    2,170       93,411  

Wynn Resorts Ltd.

    1,118       118,072  

Yum! Brands, Inc.

    3,024       418,975  
   

 

 

 
      11,452,064  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–0.4%

   

Barratt Developments PLC

    10,300       54,134  

Berkeley Group Holdings PLC

    1,131       56,380  

DR Horton, Inc.

    3,351       407,783  

Garmin Ltd.

    1,652       172,287  

Iida Group Holdings Co., Ltd.

    1,483       25,061  

Lennar Corp.–Class A

    2,740       343,349  

Mohawk Industries, Inc.(a)

    571       58,904  

Newell Brands, Inc.

    4,069       35,400  

NVR, Inc.(a)

    33       209,571  

Open House Group Co., Ltd.

    825       29,784  

Panasonic Holdings Corp.

    22,877       280,516  

Persimmon PLC

    3,215       41,891  

PulteGroup, Inc.

    2,410       187,209  

SEB SA

    278       28,749  

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.

    3,800       54,899  

Sekisui House Ltd.

    6,477       130,833  

Sharp Corp./Japan(a)(b)

    2,157       12,095  

Sony Group Corp.

    13,333       1,203,572  

Taylor Wimpey PLC

    36,789       48,061  

Whirlpool Corp.

    591       87,935  
   

 

 

 
      3,468,413  
   

 

 

 

LEISURE PRODUCTS–0.1%

   

Bandai Namco Holdings, Inc.

    6,240       144,502  

Hasbro, Inc.

    1,407       91,131  

Shimano, Inc.(b)

    820       137,274  

Yamaha Corp.(b)

    1,474       56,780  
   

 

 

 
      429,687  
   

 

 

 

SPECIALTY RETAIL–1.2%

   

Advance Auto Parts, Inc.

    642       45,133  

AutoZone, Inc.(a)

    199       496,179  

Bath & Body Works, Inc.

    2,472       92,700  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Best Buy Co., Inc.

    2,101     $ 172,177  

CarMax, Inc.(a)

    1,708       142,959  

Dufry AG (REG)(a)

    1,042       47,528  

Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.

    1,870       479,608  

H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB–Class B

    6,949       119,504  

Home Depot, Inc. (The)

    10,935       3,396,848  

Industria de Diseno Textil SA

    11,528       447,146  

JD Sports Fashion PLC

    25,984       48,268  

Kingfisher PLC

    19,545       57,604  

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

    6,439       1,453,282  

Nitori Holdings Co., Ltd.

    863       96,910  

O’Reilly Automotive, Inc.(a)

    657       627,632  

Ross Stores, Inc.

    3,694       414,208  

TJX Cos., Inc. (The)

    12,434       1,054,279  

Tractor Supply Co.

    1,183       261,561  

Ulta Beauty, Inc.(a)

    541       254,592  

USS Co., Ltd.

    2,202       36,456  

Zalando SE(a)(c)

    2,410       69,502  

ZOZO, Inc.

    1,255       26,034  
   

 

 

 
      9,840,110  
   

 

 

 

TEXTILES, APPAREL & LUXURY GOODS–0.8%

   

adidas AG

    1,717       333,318  

Burberry Group PLC

    4,080       110,092  

Hermes International

    335       728,196  

Kering SA

    793       437,894  

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE

    2,920       2,753,304  

Moncler SpA

    2,183       151,037  

NIKE, Inc.–Class B

    13,304       1,468,362  

Pandora A/S

    987       88,220  

Puma SE

    1,150       69,299  

Ralph Lauren Corp.

    444       54,745  

Swatch Group AG (The)

    313       91,519  

Swatch Group AG (The) (REG)

    610       33,547  

Tapestry, Inc.

    2,503       107,128  

VF Corp.

    3,567       68,094  
   

 

 

 
      6,494,755  
   

 

 

 
      63,522,793  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–7.5%

   

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–1.2%

   

Airbus SE

    6,268       906,238  

Axon Enterprise, Inc.(a)

    758       147,901  

BAE Systems PLC

    31,989       377,190  

Boeing Co. (The)(a)

    6,106       1,289,343  

Dassault Aviation SA

    290       58,102  

Elbit Systems Ltd.

    293       61,329  

General Dynamics Corp.

    2,429       522,599  

Howmet Aerospace, Inc.

    3,972       196,852  

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

    431       98,096  

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Kongsberg Gruppen ASA

    909     $ 41,318  

L3Harris Technologies, Inc.

    2,046       400,545  

Lockheed Martin Corp.

    2,434       1,120,565  

MTU Aero Engines AG

    585       151,731  

Northrop Grumman Corp.

    1,541       702,388  

Raytheon Technologies Corp.

    15,777       1,545,515  

Rheinmetall AG

    472       129,305  

Rolls-Royce Holdings PLC(a)

    87,807       168,853  

Saab AB–Class B

    847       45,853  

Safran SA

    3,645       571,207  

Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd.

    15,730       42,922  

Textron, Inc.

    2,178       147,298  

Thales SA

    1,112       166,610  

TransDigm Group, Inc.

    563       503,418  
   

 

 

 
      9,395,178  
   

 

 

 

AIR FREIGHT & LOGISTICS–0.4%

   

CH Robinson Worldwide, Inc.

    1,257       118,598  

Deutsche Post AG (REG)

    10,641       519,943  

DSV A/S

    1,979       415,672  

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

    1,650       199,865  

FedEx Corp.

    2,497       619,006  

Nippon Express Holdings, Inc.(b)

    767       43,265  

SG Holdings Co., Ltd.

    3,385       48,285  

United Parcel Service, Inc.–Class B

    7,826       1,402,811  

Yamato Holdings Co., Ltd.

    2,936       53,217  
   

 

 

 
      3,420,662  
   

 

 

 

BUILDING PRODUCTS–0.5%

   

A O Smith Corp.

    1,345       97,889  

AGC, Inc.(b)

    2,219       79,831  

ALLEGION PLC

    950       114,019  

Assa Abloy AB–Class B

    10,563       253,902  

Carrier Global Corp.

    9,015       448,136  

Cie de Saint-Gobain

    5,185       315,696  

Daikin Industries Ltd.(b)

    2,790       571,686  

Geberit AG (REG)

    361       189,194  

Johnson Controls International PLC

    7,409       504,849  

Kingspan Group PLC

    1,690       112,493  

Lixil Corp.

    3,018       38,413  

Masco Corp.

    2,431       139,491  

Nibe Industrier AB–Class B

    15,903       151,211  

Otis Worldwide Corp.

    4,463       397,252  

ROCKWOOL A/S–Class B

    103       26,637  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

TOTO Ltd.

    1,426     $ 43,117  

Trane Technologies PLC

    2,463       471,073  

Xinyi Glass Holdings Ltd.

    14,857       23,226  
   

 

 

 
      3,978,115  
   

 

 

 

COMMERCIAL SERVICES & SUPPLIES–0.3%

   

Brambles Ltd.

    14,464       139,080  

Cintas Corp.

    933       463,776  

Copart, Inc.(a)

    4,632       422,485  

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,410       68,457  

Rentokil Initial PLC

    26,643       208,314  

Republic Services, Inc.

    2,220       340,037  

Rollins, Inc.

    2,501       107,118  

Secom Co., Ltd.

    2,267       153,427  

Securitas AB–Class B

    4,956       40,707  

TOPPAN, Inc.

    2,642       57,098  

Waste Management, Inc.

    3,997       693,160  
   

 

 

 
      2,693,659  
   

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING–0.2%

   

ACS Actividades de Construccion y Servicios SA(b)

    2,201       77,396  

Bouygues SA

    2,158       72,495  

Eiffage SA

    777       81,125  

Epiroc AB–Class A

    6,819       129,164  

Epiroc AB–Class B

    3,929       63,593  

Ferrovial SE

    5,384       170,199  

Kajima Corp.

    4,471       67,506  

Obayashi Corp.

    6,542       56,577  

Quanta Services, Inc.

    1,568       308,034  

Shimizu Corp.

    5,561       35,209  

Skanska AB–Class B(b)

    3,427       48,082  

Taisei Corp.

    1,770       61,841  

Vinci SA

    5,658       657,434  
   

 

 

 
      1,828,655  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–0.7%

   

ABB Ltd. (REG)

    16,707       657,267  

AMETEK, Inc.

    2,489       402,919  

Eaton Corp. PLC

    4,304       865,535  

Emerson Electric Co.

    6,171       557,797  

Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

    1,402       61,723  

Generac Holdings, Inc.(a)

    672       100,215  

Legrand SA

    2,866       284,318  

Mitsubishi Electric Corp.

    20,128       284,546  

Nidec Corp.

    4,413       243,180  

Prysmian SpA

    2,709       113,301  

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

    1,240       408,518  

Schneider Electric SE

    5,737       1,042,279  

Siemens Energy AG(a)

    5,452       96,401  

Vestas Wind Systems A/S(a)

    10,754       285,920  
   

 

 

 
      5,403,919  
   

 

 

 

 

11


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

GROUND TRANSPORTATION–0.5%

   

Aurizon Holdings Ltd.

    18,545     $ 48,517  

Central Japan Railway Co.

    1,537       192,573  

CSX Corp.

    21,953       748,597  

East Japan Railway Co.(b)

    3,226       178,893  

Grab Holdings Ltd.–Class A(a)(b)

    19,721       67,643  

Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, Inc.

    2,463       81,437  

JB Hunt Transport Services, Inc.

    895       162,022  

Keio Corp.(b)

    1,175       36,961  

Keisei Electric Railway Co., Ltd.(b)

    1,437       59,563  

Kintetsu Group Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

    1,874       64,901  

MTR Corp., Ltd.

    15,600       71,816  

Norfolk Southern Corp.

    2,458       557,376  

Odakyu Electric Railway Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,970       39,797  

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc.

    971       359,027  

Tobu Railway Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,094       56,147  

Tokyu Corp.(b)

    5,501       66,347  

Union Pacific Corp.

    6,584       1,347,218  

West Japan Railway Co.

    2,337       97,200  
   

 

 

 
      4,236,035  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL CONGLOMERATES–0.8%

   

3M Co.

    5,957       596,236  

CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd.

    27,958       170,637  

DCC PLC

    1,088       60,864  

General Electric Co.

    11,759       1,291,726  

Hikari Tsushin, Inc.

    246       35,309  

Hitachi Ltd.

    9,918       616,667  

Honeywell International, Inc.

    7,185       1,490,887  

Investment AB Latour–Class B(b)

    1,491       29,601  

Jardine Cycle & Carriage Ltd.

    1,023       26,379  

Jardine Matheson Holdings Ltd.

    1,634       82,860  

Keppel Corp., Ltd.

    14,674       73,029  

Lifco AB–Class B

    2,348       51,134  

Siemens AG (REG)

    8,058       1,343,276  

Smiths Group PLC

    3,730       78,038  

Toshiba Corp.(b)

    4,351       136,532  
   

 

 

 
      6,083,175  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–1.4%

   

Alfa Laval AB

    3,094       112,862  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Alstom SA

    3,393     $ 101,284  

Atlas Copco AB–Class A

    28,187       406,932  

Atlas Copco AB–Class B

    16,258       202,712  

Caterpillar, Inc.

    5,565       1,369,268  

CNH Industrial NV

    10,624       153,226  

Cummins, Inc.

    1,529       374,850  

Daifuku Co., Ltd.

    3,087       63,579  

Daimler Truck Holding AG

    5,221       188,176  

Deere & Co.

    2,912       1,179,913  

Dover Corp.

    1,510       222,952  

FANUC Corp.

    10,136       355,831  

Fortive Corp.

    3,818       285,472  

GEA Group AG

    1,650       69,079  

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.

    1,083       30,451  

Hoshizaki Corp.(b)

    1,229       44,124  

Husqvarna AB–Class B(b)

    4,217       38,263  

IDEX Corp.

    816       175,652  

Illinois Tool Works, Inc.

    2,986       746,978  

Indutrade AB

    2,988       67,441  

Ingersoll Rand, Inc.

    4,368       285,492  

Knorr-Bremse AG

    819       62,607  

Komatsu Ltd.

    9,822       265,666  

Kone Oyj–Class B

    3,664       191,424  

Kubota Corp.(b)

    10,703       156,680  

Kurita Water Industries Ltd.(b)

    1,130       43,383  

Makita Corp.(b)

    2,435       68,828  

Metso Oyj

    6,907       83,345  

MINEBEA MITSUMI, Inc.

    3,918       74,311  

MISUMI Group, Inc.

    3,063       61,668  

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.

    3,370       157,397  

NGK Insulators Ltd.

    2,207       26,368  

Nordson Corp.

    581       144,193  

PACCAR, Inc.

    5,643       472,037  

Parker-Hannifin Corp.

    1,385       540,205  

Pentair PLC

    1,781       115,053  

Rational AG

    60       43,446  

Sandvik AB

    11,112       216,953  

Schindler Holding AG

    435       102,141  

Schindler Holding AG (REG)

    268       60,329  

Seatrium Ltd.(a)

    430,453       39,924  

SKF AB–Class B

    3,550       61,861  

SMC Corp.

    608       337,903  

Snap-on, Inc.

    572       164,845  

Spirax-Sarco Engineering PLC

    782       103,071  

Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

    1,654       154,996  

Techtronic Industries Co., Ltd.

    14,362       157,057  

Toyota Industries Corp.

    1,574       112,768  

VAT Group AG(c)

    291       120,536  

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Volvo AB–Class A

    2,017     $ 42,989  

Volvo AB–Class B

    15,883       328,699  

Wartsila OYJ Abp(b)

    4,769       53,775  

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp.

    1,942       212,979  

Xylem, Inc./NY

    2,584       291,010  
   

 

 

 
      11,542,984  
   

 

 

 

MARINE TRANSPORTATION–0.1%

   

AP Moller–Maersk A/S–Class A

    33       57,542  

AP Moller–Maersk A/S–Class B

    55       96,704  

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha Ltd.(b)

    1,458       35,750  

Kuehne & Nagel International AG (REG)

    583       172,700  

Mitsui OSK Lines Ltd.(b)

    3,652       87,864  

Nippon Yusen KK(b)

    5,061       112,398  

SITC International Holdings Co., Ltd.

    13,511       24,741  
   

 

 

 
      587,699  
   

 

 

 

PASSENGER AIRLINES–0.1%

   

Alaska Air Group, Inc.(a)

    1,381       73,441  

American Airlines Group, Inc.(a)

    7,050       126,477  

ANA Holdings, Inc.(a)

    1,610       38,351  

Delta Air Lines, Inc.(a)

    6,940       329,928  

Deutsche Lufthansa AG (REG)(a)

    6,022       61,747  

Japan Airlines Co., Ltd.

    1,453       31,506  

Qantas Airways Ltd.(a)

    9,311       38,586  

Singapore Airlines Ltd.(b)

    13,499       71,518  

Southwest Airlines Co.

    6,426       232,685  

United Airlines Holdings, Inc.(a)

    3,541       194,295  
   

 

 

 
      1,198,534  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–0.7%

   

Adecco Group AG (REG)(b)

    1,749       57,282  

Automatic Data Processing, Inc.

    4,461       980,483  

BayCurrent Consulting, Inc.

    1,376       51,740  

Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

    1,274       211,013  

Bureau Veritas SA

    3,139       86,119  

Ceridian HCM Holding, Inc.(a)

    1,681       112,577  

Computershare Ltd.(b)

    6,064       94,635  

CoStar Group, Inc.(a)

    4,411       392,579  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Equifax, Inc.

    1,324     $ 311,537  

Experian PLC

    9,734       373,600  

Intertek Group PLC

    1,729       93,725  

Jacobs Solutions, Inc.

    1,370       162,879  

Leidos Holdings, Inc.

    1,481       131,039  

Paychex, Inc.

    3,465       387,630  

Paycom Software, Inc.

    525       168,651  

Persol Holdings Co., Ltd.

    1,788       32,359  

Randstad NV

    1,167       61,547  

Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd.

    15,309       488,592  

RELX PLC (London)

    20,099       670,516  

Robert Half International, Inc.

    1,164       87,556  

SGS SA (REG)

    1,585       149,942  

Teleperformance

    630       105,685  

Verisk Analytics, Inc.

    1,563       353,285  

Wolters Kluwer NV

    2,723       345,749  
   

 

 

 
      5,910,720  
   

 

 

 

TRADING COMPANIES & DISTRIBUTORS–0.5%

   

AerCap Holdings NV(a)

    1,742       110,652  

Ashtead Group PLC

    4,681       324,538  

Beijer Ref AB(b)

    3,560       45,474  

Brenntag SE

    1,684       131,382  

Bunzl PLC

    3,534       134,674  

Fastenal Co.

    6,166       363,732  

ITOCHU Corp.

    12,616       501,127  

Marubeni Corp.

    15,894       270,897  

Mitsubishi Corp.

    13,166       636,535  

Mitsui & Co., Ltd.

    13,882       525,403  

MonotaRO Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,525       32,245  

Reece Ltd.(b)

    2,297       28,615  

Sumitomo Corp.

    11,922       252,925  

Toyota Tsusho Corp.

    2,273       113,596  

United Rentals, Inc.

    742       330,465  

WW Grainger, Inc.

    482       380,100  
   

 

 

 
      4,182,360  
   

 

 

 

TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE–0.1%

   

Aena SME SA(c)

    820       132,714  

Aeroports de Paris

    342       49,143  

Auckland International Airport Ltd.(a)

    12,611       66,277  

Getlink SE

    3,780       64,327  

Transurban Group(b)

    32,267       307,226  
   

 

 

 
      619,687  
   

 

 

 
      61,081,382  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–5.4%

   

BEVERAGES–1.2%

 

Anheuser-Busch InBev SA/NV

    9,200       521,432  

Asahi Group Holdings Ltd.(b)

    5,093       197,607  

 

13


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Brown-Forman Corp.–Class B

    1,975     $ 131,891  

Budweiser Brewing Co. APAC Ltd.(c)

    17,346       44,886  

Carlsberg AS–Class B

    1,039       166,376  

Coca-Cola Co. (The)

    42,027       2,530,866  

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners PLC

    2,174       140,071  

Coca-Cola HBC AG(a)

    2,354       70,219  

Constellation Brands, Inc.–Class A

    1,741       428,512  

Davide Campari-Milano NV(b)

    5,266       72,983  

Diageo PLC

    23,839       1,024,861  

Heineken Holding NV

    1,252       108,952  

Heineken NV

    2,764       284,240  

Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc.

    9,095       284,401  

Kirin Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

    8,214       119,946  

Molson Coors Beverage Co.–Class B

    2,027       133,458  

Monster Beverage Corp.(a)

    8,251       473,937  

PepsiCo, Inc.

    14,876       2,755,333  

Pernod Ricard SA

    2,184       482,609  

Remy Cointreau SA

    258       41,414  

Suntory Beverage & Food Ltd.(b)

    1,532       55,538  

Treasury Wine Estates Ltd.

    7,272       54,534  
   

 

 

 
      10,124,066  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL–1.2%

   

Aeon Co., Ltd.

    6,832       139,895  

Carrefour SA

    6,221       117,892  

Coles Group Ltd.

    13,940       171,168  

Costco Wholesale Corp.

    4,789       2,578,302  

Dollar General Corp.

    2,366       401,699  

Dollar Tree, Inc.(a)

    2,245       322,157  

Endeavour Group Ltd./Australia(b)

    14,923       62,806  

HelloFresh SE(a)

    1,664       41,155  

J Sainsbury PLC

    16,153       55,219  

Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA

    3,053       84,106  

Kesko Oyj–Class B

    2,751       51,808  

Kobe Bussan Co., Ltd.

    1,597       41,450  

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV

    10,316       351,704  

Kroger Co. (The)

    7,052       331,444  

MatsukiyoCocokara & Co.

    1,192       66,956  

Ocado Group PLC(a)(b)

    5,923       42,861  

Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd.

    7,944       343,198  

Sysco Corp.

    5,471       405,948  

Target Corp.

    4,984       657,390  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Tesco PLC

    76,139     $ 240,184  

Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc.

    7,733       220,313  

Walmart, Inc.

    15,146       2,380,648  

Welcia Holdings Co., Ltd.

    950       19,788  

Woolworths Group Ltd.

    12,885       341,404  
   

 

 

 
      9,469,495  
   

 

 

 

FOOD PRODUCTS–1.2%

   

Ajinomoto Co., Inc.

    4,841       192,850  

Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.

    5,881       444,368  

Associated British Foods PLC

    3,579       90,631  

Barry Callebaut AG (REG)

    38       73,419  

Bunge Ltd.

    1,626       153,413  

Campbell Soup Co.

    2,167       99,054  

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG

    11       138,303  

Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Spruengli AG (REG)

    2       248,238  

Conagra Brands, Inc.

    5,150       173,658  

Danone SA

    6,834       418,811  

General Mills, Inc.

    6,342       486,431  

Hershey Co. (The)

    1,590       397,023  

Hormel Foods Corp.

    3,128       125,808  

J M Smucker Co. (The)

    1,151       169,968  

JDE Peet’s NV(b)

    1,329       39,533  

Kellogg Co.

    2,776       187,102  

Kerry Group PLC–Class A

    1,700       165,925  

Kikkoman Corp.

    1,435       81,951  

Kraft Heinz Co. (The)

    8,614       305,797  

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc.

    1,573       180,816  

McCormick & Co., Inc./MD

    2,709       236,306  

MEIJI Holdings Co., Ltd.

    2,235       49,910  

Mondelez International, Inc.–Class A

    14,705       1,072,583  

Mowi ASA

    4,647       73,729  

Nestle SA (REG)

    29,075       3,497,476  

Nisshin Seifun Group, Inc.

    1,993       24,635  

Nissin Foods Holdings Co., Ltd.

    690       57,053  

Orkla ASA

    7,567       54,410  

Salmar ASA

    747       30,103  

Tyson Foods, Inc.–Class A

    3,084       157,407  

WH Group Ltd.(c)

    84,024       44,749  

Wilmar International Ltd.

    19,354       54,524  

Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.

    1,381       87,343  
   

 

 

 
      9,613,327  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS–0.8%

   

Church & Dwight Co., Inc.

    2,638       264,407  

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Clorox Co. (The)

    1,335     $ 212,318  

Colgate-Palmolive Co.

    8,958       690,124  

Essity AB–Class B

    6,522       173,692  

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA

    1,131       79,616  

Henkel AG & Co. KGaA (Preference Shares)

    1,790       143,158  

Kimberly-Clark Corp.

    3,643       502,953  

Procter & Gamble Co. (The)

    25,451       3,861,935  

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC

    7,611       571,972  

Unicharm Corp.

    4,352       161,828  
   

 

 

 
      6,662,003  
   

 

 

 

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS–0.5%

   

Beiersdorf AG

    1,065       141,031  

Estee Lauder Cos., Inc. (The)–Class A

    2,504       491,735  

Haleon PLC

    53,298       218,760  

Kao Corp.(b)

    4,903       177,929  

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

    537       29,199  

Kose Corp.

    385       37,010  

L’Oreal SA

    2,547       1,188,115  

Shiseido Co., Ltd.

    4,266       193,377  

Unilever PLC (London)

    26,707       1,390,745  
   

 

 

 
      3,867,901  
   

 

 

 

TOBACCO–0.5%

   

Altria Group, Inc.

    19,275       873,157  

British American Tobacco PLC

    22,469       746,542  

Imperial Brands PLC

    9,372       207,444  

Japan Tobacco, Inc.(b)

    12,661       277,352  

Philip Morris International, Inc.

    16,761       1,636,209  
   

 

 

 
      3,740,704  
   

 

 

 
      43,477,496  
   

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION SERVICES–5.0%

   

DIVERSIFIED TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES–1.0%

   

AT&T, Inc.

    77,195       1,231,260  

BT Group PLC

    73,505       114,384  

Cellnex Telecom SA(a)(c)

    6,007       242,706  

Charter Communications, Inc.–Class A(a)

    1,122       412,189  

Comcast Corp.–Class A

    44,913       1,866,135  

Deutsche Telekom AG (REG)

    34,268       747,677  

Elisa Oyj

    1,530       81,678  

HKT Trust & HKT Ltd.

    38,163       44,436  

Infrastrutture Wireless Italiane SpA(c)

    3,386       44,696  

Koninklijke KPN NV

    32,773       116,999  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.

    317,900     $ 376,173  

Orange SA

    19,686       230,059  

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.

    86,008       159,301  

Spark New Zealand Ltd.

    18,834       58,937  

Swisscom AG (REG)

    278       173,511  

Telecom Italia SpA/Milano(a)(b)

    100,391       28,303  

Telefonica Deutschland Holding AG

    8,740       24,599  

Telefonica SA

    54,139       219,802  

Telenor ASA

    7,049       71,474  

Telia Co. AB

    24,713       54,217  

Telstra Group Ltd.

    42,437       121,739  

Verizon Communications, Inc.

    45,395       1,688,240  

Washington H Soul Pattinson & Co., Ltd.(b)

    2,481       52,669  
   

 

 

 
      8,161,184  
   

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT–0.8%

   

Activision Blizzard, Inc.(a)

    7,725       651,217  

Bollore SE

    8,908       55,553  

Capcom Co., Ltd.

    1,904       75,475  

Electronic Arts, Inc.

    2,813       364,846  

Embracer Group AB(a)(b)

    6,492       16,235  

Koei Tecmo Holdings Co., Ltd.

    1,184       20,509  

Konami Group Corp.

    1,050       55,063  

Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.(a)

    1,554       141,585  

Netflix, Inc.(a)

    4,800       2,114,352  

Nexon Co., Ltd.

    4,129       79,180  

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

    10,985       500,787  

Sea Ltd. (ADR)(a)

    3,914       227,169  

Square Enix Holdings Co., Ltd.

    966       44,946  

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc.(a)

    1,712       251,938  

Toho Co., Ltd./Tokyo

    1,253       47,726  

Universal Music Group NV

    8,662       192,424  

Walt Disney Co. (The)(a)

    19,731       1,761,584  

Warner Bros Discovery, Inc.(a)

    23,938       300,183  
   

 

 

 
      6,900,772  
   

 

 

 

INTERACTIVE MEDIA & SERVICES–2.7%

   

Adevinta ASA(a)

    2,936       19,293  

Alphabet, Inc.–Class A(a)

    64,151       7,678,875  

Alphabet, Inc.–Class C(a)

    55,182       6,675,367  

Auto Trader Group PLC(c)

    9,578       74,369  

 

15


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Match Group, Inc.(a)

    3,007     $ 125,843  

Meta Platforms, Inc.–Class A(a)

    23,887       6,855,091  

REA Group Ltd.(b)

    593       56,965  

Scout24 SE(c)

    842       53,354  

SEEK Ltd.(b)

    3,387       49,479  

Z Holdings Corp.

    26,998       65,068  
   

 

 

 
      21,653,704  
   

 

 

 

MEDIA–0.2%

   

CyberAgent, Inc.(b)

    4,076       29,796  

Dentsu Group, Inc.(b)

    2,179       71,661  

Fox Corp.–Class A

    2,905       98,770  

Fox Corp.–Class B

    1,475       47,038  

Hakuhodo DY Holdings, Inc.

    2,354       24,849  

Informa PLC

    14,381       132,782  

Interpublic Group of Cos., Inc. (The)

    4,168       160,801  

News Corp.–Class A

    4,114       80,223  

News Corp.–Class B

    1,268       25,005  

Omnicom Group, Inc.

    2,154       204,953  

Paramount Global–Class B

    5,475       87,107  

Publicis Groupe SA

    2,461       197,511  

Vivendi SE

    7,323       67,229  

WPP PLC

    10,905       114,304  
   

 

 

 
      1,342,029  
   

 

 

 

WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES–0.3%

   

KDDI Corp.

    15,825       488,725  

SoftBank Corp.

    29,917       319,672  

SoftBank Group Corp.

    10,880       513,096  

T-Mobile US, Inc.(a)

    6,219       863,819  

Tele2 AB–Class B

    5,235       43,295  

Vodafone Group PLC

    242,578       228,710  
   

 

 

 
      2,457,317  
   

 

 

 
      40,515,006  
   

 

 

 

ENERGY–2.9%

   

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES–0.2%

   

Baker Hughes Co.

    10,932       345,560  

Halliburton Co.

    9,742       321,389  

Schlumberger NV

    15,391       756,006  

Tenaris SA

    4,757       71,160  
   

 

 

 
      1,494,115  
   

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–2.7%

   

Aker BP ASA

    3,337       78,291  

Ampol Ltd.

    2,400       47,943  

APA Corp.

    3,332       113,854  

BP PLC

    187,082       1,089,261  

Chevron Corp.

    18,817       2,960,855  

ConocoPhillips

    13,066       1,353,768  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Coterra Energy, Inc.

    8,179     $ 206,929  

Devon Energy Corp.

    6,929       334,948  

Diamondback Energy, Inc.

    1,955       256,809  

ENEOS Holdings, Inc.

    29,445       101,209  

Eni SpA

    24,544       353,345  

EOG Resources, Inc.

    6,315       722,689  

EQT Corp.

    3,905       160,613  

Equinor ASA

    10,006       291,363  

Exxon Mobil Corp.

    43,656       4,682,106  

Galp Energia SGPS SA(b)

    5,050       59,014  

Hess Corp.

    2,984       405,675  

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

    2,100       42,137  

Inpex Corp.(b)

    10,262       112,743  

Kinder Morgan, Inc.

    21,297       366,734  

Marathon Oil Corp.

    6,669       153,520  

Marathon Petroleum Corp.

    4,581       534,145  

Neste Oyj

    4,479       172,456  

Occidental Petroleum Corp.

    7,758       456,170  

OMV AG

    1,582       67,175  

ONEOK, Inc.

    4,832       298,231  

Phillips 66

    4,955       472,608  

Pioneer Natural Resources Co.

    2,524       522,922  

Repsol SA(b)

    13,929       202,583  

Santos Ltd.

    34,905       174,647  

Shell PLC

    72,399       2,159,783  

Targa Resources Corp.

    2,441       185,760  

TotalEnergies SE

    25,013       1,435,862  

Valero Energy Corp.

    3,904       457,939  

Williams Cos., Inc. (The)

    13,154       429,215  

Woodside Energy Group Ltd.

    20,142       465,916  
   

 

 

 
      21,929,218  
   

 

 

 
      23,423,333  
   

 

 

 

MATERIALS–2.8%

   

CHEMICALS–1.5%

   

Air Liquide SA

    5,536       992,799  

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.

    2,399       718,572  

Akzo Nobel NV

    1,802       147,319  

Albemarle Corp.

    1,267       282,655  

Arkema SA

    595       56,106  

Asahi Kasei Corp.

    12,639       85,580  

BASF SE

    9,451       459,160  

Celanese Corp.

    1,081       125,180  

CF Industries Holdings, Inc.

    2,105       146,129  

Chr Hansen Holding A/S

    1,143       79,460  

Clariant AG (REG)(a)

    2,173       31,436  

Corteva, Inc.

    7,676       439,835  

Covestro AG(a)(c)

    2,076       108,020  

Croda International PLC

    1,529       109,300  

Dow, Inc.

    7,638       406,800  

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

DSM-Firmenich AG(a)

    1,877     $ 201,992  

DuPont de Nemours, Inc.

    4,957       354,128  

Eastman Chemical Co.

    1,287       107,748  

Ecolab, Inc.

    2,675       499,396  

EMS-Chemie Holding AG (REG)

    77       58,351  

Evonik Industries AG

    2,112       40,244  

FMC Corp.

    1,350       140,859  

Givaudan SA (REG)

    99       328,377  

ICL Group Ltd.

    7,440       40,836  

IMCD NV(b)

    609       87,642  

International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.

    2,754       219,191  

Johnson Matthey PLC

    1,949       43,267  

JSR Corp.

    1,839       52,846  

Linde PLC

    5,287       2,014,770  

LyondellBasell Industries NV–Class A

    2,740       251,614  

Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.

    12,899       77,583  

Mitsui Chemicals, Inc.

    1,855       54,677  

Mosaic Co. (The)

    3,586       125,510  

Nippon Paint Holdings Co., Ltd.(b)

    10,025       82,967  

Nippon Sanso Holdings Corp.(b)

    1,792       38,933  

Nissan Chemical Corp.

    1,313       56,616  

Nitto Denko Corp.

    1,586       117,722  

Novozymes A/S–Class B

    2,164       100,970  

OCI NV(a)

    1,071       25,724  

Orica Ltd.

    4,655       46,116  

PPG Industries, Inc.

    2,542       376,978  

Sherwin-Williams Co. (The)

    2,534       672,828  

Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.

    19,261       643,663  

Sika AG (REG)

    1,560       446,785  

Solvay SA

    809       90,462  

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

    13,360       40,606  

Symrise AG

    1,425       149,415  

Toray Industries, Inc.

    13,972       77,900  

Tosoh Corp.

    2,620       30,990  

Umicore SA

    2,301       64,334  

Wacker Chemie AG

    193       26,513  

Yara International ASA

    1,775       62,714  
   

 

 

 
      12,039,618  
   

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS–0.2%

   

CRH PLC

    7,888       435,160  

Heidelberg Materials AG

    1,566       128,786  

Holcim AG(a)

    5,907       398,174  

James Hardie Industries PLC(a)

    4,721       125,937  

Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.

    669       308,871  

Vulcan Materials Co.

    1,437       323,957  
   

 

 

 
      1,720,885  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

CONTAINERS & PACKAGING–0.1%

   

Amcor PLC

    15,889     $ 158,572  

Avery Dennison Corp.

    872       149,810  

Ball Corp.

    3,397       197,739  

International Paper Co.

    3,748       119,224  

Packaging Corp. of America

    971       128,327  

Sealed Air Corp.

    1,559       62,360  

SIG Group AG(a)

    3,290       90,892  

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

    2,756       91,982  

Westrock Co.

    2,766       80,408  
   

 

 

 
      1,079,314  
   

 

 

 

METALS & MINING–0.9%

   

Anglo American PLC

    13,499       384,364  

Antofagasta PLC

    3,973       73,884  

ArcelorMittal SA

    5,105       139,286  

BHP Group Ltd.

    53,560       1,610,118  

BlueScope Steel Ltd.

    4,518       62,180  

Boliden AB(a)

    2,899       84,008  

Endeavour Mining PLC

    1,963       47,143  

Fortescue Metals Group Ltd.(b)

    17,540       260,271  

Freeport-McMoRan, Inc.

    15,477       619,080  

Glencore PLC(a)

    112,848       639,834  

IGO Ltd.(b)

    7,059       72,050  

JFE Holdings, Inc.

    4,952       70,796  

Mineral Resources Ltd.(b)

    1,825       87,404  

Newcrest Mining Ltd.

    9,309       166,058  

Newmont Corp. (New York)

    8,581       366,065  

Nippon Steel Corp.

    8,433       176,497  

Norsk Hydro ASA

    13,549       80,769  

Northern Star Resources Ltd.

    12,068       98,316  

Nucor Corp.

    2,713       444,878  

Pilbara Minerals Ltd.(b)

    28,527       93,759  

Rio Tinto Ltd.

    3,945       302,107  

Rio Tinto PLC

    11,903       756,431  

South32 Ltd.

    46,987       118,294  

Steel Dynamics, Inc.

    1,734       188,885  

Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd.

    2,644       85,354  

voestalpine AG

    1,169       42,009  
   

 

 

 
      7,069,840  
   

 

 

 

PAPER & FOREST PRODUCTS–0.1%

   

Holmen AB–Class B

    954       34,287  

Mondi PLC

    4,892       74,634  

Oji Holdings Corp.

    8,176       30,571  

Stora Enso Oyj–Class R

    6,150       71,352  

Svenska Cellulosa AB SCA–Class B(b)

    6,104       77,918  

UPM-Kymmene Oyj

    5,673       169,037  
   

 

 

 
      457,799  
   

 

 

 
      22,367,456  
   

 

 

 

 

17


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

UTILITIES–2.0%

   

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–1.2%

   

Acciona SA(b)

    276     $ 46,862  

Alliant Energy Corp.

    2,715       142,483  

American Electric Power Co., Inc.

    5,559       468,068  

BKW AG

    248       43,846  

Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc.

    6,491       79,187  

CK Infrastructure Holdings Ltd.

    5,927       31,437  

CLP Holdings Ltd.

    17,345       135,093  

Constellation Energy Corp.

    3,503       320,700  

Duke Energy Corp.

    8,322       746,816  

Edison International

    4,135       287,176  

EDP–Energias de Portugal SA

    30,734       150,217  

Elia Group SA/NV

    311       39,514  

Endesa SA(b)

    3,434       73,788  

Enel SpA

    85,991       579,788  

Entergy Corp.

    2,283       222,296  

Evergy, Inc.

    2,480       144,882  

Eversource Energy

    3,767       267,156  

Exelon Corp.

    10,739       437,507  

FirstEnergy Corp.

    5,876       228,459  

Fortum Oyj

    4,474       59,873  

Iberdrola SA

    61,547       803,730  

Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc. (The)(b)

    7,093       88,992  

Mercury NZ Ltd.

    6,864       27,435  

NextEra Energy, Inc.

    21,849       1,621,196  

NRG Energy, Inc.

    2,486       92,952  

Origin Energy Ltd.

    17,744       99,731  

Orsted AS(c)

    2,009       190,458  

PG&E Corp.(a)

    17,456       301,640  

Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

    1,223       99,626  

Power Assets Holdings Ltd.

    13,977       73,372  

PPL Corp.

    7,959       210,595  

Red Electrica Corp. SA(b)

    4,124       69,353  

Southern Co. (The)

    11,774       827,123  

SSE PLC

    11,528       270,332  

Terna–Rete Elettrica Nazionale

    14,764       125,925  

Tokyo Electric Power Co. Holdings, Inc.(a)

    15,381       56,415  

Verbund AG

    742       59,527  

Xcel Energy, Inc.

    5,943       369,476  
   

 

 

 
      9,893,026  
   

 

 

 

GAS UTILITIES–0.1%

   

APA Group

    11,887       76,908  

Atmos Energy Corp.

    1,560       181,490  

Enagas SA(b)

    2,507       49,272  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Hong Kong & China Gas Co., Ltd.

    118,302     $ 102,448  

Naturgy Energy Group SA(b)

    1,300       38,754  

Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.

    3,778       57,909  

Snam SpA(b)

    21,320       111,426  

Tokyo Gas Co., Ltd.

    4,034       88,012  
   

 

 

 
      706,219  
   

 

 

 

INDEPENDENT POWER AND RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY PRODUCERS–0.1%

   

AES Corp. (The)

    7,228       149,836  

Corp. ACCIONA Energias Renovables SA(b)

    682       22,816  

EDP Renovaveis SA(b)

    2,688       53,716  

Meridian Energy Ltd.

    12,972       44,670  

RWE AG

    6,685       291,308  
   

 

 

 
      562,346  
   

 

 

 

MULTI-UTILITIES–0.5%

   

Ameren Corp.

    2,836       231,616  

CenterPoint Energy, Inc.

    6,814       198,628  

Centrica PLC

    60,118       94,790  

CMS Energy Corp.

    3,149       185,004  

Consolidated Edison, Inc.

    3,742       338,277  

Dominion Energy, Inc.

    9,027       467,508  

DTE Energy Co.

    2,226       244,905  

E.ON SE

    23,737       303,226  

Engie SA

    19,310       321,568  

National Grid PLC

    37,538       497,692  

NiSource, Inc.

    4,460       121,981  

Public Service Enterprise Group, Inc.

    5,388       337,343  

Sempra Energy

    3,398       494,715  

Veolia Environnement SA

    7,177       227,191  

WEC Energy Group, Inc.

    3,406       300,545  
   

 

 

 
      4,364,989  
   

 

 

 

WATER UTILITIES–0.1%

   

American Water Works Co., Inc.

    2,102       300,061  

Severn Trent PLC

    2,673       87,140  

United Utilities Group PLC

    6,870       84,003  
   

 

 

 
      471,204  
   

 

 

 
      15,997,784  
   

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE–1.6%

   

DIVERSIFIED REITs–0.0%

   

British Land Co. PLC (The)

    8,871       34,210  

Daiwa House REIT Investment Corp.

    25       47,934  

GPT Group (The)(b)

    19,300       53,405  

Land Securities Group PLC

    7,097       51,892  

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Mirvac Group(b)

    39,723     $ 59,986  

Nomura Real Estate Master Fund, Inc.

    46       53,055  

Stockland

    24,051       64,656  
   

 

 

 
      365,138  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE REITs–0.1%

   

Healthpeak Properties, Inc.

    5,907       118,731  

Ventas, Inc.

    4,320       204,206  

Welltower, Inc.

    5,367       434,137  
   

 

 

 
      757,074  
   

 

 

 

HOTEL & RESORT REITs–0.0%

   

Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.

    7,680       129,254  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL REITs–0.2%

 

CapitaLand Ascendas REIT

    33,812       68,245  

GLP J-Reit(a)

    51       50,304  

Goodman Group

    17,910       240,761  

Mapletree Logistics Trust

    35,327       42,490  

Nippon Prologis REIT, Inc.

    25       50,245  

Prologis, Inc.

    9,972       1,222,866  

Segro PLC

    12,690       115,730  

Warehouses De Pauw CVA

    1,696       46,577  
   

 

 

 
      1,837,218  
   

 

 

 

OFFICE REITs–0.1%

   

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc.

    1,700       192,933  

Boston Properties, Inc.

    1,541       88,746  

Covivio SA/France

    524       24,754  

Dexus

    10,836       56,432  

Gecina SA

    518       55,259  

Japan Real Estate Investment Corp.

    15       57,084  

Nippon Building Fund, Inc.(b)

    18       70,779  
   

 

 

 
      545,987  
   

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT–0.3%

   

Azrieli Group Ltd.

    442       24,971  

Capitaland Investment Ltd./Singapore

    26,947       66,207  

CBRE Group, Inc.–Class A(a)

    3,356       270,863  

City Developments Ltd.

    5,193       25,902  

CK Asset Holdings Ltd.

    20,190       112,191  

Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd.

    659       66,760  

Daiwa House Industry Co., Ltd.

    6,312       166,775  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

ESR Group Ltd.(c)

    19,958     $ 34,373  

Fastighets AB Balder–Class B(a)

    6,354       23,266  

Hang Lung Properties Ltd.

    17,199       26,615  

Henderson Land Development Co., Ltd.

    14,633       43,577  

Hongkong Land Holdings Ltd.

    11,598       45,351  

Hulic Co., Ltd.(b)

    3,868       33,143  

LEG Immobilien SE(a)

    808       46,621  

Lendlease Corp., Ltd.(b)

    6,939       36,003  

Mitsubishi Estate Co., Ltd.

    11,724       139,285  

Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

    9,510       189,548  

New World Development Co., Ltd.

    15,213       37,600  

Nomura Real Estate Holdings, Inc.

    1,195       28,411  

Sagax AB–Class B

    1,934       38,245  

Sino Land Co., Ltd.

    38,832       47,806  

Sumitomo Realty & Development Co., Ltd.

    3,117       77,242  

Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd.

    15,091       190,669  

Swire Pacific Ltd.–Class A

    4,408       33,865  

Swire Properties Ltd.

    11,788       29,044  

Swiss Prime Site AG (REG)

    814       70,709  

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield(a)

    1,282       67,618  

UOL Group Ltd.

    4,678       22,297  

Vonovia SE

    7,549       147,429  

Wharf Real Estate Investment Co., Ltd.

    16,824       84,412  
   

 

 

 
      2,226,798  
   

 

 

 

RESIDENTIAL REITs–0.2%

   

AvalonBay Communities, Inc.

    1,533       290,151  

Camden Property Trust

    1,153       125,527  

Equity Residential

    3,682       242,901  

Essex Property Trust, Inc.

    693       162,370  

Invitation Homes, Inc.

    6,277       215,929  

Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc.

    1,260       191,344  

UDR, Inc.

    3,341       143,529  
   

 

 

 
      1,371,751  
   

 

 

 

RETAIL REITs–0.2%

   

CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust

    53,735       76,150  

Federal Realty Investment Trust

    792       76,642  

Japan Metropolitan Fund Invest

    77       51,519  

 

19


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                           

Kimco Realty Corp.

    6,694     $ 132,006  

Klepierre SA

    2,286       56,794  

Link REIT

    26,342       146,649  

Mapletree Pan Asia Commercial Trust

    21,757       26,174  

Realty Income Corp.

    7,270       434,673  

Regency Centers Corp.

    1,662       102,662  

Scentre Group

    52,294       92,482  

Simon Property Group, Inc.

    3,531       407,760  

Vicinity Ltd.

    38,985       48,011  
   

 

 

 
      1,651,522  
   

 

 

 

SPECIALIZED REITs–0.5%

   

American Tower Corp.

    5,032       975,906  

Crown Castle, Inc.

    4,683       533,581  

Digital Realty Trust, Inc.

    3,146       358,235  

Equinix, Inc.

    1,010       791,780  

Extra Space Storage, Inc.

    1,458       217,023  

Iron Mountain, Inc.

    3,149       178,926  

Public Storage

    1,709       498,823  

SBA Communications Corp.

    1,170       271,159  

VICI Properties, Inc.

    10,844       340,827  

Weyerhaeuser Co.

    7,907       264,964  
   

 

 

 
      4,431,224  
   

 

 

 
      13,315,966  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $559,735,092)

      566,237,542  
   

 

 

 
          Notional
Amount
       
                                                             

PURCHASED OPTIONS–PUTS–0.1%

     

OPTIONS ON INDICES–0.1%

     

Euro STOXX 50 Index
Expiration: Jul 2023; Contracts: 565; Exercise Price: EUR 4,300.00; Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(a)

    EUR       24,295,000       101,727  

FTSE 100 Index
Expiration: Jul 2023; Contracts: 97; Exercise Price: GBP 7,450.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(a)

    GBP       7,226,500       38,497  
Company             
    
Notional
Amount
    U.S. $ Value  
                                                             

Nikkei 225 Index Expiration: Jul 2023; Contracts: 76; Exercise Price: JPY 31,625.00;
Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(a)

    JPY       2,403,500,000     $ 29,232  

S&P 500 Index Expiration: Jul 2023; Contracts: 284; Exercise Price: USD 4,330.00; Counterparty: Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.(a)

    USD       122,972,000       339,380  
     

 

 

 

Total Purchased Options–Puts (premiums paid $1,277,998)

        508,836  
     

 

 

 
    Shares        
                                                           

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–26.4%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–26.4%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $213,952,918)

    213,952,918       213,952,918  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITY LENDING COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–96.4%
(cost $774,966,008)

      780,699,296  
   

 

 

 

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–0.4%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–0.4%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $3,508,670)

    3,508,670       3,508,670  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–96.8%
(cost $778,474,678)

      784,207,966  

Other assets less liabilities–3.2%

      25,999,549  
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 810,207,515  
   

 

 

 

 

20


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

FUTURES (see Note D)

 

Description    Number of
Contracts
    

Expiration

Month

     Current
Notional
     Value and
Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Purchased Contracts

           

10 Yr Canadian Bond Futures

     96        September 2023      $ 8,879,321      $ (79,144

Euro STOXX 50 Index Futures

     160        September 2023        7,729,190        89,997  

Euro-BTP Futures

     135        September 2023          17,104,402        99,604  

Euro-Bund Futures

     39        September 2023        5,691,548        (60,899

Euro-OAT Futures

     71        September 2023        9,947,819        (86,073

FTSE 100 Index Futures

     13        September 2023        1,245,101        (20,762

Long Gilt Futures

     143        September 2023        17,307,424        (209,910

MSCI EAFE Futures

     8        September 2023        862,200        6,862  

MSCI Emerging Markets Futures

     154        September 2023        7,683,830        (86,258

Nikkei 225 (CME) Futures

     29        September 2023        4,857,500        153,658  

OMXS 30 Index Futures

     41        July 2023        880,512        1,198  

S&P 500 E-Mini Futures

     99        September 2023          22,216,838        84,893  

S&P Mid 400 E-Mini Futures

     5        September 2023        1,322,050        31,031  

S&P/TSX 60 Index Futures

     54        September 2023        9,934,614        144,263  

TOPIX Index Futures

     6        September 2023        951,384        30,325  

U.S. T-Note 5 Yr (CBT) Futures

     445        September 2023        47,656,719        (976,951

U.S. T-Note 10 Yr (CBT) Futures

     786        September 2023        88,240,781          (1,560,882)  

U.S. Ultra Bond (CBT) Futures

     115        September 2023        15,665,156        287,284  

Sold Contracts

           

FTSE 100 Index Futures

     33        September 2023        3,160,641        31,363  

Hang Seng Futures

     16        July 2023        1,920,061        (5,544

MSCI Singapore IX ETS Futures

     78        July 2023        1,666,238        (3,489

S&P 500 E-Mini Futures

     174        September 2023        39,047,775        (887,949

SPI 200 Futures

     37        September 2023        4,412,529        (57,375
           

 

 

 
            $   (3,074,758)  
           

 

 

 

FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS (see Note D)

 

Counterparty    Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
     In Exchange
For
(000)
     Settlement
Date
     Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Bank of New York (The)

     CHF        726        USD        801        07/21/2023      $ (11,739

Bank of New York (The)

     USD        9,223        EUR        8,435        07/31/2023        (6,495

Bank of New York (The)

     USD        1,585        AUD        2,309        08/25/2023        (44,482

Barclays Bank PLC

     JPY        408,572        USD        2,940        08/25/2023        86,332  

Citibank, NA

     AUD        13,262        USD        9,044        08/25/2023        196,253  

Deutsche Bank AG

     GBP        14,472        USD        17,998        07/21/2023        (383,350

Deutsche Bank AG

     USD        2,649        CHF        2,360        07/21/2023        (7,896

Deutsche Bank AG

     EUR        7,458        USD        7,983        07/31/2023        (166,187

Deutsche Bank AG

     CAD        1,396        USD        1,055        08/24/2023        475  

Deutsche Bank AG

     CAD        5,330        USD        3,983        08/24/2023        (43,648

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

     EUR        35,844        USD        39,449        07/31/2023        285,964  

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

     JPY        3,640,235        USD        26,459        08/25/2023        1,034,088  

HSBC Bank USA

     USD        4,684        CNH        33,384        07/07/2023        (91,073

HSBC Bank USA

     USD        2,102        GBP        1,649        07/21/2023        (7,702

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     CNH        33,506        USD        4,899        07/07/2023        289,413  

 

21


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Counterparty    Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
     In Exchange
For
(000)
     Settlement
Date
     Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     CHF        10,605        USD        11,884        07/21/2023      $ 16,345  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     NZD        636        USD        392        08/24/2023        1,986  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     NOK        3,521        USD        331        09/13/2023        1,667  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     SEK        48,268        USD        4,506        09/13/2023        16,164  
                 

 

 

 
                  $   1,166,115  
                 

 

 

 

PUT OPTIONS WRITTEN (see Note D)

 

Description   Counterparty     Contracts     Exercise
Price
    Expiration
Month
    Notional
(000)
    Premiums
Received
    U.S. $ Value  

Euro STOXX 50 Index(g)

    Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.       565       EUR       4,100.00       July 2023       EUR       23,165     $ 58,381     $ (27,436

FTSE 100 Index(g)

    Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.       97       GBP       7,100.00       July 2023       GBP       6,887       11,684       (6,467

Nikkei 225 Index(h)

    Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.       76       JPY       30,125.00       July 2023       JPY       2,289,500       73,196       (5,004

S&P 500 Index(i)

    Morgan Stanley & Co., Inc.       284       USD       4,120.00       July 2023       USD       117,008       249,344       (96,560
               

 

 

   

 

 

 
                $   392,605     $   (135,467)  
               

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(c)   Security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A or Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities are considered restricted, but liquid and may be resold in transactions exempt from registration. At June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value of these securities amounted to $2,661,028 or 0.3% of net assets.

 

(d)   Affiliated investments.

 

(e)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

 

(f)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(g)   One contract relates to 10 shares.

 

(h)   One contract relates to 1000 shares.

 

(i)   One contract relates to 100 shares.

Currency Abbreviations:

AUD—Australian Dollar

CAD—Canadian Dollar

CHF—Swiss Franc

CNH—Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Offshore)

EUR—Euro

GBP—Great British Pound

JPY—Japanese Yen

NOK—Norwegian Krone

NZD—New Zealand Dollar

SEK—Swedish Krona

USD—United States Dollar

 

22


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

BTP—Buoni del Tesoro Poliennali

CBT—Chicago Board of Trade

CME—Chicago Mercantile Exchange

EAFE—Europe, Australia, and Far East

ETS—Emission Trading Scheme

FTSE—Financial Times Stock Exchange

MSCI—Morgan Stanley Capital International

OAT—Obligations Assimilables du Trésor

OMXS—Stockholm Stock Exchange

REG—Registered Shares

REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust

SPI—Share Price Index

TOPIX—Tokyo Price Index

TSX—Toronto Stock Exchange

See notes to financial statements.

 

23


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $561,013,090)

   $ 566,746,378 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $217,461,588—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $3,508,670)

     217,461,588  

Cash

     3,561  

Cash collateral due from broker

     9,553,983  

Foreign currencies, at value (cost $18,493,147)

     18,481,301  

Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     1,928,687  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     969,185  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     786,128  

Receivable for variation margin on futures

     369,238  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     13,001  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     816,313,050  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Options written, at value (premiums received $392,605)

     135,467  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     3,508,670  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     853,511  

Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     762,572  

Advisory fee payable

     309,838  

Distribution fee payable

     176,610  

Administrative fee payable

     21,965  

Directors’ fees payable

     629  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     150  

Payable for investment securities purchased and foreign currency transactions

     115  

Accrued expenses

     336,008  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     6,105,535  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 810,207,515  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 72,872  

Additional paid-in capital

     844,277,340  

Accumulated loss

     (34,142,697
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 810,207,515  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $ 12,372          1,100        $ 11.25  
B      $   810,195,143          72,871,055        $   11.12  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $10,974,288 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

24


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $381,017)

   $ 6,215,250  

Affiliated issuers

     5,471,484  

Interest

     231,060  

Securities lending income

     13,467  
  

 

 

 
     11,931,261  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     1,898,240  

Distribution fee—Class B

     1,012,782  

Transfer agency—Class B

     901  

Custody and accounting

     113,804  

Administrative

     47,489  

Audit and tax

     35,859  

Legal

     35,853  

Directors’ fees

     14,222  

Printing

     12,792  

Miscellaneous

     42,927  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     3,214,869  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (130,995
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     3,083,874  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     8,847,387  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain (loss) on:

  

Investment transactions

     (11,782,804

Forward currency exchange contracts

     (3,472,688

Futures

     (3,681,545

Options written

     4,414,330  

Foreign currency transactions

     (934,694

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

  

Investments

     71,363,310  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     4,703,611  

Futures

     95,136  

Options written

     182,550  

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     97,207  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     60,984,413  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 69,831,800  
  

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

25


      
GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

    

Net investment income

   $ 8,847,387     $ 8,260,192  

Net realized loss on investment transactions and foreign currency transactions

     (15,457,401     (37,872,269

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     76,441,814       (115,982,567

Contributions from Affiliates (see Note B)

     –0 –      242,720  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     69,831,800       (145,351,924

Distributions to Shareholders

    

Class A

     –0 –      (400

Class B

     –0 –      (27,864,579

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

    

Net decrease

     (59,025,919     (93,224,440
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     10,805,881       (266,441,343

NET ASSETS

    

Beginning of period

     799,401,634       1,065,842,977  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 810,207,515     $ 799,401,634  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

26


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Global Risk Allocation—Moderate Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is to generate income and price appreciation without assuming what AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) considers undue risk. The Portfolio is non-diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. At June 30, 2023 the Adviser was the sole shareholder of Class A shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

 

27


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which are then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3.

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

Options are valued using market-based inputs to models, broker or dealer quotations, or alternative pricing sources with reasonable levels of price transparency, where such inputs and models are available. Alternatively, the values may be obtained through unobservable management determined inputs and/or management’s proprietary models. Where models are used, the selection of a particular model to value an option depends upon the contractual terms of, and specific risks inherent in, the option as well as the availability of pricing information in the market. Valuation models require a variety of inputs, including contractual terms, market prices, measures of volatility and correlations of such inputs. Exchange traded options generally will be classified as Level 2. For options that do not trade on an exchange but trade in liquid markets, inputs can generally be verified and model selection does not involve significant management judgment. Options are classified within Level 2 on the fair value hierarchy when all of the significant inputs can be corroborated to market evidence. Otherwise such instruments are classified as Level 3.

 

28


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Other fixed income investments, including non-U.S. government and corporate debt, are generally valued using quoted market prices, if available, which are typically impacted by current interest rates, maturity dates and any perceived credit risk of the issuer. Additionally, in the absence of quoted market prices, these inputs are used by pricing vendors to derive a valuation based upon industry or proprietary models which incorporate issuer specific data with relevant yield/spread comparisons with more widely quoted bonds with similar key characteristics. Those investments for which there are observable inputs are classified as Level 2. Where the inputs are not observable, the investments are classified as Level 3.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

       Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities:

             

Assets:

             

Common Stocks:

             

Information Technology

     $ 113,695,095      $ 13,453,449      $             –0 –     $ 127,148,544  

Financials

       49,860,559        29,945,298        –0 –       79,805,857  

Health Care

       54,145,860        21,436,065        –0 –       75,581,925  

Consumer Discretionary

       42,799,496        20,723,297        –0 –       63,522,793  

Industrials

       34,824,933        26,256,449        –0 –       61,081,382  

Consumer Staples

       26,938,475        16,539,021        –0 –       43,477,496  

Communication Services

       33,913,590        6,601,416        –0 –       40,515,006  

Energy

       16,498,445        6,924,888        –0 –       23,423,333  

Materials

       10,232,361        12,135,095        –0 –       22,367,456  

Utilities

       10,340,060        5,657,724        –0 –       15,997,784  

Real Estate

       9,618,454        3,697,512        –0 –       13,315,966  

Purchased Options—Puts

       –0 –       508,836        –0 –       508,836  

Short-Term Investments

       213,952,918        –0 –       –0 –       213,952,918  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

       3,508,670        –0 –       –0 –       3,508,670  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

       620,328,916        163,879,050        –0 –       784,207,966  

Other Financial Instruments(a):

             

Assets:

             

Futures

       960,478        –0 –       –0 –       960,478 (b) 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

       –0 –       1,928,687        –0 –       1,928,687  

Liabilities:

             

Futures

       (4,035,236      –0 –       –0 –       (4,035,236 )(b) 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

       –0 –       (762,572      –0 –       (762,572

Put Written Options

       –0 –       (135,467      –0 –       (135,467
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     $ 617,254,158      $ 164,909,698      $ –0 –     $ 782,163,856  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

 

(b)   Only variation margin receivable (payable) at period end is reported within the statement of assets and liabilities. This amount reflects cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures and centrally cleared swaps as reported in the portfolio of investments. Where applicable, centrally cleared swaps with upfront premiums are presented here at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

 

29


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Portfolio are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .60% of the first $100 million, .45% of the excess over $100 million up to $1 billion and .40% of the excess over $1 billion of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. Prior to January 1, 2020, the Portfolio paid the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .60% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The Adviser has agreed to waive its fees and bear certain expenses, to the extent necessary to limit total operating expenses (excluding interest expense, taxes, extraordinary expenses, expenses associated with securities sold short, and brokerage commissions and other transaction costs), inclusive of the Portfolio’s proportionate share of fees and expenses of registered investment companies or series thereof in which the Portfolio invests (“Acquired Fund Expenses”) on an annual basis (the “Expense Caps”) to .75% and 1.00% of daily average net assets for Class A and Class B, respectively. The Expense Caps may not be terminated by the Adviser before May 1, 2024. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, there were no such operating expenses waived by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver for Acquired Fund Expenses for both affiliated and unaffiliated underlying portfolios amounted to $130,820 and $0, respectively.

 

30


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
     Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

AB Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 244,271      $ 66,448      $ 96,766      $ 213,953      $ 5,471  

AB Government Money Market Portfolio*

     64        11,919        8,474        3,509        3  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

            $ 217,462      $ 5,474  
           

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

During the year ended December 31, 2022, the Adviser reimbursed the Portfolio $242,720, for trading losses incurred due to a trade entry error.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,489.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.    

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 9,124,968      $ 10,607,025  

U.S. government securities

       –0 –       –0 – 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 70,410,772  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (66,328,989
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 4,081,783  
  

 

 

 

 

31


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The principal types of derivatives utilized by the Portfolio, as well as the methods in which they may be used are:

 

   

Futures

The Portfolio may buy or sell futures for investment purposes or for the purpose of hedging its portfolio against adverse effects of potential movements in the market. The Portfolio bears the market risk that arises from changes in the value of these instruments and the imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the futures and movements in the price of the assets, reference rates or indices which they are designed to track. Among other things, the Portfolio may purchase or sell futures for foreign currencies or options thereon for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investment in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

At the time the Portfolio enters into futures, the Portfolio deposits and maintains as collateral an initial margin with the broker, as required by the exchange on which the transaction is effected. Such amount is shown as cash collateral due from broker on the statement of assets and liabilities. Pursuant to the contract, the Portfolio agrees to receive from or pay to the broker an amount of cash equal to the daily fluctuation in the value of the contract. Such receipts or payments are known as variation margin and are recorded by the Portfolio as unrealized gains or losses. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of the contract. The credit/counterparty risk for exchange-traded futures is generally less than privately negotiated futures, since the clearinghouse, which is the issuer or counterparty to each exchange-traded future, has robust risk mitigation standards, including the requirement to provide initial and variation margin. When the contract is closed, the Portfolio records a realized gain or loss equal to the difference between the value of the contract at the time it was opened and the time it was closed.

Use of long futures subjects the Portfolio to risk of loss in excess of the amounts shown on the statement of assets and liabilities, up to the notional value of the futures. Use of short futures subjects the Portfolio to unlimited risk of loss. Under some circumstances, futures exchanges may establish daily limits on the amount that the price of futures can vary from the previous day’s settlement price, which could effectively prevent liquidation of unfavorable positions.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held futures for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

 

   

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

The Portfolio may enter into forward currency exchange contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to hedge certain firm purchase and sale commitments denominated in foreign currencies and for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

A forward currency exchange contract is a commitment to purchase or sell a foreign currency at a future date at a negotiated forward rate. The gain or loss arising from the difference between the original contract and the closing of such contract would be included in net realized gain or loss on forward currency exchange contracts. Fluctuations in the value of open forward currency exchange contracts are recorded for financial reporting purposes as unrealized appreciation and/or depreciation by the Portfolio. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of a contract and from unanticipated movements in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held forward currency exchange contracts for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

 

   

Option Transactions

For hedging and investment purposes, the Portfolio may purchase and write (sell) put and call options on U.S. and foreign securities, including government securities, and foreign currencies that are traded on U.S. and foreign securities exchanges and over-the-counter markets. Among other things, the Portfolio may use options transactions for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under

 

32


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

“Currency Transactions” and may use options strategies involving the purchase and/or writing of various combinations of call and/or put options, for hedging and investment purposes.

The risk associated with purchasing an option is that the Portfolio pays a premium whether or not the option is exercised. Additionally, the Portfolio bears the risk of loss of the premium and change in market value should the counterparty not perform under the contract. If a put or call purchased option by the Portfolio were permitted to expire without being sold or exercised, its premium would represent a loss to the Portfolio. Put and call purchased options are accounted for in the same manner as portfolio securities. The cost of securities acquired through the exercise of call options is increased by premiums paid. The proceeds from securities sold through the exercise of put options are decreased by the premiums paid.

When the Portfolio writes an option, the premium received by the Portfolio is recorded as a liability and is subsequently adjusted to the current market value of the written option. The Portfolio’s maximum payment for written put options equates to the number of shares multiplied by the strike price. In certain circumstances maximum payout amounts may be partially offset by recovery values of the respective referenced assets and upfront premium received upon entering into the contract. Premiums received from written options which expire unexercised are recorded by the Portfolio on the expiration date as realized gains from written options. The difference between the premium received and the amount paid on effecting a closing purchase transaction, including brokerage commissions, is also treated as a realized gain, or if the premium received is less than the amount paid for the closing purchase transaction, as a realized loss. If a call option is exercised, the premium received is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security or currency in determining whether the Portfolio has realized a gain or loss. If a put option is exercised, the premium received reduces the cost basis of the security or currency purchased by the Portfolio. In writing an option, the Portfolio bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the security or currency underlying the written option. Exercise of the written option by the Portfolio could result in the Portfolio selling or buying a security or currency at a price different from the current market value.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held purchased options for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held written options for hedging and non-hedging purposes.

The Portfolio typically enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements (“ISDA Master Agreement”) with its OTC derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to OTC counterparties. ISDA Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Portfolio typically may offset with the OTC counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment (close-out netting) in the event of default or termination. In the event of a default by an OTC counterparty, the return of collateral with market value in excess of the Portfolio’s net liability, held by the defaulting party, may be delayed or denied.

The Portfolio’s ISDA Master Agreements may contain provisions for early termination of OTC derivative transactions in the event the net assets of the Portfolio decline below specific levels (“net asset contingent features”). If these levels are triggered, the Portfolio’s OTC counterparty has the right to terminate such transaction and require the Portfolio to pay or receive a settlement amount in connection with the terminated transaction. If OTC derivatives were held at period end, please refer to netting arrangements by the OTC counterparty table below for additional details.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio had entered into the following derivatives:

 

    

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

  

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value    

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value  

Interest rate contracts

   Receivable for variation margin on futures    $ 386,888   Payable for variation margin on futures    $ 2,973,859

Equity contracts

   Receivable for variation margin on futures      573,590   Payable for variation margin on futures      1,061,377

 

33


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    

Asset Derivatives

    

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

  

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value     

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value  

Foreign currency contracts

   Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts    $ 1,928,687      Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts    $ 762,572  

Equity contracts

   Investments in securities, at value      508,836        

Equity contracts

         Options written, at value      135,467  
     

 

 

       

 

 

 

Total

      $ 3,398,001         $ 4,933,275  
     

 

 

       

 

 

 

 

*   Only variation margin receivable/payable at period end is reported within the statement of assets and liabilities.

This amount reflects cumulative unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on futures and centrally cleared swaps as reported in the portfolio of investments.

 

Derivative Type

  

Location of Gain or (Loss) on
Derivatives Within Statement of Operations

   Realized Gain or
(Loss) on
Derivatives
    Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or
(Depreciation)
 

Interest rate contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on futures; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures    $ (1,892,624)     $ 1,551,014  

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on futures; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of futures      (1,788,921     (1,455,878

Foreign currency contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on forward currency exchange contracts; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of forward currency exchange contracts      (3,472,688     4,703,611  

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on investment transactions; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments      (9,828,381     (1,476,226

Equity contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on options written; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of options written      4,414,330       182,550  
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

      $ (12,568,284     $3,505,071  
     

 

 

   

 

 

 

The following table represents the average monthly volume of the Portfolio’s derivative transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

 

Futures:

  

Average notional amount of buy contracts

   $ 270,222,764  

Average notional amount of sale contracts

   $ 59,562,185  

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts:

 

Average principal amount of buy contracts

   $ 19,766,175  

Average principal amount of sale contracts

   $ 138,881,578  

Purchased Options:

 

Average notional amount

   $ 159,801,473  

Options Written:

 

Average notional amount

   $ 169,277,430  

 

34


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

For financial reporting purposes, the Portfolio does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements in the statement of assets and liabilities.

All OTC derivatives held at period end were subject to netting arrangements. The following table presents the Portfolio’s derivative assets and liabilities by OTC counterparty net of amounts available for offset under ISDA Master Agreements (“MA”) and net of the related collateral received/pledged by the Portfolio as of June 30, 2023. Exchange-traded derivatives and centrally cleared swaps are not subject to netting arrangements and as such are excluded from the table.

 

Counterparty

   Derivative
Assets Subject
to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Received*
     Security Collateral
Received*
     Net Amount of
Derivative
Assets
 

Barclays Bank PLC

   $ 86,332      $ –0 –    $ –0–      $ –0–      $ 86,332  

Citibank, NA

     196,253        –0 –      –0–        –0–        196,253  

Deutsche Bank AG

     475        (475     –0–        –0–        –0 – 

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

     1,320,052        –0 –      –0–        –0–        1,320,052  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     305,758        –0 –      –0–        –0–        305,758  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     19,817        –0 –      –0–        –0–        19,817  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 1,928,687      $ (475   $ –0–      $ –0–      $ 1,928,212
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Counterparty

   Derivative
Liabilities Subject
to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Pledged*
     Security Collateral
Pledged*
     Net Amount of
Derivative
Liabilities
 

Bank of New York (The)

   $ 62,716      $ –0 –    $ –0–      $ –0–      $ 62,716  

Deutsche Bank AG

     601,081        (475     –0–        –0–        600,606  

HSBC Bank USA

     98,775        –0 –      –0–        –0–        98,775  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 762,572      $ (475   $         –0–      $         –0–      $ 762,097
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   The actual collateral received/pledged may be more than the amount reported due to over-collateralization.

 

^   Net amount represents the net receivable/payable that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default or termination. The net amount from OTC financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master agreement with the same counterparty.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the

 

35


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in AB Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and AB Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from AB Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in AB Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of AB Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value  of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

AB Government Money Market
Portfolio

 
 

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ 10,974,288     $ 3,508,670     $ 7,935,216     $ 10,580     $ 2,887     $ 175  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class B

         

Shares sold

    560,496       1,710,854       $ 5,947,464     $ 18,775,444  

Shares issued on reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      2,584,840         –0 –      27,864,579  

Shares redeemed

    (6,088,070     (12,899,724       (64,973,383     (139,864,463
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease

    (5,527,574     (8,604,030     $ (59,025,919   $ (93,224,440
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

There were no transactions in capital shares for Class A for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and the year ended December 31, 2022.

At June 30, 2023, a shareholder of the Portfolio owned 97% of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholder, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

Market Risk—The value of the Portfolio’s investments 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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

 

36


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Allocation Risk—The allocation of investments among asset classes may have a significant effect on the Portfolio’s net asset value, or NAV, when the asset classes in which the Portfolio has invested more heavily perform worse than the asset classes invested in less heavily.

Interest-Rate Risk—Changes in interest rates will affect the value of investments in fixed-income securities. When interest rates rise, the value of existing investments in fixed-income securities tends to fall and this decrease in value may not be offset by higher income from new investments. Interest-rate risk is generally greater for fixed-income securities with longer maturities or durations. The Portfolio may be subject to a greater risk of rising interest rates than would normally be the case due to the recent end of a period of historically low rates and the effects of potential central bank monetary policy, and government fiscal policy, initiatives and resulting market reactions to those initiatives.

Credit Risk—An issuer or guarantor of a fixed-income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives or other contract, may be unable or unwilling to make timely payments of interest or principal, or to otherwise honor its obligations. The issuer or guarantor may default, causing a loss of the full principal amount of a security and accrued interest. The degree of risk for a particular security may be reflected in its credit rating. There is the possibility that the credit rating of a fixed-income security may be downgraded after purchase, which may adversely affect the value of the security.

High Yield Securities Risk—Investments in fixed-income securities with ratings below investment grade (commonly known as “junk bonds”) tend to have a higher probability that an issuer will default or fail to meet its payment obligations. These securities may be subject to greater price volatility due to such factors as specific corporate developments, interest rate sensitivity and negative perceptions of the junk bond market generally, and may be more difficult to trade than other types of securities.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce its returns.

Investment in Other Investment Companies Risk—As with other investments, investments in other investment companies, including ETFs, are subject to market and selection risk. In addition, Contractholders of the Portfolio bear both their proportionate share of expenses in the Portfolio (including management fees) and, indirectly, the expenses of the investment companies in which the Portfolio invests (to the extent these expenses are not waived or reimbursed by the Adviser).

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

Leverage Risk—When the Portfolio borrows money or otherwise leverages its investments, its performance may be volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Portfolio’s investments. The Portfolio may create leverage through the use of reverse repurchase arrangements, forward currency exchange contracts, forward commitments, dollar rolls or futures or by borrowing money. The use of other types of derivative instruments by the Portfolio, such as options and swaps, may also result in a form of leverage. Leverage may result in higher returns to the Portfolio than if the Portfolio were not leveraged, but may also adversely affect returns, particularly if the market is declining.

Illiquid Investments Risk—Illiquid investments risk exists when certain investments are or become difficult to purchase or sell. Difficulty in selling such investments may result in sales at disadvantageous prices affecting the value of your investment in the Portfolio. Causes of illiquid investments risk may include low trading volumes and large positions. Foreign fixed-income securities may have more illiquid investments risk because secondary trading markets for these securities may be smaller and less well-developed and the securities may trade less frequently. Illiquid investments risk may be higher in a rising interest rate environment, when the value and liquidity of fixed-income securities generally decline.

 

37


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Non-Diversification Risk—The Portfolio may have more risk because it is “non-diversified”, meaning that it can invest more of its assets in a smaller number of issuers. Accordingly, changes in the value of a single security may have a more significant effect, either negative or positive, on the Portfolio’s NAV.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

 

38


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022        2021  

Distributions paid from:

       

Ordinary income

   $ 5,569,110        $             –0 – 

Net long-term capital gains

     22,295,869          –0 – 
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 27,864,979        $ –0 – 
  

 

 

      

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

   $ 17,046,420  

Accumulated capital and other losses

     (54,182,072 )(a) 

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     (66,838,845 )(b) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ (103,974,497
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net capital loss carryforward of $53,988,910. As of December 31, 2022, the cumulative deferred loss on straddles was $193,162.

 

(b)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the recognition for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain derivative instruments, the tax treatment of passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), the tax deferral of losses on wash sales, and the tax treatment of partnership investments.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net short-term capital loss carryforward of $20,444,327 and a net long-term capital loss carryforward of $33,544,583, which may be carried forward for an indefinite period.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)—Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

39


    
GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $10.30       $12.36       $11.02       $11.27       $9.79       $10.83  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income (loss)(a)(b)

    .13       .13       (.01     .03       .11       .09  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions and foreign currency transactions

    .82       (1.83     1.35       .23       1.61       (.55

Contributions from Affiliates

    –0 –      .00 (c)      .00 (c)      –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    .95       (1.70     1.34       .26       1.72       (.46
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.08     –0 –      (.17     (.24     –0 – 

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (.28     –0 –      (.34     –0 –      (.58
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (.36     –0 –      (.51     (.24     (.58
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $11.25       $10.30       $12.36       $11.02       $11.27       $9.79  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(d)

    9.22     (13.88 )%      12.16     2.72     17.61     (4.62 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $13       $11       $14       $12       $12       $11  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .47 %^      .49     .68     .69     .68     .67

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .50 %^      .52     .72     .95     .95     .92

Net investment income (loss)(b)

    2.47 %^      1.19     (.09 )%      .27     1.05     .88

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     2     18     31     29     67
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    0.03 %^      .04     .03     .06     .07     .08

 

 

See footnote summary on page 42.

 

40


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $10.20       $12.25       $10.94       $11.19       $9.72       $10.78  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .12       .10       .01       .00 (c)      .08       .07  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions and foreign currency transactions

    .80       (1.80     1.30       .23       1.60       (.55

Contributions from Affiliates

    –0 –      .00 (c)      .00 (c)      –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    .92       (1.70     1.31       .23       1.68       (.48
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.07     –0 –      (.14     (.21     –0 – 

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (.28     –0 –      (.34     –0 –      (.58
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (.35     –0 –      (.48     (.21     (.58
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $11.12       $10.20       $12.25       $10.94       $11.19       $9.72  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(d)

    9.02     (14.07 )%      11.97     2.45     17.32     (4.84 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $810,195       $799,391       $1,065,829       $89,696       $95,350       $89,127  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .76 %^      .75     .75     .94     .94     .92

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(e)(f)‡

    .79 %^      .79     .78     1.20     1.20     1.16

Net investment income(b)

    2.18 %^      .92     .09     .01     .78     .64

Portfolio turnover rate

    2     2     18     31     29     67
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    0.03 %^      .04     .03     .06     .07     .08

 

 

See footnote summary on page 42.

 

41


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Amount is less than $.005.

 

(d)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(e)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021, December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, such waiver amounted to .03% (annualized), .04%, .03%, ..06%, .07% and .08%, respectively.

 

(f)   The expense ratios presented below exclude interest/bank overdraft expense:

 

    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Class A

           

Net of waivers/reimbursements

    .47 %^      .49     .68     .69     .68     .67

Before waivers/reimbursements

    .50 %^      .52     .72     .95     .94     .92

Class B

           

Net of waivers/reimbursements

    .76 %^      .75     .75     .94     .93     .92

Before waivers/reimbursements

    .79 %^      .79     .78     1.20     1.19     1.16

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

42


 
 
GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

43


      
GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Global Risk Allocation—Moderate Portfolio (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on August 2-3, 2022 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President for the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund and the money market fund advised by the Adviser in which the Fund invests a portion of its assets.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2020 and 2021 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts

 

44


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors noted that the Fund was not profitable to the Adviser in 2020. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund in 2021 was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund and the money market fund advised by the Adviser in which the Fund invests, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s recent profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3- and 5-year periods ended May 31, 2022 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees payable by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median and took into account the impact on the advisory fee rate of the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

 

45


GLOBAL RISK ALLOCATION—MODERATE PORTFOLIO

CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The Adviser had agreed to cap the Fund’s expenses, but the directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was currently below the level of the Adviser’s cap. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints and that the Fund’s net assets were higher than a breakpoint level. Accordingly, the Fund’s current effective advisory fee rate reflected a reduction due to the breakpoint and would be further reduced to the extent the net assets of the Fund increase. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s breakpoint arrangements were acceptable and provide a means for sharing any economies of scale.

 

46


VPS-GRA-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS
SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each class’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
 

Class A

        

Actual

   $   1,000      $   1,130.50      $   4.75        0.90

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,020.33      $ 4.51        0.90
           

Class B

        

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,128.70      $ 6.07        1.15

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,019.09      $ 5.76        1.15

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

Nestle SA (REG)

   $ 10,242,823          3.7

Roche Holding AG (Genusschein)

     9,903,334          3.6  

Sanofi

     7,575,736          2.8  

Shell PLC

     7,025,635          2.6  

British American Tobacco PLC

     6,228,105          2.3  

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV

     5,951,959          2.2  

Airbus SE

     5,919,178          2.2  

Repsol SA

     5,592,531          2.0  

Safran SA

     5,574,164          2.0  

Stellantis NV (France)

     5,535,156          2.0  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   69,548,621          25.4

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Industrials

   $ 44,651,310          16.4

Financials

     36,818,744          13.6  

Consumer Discretionary

     36,045,935          13.3  

Consumer Staples

     32,672,813          12.0  

Health Care

     29,167,437          10.7  

Materials

     23,862,770          8.8  

Communication Services

     19,412,044          7.1  

Energy

     16,265,277          6.0  

Information Technology

     14,747,547          5.4  

Utilities

     9,729,033          3.6  

Real Estate

     3,667,262          1.4  

Short-Term Investments

     4,562,648          1.7  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   271,602,820          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time.The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
COUNTRY BREAKDOWN1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COUNTRY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Japan

   $ 57,004,147          21.0

France

     46,656,406          17.2  

United Kingdom

     46,312,781          17.0  

United States

     31,353,494          11.5  

Netherlands

     13,229,338          4.9  

Ireland

     8,755,857          3.2  

Italy

     8,140,607          3.0  

Germany

     8,079,749          3.0  

South Korea

     7,801,778          2.9  

Spain

     5,592,531          2.1  

Portugal

     5,013,787          1.8  

Australia

     4,920,304          1.8  

Belgium

     4,876,981          1.8  

Other

     19,302,412          7.1  

Short-Term Investments

     4,562,648          1.7  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   271,602,820          100.0

 

 

 

 

1   The Portfolio’s country breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details). “Other” country weightings represent 1.5% or less in the following: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Luxembourg and South Africa.

 

3


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

COMMON STOCKS–97.7%

   
   

INDUSTRIALS–16.3%

   

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–7.2%

   

Airbus SE

    40,940     $ 5,919,178  

BAE Systems PLC

    322,610       3,803,970  

Melrose Industries PLC

    692,960       4,464,800  

Safran SA

    35,570       5,574,164  
   

 

 

 
      19,762,112  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–2.7%

   

Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.

    88,200       3,883,007  

Prysmian SpA

    81,900       3,425,361  
   

 

 

 
      7,308,368  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIAL CONGLOMERATES–1.0%

   

Hitachi Ltd.

    45,700       2,841,466  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–4.0%

   

Alstom SA

    92,706       2,767,345  

Amada Co., Ltd.

    535,500       5,283,170  

Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.

    109,200       2,795,796  
   

 

 

 
      10,846,311  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–1.4%

   

dip Corp.

    69,600       1,738,521  

UT Group Co., Ltd.(a)

    101,900       2,154,532  
   

 

 

 
      3,893,053  
   

 

 

 
      44,651,310  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–13.5%

   

BANKS–9.2%

   

ABN AMRO Bank NV(b)

    220,030       3,419,980  

Bank Leumi Le-Israel BM

    89,340       669,478  

Bank of Ireland Group PLC

    342,271       3,267,811  

Erste Group Bank AG

    116,350       4,081,309  

KBC Group NV

    69,870       4,876,981  

NatWest Group PLC

    1,677,740       5,127,993  

Resona Holdings, Inc.

    752,400       3,602,471  
   

 

 

 
      25,046,023  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–1.0%

   

ORIX Corp.

    149,300       2,722,663  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–3.3%

   

SCOR SE

    140,480       4,129,754  

Suncorp Group Ltd.(c)

    547,600       4,920,304  
   

 

 

 
      9,050,058  
   

 

 

 
      36,818,744  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–13.2%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–1.0%

   

Forvia (Paris)(a)

    119,124       2,811,457  
   

 

 

 

AUTOMOBILES–3.5%

   

Stellantis NV (France)

    314,878       5,535,156  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

Suzuki Motor Corp.

    108,600     $ 3,938,139  
   

 

 

 
      9,473,295  
   

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–1.4%

   

Entain PLC

    230,600       3,728,749  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–2.7%

   

Persimmon PLC

    190,360       2,480,332  

Sony Group Corp.

    53,200       4,802,373  
   

 

 

 
      7,282,705  
   

 

 

 

SPECIALTY RETAIL–0.8%

   

Kingfisher PLC

    789,560       2,327,020  
   

 

 

 

TEXTILES, APPAREL & LUXURY GOODS–3.8%

   

Burberry Group PLC

    128,950       3,479,517  

Kering SA

    7,530       4,158,060  

Pandora A/S

    31,160       2,785,132  
   

 

 

 
      10,422,709  
   

 

 

 
      36,045,935  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–12.0%

   

BEVERAGES–1.4%

   

Heineken NV

    37,510       3,857,399  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL–3.7%

   

Carrefour SA

    211,730       4,012,435  

Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize NV

    174,580       5,951,959  
   

 

 

 
      9,964,394  
   

 

 

 

FOOD PRODUCTS–4.6%

   

Nestle SA (REG)

    85,150       10,242,823  

Nomad Foods Ltd.(a)

    135,850       2,380,092  
   

 

 

 
      12,622,915  
   

 

 

 

TOBACCO–2.3%

   

British American Tobacco PLC

    187,450       6,228,105  
   

 

 

 
      32,672,813  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–10.7%

   

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–1.9%

   

ConvaTec Group PLC(b)

    949,039       2,475,158  

LivaNova PLC(a)

    55,050       2,831,222  
   

 

 

 
      5,306,380  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–1.6%

   

Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA

    154,420       4,283,111  
   

 

 

 

PHARMACEUTICALS–7.2%

   

Nippon Shinyaku Co., Ltd.

    51,300       2,098,876  

Roche Holding AG (Genusschein)

    32,420       9,903,334  

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

Sanofi

    70,370     $ 7,575,736  
   

 

 

 
      19,577,946  
   

 

 

 
      29,167,437  
   

 

 

 

MATERIALS–8.7%

   

CHEMICALS–2.7%

   

Arkema SA

    39,140       3,690,761  

Tosoh Corp.

    319,000       3,773,171  
   

 

 

 
      7,463,932  
   

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS–2.0%

   

CRH PLC

    99,480       5,488,047  
   

 

 

 

METALS & MINING–4.0%

   

Anglo American PLC

    138,700       3,949,272  

ArcelorMittal SA

    152,840       4,170,109  

Endeavour Mining PLC

    116,233       2,791,410  
   

 

 

 
      10,910,791  
   

 

 

 
      23,862,770  
   

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION SERVICES–7.1%

   

DIVERSIFIED TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES–2.4%

   

Deutsche Telekom AG (REG)

    174,010       3,796,638  

Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.

    2,295,000       2,715,688  
   

 

 

 
      6,512,326  
   

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT–3.6%

   

GungHo Online Entertainment, Inc.

    124,200       2,445,692  

Konami Group Corp.

    84,600       4,436,510  

Ubisoft Entertainment SA(a)

    103,190       2,916,709  
   

 

 

 
      9,798,911  
   

 

 

 

MEDIA–1.1%

   

Criteo SA (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    91,903       3,100,807  
   

 

 

 
      19,412,044  
   

 

 

 

ENERGY–5.9%

   

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES–2.5%

   

Shell PLC

    233,230       7,025,635  
   

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–3.4%

   

Cameco Corp.

    116,450       3,647,111  

Repsol SA(c)

    384,525       5,592,531  
   

 

 

 
      9,239,642  
   

 

 

 
      16,265,277  
   

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–5.4%

   

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–3.8%

   

NXP Semiconductors NV

    13,880       2,840,959  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

SK Hynix, Inc.

    38,690     $ 3,399,473  

Tokyo Electron Ltd.

    28,500       4,104,810  
   

 

 

 
      10,345,242  
   

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE, STORAGE & PERIPHERALS–1.6%

   

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

    79,950       4,402,305  
   

 

 

 
      14,747,547  
   

 

 

 

UTILITIES–3.6%

   

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–3.6%

   

EDP–Energias de Portugal SA

    1,025,804       5,013,787  

Enel SpA(c)

    699,340       4,715,246  
   

 

 

 
      9,729,033  
   

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE–1.3%

   

REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT & DEVELOPMENT–1.3%

   

Daito Trust Construction Co., Ltd.

    36,200       3,667,262  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $242,734,047)

      267,040,172  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–1.6%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–1.6%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $4,562,648)

    4,562,648       4,562,648  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITY LENDING COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–99.3%
(cost $247,296,695)

      271,602,820  
   

 

 

 

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–0.3%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–0.3%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $746,915)

    746,915       746,915  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–99.6%
(cost $248,043,610)

      272,349,735  

Other assets less liabilities–0.4%

      980,117  
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 273,329,852  
   

 

 

 

 

5


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS (see Note D)

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Bank of America, NA

       BRL        7,129          USD        1,479          07/05/2023        $ (9,577

Bank of America, NA

       USD        1,401          BRL        7,129          07/05/2023          87,646  

Bank of America, NA

       GBP        3,533          USD        4,402          07/21/2023          (85,684

Bank of America, NA

       KRW        8,744,242          USD        6,644          07/27/2023          1,650  

Bank of America, NA

       EUR        1,343          USD        1,441          07/31/2023          (25,475

Bank of America, NA

       USD        15,408          AUD        22,688          08/25/2023          (272,346

Bank of America, NA

       USD        835          JPY        114,844          08/25/2023          (32,386

Bank of America, NA

       USD        1,768          NOK        18,581          09/13/2023          (33,125

Barclays Bank PLC

       HKD        12,331          USD        1,585          07/12/2023          11,313  

Barclays Bank PLC

       USD        1,580          HKD        12,331          07/12/2023          (5,839

Barclays Bank PLC

       EUR        13,594          USD        14,970          07/31/2023          117,898  

Barclays Bank PLC

       EUR        4,020          USD        4,344          07/31/2023          (48,848

Barclays Bank PLC

       JPY        130,194          USD        930          08/25/2023          20,660  

Barclays Bank PLC

       USD        8,986          SEK        94,953          09/13/2023          (152,959

BNP Paribas SA

       GBP        831          USD        1,057          07/21/2023          1,996  

Citibank, NA

       EUR        484          USD        531          07/31/2023          1,935  

Citibank, NA

       EUR        2,523          USD        2,752          07/31/2023          (4,744

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

       USD        672          ILS        2,491          08/08/2023          549  

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

       KRW        943,823          USD        714          07/27/2023          (3,422

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

       EUR        1,073          USD        1,169          07/31/2023          (3,197

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       BRL        7,129          USD        1,488          07/05/2023          (870

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,479          BRL        7,129          07/05/2023          9,577  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,295          CNH        8,856          07/07/2023          (76,494

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,386          MXN        25,188          07/13/2023          83,052  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CHF        1,354          USD        1,513          07/21/2023          (1,964

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        7,680          CHF        6,854          07/21/2023          (10,564

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,352          GBP        1,090          07/21/2023          31,713  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,651          GBP        1,294          07/21/2023          (7,723

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       KRW        680,591          USD        510          07/27/2023          (7,233

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        319          KRW        421,508          07/27/2023          927  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       EUR        1,260          USD        1,356          07/31/2023          (20,505

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,480          BRL        7,129          08/02/2023          1,180  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        981          JPY        137,918          08/25/2023          (17,675

Natwest Markets PLC

       USD        3,655          SGD        4,849          07/13/2023          (68,664

Standard Chartered Bank

       USD        1,218          GBP        958          07/21/2023          (1,098

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       GBP        669          USD        834          07/21/2023          (15,417

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        728          CHF        650          07/21/2023          (1,054

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        124          GBP        97          07/21/2023          (52

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       EUR        954          USD        1,046          07/31/2023          3,904  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       EUR        1,871          USD        2,015          07/31/2023          (28,757

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        957          EUR        884          07/31/2023          8,873  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        3,181          EUR        2,911          07/31/2023          (494

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        230          ILS        853          08/08/2023          247  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        2,011          JPY        277,655          08/25/2023          (72,058

UBS AG

       USD        1,308          GBP        1,053          07/21/2023          29,971  

UBS AG

       USD        857          EUR        794          07/31/2023          10,194  

UBS AG

       CAD        4,337          USD        3,241          08/24/2023          (34,994

UBS AG

       USD        2,058          JPY        288,676          08/25/2023          (41,281
                         

 

 

 
     $   (661,214
                         

 

 

 

 

6


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A or Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities are considered restricted, but liquid and may be resold in transactions exempt from registration. At June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value of these securities amounted to $5,895,138 or 2.2% of net assets.

 

(c)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(d)   Affiliated investments.

 

(e)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(f)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

Currency Abbreviations:

AUD—Australian Dollar

BRL—Brazilian Real

CAD—Canadian Dollar

CHF—Swiss Franc

CNH—Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Offshore)

EUR—Euro

GBP—Great British Pound

HKD—Hong Kong Dollar

ILS—Israeli Shekel

JPY—Japanese Yen

KRW—South Korean Won

MXN—Mexican Peso

NOK—Norwegian Krone

SEK—Swedish Krona

SGD—Singapore Dollar

USD—United States Dollar

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

REG—Registered Shares

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

 

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $242,734,047)

   $ 267,040,172 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $5,309,563—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $746,915)

     5,309,563  

Foreign currencies, at value (cost $240,071)

     238,623  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     2,413,216  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     973,352  

Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     423,285  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     66,837  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     18,725  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     276,483,773  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

 

Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     1,084,499  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     746,915  

Payable for investment securities purchased and foreign currency transactions

     435,794  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     419,125  

Advisory fee payable

     182,811  

Distribution fee payable

     51,440  

Administrative fee payable

     21,885  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     150  

Directors’ fees payable

     150  

Accrued expenses

     211,152  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     3,153,921  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 273,329,852  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

 

Capital stock, at par

   $ 18,756  

Additional paid-in capital

     261,143,840  

Distributable earnings

     12,167,256  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 273,329,852  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class    Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A    $ 44,811,822          3,060,604        $ 14.64  
B    $   228,518,030          15,694,938        $   14.56  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $5,825,053 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

8


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $1,006,879)

   $ 5,219,322  

Affiliated issuers

     67,969  

Interest

     50,882  

Foreign withholding tax reclaims (see Note A.4)

     48,861  

Securities lending income

     12,779  
  

 

 

 
     5,399,813  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     1,040,540  

Distribution fee—Class B

     293,011  

Transfer agency—Class A

     456  

Transfer agency—Class B

     2,482  

Custody and accounting

     54,737  

Administrative

     47,496  

Audit and tax

     35,965  

Legal

     19,808  

Printing

     16,511  

Directors’ fees

     10,350  

Miscellaneous

     11,540  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses before bank overdraft expense

     1,532,896  

Bank overdraft expense

     8,067  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     1,540,963  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (1,585
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     1,539,378  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     3,860,435  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain on:

  

Investment transactions

     2,342,446  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     289,486  

Foreign currency transactions

     72,174  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

  

Investments

     27,270,033  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     (768,372

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     39,544  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     29,245,311  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 33,105,746  
  

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

9


 
INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

    

Net investment income

   $ 3,860,435     $ 8,628,450  

Net realized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

     2,704,106       (7,826,246

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     26,541,205       (49,220,620
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     33,105,746       (48,418,416

Distributions to Shareholders

    

Class A

     –0 –      (1,768,399

Class B

     –0 –      (9,099,819

Return of capital

    

Class A

     –0 –      (100,200

Class B

     –0 –      (515,610

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

    

Net decrease

     (23,032,763     (26,752,504
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     10,072,983       (86,654,948

NET ASSETS

    

Beginning of period

     263,256,869       349,911,817  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 273,329,852     $ 263,256,869  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

10


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB International Value Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

11


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which are then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3.

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Investments in Securities:

        

Assets:

        

Common Stocks:

        

Industrials

   $ –0 –    $ 44,651,310     $             –0 –    $ 44,651,310  

Financials

     –0 –      36,818,744       –0 –      36,818,744  

Consumer Discretionary

     –0 –      36,045,935       –0 –      36,045,935  

Consumer Staples

     2,380,092       30,292,721       –0 –      32,672,813  

Health Care

     2,831,222       26,336,215       –0 –      29,167,437  

Materials

     –0 –      23,862,770       –0 –      23,862,770  

Communication Services

     3,100,807       16,311,237       –0 –      19,412,044  

Energy

     3,647,111       12,618,166       –0 –      16,265,277  

Information Technology

     2,840,959       11,906,588       –0 –      14,747,547  

Utilities

     –0 –      9,729,033       –0 –      9,729,033  

Real Estate

     –0 –      3,667,262       –0 –      3,667,262  

Short-Term Investments

     4,562,648       –0 –      –0 –      4,562,648  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

     746,915       –0 –      –0 –      746,915  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     20,109,754       252,239,981 (a)      –0 –      272,349,735  

Other Financial Instruments(b):

        

Assets:

        

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      423,285       –0 –      423,285  

Liabilities:

        

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      (1,084,499     –0 –      (1,084,499
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 20,109,754     $ 251,578,767     $ –0 –    $ 271,688,521  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a)   A significant portion of the Portfolio’s foreign equity investments are categorized as Level 2 investments since they are valued using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available, see Note A.1.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and

 

13


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned. The Portfolio files withholding tax reclaims in certain jurisdictions to recover a portion of amounts previously withheld. The Portfolio may record a reclaim receivable based on, among other things, a jurisdiction’s legal obligation to pay reclaims as well as payment history and market convention.

In consideration of recent decisions rendered by the European courts, the Portfolio filed reclaims to recover taxes withheld on dividends earned from certain European Union countries during calendar year 2015. These filings are subject to various administrative and judicial proceedings within these countries. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio successfully recovered taxes withheld by France and is reflected in the statement of operations. No other amounts for additional tax reclaims are disclosed in the financial statements due to the uncertainty as to the ultimate resolution of proceedings, the likelihood of receipt of these reclaims, and the potential timing of payment.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .75% of the first $2.5 billion, .65% of the next $2.5 billion and .60% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. The Adviser has agreed to waive its fees and bear certain expenses to the extent necessary to limit total operating expenses on an annual basis (the “Expense Caps”) to 1.20% and 1.45% of daily average net assets for Class A and Class B shares, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, there were no expenses waived by the Adviser.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,496.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $1,448.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
    Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 4,934     $ 47,755      $ 48,126      $ 4,563      $ 68  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     –0 –      17,833        17,086        747        2  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           $ 5,310      $ 70  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 57,959,863      $ 76,422,039  

U.S. government securities

       –0 –       –0 – 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 39,405,204  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (15,760,293
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 23,644,911  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

 

15


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The principal type of derivative utilized by the Portfolio, as well as the methods in which they may be used are:

 

   

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

The Portfolio may enter into forward currency exchange contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to hedge certain firm purchase and sale commitments denominated in foreign currencies and for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

A forward currency exchange contract is a commitment to purchase or sell a foreign currency at a future date at a negotiated forward rate. The gain or loss arising from the difference between the original contract and the closing of such contract would be included in net realized gain or loss on forward currency exchange contracts. Fluctuations in the value of open forward currency exchange contracts are recorded for financial reporting purposes as unrealized appreciation and/or depreciation by the Portfolio. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of a contract and from unanticipated movements in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes.

The Portfolio typically enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements (“ISDA Master Agreement”) with its OTC derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to OTC counterparties. ISDA Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Portfolio typically may offset with the OTC counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment (close-out netting) in the event of default or termination. In the event of a default by an OTC counterparty, the return of collateral with market value in excess of the Portfolio’s net liability, held by the defaulting party, may be delayed or denied.

The Portfolio’s ISDA Master Agreements may contain provisions for early termination of OTC derivative transactions in the event the net assets of the Portfolio decline below specific levels (“net asset contingent features”). If these levels are triggered, the Portfolio’s OTC counterparty has the right to terminate such transaction and require the Portfolio to pay or receive a settlement amount in connection with the terminated transaction. If OTC derivatives were held at period end, please refer to netting arrangements by the OTC counterparty table below for additional details.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio had entered into the following derivatives:

 

   

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

 

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

  Fair Value    

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

  Fair Value  

Foreign currency contracts

  Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts   $ 423,285     Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts   $ 1,084,499  
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

Total

    $ 423,285       $ 1,084,499  
   

 

 

     

 

 

 

 

Derivative Type

  

Location of Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives
Within Statement of Operations

   Realized Gain or
(Loss) on
Derivatives
     Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or
(Depreciation)
 

Foreign currency contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on forward currency exchange contracts; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of forward currency exchange contracts    $ 289,486      $ (768,372
     

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

      $ 289,486      $ (768,372
     

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The following table represents the average monthly volume of the Portfolio’s derivative transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts:

  

Average principal amount of buy contracts

   $ 55,281,385  

Average principal amount of sale contracts

   $ 52,181,195  

For financial reporting purposes, the Portfolio does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements in the statement of assets and liabilities.

All OTC derivatives held at period end were subject to netting arrangements. The following table presents the Portfolio’s derivative assets and liabilities by OTC counterparty net of amounts available for offset under ISDA Master Agreements (“MA”) and net of the related collateral received/pledged by the Portfolio as of June 30, 2023. Exchange-traded derivatives and centrally cleared swaps are not subject to netting arrangements and as such are excluded from the table.

 

Counterparty

  Derivative Assets
Subject to a MA
    Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Received*
    Security Collateral
Received*
    Net Amount of
Derivative
Assets
 

Bank of America, NA

  $ 89,296     $ (89,296   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ –0 – 

Barclays Bank PLC

    149,871       (149,871     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

BNP Paribas SA

    1,996       –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      1,996  

Citibank, NA

    1,935       (1,935     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

Goldman Sachs Bank USA

    549       –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      549  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

    126,449       (126,449     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

    13,024       (13,024     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

UBS AG

    40,165       (40,165     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $ 423,285     $ (420,740   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ 2,545
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Counterparty

  Derivative Liabilities
Subject to a MA
    Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Pledged*
    Security Collateral
Pledged*
    Net Amount of
Derivative
Liabilities
 

Bank of America, NA

  $ 458,593     $ (89,296   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 369,297  

Barclays Bank PLC

    207,646       (149,871     –0 –      –0 –      57,775  

Citibank, NA

    4,744       (1,935     –0 –      –0 –      2,809  

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

    6,619       –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      6,619  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

    143,028       (126,449     –0 –      –0 –      16,579  

Natwest Markets PLC

    68,664       –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      68,664  

Standard Chartered Bank

    1,098       –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      1,098  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

    117,832       (13,024     –0 –      –0 –      104,808  

UBS AG

    76,275       (40,165     –0 –      –0 –      36,110  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

  $ 1,084,499     $ (420,740   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 663,759
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*   The actual collateral received/pledged may be more than the amount reported due to over-collateralization.

 

^   Net amount represents the net receivable/payable that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default or termination. The net amount from OTC financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master agreement with the same counterparty.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

 

17


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

    Government Money Market    
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ 5,825,053     $ 746,915     $ 5,337,779     $ 10,830     $ 1,949     $ 137  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    246,092       459,051       $ 3,533,371     $ 6,374,956  

Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends

    –0 –      143,446         –0 –      1,868,599  

Shares redeemed

    (289,056     (372,951       (4,067,075     (5,083,971
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (42,964     229,546       $ (533,704   $ 3,159,584  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    958,783       1,107,715       $ 13,568,816     $ 14,215,373  

Shares issued on reinvestment of dividends

    –0 –      741,725         –0 –      9,615,429  

Shares redeemed

    (2,560,681     (4,064,954       (36,067,875     (53,742,890
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net decrease

    (1,601,898     (2,215,514     $ (22,499,059   $ (29,912,088
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 56% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Emerging-Market Risk—Investments in emerging market countries may have more risk because the markets are less developed and less liquid, and because these investments may be subject to increased economic, political, regulatory or other uncertainties.

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce its returns.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

Leverage Risk—When the Portfolio borrows money or otherwise leverages its investments, its performance may be volatile because leverage tends to exaggerate the effect of any increase or decrease in the value of the Portfolio’s investments. The Portfolio may create leverage through the use of reverse repurchase arrangements, forward currency exchange contracts, forward commitments, dollar rolls or futures or by borrowing money. The use of other types of derivative instruments by the Portfolio, such as options and swaps, may also result in a form of leverage. Leverage may result in higher returns to the Portfolio than if the Portfolio were not leveraged, but may also adversely affect returns, particularly if the market is declining.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financ-

 

19


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022      2021  

Distributions paid from:

     

Ordinary income

   $ 10,868,218      $ 6,055,715  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 10,868,218      $ 6,055,715  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Return of Capital

     615,810        –0 – 
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total distribution paid

   $ 11,484,028      $ 6,055,715  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

20


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Accumulated capital and other losses

   $ (15,063,122 )(a) 

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     (5,875,368 )(b) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ (20,938,490
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net capital loss carryforward of $15,063,122.

 

(b)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the recognition for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain derivative instruments, the tax treatment of passive foreign investment companies (PFICs), and the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Fund had a net short-term capital loss carryforward of $12,222,950 and a net long-term capital loss carryforward of $2,840,172, which may be carried forward for an indefinite period.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)—Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

21


 
INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $12.95       $15.72       $14.45       $14.37       $12.38       $16.30  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .21       .44       .37       .18       .28       .25  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    1.48       (2.58     1.22       .14       1.84       (3.94
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.69       (2.14     1.59       .32       2.12       (3.69
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.60     (.32     (.24     (.13     (.23

Return of capital

    –0 –      (.03     –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends

    –0 –      (.63     (.32     (.24     (.13     (.23
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $14.64       $12.95       $15.72       $14.45       $14.37       $12.38  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    13.05     (13.61 )%      11.08     2.46     17.14     (22.79 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $44,812       $40,197       $45,175       $41,994       $54,042       $57,234  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)

    .90 %^      .88     .90     .91     .90     .86

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)

    .90 %^      .89     .90     .92     .90     .87

Net investment income(b)

    2.97 %^      3.24     2.34     1.47     2.10     1.65

Portfolio turnover rate

    22     37     43     54     44     42

 

 

See footnote summary on page 24.

 

22


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $12.90       $15.62       $14.34       $14.24       $12.29       $16.15  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .19       .40       .32       .14       .24       .23  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    1.47       (2.56     1.23       .15       1.82       (3.92
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.66       (2.16     1.55       .29       2.06       (3.69
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.53     (.27     (.19     (.11     (.17

Return of capital

    –0 –      (.03     –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends

    –0 –      (.56     (.27     (.19     (.11     (.17
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $14.56       $12.90       $15.62       $14.34       $14.24       $12.29  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    12.87     (13.80 )%      10.86     2.21     16.79     (22.98 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $228,518       $223,060       $304,737       $299,415       $323,582       $309,576  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)

    1.15 %^      1.13     1.15     1.16     1.15     1.11

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)

    1.15 %^      1.14     1.15     1.17     1.15     1.11

Net investment income(b)

    2.75 %^      2.98     2.08     1.18     1.84     1.50

Portfolio turnover rate

    22     37     43     54     44     42

 

 

See footnote summary on page 24.

 

23


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(d)   The expense ratios presented below exclude bank overdraft expense:

 

     Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Class A

 

Net of waivers/reimbursements

     .89 %^      .88     .90     .91     .90     .86

Before waivers/reimbursements

     .89 %^      .89     .90     .92     .90     .87

Class B

 

Net of waivers/reimbursements

     1.14 %^      1.13     1.15     1.16     1.15     1.11

Before waivers/reimbursements

     1.14 %^      1.14     1.15     1.17     1.15     1.11

 

*   Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Portfolio resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Portfolio’s performance for the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2020, and December 31, 2019 by .01%, .04% and .18%, respectively.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

24


 
 
INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

25


 
INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB International Value Portfolio (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous

 

26


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median. Taking into account the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year, the directors noted that the Adviser’s total compensation was equal to the median.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with that for another fund advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

 

27


INTERNATIONAL VALUE PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The Adviser had agreed to cap the Fund’s expenses, but the directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was currently below the level of the Adviser’s cap. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was above a median. After reviewing and discussing the Adviser’s explanations of the reasons for this, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

28


VPS-IV-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS

SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each class’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
 
                             

Class A

        

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,228.00      $ 3.65        0.66

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,021.52      $ 3.31        0.66
           

Class B

        

Actual

   $   1,000      $   1,226.60      $   5.02        0.91

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,020.28      $ 4.56        0.91

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

Microsoft Corp.

   $ 68,279,292          9.5

Visa, Inc.—Class A

     37,032,869          5.2  

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

     36,827,117          5.1  

Alphabet, Inc.—Class C

     33,001,584          4.6  

Amazon.com, Inc.

     31,293,179          4.4  

NVIDIA Corp.

     29,662,585          4.1  

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

     22,260,978          3.1  

Fortinet, Inc.

     22,119,146          3.1  

Monster Beverage Corp.

     22,090,218          3.1  

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

     21,141,345          2.9  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   323,708,313          45.1

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Information Technology

   $ 254,106,149          35.2

Health Care

     179,045,587          24.8  

Consumer Discretionary

     81,759,155          11.3  

Financials

     46,175,577          6.4  

Consumer Staples

     41,629,105          5.8  

Industrials

     40,788,782          5.7  

Communication Services

     37,236,895          5.2  

Materials

     5,937,027          0.8  

Short-Term Investments

     34,933,267          4.8  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   721,611,544          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments and may vary over time.

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

COMMON STOCKS–95.8%

   
   

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–35.5%

   

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT–3.3%

   

Arista Networks, Inc.(a)

    94,071     $ 15,245,146  

Motorola Solutions, Inc.

    27,487       8,061,388  
   

 

 

 
      23,306,534  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–1.3%

   

Amphenol Corp.–Class A

    50,511       4,290,909  

Cognex Corp.

    49,179       2,755,008  

Zebra Technologies Corp.–Class A(a)

    8,152       2,411,606  
   

 

 

 
      9,457,523  
   

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–0.5%

   

EPAM Systems, Inc.(a)

    16,118       3,622,520  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–8.1%

   

ASML Holding NV (REG)

    7,552       5,473,312  

Broadcom, Inc.

    4,782       4,148,050  

Entegris, Inc.

    38,941       4,315,442  

NVIDIA Corp.

    70,121       29,662,585  

QUALCOMM, Inc.

    118,014       14,048,387  
   

 

 

 
      57,647,776  
   

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–22.3%

   

Adobe, Inc.(a)

    26,479       12,947,966  

Autodesk, Inc.(a)

    23,651       4,839,231  

Cadence Design Systems, Inc.(a)

    26,723       6,267,078  

Crowdstrike Holdings, Inc.–Class A(a)

    26,801       3,936,263  

Fortinet, Inc.(a)

    292,620       22,119,146  

Manhattan Associates, Inc.(a)

    21,930       4,383,368  

Microsoft Corp.

    200,503       68,279,292  

PTC, Inc.(a)

    30,230       4,301,729  

Roper Technologies, Inc.

    28,373       13,641,738  

ServiceNow, Inc.(a)

    12,038       6,764,995  

Synopsys, Inc.(a)

    14,219       6,191,095  

Tyler Technologies, Inc.(a)

    15,367       6,399,895  
   

 

 

 
      160,071,796  
   

 

 

 
      254,106,149  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–25.0%

   

BIOTECHNOLOGY–3.4%

   

Genmab A/S (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    79,469       3,020,617  

Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

    60,076       21,141,345  
   

 

 

 
      24,161,962  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–8.3%

   

Align Technology, Inc.(a)

    9,202     $ 3,254,195  

Edwards Lifesciences Corp.(a)

    175,609       16,565,197  

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc.(a)

    34,486       17,319,904  

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.(a)

    65,102       22,260,978  
   

 

 

 
      59,400,274  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–5.2%

   

Abiomed, Inc.(a)(b)(c)

    11,373       –0 – 

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

    76,621       36,827,117  
   

 

 

 
      36,827,117  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE TECHNOLOGY–2.0%

   

Veeva Systems, Inc.–Class A(a)

    73,768       14,586,147  
   

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES TOOLS & SERVICES–1.4%

   

Mettler-Toledo International, Inc.(a)

    4,568       5,991,571  

Waters Corp.(a)

    15,935       4,247,315  
   

 

 

 
      10,238,886  
   

 

 

 

PHARMACEUTICALS–4.7%

   

Eli Lilly & Co.

    28,536       13,382,813  

Zoetis, Inc.

    118,741       20,448,388  
   

 

 

 
      33,831,201  
   

 

 

 
      179,045,587  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–11.4%

   

AUTOMOBILES–0.7%

   

Ferrari NV

    15,634       5,084,333  
   

 

 

 

BROADLINE RETAIL–4.4%

   

Amazon.com, Inc.(a)

    240,052       31,293,179  
   

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–1.3%

   

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc.(a)

    4,214       9,013,746  
   

 

 

 

SPECIALTY RETAIL–2.4%

   

Home Depot, Inc. (The)

    35,938       11,163,780  

Tractor Supply Co.

    28,757       6,358,173  
   

 

 

 
      17,521,953  
   

 

 

 

TEXTILES, APPAREL & LUXURY GOODS–2.6%

   

Lululemon Athletica, Inc.(a)

    10,847       4,105,589  

NIKE, Inc.–Class B

    133,554       14,740,355  
   

 

 

 
      18,845,944  
   

 

 

 
      81,759,155  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–6.4%

   

CAPITAL MARKETS–1.3%

   

MSCI, Inc.

    19,482       9,142,708  
   

 

 

 

 

3


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

FINANCIAL SERVICES–5.1%

   

Visa, Inc.–Class A

    155,941     $ 37,032,869  
   

 

 

 
      46,175,577  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–5.8%

   

BEVERAGES–3.1%

   

Monster Beverage Corp.(a)

    384,579       22,090,218  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL–2.7%

   

Costco Wholesale Corp.

    36,292       19,538,887  
   

 

 

 
      41,629,105  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–5.7%

   

BUILDING PRODUCTS–0.9%

   

Otis Worldwide Corp.

    38,754       3,449,494  

Trex Co., Inc.(a)

    46,895       3,074,436  
   

 

 

 
      6,523,930  
   

 

 

 

COMMERCIAL SERVICES & SUPPLIES–2.4%

   

Copart, Inc.(a)

    185,614       16,929,853  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–0.9%

   

AMETEK, Inc.

    38,690       6,263,137  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–0.5%

   

IDEX Corp.

    18,402       3,961,215  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–1.0%

   

Paycom Software, Inc.

    22,135       7,110,647  
   

 

 

 
      40,788,782  
   

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION SERVICES–5.2%

   

ENTERTAINMENT–0.6%

   

Netflix, Inc.(a)

    9,615       4,235,311  
   

 

 

 

INTERACTIVE MEDIA & SERVICES–4.6%

   

Alphabet, Inc.–Class C(a)

    272,808       33,001,584  
   

 

 

 
      37,236,895  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

MATERIALS–0.8%

   

CHEMICALS–0.8%

   

Sherwin-Williams Co. (The)

    22,360     $ 5,937,027  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $373,980,712)

      686,678,277  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–4.9%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–4.9%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $34,933,267)

    34,933,267       34,933,267  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–100.7%
(cost $408,913,979)

      721,611,544  

Other assets less liabilities–(0.7)%

      (4,853,219
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 716,758,325  
   

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Security in which significant unobservable inputs (Level 3) were used in determining fair value.

 

(c)   Fair valued by the Adviser.

 

(d)   Affiliated investments.

 

(e)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(f)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

REG—Registered Shares

See notes to financial statements.

 

4


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $373,980,712)

   $ 686,678,277  

Affiliated issuers (cost $34,933,267)

     34,933,267  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     1,408,287  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     145,546  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     92,116  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     84,316  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     723,341,809  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for investment securities purchased

     5,382,388  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     539,234  

Advisory fee payable

     364,573  

Distribution fee payable

     86,003  

Administrative fee payable

     21,320  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     150  

Directors’ fees payable

     141  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

     189,675  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     6,583,484  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 716,758,325  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 10,485  

Additional paid-in capital

     350,568,745  

Distributable earnings

     366,179,095  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 716,758,325  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $   314,138,078          4,343,175        $   72.33  
B      $ 402,620,247          6,141,725        $ 65.55  

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

5


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $8,449)

   $ 1,757,752  

Affiliated issuers

     680,991  

Interest

     89  

Securities lending income

     1,569  
  

 

 

 
     2,440,401  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     1,955,566  

Distribution fee—Class B

     455,848  

Transfer agency—Class A

     1,851  

Transfer agency—Class B

     2,350  

Administrative

     47,089  

Custody and accounting

     43,430  

Legal

     30,949  

Printing

     26,540  

Audit and tax

     20,992  

Directors’ fees

     12,676  

Miscellaneous

     12,162  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     2,609,453  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (14,696
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     2,594,757  
  

 

 

 

Net investment loss

     (154,356
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain on investment transactions

     8,439,760  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     125,142,911  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment transactions

     133,582,671  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 133,428,315  
  

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

6


 
LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment loss

   $ (154,356   $ (1,400,113

Net realized gain on investment transactions

     8,439,760       45,381,893  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     125,142,911       (289,990,519
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     133,428,315       (246,008,739

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Class A

     –0 –      (34,080,651

Class B

     –0 –      (47,132,006

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (7,753,237     39,142,914  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     125,675,078       (288,078,482

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     591,083,247       879,161,729  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 716,758,325     $ 591,083,247  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Large Cap Growth Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

8


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

 

9


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities:

         

Assets:

         

Common Stocks:

         

Information Technology

   $ 254,106,149     $             –0 –    $             –0 –     $ 254,106,149  

Health Care

     179,045,587       –0 –      0 (a)       179,045,587  

Consumer Discretionary

     81,759,155       –0 –      –0 –       81,759,155  

Financials

     46,175,577       –0 –      –0 –       46,175,577  

Consumer Staples

     41,629,105       –0 –      –0 –       41,629,105  

Industrials

     40,788,782       –0 –      –0 –       40,788,782  

Communication Services

     37,236,895       –0 –      –0 –       37,236,895  

Materials

     5,937,027       –0 –      –0 –       5,937,027  

Short-Term Investments

     34,933,267       –0 –      –0 –       34,933,267  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     721,611,544       –0 –      0 (a)       721,611,544  

Other Financial Instruments(b)

     –0 –      –0 –      –0 –       –0 – 
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 721,611,544     $ –0 –    $ 0 (a)     $ 721,611,544  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a)   The Portfolio held securities with zero market value at period end.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .60% of the first $2.5 billion, ..50% of the next $2.5 billion and .45% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,089.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $14,691.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
    Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
    Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 27,717     $ 57,435      $ 50,219      $ 34,933     $ 681  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     –0 –      1,876        1,876        –0 –      –0 – 
          

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

           $ 34,933     $ 681  
          

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

 

11


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 101,517,800      $ 113,498,909  

U.S. government securities

       –0 –       –0 – 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 316,894,862  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (4,197,297
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 312,697,565  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The Portfolio did not engage in derivatives transactions for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

    Government Money Market    
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 1,569     $ –0 –    $ 5  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    176,913       292,422       $ 11,546,435     $ 18,985,921  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      510,954         –0 –      34,080,651  

Shares redeemed

    (258,374     (558,038       (16,950,759     (39,512,597
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (81,461     245,338       $ (5,404,324   $ 13,553,975  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    281,088       614,151       $ 16,782,281     $ 38,755,142  

Shares issued on reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      777,885         –0 –      47,132,006  

Shares redeemed

    (322,787     (929,554       (19,131,194     (60,298,209
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (41,699     462,482       $ (2,348,913   $ 25,588,939  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 66% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

 

13


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

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, or NAV, than would be the case if the Portfolio were invested in a larger number of companies.

Sector Risk—The Portfolio may have more risk because it may invest to a significant extent in one or more particular market sectors, such as the information technology or health care sector. To the extent it does so, market or economic factors affecting the relevant sector(s) could have a major effect on the value of the Portfolio’s investments.

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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, but there is no guarantee that its techniques will produce the intended results. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022      2021  

Distributions paid from:

     

Ordinary income

   $ –0 –     $ 830,314  

Net long-term capital gains

     81,212,657        56,301,889  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 81,212,657      $ 57,132,203  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed capital gains

   $ 48,551,729  

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     184,199,051 (a) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ 232,750,780  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) – Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

15


 
LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $58.90       $93.09       $77.09       $61.26       $51.75       $56.34  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income (loss)(a)(b)

    .03       (.05     (.19     (.06     .05       .02  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    13.40       (25.48     22.16       21.18       17.18       2.09  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    13.43       (25.53     21.97       21.12       17.23       2.11  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Distributions

           

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (8.66     (5.97     (5.29     (7.72     (6.70
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $72.33       $58.90       $93.09       $77.09       $61.26       $51.75  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    22.80     (28.51 )%      28.98     35.49     34.70     2.58
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $314,138       $260,596       $389,051       $331,436       $264,234       $190,899  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .66 %^      .65     .65     .66     .67     .68

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .66 %^      .65     .65     .67     .68     .68

Net investment income (loss)(b)

    .09 %^      (.07 )%      (.22 )%      (.08 )%      .09     .04

Portfolio turnover rate

    16     34     17     33     38     46
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .00 %^      .00     .00     .01     .01     .00

 

 

See footnote summary on page 17.

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $53.45       $85.67       $71.51       $57.28       $48.91       $53.70  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment loss(a)(b)

    (.05     (.20     (.37     (.21     (.09     (.12

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    12.15       (23.36     20.50       19.73       16.18       2.03  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    12.10       (23.56     20.13       19.52       16.09       1.91  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Distributions

           

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (8.66     (5.97     (5.29     (7.72     (6.70
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $65.55       $53.45       $85.67       $71.51       $57.28       $48.91  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    22.66     (28.69 )%      28.65     35.15     34.37     2.32
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $402,620       $330,487       $490,111       $413,127       $322,688       $218,027  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .91 %^      .90     .90     .91     .92     .93

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .91 %^      .90     .90     .92     .93     .93

Net investment loss(b)

    (.16 )%^      (.32 )%      (.47 )%      (.33 )%      (.16 )%      (.21 )% 

Portfolio turnover rate

    16     34     17     33     38     46
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .00 %^      .00     .00     .01     .01     .00

 

 

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(d)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the years ended December 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, such waiver amounted to .01% and .01%, respectively.

 

*   Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Portfolio resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Portfolio’s performance for the year ended December 31, 2019 by .04%.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

17


 
 
LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

18


 
LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Large Cap Growth Portfolio (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous

 

19


LARGE CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median and took into account the impact on the advisory fee rate of the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with that for another funds advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

 

20


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

21


VPS-LCG-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO (formerly, Growth and Income Portfolio)

 

 

 


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each classes’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
    Total
Expenses Paid
During Period+
     Total
Annualized
Expense Ratio+
 

Class A*

                

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,036.90      $ 3.03        0.60   $ 3.08        0.61

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,021.82      $ 3.01        0.60   $ 3.06        0.61
                

Class B

                

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,035.60      $ 4.29        0.85   $ 4.34        0.86

Hypothetical**

   $   1,000      $   1,020.58      $   4.26        0.85   $   4.31        0.86

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to the classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

+   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Portfolio’s total expenses are equal to the classes’ annualized expense ratio plus the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the weighted average expense ratio of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios in which it invests, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

1


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.—Class B

   $ 34,863,158          4.2

Philip Morris International, Inc.

     34,708,303          4.2  

Elevance Health, Inc.

     33,997,515          4.1  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

     30,297,043          3.6  

Alphabet, Inc.—Class C

     29,430,429          3.5  

Mastercard, Inc.—Class A

     29,203,311          3.5  

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

     27,277,771          3.3  

Roche Holding AG (Sponsored ADR)

     26,472,027          3.2  

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

     22,860,350          2.7  

Weyerhaeuser Co.

     22,243,268          2.7  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   291,353,175          35.0

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Financials

   $ 175,780,259          20.9

Health Care

     155,654,892          18.5  

Industrials

     154,932,538          18.4  

Information Technology

     72,361,747          8.6  

Consumer Staples

     55,416,239          6.6  

Energy

     47,715,880          5.7  

Communication Services

     45,589,099          5.4  

Consumer Discretionary

     44,702,291          5.3  

Real Estate

     22,243,268          2.7  

Materials

     14,145,227          1.7  

Utilities

     3,968,055          0.5  

Short-Term Investments

     47,908,748          5.7  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   840,418,243          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time.

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

COMMON STOCKS–95.2%

   
   

FINANCIALS–21.1%

   

BANKS–5.9%

   

Bank OZK(a)

    121,782     $ 4,890,765  

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

    208,313       30,297,043  

Wells Fargo & Co.

    327,332       13,970,530  
   

 

 

 
      49,158,338  
   

 

 

 

CAPITAL MARKETS–2.1%

   

Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (The)

    9,784       3,155,731  

Houlihan Lokey, Inc.

    111,391       10,950,849  

Raymond James Financial, Inc.

    34,619       3,592,414  
   

 

 

 
      17,698,994  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–9.5%

   

Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.–Class B(b)

    102,238       34,863,158  

Fiserv, Inc.(b)

    58,920       7,432,758  

Mastercard, Inc.–Class A

    74,252       29,203,311  

PayPal Holdings, Inc.(b)

    111,027       7,408,832  
   

 

 

 
      78,908,059  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–3.6%

   

American International Group, Inc.

    162,174       9,331,492  

Axis Capital Holdings Ltd.

    284,112       15,293,749  

MetLife, Inc.

    95,341       5,389,627  
   

 

 

 
      30,014,868  
   

 

 

 
      175,780,259  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–18.7%

   

BIOTECHNOLOGY–7.8%

   

Amgen, Inc.

    67,871       15,068,719  

Gilead Sciences, Inc.

    353,935       27,277,771  

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(b)

    31,815       22,860,350  
   

 

 

 
      65,206,840  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–7.7%

   

AmerisourceBergen Corp.

    29,944       5,762,124  

Cigna Group (The)

    39,452       11,070,231  

Elevance Health, Inc.

    76,521       33,997,515  

Quest Diagnostics, Inc.

    93,527       13,146,155  
   

 

 

 
      63,976,025  
   

 

 

 

PHARMACEUTICALS–3.2%

   

Roche Holding AG (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    692,985       26,472,027  
   

 

 

 
      155,654,892  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–18.6%

   

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–4.1%

   

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

    26,910       4,942,291  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

Raytheon Technologies Corp.

    222,627     $ 21,808,541  

Textron, Inc.

    109,866       7,430,237  
   

 

 

 
      34,181,069  
   

 

 

 

AIR FREIGHT & LOGISTICS–0.7%

   

Expeditors International of Washington, Inc.

    47,595       5,765,182  
   

 

 

 

BUILDING PRODUCTS–1.0%

   

Builders FirstSource, Inc.(b)

    60,122       8,176,592  
   

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING–1.0%

   

EMCOR Group, Inc.

    45,148       8,342,448  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–4.7%

   

Acuity Brands, Inc.

    19,490       3,178,429  

Emerson Electric Co.

    97,581       8,820,347  

nVent Electric PLC

    336,493       17,386,593  

Sensata Technologies Holding PLC

    218,277       9,820,282  
   

 

 

 
      39,205,651  
   

 

 

 

GROUND TRANSPORTATION–0.4%

   

Knight-Swift Transportation Holdings, Inc.

    55,962       3,109,249  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–3.4%

   

Dover Corp.

    21,829       3,223,052  

Middleby Corp. (The)(b)

    21,689       3,206,285  

PACCAR, Inc.

    192,137       16,072,260  

Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp.

    54,566       5,984,253  
   

 

 

 
      28,485,850  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–2.2%

   

Maximus, Inc.

    140,870       11,904,924  

Robert Half International, Inc.

    89,205       6,710,000  
   

 

 

 
      18,614,924  
   

 

 

 

TRADING COMPANIES & DISTRIBUTORS–1.1%

   

Ferguson PLC

    37,938       5,968,027  

MSC Industrial Direct Co., Inc.–Class A

    32,363       3,083,546  
   

 

 

 
      9,051,573  
   

 

 

 
      154,932,538  
   

 

 

 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–8.7%

   

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT–1.9%

   

Cisco Systems, Inc.

    310,259       16,052,801  
   

 

 

 

 

3


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–1.5%

   

IPG Photonics Corp.(b)

    42,451     $ 5,765,695  

Keysight Technologies, Inc.(b)

    39,033       6,536,076  
   

 

 

 
      12,301,771  
   

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–1.6%

   

Accenture PLC–Class A

    43,206       13,332,507  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–3.7%

   

NXP Semiconductors NV

    34,554       7,072,513  

QUALCOMM, Inc.

    132,900       15,820,416  

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Sponsored ADR)

    77,108       7,781,739  
   

 

 

 
      30,674,668  
   

 

 

 
      72,361,747  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–6.6%

   

CONSUMER STAPLES DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL–1.6%

   

BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings, Inc.(b)

    114,811       7,234,241  

Kroger Co. (The)

    137,097       6,443,559  
   

 

 

 
      13,677,800  
   

 

 

 

FOOD PRODUCTS–0.8%

   

Kraft Heinz Co. (The)

    198,032       7,030,136  
   

 

 

 

TOBACCO–4.2%

   

Philip Morris International, Inc.

    355,545       34,708,303  
   

 

 

 
      55,416,239  
   

 

 

 

ENERGY–5.7%

   

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES–0.7%

   

Helmerich & Payne, Inc.

    165,741       5,875,518  
   

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–5.0%

   

Chevron Corp.

    90,214       14,195,173  

ConocoPhillips

    62,816       6,508,366  

EOG Resources, Inc.

    87,951       10,065,113  

Phillips 66

    116,080       11,071,710  
   

 

 

 
      41,840,362  
   

 

 

 
      47,715,880  
   

 

 

 

COMMUNICATION SERVICES–5.5%

   

DIVERSIFIED TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES–2.0%

   

Comcast Corp.–Class A

    388,897       16,158,670  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

INTERACTIVE MEDIA & SERVICES–3.5%

   

Alphabet, Inc.–Class C(b)

    243,287     $ 29,430,429  
   

 

 

 
      45,589,099  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–5.4%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–1.2%

   

BorgWarner, Inc.

    194,920       9,533,537  
   

 

 

 

DISTRIBUTORS–0.9%

   

LKQ Corp.

    133,472       7,777,413  
   

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–1.0%

   

Booking Holdings, Inc.(b)

    1,175       3,172,888  

Choice Hotels International, Inc.(a)

    42,342       4,976,032  
   

 

 

 
      8,148,920  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–0.4%

   

DR Horton, Inc.

    29,128       3,544,586  
   

 

 

 

SPECIALTY RETAIL–1.9%

   

Lowe’s Cos., Inc.

    54,921       12,395,670  

Ulta Beauty, Inc.(b)

    7,017       3,302,165  
   

 

 

 
      15,697,835  
   

 

 

 
      44,702,291  
   

 

 

 

REAL ESTATE–2.7%

   

SPECIALIZED REITs–2.7%

   

Weyerhaeuser Co.

    663,780       22,243,268  
   

 

 

 

MATERIALS–1.7%

   

CHEMICALS–1.2%

   

LyondellBasell Industries NV–Class A

    108,153       9,931,690  
   

 

 

 

METALS & MINING–0.5%

   

BHP Group Ltd. (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    70,614       4,213,537  
   

 

 

 
      14,145,227  
   

 

 

 

UTILITIES–0.5%

   

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–0.5%

   

IDACORP, Inc.

    38,675       3,968,055  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $663,765,137)

      792,509,495  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–5.8%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–5.8%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(c)(d)(e)
(cost $47,908,748)

    47,908,748       47,908,748  
   

 

 

 

Total Investments Before Security Lending Collateral for Securities Loaned–101.0%
(cost $711,673,885)

      840,418,243  
   

 

 

 

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                     

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–0.4%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–0.4%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(c)(d)(e)
(cost $3,103,018)

    3,103,018     $ 3,103,018  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–101.4%
(cost $714,776,903)

      843,521,261  

Other assets less liabilities–(1.4)%

      (11,544,635
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 831,976,626  
   

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(b)   Non-income producing security.

 

(c)   Affiliated investments.

 

(d)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(e)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

REIT—Real Estate Investment Trust

See notes to financial statements.

 

5


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $663,765,137)

   $ 792,509,495 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $51,011,766—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $3,103,018)

     51,011,766  

Cash

     14  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     4,948,574  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     1,406,697  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     193,802  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     181,485  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     850,251,833  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for investment securities purchased

     13,775,322  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     3,103,018  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     552,963  

Advisory fee payable

     389,513  

Distribution fee payable

     143,997  

Administrative fee payable

     21,320  

Directors’ fees payable

     423  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     154  

Accrued expenses and other liabilities

     288,497  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     18,275,207  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 831,976,626  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 28,202  

Additional paid-in capital

     615,088,646  

Distributable earnings

     216,859,778  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 831,976,626  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $   162,491,229          5,403,989        $   30.07  
B      $ 669,485,397          22,798,346        $ 29.37  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $12,136,437 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

6


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $158,155)

   $ 8,650,325  

Affiliated issuers

     996,272  

Interest

     173  

Securities lending income

     8,095  
  

 

 

 
     9,654,865  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     2,286,210  

Distribution fee—Class B

     840,076  

Transfer agency—Class A

     919  

Transfer agency—Class B

     3,869  

Printing

     48,224  

Administrative

     47,089  

Custody and accounting

     42,248  

Legal

     33,822  

Audit and tax

     21,597  

Directors’ fees

     14,221  

Miscellaneous

     13,640  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     3,351,915  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (22,111
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     3,329,804  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     6,325,061  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain on investment transactions

     10,681,262  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     12,195,490  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment transactions

     22,876,752  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 29,201,813  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


 
RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment income

   $ 6,325,061     $ 10,958,513  

Net realized gain on investment transactions

     10,681,262       64,196,924  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     12,195,490       (115,477,318
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     29,201,813       (40,321,881

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Class A

     –0 –      (27,285,764

Class B

     –0 –      (119,514,169

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (32,060,275     99,205,085  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total decrease

     (2,858,462     (87,916,729

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     834,835,088       922,751,817  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 831,976,626     $ 834,835,088  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

8


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Relative Value Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) (formerly known as AB Growth and Income Portfolio) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

9


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

       Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities:

             

Assets:

             

Common Stocks(a)

     $ 792,509,495      $             –0 –     $             –0 –     $ 792,509,495  

Short-Term Investments

       47,908,748        –0 –       –0 –       47,908,748  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

       3,103,018        –0 –       –0 –       3,103,018  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

       843,521,261        –0 –       –0 –       843,521,261  

Other Financial Instruments(b)

       –0 –       –0 –       –0 –       –0 – 
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

     $ 843,521,261      $ –0 –     $ –0 –     $ 843,521,261  
    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a)   See Portfolio of Investments for sector classifications.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .55% of the first $2.5 billion, .45% of the next $2.5 billion and .40% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,089.

 

11


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $21,582.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
    Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 45,583     $ 173,635      $ 171,309      $ 47,909      $ 996  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     –0 –      45,695        42,592        3,103        5  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           $ 51,012      $ 1,001  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 286,456,646      $ 312,561,876  

U.S. government securities

       –0 –       –0 – 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 132,125,062  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (3,380,704
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 128,744,358  
  

 

 

 

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The Portfolio did not engage in derivatives transactions for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

 

13


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

    Government Money Market    
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ 12,136,437     $ 3,103,018     $ 9,389,067     $ 2,662     $ 5,433     $ 529  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    587,676       726,184       $ 17,220,402     $ 22,884,961  

Shares issued in reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      968,955         –0 –      27,285,764  

Shares redeemed

    (620,054     (879,980       (18,203,067     (28,582,107
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (32,378     815,159       $ (982,665   $ 21,588,618  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    961,167       2,020,177       $ 27,592,699     $ 62,982,072  

Shares issued on reinvestment of dividends and distributions

    –0 –      4,336,508         –0 –      119,514,169  

Shares redeemed

    (2,044,473     (3,311,067       (58,670,309     (104,879,774
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (1,083,306     3,045,618       $ (31,077,610   $ 77,616,467  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 48% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing 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- and mid-capitalization companies may have additional risks because these companies have limited product lines, markets or financial resources.

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

 

15


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

       2022        2021  

Distributions paid from:

         

Ordinary income

     $ 21,194,171        $ 7,413,351  

Net long-term capital gains

       125,605,762          –0 – 
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

     $ 146,799,933        $ 7,413,351  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

   $ 10,956,957  

Undistributed capital gains

     66,639,610  

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     110,061,398 (a) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ 187,657,965  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   The difference between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) is attributable primarily to the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) – Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

16


 
RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $29.00       $36.83       $28.97       $30.30       $27.78       $33.35  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .25       .48       .38       .40       .43       .41  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    .82       (2.21     7.76       .13       5.84       (1.84
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.07       (1.73     8.14       .53       6.27       (1.43
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.49     (.28     (.42     (.39     (.34

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (5.61     –0 –      (1.44     (3.36     (3.80
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (6.10     (.28     (1.86     (3.75     (4.14
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $30.07       $29.00       $36.83       $28.97       $30.30       $27.78  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    3.69     (4.19 )%      28.15     2.72     23.91     (5.61 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $162,492       $157,648       $170,190       $143,269       $155,765       $133,188  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .60 %^      .59     .59     .61     .61     .59

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .60 %^      .59     .59     .62     .62     .60

Net investment income(b)

    1.72 %^      1.50     1.13     1.53     1.43     1.28

Portfolio turnover rate

    36     66     51     54     66     96
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .01 %^      .00     .00     .01     .01     .01

 

 

See footnote summary on page 19.

 

17


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $28.36       $36.12       $28.43       $29.76       $27.34       $32.88  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income(a)(b)

    .21       .39       .29       .33       .35       .33  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    .80       (2.16     7.61       .13       5.74       (1.81
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.01       (1.77     7.90       .46       6.09       (1.48
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      (.38     (.21     (.35     (.31     (.26

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (5.61     –0 –      (1.44     (3.36     (3.80
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (5.99     (.21     (1.79     (3.67     (4.06
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $29.37       $28.36       $36.12       $28.43       $29.76       $27.34  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)*

    3.56     (4.42 )%      27.84     2.47     23.61     (5.84 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $669,485       $677,187       $752,562       $868,715       $922,603       $772,904  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .85 %^      .84     .84     .86     .86     .84

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .85 %^      .84     .85     .87     .87     .85

Net investment income(b)

    1.47 %^      1.25     .87     1.28     1.18     1.03

Portfolio turnover rate

    36     66     51     54     66     96
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .01 %^      .00     .00     .01     .01     .01

 

 

 

See footnote summary on page 19.

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(d)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the six months ended June 30, 2023 and for the years ended December 31, 2020, December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018, such waiver amounted to .01% (annualized), .01%, .01% and .01%, respectively.

 

*   Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Portfolio resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Portfolio’s performance for the years ended December 31, 2019 and December 31, 2018 by .15% and .02%, respectively.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

19


 
 
RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

20


 
RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Relative Value Portfolio (formerly AB Growth and Income Portfolio) (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous

 

21


RELATIVE VALUE PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Fund’s profitability to the Adviser would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median and took into account the impact on the advisory fee rate of the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with that for another fund advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

 

22


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

23


VPS-RV-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each classes’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
 

Class A

           

Actual

   $   1,000      $   1,163.70      $   4.83        0.90

Hypothetical (5% annual return before expenses)**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,020.33      $ 4.51        0.90
           

Class B

           

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,162.50      $ 6.17        1.15

Hypothetical (5% annual return before expenses)**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,019.09      $ 5.76        1.15

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

SPS Commerce, Inc.

   $ 1,116,061          2.0

Lantheus Holdings, Inc.

     993,697          1.8  

Novanta, Inc.

     992,299          1.8  

Altair Engineering, Inc.—Class A

     917,057          1.6  

RLI Corp.

     907,935          1.6  

Comfort Systems USA, Inc.

     907,041          1.6  

Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc.

     895,032          1.6  

Onto Innovation, Inc.

     890,995          1.6  

Five9, Inc.

     869,765          1.5  

ChampionX Corp.

     846,989          1.5  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   9,336,871          16.6

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Information Technology

   $ 14,527,110          25.6

Health Care

     11,919,425          21.0  

Industrials

     9,053,523          16.0  

Consumer Discretionary

     8,756,163          15.5  

Financials

     4,996,125          8.8  

Energy

     2,846,154          5.0  

Consumer Staples

     2,323,315          4.1  

Materials

     556,800          1.0  

Short-Term Investments

     1,724,282          3.0  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   56,702,897          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time.

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

COMMON STOCKS–98.0%

   
   

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–25.9%

   

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–5.1%

   

Allegro MicroSystems, Inc.(a)

    8,946     $ 403,822  

Littelfuse, Inc.

    2,616       762,067  

Novanta, Inc.(a)

    5,390       992,299  

Shoals Technologies Group, Inc.–Class A(a)

    27,498       702,849  
   

 

 

 
      2,861,037  
   

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–1.1%

   

DigitalOcean Holdings,
Inc.(a)(b)

    15,855       636,420  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–6.6%

   

Lattice Semiconductor Corp.(a)

    7,888       757,800  

MACOM Technology Solutions Holdings, Inc.(a)

    9,045       592,719  

Onto Innovation, Inc.(a)

    7,650       890,995  

Silicon Laboratories, Inc.(a)

    3,839       605,564  

Universal Display Corp.

    5,774       832,207  
   

 

 

 
      3,679,285  
   

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–11.8%

   

Altair Engineering, Inc.–Class A(a)

    12,092       917,057  

Blackline, Inc.(a)

    10,152       546,381  

Braze, Inc.–Class A(a)

    17,839       781,170  

Five9, Inc.(a)

    10,549       869,765  

Freshworks, Inc.–Class A(a)

    6,863       120,651  

Instructure Holdings, Inc.(a)

    15,660       394,005  

Manhattan Associates, Inc.(a)

    3,746       748,750  

Monday.com Ltd.(a)

    3,494       598,243  

Smartsheet, Inc.–Class A(a)

    14,176       542,374  

SPS Commerce, Inc.(a)

    5,811       1,116,061  
   

 

 

 
      6,634,457  
   

 

 

 

TECHNOLOGY HARDWARE, STORAGE & PERIPHERALS–1.3%

   

ACV Auctions, Inc.–Class A(a)

    41,454       715,911  
   

 

 

 
      14,527,110  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–21.3%

   

BIOTECHNOLOGY–10.6%

   

Ascendis Pharma A/S (ADR)(a)

    2,765       246,776  

Blueprint Medicines Corp.(a)

    7,712       487,398  

Insmed, Inc.(a)

    17,439       367,963  

Intellia Therapeutics, Inc.(a)

    7,747       315,923  

IVERIC bio, Inc.(a)

    4,842       190,484  

Karuna Therapeutics, Inc.(a)

    1,329       288,194  

Legend Biotech Corp. (ADR)(a)

    6,227       429,850  

Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)

    1,718       396,858  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

MoonLake Immunotherapeutics(a)(b)

    6,554     $ 334,254  

Morphic Holding, Inc.(a)

    5,496       315,086  

Natera, Inc.(a)

    12,152       591,316  

Relay Therapeutics, Inc.(a)

    13,658       171,544  

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc.(a)

    5,795       267,323  

Vaxcyte, Inc.(a)

    8,966       447,762  

Viking Therapeutics, Inc.(a)

    14,042       227,621  

Vir Biotechnology, Inc.(a)

    11,969       293,600  

Viridian Therapeutics, Inc.(a)

    11,677       277,796  

Zentalis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(a)(b)

    10,172       286,952  
   

 

 

 
      5,936,700  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–6.0%

   

AtriCure, Inc.(a)

    14,897       735,316  

iRhythm Technologies, Inc.(a)

    4,975       518,992  

Lantheus Holdings, Inc.(a)

    11,841       993,697  

Silk Road Medical, Inc.(a)

    11,624       377,664  

Treace Medical Concepts, Inc.(a)

    27,878       713,119  
   

 

 

 
      3,338,788  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–2.4%

   

Guardant Health, Inc.(a)

    20,307       726,991  

Inari Medical, Inc.(a)

    10,524       611,865  
   

 

 

 
      1,338,856  
   

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES TOOLS & SERVICES–0.7%

   

Repligen Corp.(a)

    2,696       381,376  
   

 

 

 

PHARMACEUTICALS–1.6%

   

Intra-Cellular Therapies, Inc.(a)

    9,645       610,721  

Revance Therapeutics, Inc.(a)

    12,366       312,984  
   

 

 

 
      923,705  
   

 

 

 
      11,919,425  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–16.1%

   

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–3.5%

   

Axon Enterprise, Inc.(a)

    2,353       459,117  

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

    3,708       681,011  

Hexcel Corp.

    10,580       804,292  
   

 

 

 
      1,944,420  
   

 

 

 

BUILDING PRODUCTS–0.2%

   

AZEK Co., Inc. (The)(a)

    2,829       85,690  
   

 

 

 

COMMERCIAL SERVICES & SUPPLIES–1.2%

   

Tetra Tech, Inc.

    4,146       678,866  
   

 

 

 

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING–1.6%

   

Comfort Systems USA, Inc.

    5,524       907,041  
   

 

 

 

 

3


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT–0.8%

   

Generac Holdings, Inc.(a)(b)

    1,010     $ 150,621  

NEXTracker, Inc.–Class A(a)

    7,718       307,254  
   

 

 

 
      457,875  
   

 

 

 

GROUND TRANSPORTATION–2.1%

   

Saia, Inc.(a)

    2,158       738,921  

XPO, Inc.(a)

    7,458       440,022  
   

 

 

 
      1,178,943  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–3.6%

   

Esab Corp.

    10,672       710,115  

ITT, Inc.

    7,137       665,240  

Middleby Corp. (The)(a)

    4,394       649,565  
   

 

 

 
      2,024,920  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–2.0%

   

FTI Consulting, Inc.(a)

    2,933       557,857  

Insperity, Inc.

    4,989       593,491  
   

 

 

 
      1,151,348  
   

 

 

 

TRADING COMPANIES & DISTRIBUTORS–1.1%

   

SiteOne Landscape Supply, Inc.(a)

    3,731       624,420  
   

 

 

 
      9,053,523  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–15.6%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–1.3%

   

Fox Factory Holding Corp.(a)

    6,724       729,621  
   

 

 

 

BROADLINE RETAIL–2.0%

   

Driven Brands Holdings, Inc.(a)

    24,039       650,495  

Global-e Online Ltd.(a)

    3,660       149,840  

Savers Value Village, Inc.(a)

    13,772       326,397  
   

 

 

 
      1,126,732  
   

 

 

 

DIVERSIFIED CONSUMER SERVICES–0.7%

   

European Wax Center, Inc.–Class A(a)

    20,636       384,449  
   

 

 

 

HOTELS, RESTAURANTS & LEISURE–6.5%

   

Hilton Grand Vacations, Inc.(a)

    19,697       895,032  

Life Time Group Holdings, Inc.(a)

    33,738       663,626  

Planet Fitness, Inc.–Class A(a)

    7,892       532,236  

Texas Roadhouse, Inc.

    6,809       764,515  

Wingstop, Inc.

    3,817       764,011  
   

 

 

 
      3,619,420  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–2.5%

   

Meritage Homes Corp.

    5,515       784,619  

Skyline Champion Corp.(a)

    9,692       634,341  
   

 

 

 
      1,418,960  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

SPECIALTY RETAIL–2.6%

   

Five Below, Inc.(a)

    3,621     $ 711,671  

Floor & Decor Holdings, Inc.–Class A(a)

    300       31,188  

Lithia Motors, Inc.

    2,414       734,122  
   

 

 

 
      1,476,981  
   

 

 

 
      8,756,163  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–8.9%

   

CAPITAL MARKETS–3.6%

   

Houlihan Lokey, Inc.

    7,931       779,697  

P10, Inc.–Class A

    21,321       240,927  

StepStone Group, Inc.–Class A

    20,071       497,962  

Stifel Financial Corp.

    8,526       508,746  
   

 

 

 
      2,027,332  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–2.5%

   

Flywire Corp.(a)

    24,153       749,709  

Shift4 Payments, Inc.–Class A(a)

    9,304       631,835  
   

 

 

 
      1,381,544  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–2.8%

   

Kinsale Capital Group, Inc.

    80       29,936  

RLI Corp.

    6,653       907,935  

Ryan Specialty Holdings, Inc.(a)

    14,466       649,378  
   

 

 

 
      1,587,249  
   

 

 

 
      4,996,125  
   

 

 

 

ENERGY–5.1%

   

ENERGY EQUIPMENT & SERVICES–2.8%

   

ChampionX Corp.

    27,287       846,989  

TechnipFMC PLC(a)

    41,639       692,040  
   

 

 

 
      1,539,029  
   

 

 

 

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–2.3%

   

Matador Resources Co.

    5,954       311,513  

Permian Resources Corp.

    47,875       524,710  

Southwestern Energy Co.(a)

    78,353       470,902  
   

 

 

 
      1,307,125  
   

 

 

 
      2,846,154  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–4.1%

   

CONSUMER STAPLES DISTRIBUTION & RETAIL–2.5%

   

Chefs’ Warehouse, Inc. (The)(a)

    19,670       703,399  

Grocery Outlet Holding Corp.(a)

    23,515       719,794  
   

 

 

 
      1,423,193  
   

 

 

 

FOOD PRODUCTS–1.6%

   

Freshpet, Inc.(a)

    9,972       656,257  

Vital Farms, Inc.(a)

    20,339       243,865  
      900,122  
   

 

 

 
      2,323,315  
   

 

 

 

 

4


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

MATERIALS–1.0%

   

CHEMICALS–1.0%

   

Element Solutions, Inc.

    29,000     $ 556,800  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $44,983,523)

      54,978,615  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–3.1%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–3.1%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(c)(d)(e)
(cost $1,724,282)

    1,724,282       1,724,282  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS BEFORE SECURITY LENDING COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES
LOANED–101.1%
(cost $46,707,805)

      56,702,897  
   

 

 

 

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–1.0%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–1.0%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(c)(d)(e)
(cost $563,758)

    563,758       563,758  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–102.1%
(cost $47,271,563)

      57,266,655  

Other assets less liabilities–(2.1)%

      (1,151,709
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 56,114,946  
   

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(c)   Affiliated investments.

 

(d)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(e)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

See notes to financial statements.

 

5


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $44,983,523)

   $ 54,978,615 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $2,288,040—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $563,758)

     2,288,040  

Receivable for investment securities sold

     702,729  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     46,512  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     6,071  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     4,664  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     58,026,631  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for investment securities purchased

     1,160,877  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     563,758  

Administrative fee payable

     22,250  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     20,062  

Advisory fee payable

     17,021  

Distribution fee payable

     7,860  

Directors’ fees payable

     238  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     161  

Accrued expenses

     119,458  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     1,911,685  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 56,114,946  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 6,506  

Additional paid-in capital

     57,426,610  

Accumulated loss

     (1,318,170
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 56,114,946  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $   19,203,042          1,814,137        $   10.59  
B      $ 36,911,904          4,691,968        $ 7.87  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $1,250,199 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

6


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers

   $ 105,709  

Affiliated issuers

     32,088  

Securities lending income

     2,037  
  

 

 

 
     139,834  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     201,179  

Distribution fee—Class B

     43,994  

Transfer agency—Class A

     734  

Transfer agency—Class B

     1,399  

Administrative

     47,346  

Custody and accounting

     34,449  

Audit and tax

     21,159  

Legal

     15,083  

Printing

     11,808  

Directors’ fees

     8,993  

Miscellaneous

     4,313  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     390,457  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (105,768
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     284,689  
  

 

 

 

Net investment loss

     (144,855
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized loss on investment transactions

     (547,108

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     8,659,868  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment transactions

     8,112,760  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 7,967,905  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


 
SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

    

Net investment loss

   $ (144,855   $ (332,729

Net realized loss on investment transactions

     (547,108     (9,386,634

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments

     8,659,868       (23,397,350
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     7,967,905       (33,116,713

Distributions to Shareholders

    

Class A

     –0 –      (8,363,912

Class B

     –0 –      (17,518,976

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

    

Net increase (decrease)

     (1,556,680     22,329,390  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     6,411,225       (36,670,211

NET ASSETS

    

Beginning of period

     49,703,721       86,373,932  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 56,114,946     $ 49,703,721  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

8


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The Portfolio may (i) make additional exceptions that, in the Adviser’s judgment, do not adversely affect the Adviser’s ability to manage the Portfolio; (ii) reject any investment or refuse any exception, including those detailed above, that the Adviser believes will adversely affect its ability to manage the Portfolio; and (iii) close and/or reopen the Portfolio to new or existing Contractholders at any time.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party

 

9


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

     Level 1      Level 2      Level 3      Total  

Investments in Securities:

           

Assets:

           

Common Stocks(a)

   $ 54,978,615      $             –0 –     $             –0 –     $ 54,978,615  

Short-Term Investments

     1,724,282        –0 –       –0 –       1,724,282  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

     563,758        –0 –       –0 –       563,758  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     57,266,655        –0 –       –0 –       57,266,655  

Other Financial Instruments(b)

     –0 –       –0 –       –0 –       –0 – 
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 57,266,655      $ –0 –     $ –0 –     $ 57,266,655  
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(a)   See Portfolio of Investments for sector classifications.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

 

10


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .75% of the first $2.5 billion, .65% of the next $2.5 billion and .60% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. The Adviser has agreed to waive its fees and bear certain expenses to the extent necessary to limit total operating expenses (excluding expenses associated with acquired fund fees and expenses other than the advisory fees of any AB mutual funds in which the Portfolio may invest, interest expense, taxes, extraordinary expenses, and brokerage commissions and other transaction costs) on an annual basis (the “Expense Caps”) to .90% and 1.15% of daily average net assets for Class A and Class B shares, respectively. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such

 

11


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

reimbursements/waivers amounted to $105,048. This fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement extends through May 1, 2024 and then may be extended by the Adviser for additional one-year terms.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,346.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $696.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
    Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 707     $ 6,326      $ 5,309      $ 1,724      $ 32  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     –0 –      2,228        1,664        564        1  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           $ 2,288      $ 33  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to .50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.    

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

     Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

   $ 15,256,016      $ 17,551,480  

U.S. government securities

     –0 –       –0 – 

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 11,951,978  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (1,956,886
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 9,995,092  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The Portfolio did not engage in derivatives transactions for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

 

13


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

Government Money Market
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ 1,250,199     $ 563,758     $ 705,852     $ 964     $ 1,073     $ 24  

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

         

Shares sold

    41,920       108,682       $ 415,221     $ 1,527,332  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      801,909         –0 –      8,363,912  

Shares redeemed

    (120,233     (303,311       (1,193,808     (4,515,651
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (78,313     607,280       $ (778,587   $ 5,375,593  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

         

Shares sold

    290,116       977,425       $ 2,163,364     $ 10,088,393  

Shares issued on reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      2,254,695         –0 –      17,518,976  

Shares redeemed

    (398,733     (964,903       (2,941,457     (10,653,572
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (108,617     2,267,217       $ (778,093   $ 16,953,797  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 66% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

Sector Risk—The Portfolio may have more risk than a more diversified portfolio because it may invest to a significant extent in one or more particular market sectors, such as the information technology or health care sector. To the extent it does so, market or economic factors affecting the relevant sector(s) could have a major effect on the value of the Portfolio’s investments.

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

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

 

15


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022      2021  

Distributions paid from:

     

Ordinary income

   $ 3,792,639      $ 2,673,240  

Net long-term capital gains

     22,090,249        17,157,655  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 25,882,888      $ 19,830,895  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Accumulated capital and other losses

   $ (8,487,162 )(a) 

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     (798,913 )(b) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ (9,286,075
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net capital loss carryforward of $8,487,162.

 

(b)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the tax treatment of passive foreign investment companies (PFICs) and the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio had a net short-term capital loss carryforward of $6,456,756, and a net long-term capital loss carryforward of $2,030,406 which may be carried forward for an indefinite period.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)—Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

16


 
SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $9.10       $25.13       $28.76       $19.92       $16.58       $17.53  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment loss(a)(b)

    (.02     (.06     (.20     (.13     (.08     (.13

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    1.51       (8.86     2.87       10.49       6.02       .14 (c) 

Contributions from Affiliates

    –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      .00 (d)      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.49       (8.92     2.67       10.36       5.94       .01  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Distributions

           

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (7.11     (6.30     (1.52     (2.60     (.96
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $10.59       $9.10       $25.13       $28.76       $19.92       $16.58  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(e)*

    16.37     (39.09 )%      9.46     53.98     36.40     (.89 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $19,203       $17,213       $32,295       $34,314       $27,167       $22,724  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(f)(g)

    .90 %^      .90     .91     .90     .90     1.06

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(f)(g)

    1.29 %^      1.22     1.08     1.09     1.16     1.15

Net investment loss(b)

    (.38 )%^      (.42 )%      (.71 )%      (.60 )%      (.39 )%      (.65 )% 

Portfolio turnover rate

    29     67     67     103     69     73

 

 

 

See footnote summary on page 19.

 

17


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $6.77       $21.35       $25.36       $17.75       $15.03       $16.00  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment loss(a)(b)

    (.02     (.07     (.24     (.16     (.11     (.16

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions

    1.12       (7.40     2.53       9.29       5.43       .15 (c) 

Contributions from Affiliates

    –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      .00 (d)      –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    1.10       (7.47     2.29       9.13       5.32       (.01
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Distributions

           

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (7.11     (6.30     (1.52     (2.60     (.96
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $7.87       $6.77       $21.35       $25.36       $17.75       $15.03  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(e)*

    16.25     (39.26 )%      9.20     53.64     36.01     (1.11 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $36,912       $32,491       $54,079       $84,816       $50,978       $40,096  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(f)(g)

    1.15 %^      1.15     1.15     1.15     1.15     1.30

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(f)(g)

    1.54 %^      1.47     1.31     1.33     1.42     1.40

Net investment loss(b)

    (.63 )%^      (.67 )%      (.96 )%      (.84 )%      (.64 )%      (.88 )% 

Portfolio turnover rate

    29     67     67     103     69     73

 

 

 

See footnote summary on page 19.

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Due to timing of sales and repurchase of capital shares, the net realized and unrealized gain (loss) per share is not in accordance with the Portfolio’s change in net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment transactions for the period.

 

(d)   Amount is less than $.005.

 

(e)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(f)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the year ended December 31, 2018, such waiver amounted to .01%.

 

(g)   The expense ratios presented below exclude interest/bank overdraft expense:

 

     Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022      2021      2020      2019      2018  

Class A

                

Net of waivers/reimbursements

     .90 %^      .90      .90      .90      .90      1.06

Before waivers/reimbursements

     1.29 %^      1.22      1.07      1.09      1.16      1.15

Class B

                

Net of waivers/reimbursements

     1.15 %^      1.15      1.15      1.15      1.15      1.30

Before waivers/reimbursements

     1.54 %^      1.47      1.31      1.33      1.42      1.40

 

*   Includes the impact of proceeds received and credited to the Portfolio resulting from class action settlements, which enhanced the Portfolio’s performance for the years ended December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2018 by .03% and .05%, respectively.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

19


 
 
SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

20


 
SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Small Cap Growth Portfolio (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous

 

21


SMALL CAP GROWTH PORTFOLIO  
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median. Taking into account the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year, the directors noted that the Adviser’s total rate of compensation was above the median and discussed with the Adviser the reasons it was above the median.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with those for two other funds advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the

 

22


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year and the directors considered the Adviser’s expense cap for the Fund. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was close to a median. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

23


VPS-SCG-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS

SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

 

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The first line of each class’ table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The second line of each class’ table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each classes’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
 

Class A

        

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,119.00      $ 4.78        0.91

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,020.28      $ 4.56        0.91
           

Class B

        

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,117.50      $ 6.09        1.16

Hypothetical**

   $   1,000      $   1,019.04      $   5.81        1.16

 

 

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE                    PERCENT OF NET ASSETS               

Flex Ltd.

   $ 5,531,759          3.4

Microsoft Corp.

     4,822,387          3.0  

Waste Management, Inc.

     4,564,241          2.8  

Deere & Co.

     4,411,709          2.7  

Visa, Inc.—Class A

     4,410,003          2.7  

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

     4,405,489          2.7  

Adobe, Inc.

     3,955,440          2.4  

Accenture PLC—Class A

     3,768,070          2.3  

Deutsche Boerse AG

     3,763,734          2.3  

Infineon Technologies AG

     3,711,672          2.3  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   43,344,504          26.6

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Information Technology

   $ 52,556,649          32.3

Health Care

     30,382,599          18.7  

Industrials

     26,108,784          16.0  

Financials

     24,770,641          15.2  

Consumer Staples

     11,394,639          7.0  

Consumer Discretionary

     6,279,103          3.9  

Utilities

     4,052,927          2.4  

Materials

     2,162,443          1.3  

Short-Term Investments

     5,173,146          3.2  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   162,880,931          100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
COUNTRY BREAKDOWN1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COUNTRY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

United States

   $ 105,439,467          64.7

United Kingdom

     9,514,891          5.8  

Germany

     7,475,406          4.6  

Switzerland

     5,611,505          3.5  

Japan

     5,440,533          3.3  

India

     5,433,229          3.3  

Taiwan

     4,822,948          3.0  

Denmark

     4,423,572          2.7  

Netherlands

     3,171,137          1.9  

Hong Kong

     2,405,058          1.5  

Norway

     2,062,193          1.3  

China

     1,907,846          1.2  

Short-Term Investments

     5,173,146          3.2  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   162,880,931          100.0

 

 

 

 

1   The Portfolio’s country breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

 

3


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2022 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

COMMON STOCKS–96.7%

   
   

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–32.2%

   

COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT–2.3%

   

Calix, Inc.(a)

    44,077     $ 2,199,883  

Lumentum Holdings, Inc.(a)(b)

    27,721       1,572,612  
   

 

 

 
      3,772,495  
   

 

 

 

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–6.5%

   

Flex Ltd.(a)

    200,136       5,531,759  

Keyence Corp.

    4,900       2,328,267  

Keysight Technologies, Inc.(a)

    16,620       2,783,019  
   

 

 

 
      10,643,045  
   

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–2.3%

   

Accenture PLC–Class A

    12,211       3,768,070  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–11.6%

   

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.(a)

    14,637       1,667,301  

ASML Holding NV

    4,372       3,171,137  

Infineon Technologies AG

    90,128       3,711,672  

MediaTek, Inc.

    71,000       1,571,645  

NXP Semiconductors NV

    12,473       2,552,974  

ON Semiconductor Corp.(a)

    31,751       3,003,009  

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

    176,000       3,251,304  
   

 

 

 
      18,929,042  
   

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–9.5%

   

Adobe, Inc.(a)

    8,089       3,955,440  

Bentley Systems, Inc.–Class B

    24,260       1,315,620  

Intuit, Inc.

    6,289       2,881,557  

Microsoft Corp.

    14,161       4,822,387  

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.(a)

    9,663       2,468,993  
   

 

 

 
      15,443,997  
   

 

 

 
      52,556,649  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–18.6%

   

BIOTECHNOLOGY–1.3%

   

Abcam PLC (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    83,448       2,041,973  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–5.7%

   

Alcon, Inc.

    29,988       2,487,875  

Becton Dickinson and Co.

    12,845       3,391,209  

STERIS PLC

    15,334       3,449,843  
   

 

 

 
      9,328,927  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–1.6%

   

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd.

    42,786     $ 2,664,092  
   

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES TOOLS & SERVICES–8.5%

   

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc.–Class A(a)

    5,069       1,921,759  

Bruker Corp.

    26,876       1,986,674  

Danaher Corp.

    14,484       3,476,160  

ICON PLC(a)

    13,350       3,340,170  

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.

    8,396       3,211,218  
   

 

 

 
      13,935,981  
   

 

 

 

PHARMACEUTICALS–1.5%

   

Johnson & Johnson

    14,570       2,411,626  
   

 

 

 
      30,382,599  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–16.0%

   

AEROSPACE & DEFENSE–1.7%

   

Hexcel Corp.

    37,453       2,847,177  
   

 

 

 

COMMERCIAL SERVICES & SUPPLIES–4.9%

   

Tetra Tech, Inc.

    20,758       3,398,915  

Waste Management, Inc.

    26,319       4,564,241  
   

 

 

 
      7,963,156  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–7.5%

   

Deere & Co.

    10,888       4,411,709  

SMC Corp.

    5,600       3,112,266  

TOMRA Systems ASA

    128,186       2,062,193  

Xylem, Inc./NY

    23,654       2,663,913  
   

 

 

 
      12,250,081  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–1.9%

   

Experian PLC

    79,424       3,048,370  
   

 

 

 
      26,108,784  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–15.2%

   

CAPITAL MARKETS–9.1%

   

Deutsche Boerse AG

    20,387       3,763,734  

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

    41,392       4,405,489  

MSCI, Inc.

    7,560       3,547,832  

Partners Group Holding AG

    3,313       3,123,630  
   

 

 

 
      14,840,685  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–2.7%

   

Visa, Inc.–Class A

    18,570       4,410,003  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–3.4%

   

Aflac, Inc.

    44,626       3,114,895  

AIA Group Ltd.

    236,800       2,405,058  
   

 

 

 
      5,519,953  
   

 

 

 
      24,770,641  
   

 

 

 

 

4


    
 
    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

CONSUMER STAPLES–7.0%

   

HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS–1.7%

   

Procter & Gamble Co. (The)

    18,339     $ 2,782,760  
   

 

 

 

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS–5.3%

   

Dabur India Ltd.

    395,142       2,769,137  

Haleon PLC

    676,169       2,775,312  

Unilever PLC (London)

    58,905       3,067,430  
   

 

 

 
      8,611,879  
   

 

 

 
      11,394,639  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–3.9%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–1.4%

   

Aptiv PLC(a)

    22,717       2,319,179  
   

 

 

 

AUTOMOBILES–1.2%

   

BYD Co., Ltd.–Class H

    59,500       1,907,846  
   

 

 

 

HOUSEHOLD DURABLES–1.3%

   

TopBuild Corp.(a)

    7,714       2,052,078  
   

 

 

 
      6,279,103  
   

 

 

 

UTILITIES–2.5%

   

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–1.4%

   

Orsted AS(c)

    23,851       2,261,129  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                   

WATER UTILITIES–1.1%

   

American Water Works Co., Inc.

    12,552     $ 1,791,798  
   

 

 

 
      4,052,927  
   

 

 

 

MATERIALS–1.3%

   

CHEMICALS–1.3%

   

Chr Hansen Holding A/S

    31,106       2,162,443  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $120,377,005)

      157,707,785  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–3.2%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–3.2%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB, 5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $5,173,146)

    5,173,146       5,173,146  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL INVESTMENTS–99.9%
(cost $125,550,151)

      162,880,931  

Other assets less liabilities–0.1%

      106,619  
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 162,987,550  
   

 

 

 

FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS (see Note D)

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Bank of America, NA

       BRL        3,851          USD        799          07/05/2023        $ (5,174

Bank of America, NA

       USD        757          BRL        3,851          07/05/2023          47,345  

Bank of America, NA

       GBP        7,305          USD        9,101          07/21/2023          (177,165

Bank of America, NA

       USD        2,829          AUD        4,165          08/25/2023          (49,996

Bank of America, NA

       TWD        75,190          USD        2,460          09/14/2023          42,052  

Barclays Bank PLC

       HKD        9,960          USD        1,280          07/12/2023          9,138  

Barclays Bank PLC

       EUR        2,181          USD        2,402          07/31/2023          18,916  

Barclays Bank PLC

       USD        1,123          SEK        11,865          09/13/2023          (19,113

Barclays Bank PLC

       INR        28,252          USD        344          09/25/2023          296  

BNP Paribas SA

       CNH        1,959          USD        276          07/07/2023          6,142  

Citibank, NA

       INR        209,613          USD        2,542          09/25/2023          (5,466

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

       NOK        16,833          USD        1,602          09/13/2023          29,440  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       BRL        3,851          USD        804          07/05/2023          (470

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        799          BRL        3,851          07/05/2023          5,174  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CNH        2,242          USD        324          07/07/2023          15,652  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        3,607          CNH        24,669          07/07/2023          (213,080

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CHF        1,161          USD        1,301          07/21/2023          1,789  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       GBP        474          USD        607          07/21/2023          5,413  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        578          GBP        454          07/21/2023          (1,303

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,832          KRW        2,418,517          07/27/2023          4,765  

 

5


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        800          BRL        3,851          08/02/2023        $ 637  

Standard Chartered Bank

       USD        490          ZAR        9,091          08/23/2023          (9,505

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        268          CNH        1,911          07/07/2023          (5,201

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        1,887          EUR        1,759          07/31/2023          34,448  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        320          EUR        293          07/31/2023          (70

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        394          JPY        55,190          08/25/2023          (8,794

UBS AG

       USD        4,456          CAD        5,962          08/24/2023          48,105  

UBS AG

       USD        3,134          JPY        431,579          08/25/2023          (119,269

UBS AG

       USD        260          TWD        8,011          09/14/2023          (2,297
                         

 

 

 
     $   (347,591
                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(c)   Security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A or Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. This security is considered restricted, but liquid and may be resold in transactions exempt from registration. At June 30, 2023, the market value of this security amounted to $2,261,129 or 1.4% of net assets.

 

(d)   Affiliated investments.

 

(e)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(f)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

Currency Abbreviations:

AUD—Australian Dollar

BRL—Brazilian Real

CAD—Canadian Dollar

CHF—Swiss Franc

CNH—Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Offshore)

EUR—Euro

GBP—Great British Pound

HKD—Hong Kong Dollar

INR—Indian Rupee

JPY—Japanese Yen

KRW—South Korean Won

NOK—Norwegian Krone

SEK—Swedish Krona

TWD—New Taiwan Dollar

USD—United States Dollar

ZAR—South African Rand

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

See notes to financial statements.

 

6


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $120,377,005)

   $ 157,707,785  

Affiliated issuers (cost $5,173,146)

     5,173,146  

Foreign currencies, at value (cost $454,901)

     450,853  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     402,651  

Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     269,312  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     142,921  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     20,899  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     164,167,567  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     616,903  

Foreign capital gains tax payable

     177,068  

Advisory fee payable

     97,652  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     94,483  

Custody and accounting fees payable

     93,650  

Distribution fee payable

     22,730  

Administrative fee payable

     22,105  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     150  

Directors’ fees payable

     132  

Accrued expenses

     55,144  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     1,180,017  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 162,987,550  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 4,991  

Additional paid-in capital

     117,419,648  

Distributable earnings

     45,562,911  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 162,987,550  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $ 57,269,575          1,682,252        $   34.04  
B      $   105,717,975          3,308,604        $ 31.95  

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $114,251)

   $ 1,035,587  

Affiliated issuers

     124,583  

Interest

     1,359  

Securities lending income

     138  

Other income

     67  
  

 

 

 
     1,161,734  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     588,764  

Distribution fee—Class B

     128,065  

Transfer agency—Class A

     974  

Transfer agency—Class B

     1,829  

Administrative

     47,013  

Custody and accounting

     40,415  

Audit and tax

     27,801  

Legal

     17,127  

Printing

     11,748  

Directors’ fees

     9,543  

Miscellaneous

     8,270  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     881,549  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Note B)

     (41,975
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     839,574  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     322,160  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain (loss) on:

  

Investment transactions(a)

     (397,130

Forward currency exchange contracts

     94,087  

Foreign currency transactions

     10,414  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

  

Investments(b)

     18,650,955  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     (1,050,370

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     (3,201
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     17,304,755  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 17,626,915  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Net of foreign realized capital gains taxes of $60,163.

 

(b)   Net of decrease in accrued foreign capital gains taxes on unrealized gains of $35,018.

See notes to financial statements.

 

8


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment income

   $ 322,160     $ 52,469  

Net realized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

     (292,629     9,249,524  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     17,597,384       (68,416,642
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     17,626,915       (59,114,649

Distributions to Shareholders

    

Class A

     –0 –      (5,619,793

Class B

     –0 –      (11,762,309

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (7,697,075     9,023,323  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     9,929,840       (67,473,428

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     153,057,710       220,531,138  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 162,987,550     $ 153,057,710  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

9


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Sustainable Global Thematic Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) (formerly known as AB Global Thematic Growth Portfolio) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange-traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

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    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which are then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3.

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

 

11


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Investments in Securities:

        

Assets:

 

Common Stocks:

        

Information Technology

   $ 38,522,624     $ 14,034,025     $             –0 –    $ 52,556,649  

Health Care

     25,230,632       5,151,967       –0 –      30,382,599  

Industrials

     17,885,955       8,222,829       –0 –      26,108,784  

Financials

     11,072,730       13,697,911       –0 –      24,770,641  

Consumer Staples

     2,782,760       8,611,879       –0 –      11,394,639  

Consumer Discretionary

     4,371,257       1,907,846       –0 –      6,279,103  

Utilities

     1,791,798       2,261,129       –0 –      4,052,927  

Materials

     –0 –      2,162,443       –0 –      2,162,443  

Short-Term Investments

     5,173,146       –0 –      –0 –      5,173,146  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     106,830,902       56,050,029 (a)      –0 –      162,880,931  

Other Financial Instruments(b):

        

Assets:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      269,312       –0 –      269,312  

Liabilities:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      (616,903     –0 –      (616,903
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 106,830,902     $ 55,702,438     $ –0 –    $ 162,533,340  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a)   A significant portion of the Portfolio’s foreign equity investments are categorized as Level 2 investments since they are valued using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available, see Note A.1.

 

(b)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

 

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    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .75% of the first $2.5 billion, ..65% of the next $2.5 billion and .60% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or bear expenses of the Portfolio in order to reduce the Portfolio’s total operating expenses by an amount equal to .05% on an annual basis of the average net assets for Class A and Class B. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such reimbursements/waivers amounted to $39,254. This fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement extends through May 1, 2024 and then may be extended by the Adviser for additional one-year terms.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $47,013.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $2,721.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
     Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 5,497      $ 18,407      $ 18,731      $ 5,173      $ 125  

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to ..50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits

 

13


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

     Purchases     Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

   $ 21,798,231     $ 28,762,816  

U.S. government securities

     –0 –      –0 – 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 41,011,677  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (4,028,488
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 36,983,189  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The principal type of derivative utilized by the Portfolio, as well as the methods in which they may be used are:

 

   

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

The Portfolio may enter into forward currency exchange contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to hedge certain firm purchase and sale commitments denominated in foreign currencies and for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

A forward currency exchange contract is a commitment to purchase or sell a foreign currency at a future date at a negotiated forward rate. The gain or loss arising from the difference between the original contract and the closing of such contract would be included in net realized gain or loss on forward currency exchange contracts. Fluctuations in the value of open forward currency exchange contracts are recorded for financial reporting purposes as unrealized appreciation and/or depreciation by the Portfolio. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of a contract and from unanticipated movements in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes.

The Portfolio typically enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements (“ISDA Master Agreement”) with its OTC derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to OTC counterparties. ISDA Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Portfolio typically may offset with the OTC counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single

 

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    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

net payment (close-out netting) in the event of default or termination. In the event of a default by an OTC counterparty, the return of collateral with market value in excess of the Portfolio’s net liability, held by the defaulting party, may be delayed or denied.

The Portfolio’s ISDA Master Agreements may contain provisions for early termination of OTC derivative transactions in the event the net assets of the Portfolio decline below specific levels (“net asset contingent features”). If these levels are triggered, the Portfolio’s OTC counterparty has the right to terminate such transaction and require the Portfolio to pay or receive a settlement amount in connection with the terminated transaction. If OTC derivatives were held at period end, please refer to netting arrangements by the OTC counterparty table below for additional details.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio had entered into the following derivatives:

 

   

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

 

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value    

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value  

Foreign currency contracts

  Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts    $ 269,312     Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts    $ 616,903  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total

     $ 269,312        $ 616,903  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

Derivative Type

  

Location of Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives
Within Statement of Operations

   Realized Gain or
(Loss) on
Derivatives
     Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or
(Depreciation)
 

Foreign currency contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on forward currency exchange contracts; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of forward currency exchange contracts    $ 94,087      $ (1,050,370
     

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

      $ 94,087      $ (1,050,370
     

 

 

    

 

 

 

The following table represents the average monthly volume of the Portfolio’s derivative transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts:

  

Average principal amount of buy contracts

   $ 26,581,644  

Average principal amount of sale contracts

   $ 27,803,176  

For financial reporting purposes, the Portfolio does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements in the statement of assets and liabilities.

All OTC derivatives held at period end were subject to netting arrangements. The following table presents the Portfolio’s derivative assets and liabilities by OTC counterparty net of amounts available for offset under ISDA Master Agreements (“MA”) and net of the related collateral received/pledged by the Portfolio as of June 30, 2023. Exchange-traded derivatives and centrally cleared swaps are not subject to netting arrangements and as such are excluded from the table.

 

Counterparty

   Derivative Assets
Subject to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Received*
    Security Collateral
Received*
    Net Amount of
Derivative Assets
 

Bank of America, NA

   $ 89,397      $ (89,397   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ –0 – 

Barclays Bank PLC

     28,350        (19,113     –0 –      –0 –      9,237  

BNP Paribas SA

     6,142        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      6,142  

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

     29,440        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      29,440  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     33,430        (33,430     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     34,448        (14,065     –0 –      –0 –      20,383  

UBS AG

     48,105        (48,105     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 269,312      $ (204,110   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 65,202
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

15


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Counterparty

   Derivative Liabilities
Subject to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Pledged*
    Security Collateral
Pledged*
    Net Amount of
Derivative Liabilities
 

Bank of America, NA

   $ 232,335      $ (89,397   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ 142,938  

Barclays Bank PLC

     19,113        (19,113     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

Citibank, NA

     5,466        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      5,466  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     214,853        (33,430     –0 –      –0 –      181,423  

Standard Chartered Bank

     9,505        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      9,505  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     14,065        (14,065     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

UBS AG

     121,566        (48,105     –0 –      –0 –      73,461  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 616,903      $ (204,110   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 412,793
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*   The actual collateral received/pledged may be more than the amount reported due to over-collateralization.

 

^   Net amount represents the net receivable/payable that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default or termination. The net amount from OTC financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master agreement with the same counterparty.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                       

    Government Money Market    
Portfolio

 

Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*

   

Cash Collateral*

   

Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*

   

Income from
Borrowers

   

Income

Earned

   

Advisory Fee
Waived

 
$ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 1,608,591     $ 138     $ –0 –    $ –0 – 

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    42,715       203,270       $ 1,367,509     $ 7,169,402  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      170,090         –0 –      5,619,793  

Shares redeemed

    (87,807     (176,800       (2,817,770     (6,064,541
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (45,092     196,560       $ (1,450,261   $ 6,724,654  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    76,417       342,113       $ 2,275,204     $ 11,115,948  

Shares issued on reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      378,453         –0 –      11,762,309  

Shares redeemed

    (284,024     (624,992       (8,522,018     (20,579,588
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (207,607     95,574       $ (6,246,814   $ 2,298,669  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 59% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

Sector Risk—The Portfolio may have more risk than a more diversified portfolio because it may invest to a significant extent in one or more particular market sectors, such as the information technology sector. To the extent it does so, market or economic factors affecting the relevant sector(s) could have a major effect on the value of the Portfolio’s investments.

ESG Risk—Applying ESG and sustainability criteria to the investment process may exclude securities of certain issuers for non-investment reasons and, therefore, the Portfolio may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use ESG or sustainability criteria. Securities of companies with ESG practices may shift into and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and the Portfolio’s performance may at times be better or worse than the performance of funds that do not use ESG or sustainability criteria. Furthermore, ESG and sustainability criteria are not uniformly defined, and the Portfolio’s ESG and sustainability criteria may differ from those used by other funds. In addition, in evaluating an investment, the Adviser is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could adversely affect the analysis of the ESG and sustainability factors relevant to a particular investment.

 

17


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Emerging-Market Risk—Investments in emerging market countries may have more risk because the markets are less developed and less liquid, and because these investments may be subject to increased economic, political, regulatory or other uncertainties.

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce its returns.

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

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

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, or NAV, than would be the case if the Portfolio were invested in a larger number of companies.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022      2021  

Distributions paid from:

     

Ordinary income

   $ 176,259      $ 1,797,950  

Net long-term capital gains

     17,205,843        22,914,055  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 17,382,102      $ 24,712,005  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed ordinary income

   $ 186,160  

Undistributed capital gains

     9,594,126  

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     18,155,710 (a) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ 27,935,996  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the recognition for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain derivative instruments and the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848)—Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

 

19


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

20


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $30.42       $46.20       $42.40       $33.52       $27.35       $30.32  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income (loss)(a)(b)

    .09       .07       (.10     (.10     .08       .11  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    3.53       (12.25     9.46       12.64       8.00       (3.08
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    3.62       (12.18     9.36       12.54       8.08       (2.97
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      (.24     (.13     –0 – 

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (3.60     (5.56     (3.42     (1.78     –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (3.60     (5.56     (3.66     (1.91     –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $34.04       $30.42       $46.20       $42.40       $33.52       $27.35  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)

    11.90     (26.98 )%      22.87     39.41     30.16     (9.79 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $57,270       $52,543       $70,723       $58,316       $43,237       $35,799  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .91 %^      .90     .88     .94     .99     .99

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    .96 %^      .96     .93     1.00     1.04     1.01

Net investment income (loss)(b)

    .58 %^      .20     (.22 )%      (.29 )%      .27     .37

Portfolio turnover rate

    14     43     24     44     43     32
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .00 %^      .00     .00     .01     .00     .00

 

 

See footnote summary on page 22.

 

21


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $28.59       $43.80       $40.54       $32.19       $26.33       $29.25  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income (loss)(a)(b)

    .05       (.02     (.20     (.18     .01       .04  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    3.31       (11.59     9.02       12.11       7.68       (2.96
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    3.36       (11.61     8.82       11.93       7.69       (2.92
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      (.16     (.05     –0 – 

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    –0 –      (3.60     (5.56     (3.42     (1.78     –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    –0 –      (3.60     (5.56     (3.58     (1.83     –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $31.95       $28.59       $43.80       $40.54       $32.19       $26.33  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)

    11.75     (27.17 )%      22.57     39.08     29.78     (9.98 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $105,718       $100,515       $149,808       $127,062       $93,645       $80,949  

Ratio to average net assets of:

 

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.16 %^      1.15     1.13     1.19     1.24     1.24

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.21 %^      1.21     1.18     1.25     1.29     1.25

Net investment income (loss)(b)

    .32 %^      (.05 )%      (.47 )%      (.54 )%      .02     .13

Portfolio turnover rate

    14     43     24     44     43     32
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .00 %^      .00     .00     .01     .00     .00

 

 

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(d)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the year ended December 31, 2020, such waiver amounted to .01%.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

22


 
 
SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

23


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Sustainable Global Thematic Portfolio (formerly AB Global Thematic Growth Portfolio) (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts

 

24


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median and the directors took into account the impact on the advisory fee rate of the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule and the schedule of fees charged by the Adviser to any offshore funds and for services to any sub-advised funds utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with that for another fund advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional and offshore or sub-advisory accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional, offshore fund and sub-advised fund clients as compared to funds such as the Fund, and the different

 

25


SUSTAINABLE GLOBAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was above the medians, after giving effect to a voluntary waiver by the Adviser. After reviewing and discussing the Adviser’s explanations of the reasons for this, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

26


VPS-SGT-0152-0623


JUN    06.30.23

 

LOGO

 

SEMI-ANNUAL REPORT

AB VARIABLE PRODUCTS

SERIES FUND, INC.

 

+  

SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO


 

 

 

Investment Products Offered

 

   

Are Not FDIC Insured

   

May Lose Value

   

Are Not Bank Guaranteed

AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (ABI) is the distributor of the AB family of mutual funds. ABI is a member of FINRA and is an affiliate of AllianceBernstein L.P., the Adviser of the funds.

You may obtain a description of the Fund’s proxy voting policies and procedures, and information regarding how the Fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities during the most recent 12-month period ended June 30, without charge. Simply visit AB’s website at www.abfunds.com or go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (the “Commission”) website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227 4618.

The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Commission for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its reports on Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Form N-PORT reports are available on the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov.

The [A/B] logo is a registered service mark of AllianceBernstein and AllianceBernstein® is a registered service mark used by permission of the owner, AllianceBernstein L.P.


 
SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
EXPENSE EXAMPLE (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

As a shareholder of the Portfolio, you incur two types of costs: (1) transaction costs, including sales charges (loads) on purchase payments, contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions and (2) ongoing costs, including management fees; distribution (12b-1) fees; and other Portfolio expenses. This example is intended to help you understand your ongoing costs (in dollars) of investing in the Portfolio and to compare these costs with the ongoing costs of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example is based on an investment of $1,000 invested at the beginning of the period and held for the entire period as indicated below.

Actual Expenses

The table below provides information about actual account values and actual expenses. You may use the information in this line, together with the amount you invested, to estimate the expenses that you paid over the period. Simply divide your account value by $1,000 (for example, an $8,600 account value divided by $1,000 = 8.6), then multiply the result by the number in the first line under the heading entitled “Expenses Paid During Period” to estimate the expenses you paid on your account during this period. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Hypothetical Example for Comparison Purposes

The table below provides information about hypothetical account values and hypothetical expenses based on the Portfolio’s actual expense ratio and an assumed annual rate of return of 5% before expenses, which is not the Portfolio’s actual return. The hypothetical account values and expenses may not be used to estimate the actual ending account balance or expenses you paid for the period. You may use this information to compare the ongoing costs of investing in the Portfolio and other funds by comparing this 5% hypothetical example with the 5% hypothetical examples that appear in the shareholder reports of other funds. The estimate of expenses does not include fees or other expenses of any variable insurance product. If such expenses were included, the estimate of expenses you paid during the period would be higher and your ending account value would be lower.

Please note that the expenses shown in the table are meant to highlight your ongoing costs only and do not reflect any transactional costs, such as sales charges (loads), or contingent deferred sales charges on redemptions. Therefore, the second line of each class’ table is useful in comparing ongoing costs only, and will not help you determine the relative total costs of owning different funds. In addition, if these transactional costs were included, your costs would have been higher.

 

     Beginning
Account Value
January 1, 2023
     Ending
Account Value
June 30, 2023
     Expenses Paid
During Period*
     Annualized
Expense Ratio*
    Total
Expenses Paid
During Period+
     Total
Annualized
Expense Ratio+
 

Class A

                

Actual

   $   1,000      $ 1,094.80      $ 7.58        1.46   $   7.64        1.47

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $ 1,017.55      $ 7.30        1.46   $ 7.35        1.47
                

Class B

                

Actual

   $ 1,000      $ 1,093.00      $ 8.87        1.71   $ 8.93        1.72

Hypothetical**

   $ 1,000      $   1,016.31      $   8.55        1.71   $ 8.60        1.72

 

 

 

+   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Portfolio’s total expenses are equal to the classes’ annualized expense ratio plus the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the weighted average expense ratio of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying portfolios in which it invests, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

*   Expenses are equal to each classes’ annualized expense ratios, multiplied by the average account value over the period, multiplied by 181/365 (to reflect the one-half year period).

 

**   Assumes 5% annual return before expenses.

 

1


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
TEN LARGEST HOLDINGS1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COMPANY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF NET ASSETS  

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

   $ 1,242,290          3.1

ASML Holding NV

     1,148,921          2.9  

Roche Holding AG (Genusschein)

     1,135,126          2.8  

Accenture PLC—Class A

     1,089,904          2.7  

STERIS PLC

     1,089,128          2.7  

Infineon Technologies AG

     1,085,358          2.7  

Edenred

     1,064,582          2.7  

Deutsche Boerse AG

     1,062,271          2.7  

Partners Group Holding AG

     1,039,010          2.6  

SMC Corp.

     1,000,371          2.5  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 
     $   10,956,961            27.4

SECTOR BREAKDOWN2

June 30, 2023 (unaudited)

 

 

SECTOR    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

Information Technology

   $ 9,172,682          22.7

Financials

     8,047,435          19.9  

Health Care

     7,309,269          18.1  

Consumer Staples

     4,788,700          11.9  

Industrials

     3,576,257          8.9  

Materials

     1,819,826          4.5  

Consumer Discretionary

     1,594,435          3.9  

Utilities

     788,281          2.0  

Energy

     587,251          1.4  

Short-Term Investments

     2,711,434          6.7  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   40,395,570            100.0

 

 

 

1   Long-term investments.

 

2   The Portfolio’s sector breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

Please note: The sector classifications presented herein are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) which was developed by Morgan Stanley Capital International and Standard & Poor’s. The components are divided into sector, industry group, and industry sub-indices as classified by the GICS for each of the market capitalization indices in the broad market. These sector classifications are broadly defined. The “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report reflects more specific industry information and is consistent with the investment restrictions discussed in the Portfolio’s prospectus.

 

2


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
COUNTRY BREAKDOWN1  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

 

COUNTRY    U.S. $ VALUE        PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENTS  

United States

   $ 10,000,188          24.8

United Kingdom

     4,192,055          10.4  

Switzerland

     2,576,365          6.4  

France

     2,560,818          6.3  

India

     2,332,048          5.8  

Germany

     2,147,629          5.3  

Japan

     1,713,106          4.3  

Taiwan

     1,466,074          3.6  

Denmark

     1,421,595          3.5  

Ireland

     1,329,280          3.3  

Canada

     1,304,061          3.2  

Sweden

     1,299,203          3.2  

Netherlands

     1,148,921          2.8  

Other

     4,192,793          10.4  

Short-Term Investments

     2,711,434          6.7  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total Investments

   $   40,395,570          100.0

 

 

 

 

1   The Portfolio’s country breakdown is expressed as a percentage of total investments (excluding security lending collateral) and may vary over time. “Other” country weightings represent 2.8% or less in the following: China, Finland, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Norway. The Portfolio also enters into derivative transactions, which may be used for hedging or investment purposes (see “Portfolio of Investments” section of the report for additional details).

 

3


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

COMMON STOCKS–94.1%

   
   

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY–22.9%

   

ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT, INSTRUMENTS & COMPONENTS–5.3%

   

Flex Ltd.(a)

    19,750     $ 545,890  

Halma PLC

    29,425       851,716  

Keyence Corp.

    1,500       712,735  
   

 

 

 
      2,110,341  
   

 

 

 

IT SERVICES–2.7%

   

Accenture PLC–Class A

    3,532       1,089,904  
   

 

 

 

SEMICONDUCTORS & SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT–13.3%

   

ASML Holding NV

    1,584       1,148,921  

Infineon Technologies AG

    26,355       1,085,358  

MediaTek, Inc.

    22,000       486,988  

NXP Semiconductors NV

    4,185       856,586  

STMicroelectronics NV

    15,302       763,162  

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

    53,000       979,086  
   

 

 

 
      5,320,101  
   

 

 

 

SOFTWARE–1.6%

   

Descartes Systems Group, Inc. (The)(a)

    8,143       652,336  
   

 

 

 
      9,172,682  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIALS–20.1%

   

BANKS–3.0%

   

Bank Mandiri Persero Tbk PT

    1,725,000       600,312  

HDFC Bank Ltd.

    29,250       606,788  
   

 

 

 
      1,207,100  
   

 

 

 

CAPITAL MARKETS–8.3%

   

Deutsche Boerse AG

    5,754       1,062,271  

London Stock Exchange Group PLC

    11,672       1,242,290  

Partners Group Holding AG

    1,102       1,039,010  
   

 

 

 
      3,343,571  
   

 

 

 

FINANCIAL SERVICES–2.7%

   

Edenred

    15,893       1,064,582  
   

 

 

 

INSURANCE–6.1%

   

Aflac, Inc.

    13,289       927,572  

AIA Group Ltd.

    69,600       706,892  

Beazley PLC

    52,116       390,724  

Prudential PLC

    28,817       406,994  
   

 

 

 
      2,432,182  
   

 

 

 
      8,047,435  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE–18.2%

   

BIOTECHNOLOGY–1.2%

   

Abcam PLC (Sponsored ADR)(a)

    20,738       507,459  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIES–6.0%

   

Alcon, Inc.

    10,726       889,854  
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

ConvaTec Group PLC(b)

    158,145     $ 412,453  

STERIS PLC

    4,841       1,089,128  
   

 

 

 
      2,391,435  
   

 

 

 

HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS & SERVICES–2.3%

   

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd.

    14,666       913,186  
   

 

 

 

LIFE SCIENCES TOOLS & SERVICES–5.9%

   

Danaher Corp.

    3,121       749,040  

ICON PLC(a)

    3,859       965,522  

Tecan Group AG (REG)(a)

    1,685       647,501  
   

 

 

 
      2,362,063  
   

 

 

 

PHARMACEUTICALS–2.8%

   

Roche Holding AG (Genusschein)

    3,716       1,135,126  
   

 

 

 
      7,309,269  
   

 

 

 

CONSUMER STAPLES–12.0%

   

FOOD PRODUCTS–6.0%

   

Danone SA

    11,962       733,073  

Kerry Group PLC–Class A

    7,152       698,057  

Nestle SA (REG)

    7,847       943,928  
   

 

 

 
      2,375,058  
   

 

 

 

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS–6.0%

   

Dabur India Ltd.

    115,879       812,075  

Haleon PLC

    198,358       814,153  

Unilever PLC (London)(c)

    15,121       787,414  
   

 

 

 
      2,413,642  
   

 

 

 
      4,788,700  
   

 

 

 

INDUSTRIALS–8.9%

   

CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING–1.6%

   

WSP Global, Inc.(c)

    4,933       651,726  
   

 

 

 

MACHINERY–5.1%

   

Husqvarna AB–Class B(c)

    48,741       442,254  

SMC Corp.

    1,800       1,000,371  

TOMRA Systems ASA

    37,207       598,568  
   

 

 

 
      2,041,193  
   

 

 

 

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES–2.2%

   

Experian PLC

    23,015       883,338  
   

 

 

 
      3,576,257  
   

 

 

 

MATERIALS–4.5%

   

CHEMICALS–1.6%

   

Chr Hansen Holding A/S

    9,110       633,314  
   

 

 

 

CONTAINERS & PACKAGING–2.9%

   

Huhtamaki Oyj(c)

    16,920       555,289  

Smurfit Kappa Group PLC

    18,913       631,223  
   

 

 

 
      1,186,512  
   

 

 

 
      1,819,826  
   

 

 

 

 

4


 
    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY–4.0%

   

AUTOMOBILE COMPONENTS–2.1%

   

Autoliv, Inc.

    10,077     $ 856,948  
   

 

 

 

AUTOMOBILES–1.9%

   

BYD Co., Ltd.–Class H

    23,000       737,487  
   

 

 

 
      1,594,435  
   

 

 

 

UTILITIES–2.0%

   

ELECTRIC UTILITIES–2.0%

   

Orsted AS(b)

    8,315       788,281  
   

 

 

 

ENERGY–1.5%

   

OIL, GAS & CONSUMABLE FUELS–1.5%

   

Neste Oyj

    15,252       587,251  
   

 

 

 

Total Common Stocks
(cost $31,727,349)

      37,684,136  
   

 

 

 

SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS–6.8%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–6.8%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB,
5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $2,711,434)

    2,711,434       2,711,434  
   

 

 

 

Total Investments Before Security Lending Collateral for Securities Loaned–100.9%
(cost $34,438,783)

      40,395,570  
   

 

 

 
    
    
    
Company
  Shares     U.S. $ Value  
                                                 

INVESTMENTS OF CASH COLLATERAL FOR SECURITIES LOANED–2.8%

   

INVESTMENT COMPANIES–2.8%

   

AB Fixed Income Shares, Inc.–Government Money Market Portfolio–Class AB,
5.02%(d)(e)(f)
(cost $1,109,083)

    1,109,083     $ 1,109,083  
   

 

 

 

TOTAL
INVESTMENTS–103.7%
(cost $35,547,866)

      41,504,653  

Other assets less liabilities–(3.7)%

      (1,468,525
   

 

 

 

NET ASSETS–100.0%

    $ 40,036,128  
   

 

 

 

FORWARD CURRENCY EXCHANGE CONTRACTS (see Note D)

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Bank of America, NA

       BRL        2,841          USD        590          07/05/2023        $ (3,817

Bank of America, NA

       USD        558          BRL        2,841          07/05/2023          34,928  

Bank of America, NA

       CNH        439          USD        64          07/07/2023          3,321  

Bank of America, NA

       GBP        1,880          USD        2,342          07/21/2023          (45,595

Bank of America, NA

       KRW        78,459          USD        60          07/27/2023          220  

Bank of America, NA

       USD        1,900          AUD        2,798          08/25/2023          (33,587

Bank of America, NA

       USD        154          TWD        4,695          09/14/2023          (2,626

Barclays Bank PLC

       EUR        1,744          USD        1,921          07/31/2023          15,126  

BNP Paribas SA

       CNH        2,421          USD        341          07/07/2023          7,591  

Citibank, NA

       INR        51,772          USD        628          09/25/2023          (1,350

JPMorgan Chase Bank, NA

       INR        7,275          USD        88          09/25/2023          –0 – 

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       BRL        2,841          USD        593          07/05/2023          (347

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        590          BRL        2,841          07/05/2023          3,817  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CNH        1,389          USD        196          07/07/2023          5,214  

 

5


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
PORTFOLIO OF INVESTMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Counterparty      Contracts to
Deliver
(000)
       In Exchange
For
(000)
       Settlement
Date
       Unrealized
Appreciation
(Depreciation)
 

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        3,323          CNH        22,790          07/07/2023        $ (187,402

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       CHF        1,932          USD        2,165          07/21/2023          2,978  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        1,304          KRW        1,720,763          07/27/2023          3,390  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

       USD        590          BRL        2,841          08/02/2023          470  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       CNH        496          USD        72          07/07/2023          4,099  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        191          CNH        1,362          07/07/2023          (3,274

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        228          MXN        4,137          07/13/2023          13,480  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        289          SGD        384          07/13/2023          (5,177

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       CHF        73          USD        82          07/21/2023          293  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       GBP        145          USD        186          07/21/2023          1,612  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       GBP        311          USD        387          07/21/2023          (7,671

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        260          CHF        234          07/21/2023          1,556  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        60          CHF        54          07/21/2023          (36

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        120          GBP        97          07/21/2023          2,738  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        366          GBP        288          07/21/2023          (670

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       EUR        373          USD        404          07/31/2023          (3,417

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        1,625          EUR        1,509          07/31/2023          23,950  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        429          EUR        391          07/31/2023          (1,633

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        167          ILS        602          08/08/2023          (4,473

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        324          ZAR        5,981          08/23/2023          (7,292

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       CAD        98          USD        74          08/24/2023          398  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        88          CAD        116          08/24/2023          20  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       AUD        119          USD        81          08/25/2023          1,388  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       AUD        94          USD        62          08/25/2023          (458

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       JPY        19,364          USD        138          08/25/2023          2,333  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        80          AUD        118          08/25/2023          (1,174

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        190          JPY        26,340          08/25/2023          (5,611

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       NOK        4,107          USD        390          09/13/2023          6,570  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

       USD        360          SEK        3,810          09/13/2023          (5,332

UBS AG

       CNH        594          USD        82          07/07/2023          412  

UBS AG

       USD        83          KRW        108,756          07/27/2023          64  

UBS AG

       USD        1,598          CAD        2,138          08/24/2023          17,251  

UBS AG

       USD        4,100          JPY        564,655          08/25/2023          (156,046
                         

 

 

 
                          $   (323,769
                         

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Non-income producing security.

 

(b)   Security is exempt from registration under Rule 144A or Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933. These securities are considered restricted, but liquid and may be resold in transactions exempt from registration. At June 30, 2023, the aggregate market value of these securities amounted to $1,200,734 or 3.0% of net assets.

 

(c)   Represents entire or partial securities out on loan. See Note E for securities lending information.

 

(d)   Affiliated investments.

 

(e)   The rate shown represents the 7-day yield as of period end.

 

(f)   To obtain a copy of the fund’s shareholder report, please go to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at www.sec.gov, or call AB at (800) 227-4618.

 

6


 
    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Currency Abbreviations:

AUD—Australian Dollar

BRL—Brazilian Real

CAD—Canadian Dollar

CHF—Swiss Franc

CNH—Chinese Yuan Renminbi (Offshore)

EUR—Euro

GBP—Great British Pound

ILS—Israeli Shekel

INR—Indian Rupee

JPY—Japanese Yen

KRW—South Korean Won

MXN—Mexican Peso

NOK—Norwegian Krone

SEK—Swedish Krona

SGD—Singapore Dollar

TWD—New Taiwan Dollar

USD—United States Dollar

ZAR—South African Rand

Glossary:

ADR—American Depositary Receipt

REG—Registered Shares

See notes to financial statements.

 

7


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF ASSETS & LIABILITIES  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

ASSETS

  

Investments in securities, at value

  

Unaffiliated issuers (cost $31,727,349)

   $ 37,684,136 (a) 

Affiliated issuers (cost $3,820,517—including investment of cash collateral for securities loaned of $1,109,083)

     3,820,517  

Cash

     780  

Foreign currencies, at value (cost $48,304)

     48,219  

Unaffiliated dividends receivable

     170,729  

Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     153,219  

Receivable for capital stock sold

     26,555  

Affiliated dividends receivable

     10,743  
  

 

 

 

Total assets

     41,914,898  
  

 

 

 

LIABILITIES

  

Payable for collateral received on securities loaned

     1,109,083  

Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts

     476,988  

Foreign capital gains tax payable

     61,750  

Payable for capital stock redeemed

     60,326  

Advisory fee payable

     24,352  

Administrative fee payable

     22,263  

Distribution fee payable

     4,663  

Directors’ fees payable

     228  

Transfer Agent fee payable

     154  

Accrued expenses

     118,963  
  

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     1,878,770  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 40,036,128  
  

 

 

 

COMPOSITION OF NET ASSETS

  

Capital stock, at par

   $ 2,256  

Additional paid-in capital

     32,503,347  

Distributable earnings

     7,530,525  
  

 

 

 

NET ASSETS

   $ 40,036,128  
  

 

 

 

Net Asset Value Per Share—1 billion shares of capital stock authorized, $.001 par value

 

Class      Net Assets        Shares
Outstanding
       Net Asset
Value
 
A      $   18,852,824          1,046,359        $   18.02  
B      $ 21,183,304          1,209,491        $ 17.51  

 

 

 

(a)   Includes securities on loan with a value of $1,824,515 (see Note E).

See notes to financial statements.

 

 

8


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS  
Six Months Ended June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INVESTMENT INCOME

  

Dividends

  

Unaffiliated issuers (net of foreign taxes withheld of $67,457)

   $ 438,071  

Affiliated issuers

     43,936  

Interest

     4,625  

Securities lending income

     752  
  

 

 

 
     487,384  
  

 

 

 

EXPENSES

  

Advisory fee (see Note B)

     151,712  

Distribution fee—Class B

     26,940  

Transfer agency—Class A

     941  

Transfer agency—Class B

     1,073  

Administrative

     46,995  

Custody and accounting

     34,004  

Audit and tax

     28,359  

Printing

     13,780  

Legal

     13,396  

Directors’ fees

     8,903  

Miscellaneous

     8,099  
  

 

 

 

Total expenses

     334,202  

Less: expenses waived and reimbursed by the Adviser (see Notes B & E)

     (11,088
  

 

 

 

Net expenses

     323,114  
  

 

 

 

Net investment income

     164,270  
  

 

 

 

REALIZED AND UNREALIZED GAIN (LOSS) ON INVESTMENT AND FOREIGN CURRENCY TRANSACTIONS

  

Net realized gain on:

  

Investment transactions(a)

     973,596  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     25,437  

Foreign currency transactions

     11,049  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of:

  

Investments(b)

     3,310,195  

Forward currency exchange contracts

     (883,333

Foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     2,592  
  

 

 

 

Net gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     3,439,536  
  

 

 

 

NET INCREASE IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

   $ 3,603,806  
  

 

 

 

 

 

 

(a)   Net of foreign realized capital gains taxes of $18,656.

 

(b)   Net of decrease in accrued foreign capital gains taxes on unrealized gains of $6,990.

See notes to financial statements.

 

9


 
SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

INCREASE (DECREASE) IN NET ASSETS FROM OPERATIONS

 

Net investment income (loss)

   $ 164,270     $ (8,120

Net realized gain on investment and foreign currency transactions

     1,010,082       347,829  

Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments and foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities

     2,429,454       (16,078,192
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net assets from operations

     3,603,806       (15,738,483

Distributions to Shareholders

 

Class A

     –0 –      (3,231,780

Class B

     –0 –      (3,834,063

CAPITAL STOCK TRANSACTIONS

 

Net increase (decrease)

     (2,454,696     4,146,604  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total increase (decrease)

     1,149,110       (18,657,722

NET ASSETS

 

Beginning of period

     38,887,018       57,544,740  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

End of period

   $ 40,036,128     $ 38,887,018  
  

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

See notes to financial statements.

 

10


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
June 30, 2023 (unaudited)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

NOTE A: Significant Accounting Policies

The AB Sustainable International Thematic Portfolio (the “Portfolio”) (formerly known as AB International Growth Portfolio) is a series of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Fund”). The Portfolio’s investment objective is long-term growth of capital. The Portfolio is diversified as defined under the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund was incorporated in the State of Maryland as an open-end series investment company. The Fund offers 10 separately managed pools of assets which have differing investment objectives and policies. The Portfolio offers Class A and Class B shares. Both classes of shares have identical voting, dividend, liquidating and other rights, except that Class B shares bear a distribution expense and have exclusive voting rights with respect to the Class B distribution plan.

The Portfolio offers and sells its shares only to separate accounts of certain life insurance companies for the purpose of funding variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies. Sales are made without a sales charge at the Portfolio’s net asset value per share.

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“U.S. GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities in the financial statements and amounts of income and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. The Portfolio is an investment company under U.S. GAAP and follows the accounting and reporting guidance applicable to investment companies. The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Portfolio.

1. Security Valuation

Portfolio securities are valued at market value determined on the basis of market quotations or, if market quotations are not readily available or are unreliable, at “fair value” as determined in accordance with procedures approved by and under the oversight of the Fund’s Board of Directors (the “Board”). Pursuant to these procedures, AllianceBernstein L.P. (the “Adviser”) serves as the Portfolio’s valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 of the 1940 Act. In this capacity, the Adviser is responsible, among other things, for making all fair value determinations relating to the Portfolio’s portfolio investments, subject to the Board’s oversight.

In general, the market values of securities which are readily available and deemed reliable are determined as follows: securities listed on a national securities exchange (other than securities listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market, Inc. (“NASDAQ”)) or on a foreign securities exchange are valued at the last sale price at the close of the exchange or foreign securities exchange. If there has been no sale on such day, the securities are valued at the last traded price from the previous day. Securities listed on more than one exchange are valued by reference to the principal exchange on which the securities are traded; securities listed only on NASDAQ are valued in accordance with the NASDAQ Official Closing Price; listed or over the counter (“OTC”) market put or call options are valued at the mid level between the current bid and ask prices. If either a current bid or current ask price is unavailable, the Adviser will have discretion to determine the best valuation (e.g., last trade price in the case of listed options); open futures are valued using the closing settlement price or, in the absence of such a price, the most recent quoted bid price. If there are no quotations available for the day of valuation, the last available closing settlement price is used; U.S. Government securities and any other debt instruments having 60 days or less remaining until maturity are generally valued at market by an independent pricing vendor, if a market price is available. If a market price is not available, the securities are valued at amortized cost. This methodology is commonly used for short term securities that have an original maturity of 60 days or less, as well as short term securities that had an original term to maturity that exceeded 60 days. In instances when amortized cost is utilized, the Valuation Committee (the “Committee”) must reasonably conclude that the utilization of amortized cost is approximately the same as the fair value of the security. Factors the Committee will consider include, but are not limited to, an impairment of the creditworthiness of the issuer or material changes in interest rates. Fixed-income securities, including mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities, may be valued on the basis of prices provided by a pricing service or at a price obtained from one or more of the major broker-dealers. In cases where broker-dealer quotes are obtained, the Adviser may establish procedures whereby changes in market yields or spreads are used to adjust, on a daily basis, a recently obtained quoted price on a security. Swaps and other derivatives are valued daily, primarily using independent pricing services, independent pricing models using market inputs, as well as third party broker-dealers or counterparties. Open-end mutual funds are valued at the closing net asset value per share, while exchange traded funds are valued at the closing market price per share.

Securities for which market quotations are not readily available (including restricted securities) or are deemed unreliable are valued at fair value as deemed appropriate by the Adviser. Factors considered in making this determination may include, but

 

11


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

are not limited to, information obtained by contacting the issuer, analysts, analysis of the issuer’s financial statements or other available documents. In addition, the Portfolio may use fair value pricing for securities primarily traded in non-U.S. markets because most foreign markets close well before the Portfolio values its securities at 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time. The earlier close of these foreign markets gives rise to the possibility that significant events, including broad market moves, may have occurred in the interim and may materially affect the value of those securities. To account for this, the Portfolio generally values many of its foreign equity securities using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available.

2. Fair Value Measurements

In accordance with U.S. GAAP regarding fair value measurements, fair value is defined as the price that the Portfolio would receive to sell an asset or pay to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. U.S. GAAP establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and a three-level hierarchy for fair value measurements based upon the transparency of inputs to the valuation of an asset or liability (including those valued based on their market values as described in Note A.1 above). Inputs may be observable or unobservable and refer broadly to the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources independent of the Portfolio. Unobservable inputs reflect the Portfolio’s own assumptions about the assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. Each investment is assigned a level based upon the observability of the inputs which are significant to the overall valuation. The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized below.

 

   

Level 1—quoted prices in active markets for identical investments

   

Level 2—other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)

   

Level 3—significant unobservable inputs (including the Portfolio’s own assumptions in determining the fair value of investments)

The fair value of debt instruments, such as bonds, and over-the-counter derivatives is generally based on market price quotations, recently executed market transactions (where observable) or industry recognized modeling techniques and are generally classified as Level 2. Pricing vendor inputs to Level 2 valuations may include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, interest rate curves, coupon rates, currency rates, yield curves, option adjusted spreads, default rates, credit spreads and other unique security features in order to estimate the relevant cash flows which are then discounted to calculate fair values. If these inputs are unobservable and significant to the fair value, these investments will be classified as Level 3.

Where readily available market prices or relevant bid prices are not available for certain equity investments, such investments may be valued based on similar publicly traded investments, movements in relevant indices since last available prices or based upon underlying company fundamentals and comparable company data (such as multiples to earnings or other multiples to equity). Where an investment is valued using an observable input, such as another publicly traded security, the investment will be classified as Level 2. If management determines that an adjustment is appropriate based on restrictions on resale, illiquidity or uncertainty, and such adjustment is a significant component of the valuation, the investment will be classified as Level 3. An investment will also be classified as Level 3 where management uses company fundamentals and other significant inputs to determine the valuation.

The following table summarizes the valuation of the Portfolio’s investments by the above fair value hierarchy levels as of June 30, 2023:

 

     Level 1     Level 2      Level 3     Total  

Investments in Securities:

         

Assets:

         

Common Stocks:

         

Information Technology

   $ 3,144,716     $ 6,027,966      $ –0 –    $ 9,172,682  

Financials

     927,572       7,119,863        –0 –      8,047,435  

Health Care

     3,311,149       3,998,120        –0 –      7,309,269  

Consumer Staples

     –0 –      4,788,700        –0 –      4,788,700  

Industrials

     651,726       2,924,531        –0 –      3,576,257  

 

12


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

     Level 1     Level 2     Level 3     Total  

Materials

   $ –0 –    $ 1,819,826     $ –0 –    $ 1,819,826  

Consumer Discretionary

     856,948       737,487       –0 –      1,594,435  

Utilities

     –0 –      788,281       –0 –      788,281  

Energy

     –0 –      587,251       –0 –      587,251  

Short-Term Investments

     2,711,434       –0 –      –0 –      2,711,434  

Investments of Cash Collateral for Securities Loaned in Affiliated Money Market Fund

     1,109,083       –0 –      –0 –      1,109,083  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total Investments in Securities

     12,712,628       28,792,025 (a)      –0 –      41,504,653  

Other Financial Instruments(b):

        

Assets:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      153,219       –0 –      153,219  

Liabilities:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

     –0 –      (476,988     –0 –      (476,988
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 12,712,628     $ 28,468,256     $             –0 –    $ 41,180,884  
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

(a)   A significant portion of the Portfolio’s foreign equity investments are categorized as Level 2 investments since they are valued using fair value prices based on third party vendor modeling tools to the extent available, see Note A.1.

 

(a)   Other financial instruments are derivative instruments, such as futures, forwards and swaps, which are valued at the unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on the instrument. Other financial instruments may also include swaps with upfront premiums, written options and written swaptions which are valued at market value.

3. Currency Translation

Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies and commitments under forward currency exchange contracts are translated into U.S. dollars at the mean of the quoted bid and ask prices of such currencies against the U.S. dollar. Purchases and sales of portfolio securities are translated into U.S. dollars at the rates of exchange prevailing when such securities were acquired or sold. Income and expenses are translated into U.S. dollars at rates of exchange prevailing when accrued.

Net realized gain or loss on foreign currency transactions represents foreign exchange gains and losses from sales and maturities of foreign fixed income investments, holding of foreign currencies, currency gains or losses realized between the trade and settlement dates on foreign investment transactions, and the difference between the amounts of dividends, interest and foreign withholding taxes recorded on the Portfolio’s books and the U.S. dollar equivalent amounts actually received or paid. Net unrealized currency gains and losses from valuing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities at period end exchange rates are reflected as a component of net unrealized appreciation or depreciation of foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities.

4. Taxes

It is the Portfolio’s policy to meet the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies and to distribute all of its investment company taxable income and net realized gains, if any, to shareholders. Therefore, no provisions for federal income or excise taxes are required. The Portfolio may be subject to taxes imposed by countries in which it invests. Such taxes are generally based on income and/or capital gains earned or repatriated. Taxes are accrued and applied to net investment income, net realized gains and net unrealized appreciation/depreciation as such income and/or gains are earned.

In accordance with U.S. GAAP requirements regarding accounting for uncertainties in income taxes, management has analyzed the Portfolio’s tax positions taken or expected to be taken on federal and state income tax returns for all open tax years (the current and the prior three tax years) and has concluded that no provision for income tax is required in the Portfolio’s financial statements.

5. Investment Income and Investment Transactions

Dividend income is recorded on the ex-dividend date or as soon as the Portfolio is informed of the dividend. Interest income is accrued daily. Investment transactions are accounted for on the date the securities are purchased or sold. Investment gains or losses are determined on the identified cost basis. Non-cash dividends, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date at the fair value of the securities received. The Portfolio amortizes premiums and accretes discounts as adjustments to interest income. The Portfolio accounts for distributions received from REIT investments or from regulated investment companies as dividend income, realized gain, or return of capital based on information provided by the REIT or the investment company.

 

13


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

6. Class Allocations

All income earned and expenses incurred by the Portfolio are borne on a pro-rata basis by each outstanding class of shares, based on the proportionate interest in the Portfolio represented by the net assets of such class, except for class specific expenses which are allocated to the respective class. Expenses of the Fund are charged proportionately to each portfolio or based on other appropriate methods. Realized and unrealized gains and losses are allocated among the various share classes based on respective net assets.

7. Dividends and Distributions

Dividends and distributions to shareholders, if any, are recorded on the ex-dividend date. Income dividends and capital gains distributions are determined in accordance with federal tax regulations and may differ from those determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP. To the extent these differences are permanent, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts based on their federal tax basis treatment; temporary differences do not require such reclassification.

NOTE B: Advisory Fee and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Under the terms of the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio pays the Adviser an advisory fee at an annual rate of .75% of the first $2.5 billion, .65% of the next $2.5 billion and .60% in excess of $5 billion, of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets. The fee is accrued daily and paid monthly. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its management fee and/or bear expenses of the Portfolio in order to reduce the Portfolio’s total operating expenses by an amount equal to 0.05% on an annual basis of the average net assets for Class A and Class B. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such reimbursements/waivers amounted to $10,115. This fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement agreement extends through May 1, 2024 and then may be extended by the Adviser for additional one-year terms.

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, the Portfolio may reimburse the Adviser for certain legal and accounting services provided to the Portfolio by the Adviser. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, the reimbursement for such services amounted to $46,995.

The Portfolio compensates AllianceBernstein Investor Services, Inc. (“ABIS”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, under a Transfer Agency Agreement for providing personnel and facilities to perform transfer agency services for the Portfolio. Such compensation retained by ABIS amounted to $900 for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

The Portfolio may invest in AB Government Money Market Portfolio (the “Government Money Market Portfolio”) which has a contractual annual advisory fee rate of .20% of the portfolio’s average daily net assets and bears its own expenses. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive .10% of the advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio (resulting in a net advisory fee of .10%) until August 31, 2023. In connection with the investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its advisory fee from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of the effective advisory fee of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, such waiver amounted to $942.

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions in AB mutual funds for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

Portfolio

   Market Value
12/31/22
(000)
    Purchases
at Cost
(000)
     Sales
Proceeds
(000)
     Market Value
6/30/23
(000)
     Dividend
Income
(000)
 

Government Money Market Portfolio

   $ 1,145     $ 6,233      $ 4,666      $ 2,712      $ 44  

Government Money Market Portfolio*

     –0 –      2,847        1,737        1,109        0 ** 
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

           $ 3,821      $ 44  
          

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

*   Investments of cash collateral for securities lending transactions (see Note E).

 

**   Amount is less than $500.

NOTE C: Distribution Plan

The Portfolio has adopted a Distribution Plan (the “Plan”) for Class B shares pursuant to Rule 12b-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Under the Plan, the Portfolio pays distribution and servicing fees to AllianceBernstein Investments, Inc. (the “Distributor”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Adviser, at an annual rate of up to ..50% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The fees are accrued daily and paid monthly. The Board currently limits payments under the Plan to .25% of the Portfolio’s average daily net assets attributable to Class B shares. The Plan provides that the Distributor will use such payments in their entirety for distribution assistance and promotional activities.

 

14


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

The Portfolio is not obligated under the Plan to pay any distribution and servicing fees in excess of the amounts set forth above. The purpose of the payments to the Distributor under the Plan is to compensate the Distributor for its distribution services with respect to the sale of the Portfolio’s Class B shares. Since the Distributor’s compensation is not directly tied to its expenses, the amount of compensation received by it under the Plan during any year may be more or less than its actual expenses. For this reason, the Plan is characterized by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission as being of the “compensation” variety.

In the event that the Plan is terminated or not continued, no distribution or servicing fees (other than current amounts accrued but not yet paid) would be owed by the Portfolio to the Distributor.

The Plan also provides that the Adviser may use its own resources to finance the distribution of the Portfolio’s shares.

NOTE D: Investment Transactions

Purchases and sales of investment securities (excluding short-term investments) for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were as follows:

 

       Purchases      Sales  

Investment securities (excluding U.S. government securities)

     $ 4,756,310      $ 8,552,797  

U.S. government securities

       –0 –       –0 – 

The cost of investments for federal income tax purposes was substantially the same as the cost for financial reporting purposes. Accordingly, gross unrealized appreciation and unrealized depreciation are as follows:

 

Gross unrealized appreciation

   $ 8,188,093  

Gross unrealized depreciation

     (2,555,075
  

 

 

 

Net unrealized appreciation

   $ 5,633,018  
  

 

 

 

1. Derivative Financial Instruments

The Portfolio may use derivatives in an effort to earn income and enhance returns, to replace more traditional direct investments, to obtain exposure to otherwise inaccessible markets (collectively, “investment purposes”), or to hedge or adjust the risk profile of its portfolio.

The principal type of derivative utilized by the Portfolio, as well as the methods in which they may be used are:

 

   

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts

The Portfolio may enter into forward currency exchange contracts in order to hedge its exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates on its foreign portfolio holdings, to hedge certain firm purchase and sale commitments denominated in foreign currencies and for non-hedging purposes as a means of making direct investments in foreign currencies, as described below under “Currency Transactions”.

A forward currency exchange contract is a commitment to purchase or sell a foreign currency at a future date at a negotiated forward rate. The gain or loss arising from the difference between the original contract and the closing of such contract would be included in net realized gain or loss on forward currency exchange contracts. Fluctuations in the value of open forward currency exchange contracts are recorded for financial reporting purposes as unrealized appreciation and/or depreciation by the Portfolio. Risks may arise from the potential inability of a counterparty to meet the terms of a contract and from unanticipated movements in the value of a foreign currency relative to the U.S. dollar.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio held forward currency exchange contracts for hedging purposes.

The Portfolio typically enters into International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Master Agreements (“ISDA Master Agreement”) with its OTC derivative contract counterparties in order to, among other things, reduce its credit risk to OTC counterparties. ISDA Master Agreements include provisions for general obligations, representations, collateral and events of default or termination. Under an ISDA Master Agreement, the Portfolio typically may offset with the OTC counterparty certain derivative financial instruments’ payables and/or receivables with collateral held and/or posted and create one single net payment (close-out netting) in the event of default or termination. In the event of a default by an OTC counterparty, the

 

15


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

return of collateral with market value in excess of the Portfolio’s net liability, held by the defaulting party, may be delayed or denied.

The Portfolio’s ISDA Master Agreements may contain provisions for early termination of OTC derivative transactions in the event the net assets of the Portfolio decline below specific levels (“net asset contingent features”). If these levels are triggered, the Portfolio’s OTC counterparty has the right to terminate such transaction and require the Portfolio to pay or receive a settlement amount in connection with the terminated transaction. If OTC derivatives were held at period end, please refer to netting arrangements by the OTC counterparty table below for additional details.

During the six months ended June 30, 2023, the Portfolio had entered into the following derivatives:

 

   

Asset Derivatives

   

Liability Derivatives

 

Derivative Type

 

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value    

Statement of
Assets and Liabilities
Location

   Fair Value  

Foreign currency contracts

  Unrealized appreciation on forward currency exchange contracts    $ 153,219     Unrealized depreciation on forward currency exchange contracts    $ 476,988  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

Total

     $ 153,219        $ 476,988  
    

 

 

      

 

 

 

 

Derivative Type

  

Location of Gain or (Loss) on Derivatives
Within Statement of Operations

   Realized Gain or
(Loss) on
Derivatives
     Change in Unrealized
Appreciation or
(Depreciation)
 

Foreign currency contracts

   Net realized gain (loss) on forward currency exchange contracts; Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of forward currency exchange contracts    $ 25,437      $ (883,333
     

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

        $25,437      $ (883,333
     

 

 

    

 

 

 

The following table represents the average monthly volume of the Portfolio’s derivative transactions during the six months ended June 30, 2023:

 

Forward Currency Exchange Contracts:

  

Average principal amount of buy contracts

   $ 19,028,652  

Average principal amount of sale contracts

   $ 11,831,753  

For financial reporting purposes, the Portfolio does not offset derivative assets and derivative liabilities that are subject to netting arrangements in the statement of assets and liabilities.

All OTC derivatives held at period end were subject to netting arrangements. The following table presents the Portfolio’s derivative assets and liabilities by OTC counterparty net of amounts available for offset under ISDA Master Agreements (“MA”) and net of the related collateral received/pledged by the Portfolio as of June 30, 2023. Exchange-traded derivatives and centrally cleared swaps are not subject to netting arrangements and as such are excluded from the table.

 

Counterparty

   Derivative
Assets Subject
to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Received*
    Security Collateral
Received*
    Net Amount of
Derivative
Assets
 

Bank of America, NA

   $ 38,469      $ (38,469   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ –0 – 

Barclays Bank PLC

     15,126        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      15,126  

BNP Paribas SA

     7,591        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      7,591  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     15,869        (15,869     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     58,437        (46,218     –0 –      –0 –      12,219  

UBS AG

     17,727        (17,727     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 153,219      $ (118,283   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 34,936
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

16


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Counterparty

   Derivative
Liabilities Subject
to a MA
     Derivatives
Available for
Offset
    Cash Collateral
Pledged*
    Security Collateral
Pledged*
    Net Amount of
Derivative
Liabilities
 

Bank of America, NA

   $ 85,625      $ (38,469   $             –0 –    $             –0 –    $ 47,156  

Citibank, NA

     1,350        –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      1,350  

Morgan Stanley Capital Services, Inc.

     187,749        (15,869     –0 –      –0 –      171,880  

State Street Bank & Trust Co.

     46,218        (46,218     –0 –      –0 –      –0 – 

UBS AG

     156,046        (17,727     –0 –      –0 –      138,319  
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total

   $ 476,988      $ (118,283   $ –0 –    $ –0 –    $ 358,705
  

 

 

    

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

*   The actual collateral received/pledged may be more than the amount reported due to over-collateralization.

 

^   Net amount represents the net receivable/payable that would be due from/to the counterparty in the event of default or termination. The net amount from OTC financial derivative instruments can only be netted across transactions governed under the same master agreement with the same counterparty.

2. Currency Transactions

The Portfolio may invest in non-U.S. Dollar-denominated securities on a currency hedged or unhedged basis. The Portfolio may seek investment opportunities by taking long or short positions in currencies through the use of currency-related derivatives, including forward currency exchange contracts, futures and options on futures, swaps, and other options. The Portfolio may enter into transactions for investment opportunities when it anticipates that a foreign currency will appreciate or depreciate in value but securities denominated in that currency are not held by the Portfolio and do not present attractive investment opportunities. Such transactions may also be used when the Adviser believes that it may be more efficient than a direct investment in a foreign currency-denominated security. The Portfolio may also conduct currency exchange contracts on a spot basis (i.e., for cash at the spot rate prevailing in the currency exchange market for buying or selling currencies).

NOTE E: Securities Lending

The Portfolio may enter into securities lending transactions. Under the Portfolio’s securities lending program, all loans of securities will be collateralized continually by cash collateral and/or non-cash collateral. Non-cash collateral will include only securities issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities. The Portfolio cannot sell or repledge any non-cash collateral, such collateral will not be reflected in the portfolio of investments. If a loan is collateralized by cash, the Portfolio will be compensated for the loan from a portion of the net return from the income earned on cash collateral after a rebate is paid to the borrower (in some cases, this rebate may be a “negative rebate” or fee paid by the borrower to the Portfolio in connection with the loan), and payments are made for fees of the securities lending agent and for certain other administrative expenses. If the Portfolio receives non-cash collateral, the Portfolio will receive a fee from the borrower generally equal to a negotiated percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. The Portfolio will have the right to call a loan and obtain the securities loaned at any time on notice to the borrower within the normal and customary settlement time for the securities. While the securities are on loan, the borrower is obligated to pay the Portfolio amounts equal to any dividend income or other distributions from the securities; however, these distributions will not be afforded the same preferential tax treatment as qualified dividends. The Portfolio will not be able to exercise voting rights with respect to any securities during the existence of a loan, but will have the right to regain ownership of loaned securities in order to exercise voting or other ownership rights. Collateral received and securities loaned are marked to market daily to ensure that the securities loaned are secured by collateral. The lending agent currently invests the cash collateral received in Government Money Market Portfolio, an eligible money market vehicle, in accordance with the investment restrictions of the Portfolio, and as approved by the Board. The collateral received on securities loaned is recorded as an asset as well as a corresponding liability in the statement of assets and liabilities. The collateral will be adjusted the next business day to maintain the required collateral amount. The amounts of securities lending income from the borrowers and Government Money Market Portfolio are reflected in the statement of operations. When the Portfolio earns net securities lending income from Government Money Market Portfolio, the income is inclusive of a rebate expense paid to the borrower. In connection with the cash collateral investment by the Portfolio in Government Money Market Portfolio, the Adviser has agreed to waive a portion of the Portfolio’s share of the advisory fees of Government Money Market Portfolio, as borne indirectly by the Portfolio as an acquired fund fee and expense. When the Portfolio lends securities, its investment performance will continue to reflect changes in the value of the securities loaned. A principal risk of lending portfolio securities is that the borrower may fail to return the loaned securities upon termination of the loan and that the collateral will not be sufficient to replace the loaned securities. The lending agent has agreed to indemnify the Portfolio in the case of default of any securities borrower.

 

17


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

A summary of the Portfolio’s transactions surrounding securities lending for the six months ended June 30, 2023 is as follows:

 

                Government Money Market
Portfolio
Market Value of
Securities

on Loan*
  Cash Collateral*   Market Value of
Non-Cash
Collateral*
  Income from
Borrowers
  Income
Earned
  Advisory Fee
Waived
$1,824,515   $1,109,083   $800,169   $371   $381   $31

 

*   As of June 30, 2023.

NOTE F: Capital Stock

Each class consists of 500,000,000 authorized shares. Transactions in capital shares for each class were as follows:

 

    SHARES           AMOUNT  
    Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
          Six Months Ended
June 30, 2023
(unaudited)
    Year Ended
December 31,
2022
 

Class A

 

Shares sold

    10,084       46,298       $ 177,269     $ 910,370  

Shares issued in reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      182,587         –0 –      3,231,780  

Shares redeemed

    (66,571     (108,658       (1,171,159     (2,111,779
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (56,487     120,227       $ (993,890   $ 2,030,371  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Class B

 

Shares sold

    56,979       80,711       $ 977,787     $ 1,510,744  

Shares issued on reinvestment of distributions

    –0 –      222,393         –0 –      3,834,063  

Shares redeemed

    (142,187     (171,634       (2,438,593     (3,228,574
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease)

    (85,208     131,470       $ (1,460,806   $ 2,116,233  
 

 

 

   

 

 

     

 

 

   

 

 

 

At June 30, 2023, certain shareholders of the Portfolio owned 79% in aggregate of the Portfolio’s outstanding shares. Significant transactions by such shareholders, if any, may impact the Portfolio’s performance.

NOTE G: Risks Involved in Investing in the Portfolio

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, including public health crises (including the occurrence of a contagious disease or illness) and regional and global conflicts, that affect large portions of the market. It includes the risk that a particular style of investing may underperform the market generally.

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, or NAV, than would be the case if the Portfolio were invested in a larger number of companies.

Sector Risk—The Portfolio may have more risk than a more diversified portfolio because it may invest to a significant extent in one or more particular market sectors, such as the information technology or financial services sector. To the extent it does so, market or economic factors affecting the relevant sector(s) could have a major effect on the value of the Portfolio’s investments.

ESG Risk—Applying ESG and sustainability criteria to the investment process may exclude securities of certain issuers for non-investment reasons and, therefore, the Portfolio may forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use ESG or sustainability criteria. Securities of companies with ESG practices may shift into and out of favor depending on market and economic conditions, and the Portfolio’s performance may at times be better or worse than the performance of funds that do not use ESG or sustainability criteria. Furthermore, ESG and sustainability criteria are not uniformly defined, and the Portfolio’s ESG and sustainability criteria may differ from those used by other funds. In addition, in evaluating an investment, the Adviser is dependent upon information and data that may be incomplete, inaccurate or unavailable, which could adversely affect the analysis of the ESG and sustainability factors relevant to a particular investment.

 

18


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Foreign (Non-U.S.) Risk—Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers may involve more risk than those of U.S. issuers. These securities may fluctuate more widely in price and may be more difficult to trade due to adverse market, economic, political, regulatory or other factors.

Emerging Market Risk—Investments in emerging market countries may have more risk because the markets are less developed and less liquid, and because these investments may be subject to increased economic, political, regulatory or other uncertainties.

Currency Risk—Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may negatively affect the value of the Portfolio’s investments or reduce its returns.

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

Derivatives Risk—Derivatives may be difficult to price or unwind and leveraged so that small changes may produce disproportionate losses for the Portfolio. A short position in a derivative instrument involves the risk of a theoretically unlimited increase in the value of the underlying asset, which could cause the Portfolio to suffer a potentially unlimited loss. Derivatives, especially over-the-counter derivatives, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the counterparty (the party on the other side of the transaction) on a derivative transaction will be unable or unwilling to honor its contractual obligations to the Portfolio.

LIBOR Transition and Associated Risk—The Portfolio may be exposed to debt securities, derivatives or other financial instruments that utilize the London Interbank Offered Rate, or “LIBOR,” as a “benchmark” or “reference rate” for various interest rate calculations. In 2017, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”), which regulates LIBOR, announced a desire to phase out the use of LIBOR by the end of 2021. As announced by the FCA and LIBOR’s administrator, ICE Benchmark Administration, most LIBOR settings (which reflect LIBOR rates quoted in different currencies over various time periods) have not been published since the end of 2021, but the most widely used U.S. Dollar LIBOR settings are expected to continue to be published until June 30, 2023. However, banks were strongly encouraged to cease entering into agreements with counterparties referencing LIBOR by the end of 2021. It is possible that a subset of LIBOR settings will be published after these dates on a “synthetic” basis, but any such publications would be considered non-representative of the underlying market. Since 2018 the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has published the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (referred to as SOFR), which is intended to replace U.S. Dollar LIBOR. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement (repo) market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. In addition, on March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law. This law provides a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the law by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023. The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR.

The elimination of LIBOR or changes to other reference rates or any other changes or reforms to the determination or supervision of reference rates could have an adverse impact on the market for, or value of, any securities or payments linked to those reference rates, which may adversely affect the Portfolio’s performance and/or NAV. Uncertainty and risk also remain regarding the willingness and ability of issuers and lenders to include revised provisions in new and existing contracts or instruments. Consequently, the transition from LIBOR to other reference rates may lead to increased volatility and illiquidity in markets that are tied to LIBOR, fluctuations in values of LIBOR-related investments or investments in issuers that utilize LIBOR, increased difficulty in borrowing or refinancing and diminished effectiveness of hedging strategies, potentially adversely affecting the Portfolio’s performance. Furthermore, the risks associated with the expected discontinuation of LIBOR and transition may be exacerbated if the work necessary to effect an orderly transition to an alternative reference rate is not completed in a timely manner. Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known.

 

19


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Indemnification Risk—In the ordinary course of business, the Portfolio enters into contracts that contain a variety of indemnifications. The Portfolio’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown. However, the Portfolio has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these indemnification provisions and expects the risk of loss thereunder to be remote. Therefore, the Portfolio has not accrued any liability in connection with these indemnification provisions.

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. Some of these techniques may incorporate, or rely upon, quantitative models, but there is no guarantee that these models will generate accurate forecasts, reduce risk or otherwise perform as expected.

NOTE H: Joint Credit Facility

A number of open-end mutual funds managed by the Adviser, including the Portfolio, participate in a $325 million revolving credit facility (the “Facility”) intended to provide short-term financing related to redemptions and other short term liquidity requirements, subject to certain restrictions. Commitment fees related to the Facility are paid by the participating funds and are included in miscellaneous expenses in the statement of operations. The Portfolio did not utilize the Facility during the six months ended June 30, 2023.

NOTE I: Distributions to Shareholders

The tax character of distributions to be paid for the year ending December 31, 2023 will be determined at the end of the current fiscal year. The tax character of distributions paid during the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 were as follows:

 

     2022      2021  

Distributions paid from:

     

Net long-term capital gains

   $ 7,065,843      $ 5,551,745  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total taxable distributions paid

   $ 7,065,843      $ 5,551,745  
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

As of December 31, 2022, the components of accumulated earnings (deficit) on a tax basis were as follows:

 

Undistributed capital gains

   $ 1,447,149  

Unrealized appreciation (depreciation)

     2,479,570 (a) 
  

 

 

 

Total accumulated earnings (deficit)

   $ 3,926,719  
  

 

 

 

 

(a)   The differences between book-basis and tax-basis unrealized appreciation (depreciation) are attributable primarily to the recognition for tax purposes of unrealized gains/losses on certain derivative instruments and the tax deferral of losses on wash sales.

For tax purposes, net realized capital losses may be carried over to offset future capital gains, if any. Funds are permitted to carry forward capital losses for an indefinite period, and such losses will retain their character as either short-term or long-term capital losses. As of December 31, 2022, the Portfolio did not have any capital loss carryforwards.

NOTE J: Recent Accounting Pronouncements

In December 2022, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update, ASU 2022-06, “Reference Rate Reform (Topic 848) – Deferral of the Sunset Date of Topic 848”. ASU 2022-06 is an amendment to ASU 2020-04, which provided optional guidance to ease the potential accounting burden due to the discontinuation of the LIBOR and other interbank-offered based reference rates and which was effective as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. ASU 2022-06 extends the effective period through December 31, 2024. Management is currently evaluating the impact, if any, of applying ASU 2022-06.

NOTE K: Subsequent Events

Management has evaluated subsequent events for possible recognition or disclosure in the financial statements through the date the financial statements are issued. Management has determined that there are no material events that would require disclosure in the Portfolio’s financial statements through this date.

 

20


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS A  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $16.46       $27.11       $27.56       $23.49       $18.99       $23.15  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income (loss)(a)(b)

    .08       .02       (.02     (.10     .08       .15  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    4.88       (7.27     2.29       6.65       5.08       (4.16
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    4.96       (7.25     2.27       6.55       5.16       (4.01
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      (.34     (.13     (.15

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    (3.40     (3.40     (2.72     (2.14     (.53     –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    (3.40     (3.40     (2.72     (2.48     (.66     (.15
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $18.02       $16.46       $27.11       $27.56       $23.49       $18.99  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)

    9.48     (27.61 )%      8.25     29.94     27.53     (17.41 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $18,853       $18,149       $26,641       $27,410       $24,123       $21,522  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.46 %^      1.53     1.23     1.31     1.36     1.27

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.52 %^      1.59     1.28     1.37     1.41     1.29

Net investment income (loss)(b)

    .95 %^      .12     (.09 )%      (.42 )%      .40     .69

Portfolio turnover rate

    12     38     25     34     49     33
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .01 %^      .01     .00     .00     .00     .00

 

 

 

See footnote summary on page 22.

 

21


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

Selected Data For A Share Of Capital Stock Outstanding Throughout Each Period

 

    CLASS B  
    Six Months
Ended
June 30, 2023

(unaudited)
    Year Ended December 31,  
    2022     2021     2020     2019     2018  

Net asset value, beginning of period

    $16.02       $26.57       $27.12       $23.15       $18.71       $22.80  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Income From Investment Operations

           

Net investment income (loss)(a)(b)

    .06       (.03     (.09     (.15     .03       .09  

Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment and foreign currency transactions

    4.83       (7.12     2.26       6.54       5.00       (4.09
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net increase (decrease) in net asset value from operations

    4.89       (7.15     2.17       6.39       5.03       (4.00
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Less: Dividends and Distributions

           

Dividends from net investment income

    –0 –      –0 –      –0 –      (.28     (.06     (.09

Distributions from net realized gain on investment transactions

    (3.40     (3.40     (2.72     (2.14     (.53     –0 – 
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total dividends and distributions

    (3.40     (3.40     (2.72     (2.42     (.59     (.09
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net asset value, end of period

    $17.51       $16.02       $26.57       $27.12       $23.15       $18.71  
 

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 
           

Total Return

           

Total investment return based on net asset value(c)

    9.30     (27.81 )%      8.01     29.60     27.23     (17.60 )% 
           

Ratios/Supplemental Data

           

Net assets, end of period (000’s omitted)

    $21,183       $20,738       $30,904       $32,068       $29,756       $28,169  

Ratio to average net assets of:

           

Expenses, net of waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.71 %^      1.78     1.48     1.56     1.61     1.52

Expenses, before waivers/reimbursements(d)‡

    1.77 %^      1.84     1.53     1.62     1.66     1.54

Net investment income (loss)(b)

    .69 %^      (.14 )%      (.34 )%      (.67 )%      .15     .43

Portfolio turnover rate

    12     38     25     34     49     33
           

‡ Expense ratios exclude the estimated acquired fund fees of the affiliated/unaffiliated underlying

  

portfolios

    .01 %^      .01     .00     .00     .00     .00

 

 

 

(a)   Based on average shares outstanding.

 

(b)   Net of expenses waived/reimbursed by the Adviser.

 

(c)   Total investment return is calculated assuming an initial investment made at the net asset value at the beginning of the period, reinvestment of all dividends and distributions at net asset value during the period, and redemption on the last day of the period. Total return does not reflect (i) insurance company’s separate account related expense charges and (ii) the deductions of taxes that a shareholder would pay on Portfolio distributions or the redemption of Portfolio shares. Total investment return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized.

 

(d)   In connection with the Portfolio’s investments in affiliated underlying portfolios, the Portfolio incurs no direct expenses, but bears proportionate shares of the fees and expenses (i.e., operating, administrative and investment advisory fees) of the affiliated underlying portfolios. The Adviser has contractually agreed to waive its fees from the Portfolio in an amount equal to the Portfolio’s pro rata share of certain acquired fund fees and expenses, and for the year ended December 31, 2022, such waiver amounted to .01%.

 

^   Annualized.

See notes to financial statements.

 

22


 
SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

OPERATION AND EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PORTFOLIO’S LIQUIDITY RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAM:

In October 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) adopted the open-end fund liquidity rule (the “Liquidity Rule”). In June 2018 the SEC adopted a requirement that funds disclose information about the operation and effectiveness of their Liquidity Risk Management Program (“LRMP”) in their reports to shareholders.

One of the requirements of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio to designate an Administrator of the Portfolio’s Liquidity Risk Management Program. The Administrator of the Portfolio’s LRMP is AllianceBernstein L.P., the Portfolio’s investment adviser (the “Adviser”). The Adviser has delegated the responsibility to its Liquidity Risk Management Committee (the “Committee”).

Another requirement of the Liquidity Rule is for the Portfolio’s Board of Directors (the “Fund Board”) to receive an annual written report from the Administrator of the LRMP, which addresses the operation of the Portfolio’s LRMP and assesses its adequacy and effectiveness. The Adviser provided the Fund Board with such annual report during the first quarter of 2023, which covered the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022 (the “Program Reporting Period”).

The LRMP’s principal objectives include supporting the Portfolio’s compliance with limits on investments in illiquid assets and mitigating the risk that the Portfolio will be unable to meet its redemption obligations in a timely manner.

Pursuant to the LRMP, the Portfolio classifies the liquidity of its portfolio investments into one of the four categories defined by the SEC: Highly Liquid, Moderately Liquid, Less Liquid, and Illiquid. These classifications are reported to the SEC on Form N-PORT.

During the Program Reporting Period, the Committee reviewed whether the Portfolio’s strategy is appropriate for an open-end structure, incorporating any holdings of less liquid and illiquid assets. If the Portfolio participated in derivative transactions, the exposure from such transactions were considered in the LRMP.

The Committee also performed an analysis to determine whether the Portfolio is required to maintain a Highly Liquid Investment Minimum (“HLIM”). The Committee also incorporated the following information when determining the Portfolio’s reasonably anticipated trading size for purposes of liquidity monitoring: historical net redemption activity, a Portfolio’s concentration in an issuer, shareholder concentration, investment performance, total net assets, and distribution channels.

The Adviser informed the Fund Board that the Committee believes the Portfolio’s LRMP is adequately designed, has been implemented as intended, and has operated effectively since its inception. No material exceptions have been noted since the implementation of the LRMP. During the Program Reporting Period, liquidity in all markets was challenged due to rising rates and economic uncertainty. However, markets also remained orderly during the Program Reporting Period. There were no liquidity events that impacted the Portfolio or its ability to timely meet redemptions during the Program Reporting Period.

 

23


    
SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

INFORMATION REGARDING THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THE FUND’S ADVISORY AGREEMENT

The disinterested directors (the “directors”) of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Company”) unanimously approved the continuance of the Company’s Advisory Agreement with the Adviser in respect of AB Sustainable International Thematic Portfolio (formerly AB International Growth Portfolio) (the “Fund”) at a meeting held in-person on May 2-4, 2023 (the “Meeting”).

Prior to approval of the continuance of the Advisory Agreement, the directors had requested from the Adviser, and received and evaluated, extensive materials. They reviewed the proposed continuance of the Advisory Agreement with the Adviser and with experienced counsel who are independent of the Adviser, who advised on the relevant legal standards. The directors also reviewed additional materials, including comparative analytical data prepared by the Senior Vice President of the Fund. The directors also discussed the proposed continuance in private sessions with counsel.

The directors considered their knowledge of the nature and quality of the services provided by the Adviser to the Fund gained from their experience as directors or trustees of most of the registered investment companies advised by the Adviser, their overall confidence in the Adviser’s integrity and competence they have gained from that experience, the Adviser’s initiative in identifying and raising potential issues with the directors and its responsiveness, frankness and attention to concerns raised by the directors in the past, including the Adviser’s willingness to consider and implement organizational and operational changes designed to improve investment results and the services provided to the AB Funds. The directors noted that they have four regular meetings each year, at each of which they review extensive materials and information from the Adviser, including information on the investment performance of the Fund.

The directors also considered all factors they believed relevant, including the specific matters discussed below. During the course of their deliberations, the directors evaluated, among other things, the reasonableness of the advisory fee. The directors did not identify any particular information that was all-important or controlling, and different directors may have attributed different weights to the various factors. The directors determined that the selection of the Adviser to manage the Fund and the overall arrangements between the Fund and the Adviser, as provided in the Advisory Agreement, including the advisory fee, were fair and reasonable in light of the services performed, expenses incurred and such other matters as the directors considered relevant in the exercise of their business judgment. The material factors and conclusions that formed the basis for the directors’ determinations included the following:

Nature, Extent and Quality of Services Provided

The directors considered the scope and quality of services provided by the Adviser under the Advisory Agreement, including the quality of the investment research capabilities of the Adviser and the other resources it has dedicated to performing services for the Fund. The directors noted that the Adviser from time to time reviews the Fund’s investment strategies and from time to time proposes changes intended to improve the Fund’s relative or absolute performance for the directors’ consideration. They also noted the professional experience and qualifications of the Fund’s portfolio management team and other senior personnel of the Adviser. The directors also considered that the Advisory Agreement provides that the Fund will reimburse the Adviser for the cost to it of providing certain clerical, accounting, administrative and other services to the Fund by employees of the Adviser or its affiliates. Requests for these reimbursements are made on a quarterly basis and subject to approval by the directors. Reimbursements, to the extent requested and paid, result in a higher rate of total compensation from the Fund to the Adviser than the fee rate stated in the Advisory Agreement. The directors noted that the methodology used to determine the reimbursement amounts had been reviewed by an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The quality of administrative and other services, including the Adviser’s role in coordinating the activities of the Fund’s other service providers, also was considered. The directors concluded that, overall, they were satisfied with the nature, extent and quality of services provided to the Fund under the Advisory Agreement.

Costs of Services Provided and Profitability

The directors reviewed a schedule of the revenues and expenses and related notes indicating the profitability of the Fund to the Adviser for calendar years 2021 and 2022 that had been prepared with an expense allocation methodology arrived at in consultation with an independent consultant at the request of the directors. The directors noted the assumptions and methods of allocation used by the Adviser in preparing fund-specific profitability data and understood that there are a number of potentially acceptable allocation methodologies for information of this type. The directors noted that the profitability information reflected all revenues and expenses of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund, including those relating to its subsidiaries that provide transfer agency, distribution and brokerage services to the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of the profitability of the Advisory Agreement with the profitability of fund advisory contracts

 

24


    AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

for unaffiliated funds because comparative information is not generally publicly available and is affected by numerous factors. The directors focused on the profitability of the Adviser’s relationship with the Fund before taxes and distribution expenses. The directors concluded that the Adviser’s level of profitability from its relationship with the Fund was not unreasonable.

Fall-Out Benefits

The directors considered the other benefits to the Adviser and its affiliates from their relationships with the Fund, including, but not limited to, benefits relating to soft dollar arrangements (whereby investment advisers receive brokerage and research services from brokers that execute agency transactions for their clients); 12b-1 fees and sales charges received by the Fund’s principal underwriter (which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser) in respect of the Fund’s Class B shares; brokerage commissions paid by the Fund to brokers affiliated with the Adviser; and transfer agency fees paid by the Fund to a wholly owned subsidiary of the Adviser. The directors recognized that the Adviser’s profitability would be somewhat lower without these benefits. The directors understood that the Adviser also might derive reputational and other benefits from its association with the Fund.

Investment Results

In addition to the information reviewed by the directors in connection with the Meeting, the directors receive detailed performance information for the Fund at each regular Board meeting during the year.

At the Meeting, the directors reviewed performance information prepared by an independent service provider (the “15(c) service provider”), showing the performance of the Class A Shares of the Fund against a group of similar funds (“peer group”) and a larger group of similar funds (“peer universe”), each selected by the 15(c) service provider, and information prepared by the Adviser showing performance of the Class A Shares against a broad-based securities market index, in each case for the 1-, 3-, 5- and 10-year periods ended February 28, 2023 and (in the case of comparisons with the broad-based securities market index) for the period from inception. Based on their review, the directors concluded that the Fund’s investment performance was acceptable.

Advisory Fees and Other Expenses

The directors considered the advisory fee rate payable by the Fund to the Adviser and information prepared by the 15(c) service provider concerning advisory fee rates payable by other funds in the same category as the Fund. The directors recognized that it is difficult to make comparisons of advisory fees because there are variations in the services that are included in the fees paid by other funds. The directors compared the Fund’s contractual effective advisory fee rate with a peer group median. Taking into account the administrative expense reimbursement paid to the Adviser in the latest fiscal year, the directors noted that the Adviser’s total rate of compensation was above the median and discussed with the Adviser the reasons it was above the median.

The directors also considered the Adviser’s fee schedule for other clients utilizing investment strategies similar to those of the Fund. For this purpose, they reviewed the relevant advisory fee information from the Adviser’s Form ADV and in a report from the Fund’s Senior Vice President and noted the differences between the Fund’s fee schedule, on the one hand, and the Adviser’s institutional fee schedule, on the other. The directors noted that the Adviser may, in some cases, agree to fee rates with large institutional clients that are lower than those reviewed by the directors and that they had previously discussed with the Adviser its policies in respect of such arrangements. The directors also compared the advisory fee rate for the Fund with that for another fund advised by the Adviser utilizing similar investment strategies.

The Adviser reviewed with the directors the significantly greater scope of the services it provides to the Fund relative to institutional clients. In this regard, the Adviser noted, among other things, that, compared to institutional accounts, the Fund (i) demands considerably more portfolio management, research and trading resources due to significantly higher daily cash flows; (ii) has more tax and regulatory restrictions and compliance obligations; (iii) must prepare and file or distribute regulatory and other communications about fund operations; and (iv) must provide shareholder servicing to retail investors. The Adviser also reviewed the greater legal risks presented by the large and changing population of Fund shareholders who may assert claims against the Adviser in individual or class actions, and the greater entrepreneurial risk in offering new fund products, which require substantial investment to launch, may not succeed, and generally must be priced to compete with larger, more established funds resulting in lack of profitability to the Adviser until a new fund achieves scale. In light of the substantial differences in services rendered by the Adviser to institutional clients as compared to the Fund, and the different risk profile, the directors considered these fee comparisons inapt and did not place significant weight on them in their deliberations.

 

25


SUSTAINABLE INTERNATIONAL THEMATIC PORTFOLIO
CONTINUANCE DISCLOSURE  
(continued)   AB Variable Products Series Fund

 

In connection with their review of the Fund’s advisory fee, the directors also considered the total expense ratio of the Class A shares of the Fund in comparison to the medians for a peer group and a peer universe selected by the 15(c) service provider. The Class A expense ratio of the Fund was based on the Fund’s latest fiscal year. The directors noted that it was likely that the expense ratios of some of the other funds in the Fund’s category were lowered by waivers or reimbursements by those funds’ investment advisers, which in some cases might be voluntary or temporary. The directors view expense ratio information as relevant to their evaluation of the Adviser’s services because the Adviser is responsible for coordinating services provided to the Fund by others. The directors noted that the Fund’s expense ratio was above the medians, after giving effect to a voluntary waiver by the Adviser. After reviewing and discussing the Adviser’s explanations of the reasons for this, the directors concluded that the Fund’s expense ratio was acceptable.

Economies of Scale

The directors noted that the advisory fee schedule for the Fund contains breakpoints that reduce the fee rates on assets above specified levels. The directors took into consideration prior presentations by an independent consultant on economies of scale in the mutual fund industry and for the AB Funds, and presentations from time to time by the Adviser concerning certain of its views on economies of scale. The directors also had requested and received from the Adviser certain updates on economies of scale in advance of the Meeting. The directors believe that economies of scale may be realized (if at all) by the Adviser across a variety of products and services, and not only in respect of a single fund. The directors noted that there is no established methodology for setting breakpoints that give effect to the fund-specific services provided by a fund’s adviser and to the economies of scale that an adviser may realize in its overall mutual fund business or those components of it which directly or indirectly affect a fund’s operations. The directors observed that in the mutual fund industry as a whole, as well as among funds similar to the Fund, there is no uniformity or pattern in the fees and asset levels at which breakpoints (if any) apply. The directors also noted that the advisory agreements for many funds do not have breakpoints at all. Having taken these factors into account, the directors concluded that the Fund’s shareholders would benefit from a sharing of economies of scale in the event the Fund’s net assets exceed a breakpoint in the future.

 

26


VPS-SIT-0152-0623


ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

Not applicable when filing a semi-annual report to shareholders.

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

Not applicable when filing a semi-annual report to shareholders.

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

Not applicable when filing a semi-annual report to shareholders.

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

Not applicable to the registrant.

ITEM 6. INVESTMENTS.

Please see Schedule of Investments contained in the Report to Shareholders included under Item 1 of this Form N-CSR.

ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable to the registrant.

ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable to the registrant.

ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

Not applicable to the registrant.

ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the Fund’s Board of Directors since the Fund last provided disclosure in response to this item.


ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a) The registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-2(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended) are effective at the reasonable assurance level based on their evaluation of these controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this document.

(b) There were no changes in the registrant’s internal controls over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 12. DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable to the registrant.

ITEM 13. EXHIBITS.

The following exhibits are attached to this Form N-CSR:

 

EXHIBIT NO.  

DESCRIPTION OF EXHIBIT

12(b)(1)   Certification of Principal Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
12(b)(2)   Certification of Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
12(c)   Certification of Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

(Registrant): AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc.

 

By:   /s/ Onur Erzan
  Onur Erzan
  President

Date: August 14, 2023

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

By:   /s/ Onur Erzan
  Onur Erzan
  President

Date: August 14, 2023

 

By:   /s/Joseph J. Mantineo
  Joseph J. Mantineo
  Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

Date: August 14, 2023

 

EX-99.CERT 2 d469608dex99cert.htm CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 Certifications Pursuant to Section 302

Exhibit 12(b)(1)

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER

I, Onur Erzan, President of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc., certify that:

1. I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have:

 

a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d)

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and


5. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 14, 2023

 

/s/ Onur Erzan
Onur Erzan
President


Exhibit 12(b)(2)

CERTIFICATION OF PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL OFFICER

I, Joseph J. Mantineo, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc., certify that:

1. I have reviewed this report on Form N-CSR of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations, changes in net assets, and cash flows (if the financial statements are required to include a statement of cash flows) of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) for the registrant and have:

 

a)

Designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

 

b)

Designed such internal control over financial reporting to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

c)

Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of a date within 90 days prior to the filing date of this report based on such evaluation; and

 

d)

Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and


5. The registrant’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

a) All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize, and report financial information; and

b) Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 14, 2023

 

/s/ Joseph J. Mantineo

Joseph J. Mantineo

Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

EX-99.906 CERT 3 d469608dex99906cert.htm CERTIFICATIONS PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 Certifications Pursuant to Section 906

EXHIBIT 12(c)

CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 906 OF THE

SARBANES-OXLEY ACT

Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, each of the undersigned, being the Principal Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer of AB Variable Products Series Fund, Inc. (the “Registrant”), hereby certifies that the Registrant’s report on Form N-CSR for the period ended June 30, 2023 (the “Report”) fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Registrant.

Date: August 14, 2023

 

By:   /s/ Onur Erzan
  Onur Erzan
  President
By:   /s/ Joseph J. Mantineo
  Joseph J. Mantineo
  Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer

This certification is being furnished solely pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and is not being filed as part of the Report or as a separate disclosure document.

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to the Registrant and will be retained by the Registrant and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

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