497K 1 d872331d497k.htm EQ/JANUS ENTERPRISE PORTFOLIO EQ/Janus Enterprise Portfolio

EQ Advisors TrustSM

 

EQ/Janus Enterprise Portfolio – Class IA and IB Shares

 

Summary Prospectus dated May 1, 2020

 

 

Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. The Portfolio’s current Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information (“SAI”), dated May 1, 2020, as may be amended or supplemented from time to time, and the Portfolio’s audited financial statements included in its annual report to shareholders dated December 31, 2019, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus. You can find the Portfolio’s Prospectus, SAI, reports to shareholders and other information about the Portfolio online at www.equitable-funds.com/allportfolios.aspx. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-877-222-2144 or by sending an e-mail request to service@equitable.com. This Summary Prospectus is intended for use in connection with a variable contract as defined in Section 817(d) of the Internal Revenue Code (“Contracts”) and certain other eligible investors and is not intended for use by other investors.

 

Beginning on January 1, 2021, as permitted by regulations adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, you may not be receiving paper copies of the Portfolio’s annual and semi-annual shareholder reports unless you specifically request paper copies from the insurance company that offers your Contract, from your financial intermediary, or from the Portfolio. Instead, the shareholder reports will be made available on a website, and you will be notified by mail each time a shareholder report is posted and provided with a website link to access the shareholder report.

 

If you already elected to receive shareholder reports electronically, you will not be affected by this change and you need not take any action. If you are a Contractholder, you may elect to receive the Portfolio’s shareholder reports and other communications electronically from the insurance company by following the instructions provided by the insurance company. For other shareholders, you may elect to receive the Portfolio’s shareholder reports and other communications electronically by calling 1-877-222-2144 or by sending an e-mail request to service@equitable.com.

 

You may elect to receive all future shareholder reports in paper free of charge. If you are a Contractholder, you can inform the insurance company that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of shareholder reports by following the instructions provided by the insurance company. For other shareholders, you can inform the Portfolio that you wish to continue receiving paper copies of shareholder reports by calling 1-877-522-5035 or by sending an e-mail request to EquitableFunds@dfinsolutions.com. Your election to receive shareholder reports in paper will apply to all portfolio companies available under your Contract (if you are a Contractholder) or all Portfolios held with the fund complex (for other shareholders).

 

 

Investment Objective: Seeks to achieve capital growth.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

The following table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Portfolio. The table below does not reflect any fees and expenses associated with variable life insurance contracts and variable annuity certificates and contracts (“Contracts”), which would increase overall fees and expenses. See the Contract prospectus for a description of those fees and expenses.

 

 

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)

 

Not applicable.

               

 

 
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
(expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the
value of your investment)
 
EQ/Janus Enterprise Portfolio   Class IA
Shares
    Class IB
Shares
 

Management Fee

    0.69%       0.69%  

Distribution and/or Service Fees (12b-1 fees)

    0.25%       0.25%  

Other Expenses

    0.13%       0.13%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses

    1.07%       1.07%  

Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement†

    –0.02%       –0.02%  

Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement

    1.05%       1.05%  
  Pursuant to a contract, AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC (the “Adviser”) has agreed to make payments or waive its management, administrative and other fees to limit the expenses of the Portfolio through April 30, 2021 (unless the Board of Trustees consents to an earlier revision or termination of this arrangement) (“Expense Limitation Arrangement”) so that the annual operating expenses of the Portfolio (exclusive of taxes, interest, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, capitalized expenses, acquired fund fees and expenses, and extraordinary expenses) do not exceed an annual rate of average daily net assets of 1.05% for Class IA and Class IB shares of the Portfolio. The Expense Limitation Arrangement may be terminated by the Adviser at any time after April 30, 2021. The Adviser may be reimbursed the amount of any such payments or waivers in the future provided that the payments or waivers are reimbursed within three years of the payments or waivers being recorded and the Portfolio’s expense ratio, after the reimbursement is taken into account, does not exceed the Portfolio’s expense cap at the time of the waiver or the Portfolio’s expense cap at the time of the reimbursement, whichever is lower.

 

Example

 

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other

 

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portfolios. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the periods indicated, that your investment has a 5% return each year, that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same, and that the Expense Limitation Arrangement is not renewed. This Example does not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses including redemption fees (if any) at the Contract level. If such fees and expenses were reflected, the total expenses would be higher. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, whether you redeem or hold your shares, your costs would be:

 

     1 Year     3 Years     5 Years     10 Years  

Class IA Shares

  $ 107     $ 338     $ 588     $ 1,304  

Class IB Shares

  $ 107     $ 338     $ 588     $ 1,304  

 

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

 

The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 10% of the average value of the Portfolio.

 

INVESTMENTS, RISKS, AND PERFORMANCE

 

Principal Investment Strategy: Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio will invest at least 50% of its net assets, plus borrowings for investment purposes, in securities of medium-sized companies (or derivative instruments with similar economic characteristics). The Portfolio primarily invests in equity securities, including common stocks, preferred stocks, and rights and warrants to purchase common stock. For this Portfolio, medium-sized companies are defined as companies with capitalizations at the time of investment within the range of companies included in the Russell Midcap® Growth Index. As of December 31, 2019, the market capitalization range of the Russell MidCap® Growth Index was $1.2 billion to $78.6 billion.

 

The Sub-Adviser applies a “bottom up” approach in choosing investments. In other words, the Sub-Adviser looks at companies one at a time to determine if a company is an attractive investment opportunity and if it is consistent with the Portfolio’s investment policies.

 

The Portfolio may invest in securities of foreign issuers, including emerging market securities and depositary receipts. The securities in which the Portfolio may invest may be denominated in U.S. dollars or in currencies other than U.S. dollars. The Portfolio may also invest in real estate investment trusts (“REITs”).

 

The Portfolio may also invest its assets in derivatives, which are instruments that have a value derived from, or directly linked to, an underlying asset, such as equity securities, fixed-income securities, commodities, currencies, interest rates, or market indices. In particular, the Portfolio may use forward currency contracts to offset risks associated with an investment, currency exposure, or market conditions, or to hedge currency exposure relative to the Portfolio’s benchmark index.

 

The Portfolio also may lend its portfolio securities to earn additional income.

 

Principal Risks: An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The value of your investment may fall, sometimes sharply, and you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. There can be no assurance that the Portfolio will achieve its investment objective.

 

The following risks can negatively affect the Portfolio’s performance. The most significant risks are listed first, followed by additional risks in alphabetical order.

 

Mid-Cap Company Risk: Mid-cap companies carry additional risks because the operating histories of these companies tend to be more limited, their earnings and revenues less predictable (and some companies may be experiencing significant losses), and their share prices more volatile than those of larger, more established companies, all of which can negatively affect their value.

 

Sector Risk: From time to time, based on market or economic conditions, the Portfolio may have significant positions in one or more sectors of the market. To the extent the Portfolio invests more heavily in particular sectors, its performance will be especially sensitive to developments that significantly affect those sectors. Individual sectors may be more volatile, and may perform differently, than the broader market. The industries that constitute a sector may all react in the same way to economic, political or regulatory events.

 

Investment Style Risk: The Portfolio may use a particular style or set of styles — in this case a “growth” style — to select investments. A particular style may be out of favor or may not produce the best results over short or longer time periods. Growth stocks may be more sensitive to changes in current or expected earnings than the prices of other stocks. Growth investing also is subject to the risk that the stock price of one or more companies will fall or will fail to appreciate as anticipated by the Portfolio, regardless of movements in the securities market. Growth stocks also tend to be more volatile than value stocks, so in a declining market their prices may decrease more than value stocks in general. Growth stocks also may increase the volatility of the Portfolio’s share price.

 

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Equity Risk: In general, the values of stocks and other equity securities fluctuate, and sometimes widely fluctuate, in response to changes in a company’s financial condition as well as general market, economic and political conditions and other factors.

 

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in foreign securities, including depositary receipts, involve risks in addition to those associated with investments in U.S. securities. Foreign markets may be less liquid, more volatile and subject to less government supervision and regulation than U.S. markets, and it may take more time to clear and settle trades involving foreign securities, which could negatively impact the Portfolio’s investments and cause it to lose money. Security values also may be negatively affected by changes in the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. Differences between U.S. and foreign legal, political and economic systems, regulatory regimes and market practices, as well as trade barriers and other protectionist trade policies (including those of the U.S.), governmental instability, or other political or economic actions, also may adversely impact security values. World markets, or those in a particular region, may all react in similar fashion to important economic or political developments. Events and evolving conditions in certain economies or markets may alter the risks associated with investments tied to countries or regions that historically were perceived as comparatively stable and make such investments riskier and more volatile. Regardless of where a company is organized or its stock is traded, its performance may be significantly affected by events in regions from which it derives its profits or in which it conducts significant operations.

 

Currency Risk: Investments that are denominated in or that provide exposure to foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Any such decline may erode or reverse any potential gains from an investment in securities denominated in foreign currency or may widen existing loss. In the case of hedging positions, there is the risk that the U.S. dollar will decline in value relative to the currency being hedged. Currency rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Investments in emerging market countries are more susceptible to loss than investments in more developed foreign countries and may present market, credit, currency, liquidity, legal, political, technical and other risks different from, or greater than, the risks of investing in more developed foreign countries. Emerging market countries may be more likely to experience rapid and significant adverse developments in their political or economic structures, restrict foreign investments, impose high withholding or other taxes on foreign investments, impose restrictive exchange control regulations, or nationalize or expropriate the assets of private companies, which may have negative impacts on transaction costs, market price, investment returns and the legal rights and remedies of the Portfolio. In addition, the securities markets of emerging market countries generally are smaller, less liquid and more volatile than those of more developed foreign countries, and emerging market countries often have less uniformity in accounting, auditing and financial reporting requirements and less reliable clearance and settlement, registration and custodial procedures. Securities of issuers traded on foreign exchanges may be suspended. The likelihood of such suspensions may be higher for securities of issuers in emerging market countries than in countries with more developed markets.

 

Derivatives Risk: The Portfolio’s investments in derivatives may rise or fall in value more rapidly than other investments and may reduce the Portfolio’s returns and increase the volatility of the Portfolio’s net asset value. Investing in derivatives involves investment techniques and risk analyses different from, and risks in some respects greater than, those associated with investing in more traditional investments, such as stocks and bonds. Derivatives may be leveraged such that a small investment can have a significant impact on the Portfolio’s exposure to stock market values, interest rates, or other investments. As a result, a relatively small price movement in a derivatives contract may cause an immediate and substantial loss, and the Portfolio could lose more than the amount it invested. Some derivatives can have the potential for unlimited losses. In addition, it may be difficult or impossible for the Portfolio to purchase or sell certain derivatives in sufficient amounts to achieve the desired level of exposure, or to terminate or offset existing arrangements, which may result in a loss or may be costly to the Portfolio. Some derivatives are more sensitive to market price fluctuations and to interest rate changes than other investments. Derivatives may not behave as anticipated by the Portfolio, and derivatives strategies that are successful under certain market conditions may be less successful or unsuccessful under other market conditions. The Portfolio also may be exposed to losses if the counterparty in the transaction is unable or unwilling to fulfill its contractual obligation. In certain cases, the Portfolio may be hindered or delayed in exercising remedies against or closing out derivatives with a counterparty, resulting in additional losses. Derivatives also may be subject to the risk of mispricing or improper valuation. Derivatives can be difficult to value, and valuation may be more difficult in times of market turmoil. Changing regulation may make derivatives more costly, limit their availability, impact the Portfolio’s ability to maintain its investments in derivatives, disrupt markets, or otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.

 

Market Risk: The Portfolio is subject to the risk that the securities markets will move down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, based on overall economic conditions and

 

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other factors, which may negatively affect Portfolio performance. Securities markets also may experience long periods of decline in value. Changes in the financial condition of a single issuer can impact a market as a whole. Geo-political risks, including terrorism, tensions or open conflict between nations, or political or economic dysfunction within some nations that are major players on the world stage, may lead to instability in world economies and markets, may lead to increased market volatility, and may have adverse long-term effects. Events such as natural disasters or pandemics, and governments’ reactions to such events, could cause uncertainty in the markets and may adversely affect the performance of the global economy. In addition, markets and market participants are increasingly reliant on information data systems. Inaccurate data, software or other technology malfunctions, programming inaccuracies, unauthorized use or access, and similar circumstances may impair the performance of these systems and may have an adverse impact upon a single issuer, a group of issuers, or the market at-large.

 

Portfolio Management Risk: The Portfolio is subject to the risk that strategies used by an investment manager and its securities selections fail to produce the intended results. An investment manager’s judgments or decisions about the quality, relative yield or value of, or market trends affecting, a particular security or issuer, industry, sector, region or market segment, or about the economy or interest rates, may be incorrect or otherwise may not produce the intended results, which may result in losses to the Portfolio. In addition, many processes used in Portfolio management, including security selection, rely, in whole or in part, on the use of various technologies. The Portfolio may suffer losses if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the quantitative, analytic or other tools, resources, information and data used, or the analyses employed or relied on, by an investment manager, or if such tools, resources, information or data are used incorrectly, fail to produce the desired results, or otherwise do not work as intended. There can be no assurance that the use of these technologies will result in effective investment decisions for the Portfolio.

 

Real Estate Investing Risk: Real estate-related investments may decline in value as a result of factors affecting the overall real estate industry. Real estate is a cyclical business, highly sensitive to supply and demand, general and local economic developments and characterized by intense competition and periodic overbuilding. Real estate income and values also may be greatly affected by demographic trends, such as population shifts or changing tastes and values. Losses may occur from casualty or condemnation and government actions, such as tax law changes, zoning law changes, regulatory limitations on rents, or environmental regulations, also may have a major impact on real estate. The availability of mortgages and changes in interest rates may also affect real estate values. Changing interest rates and credit quality requirements also will affect the cash flow of real estate companies and their ability to meet capital needs. In addition, global climate change may have an adverse effect on property and security values.

 

Real estate investment trusts (“REITs”) generally invest directly in real estate (equity REITs), in mortgages secured by interests in real estate (mortgage REITs) or in some combination of the two (hybrid REITs). Investing in REITs exposes investors to the risks of owning real estate directly, as well as to risks that relate specifically to the way in which REITs are organized and operated. Equity REITs may be affected by changes in the value of the underlying property owned by the REIT, while mortgage REITs may be affected by the quality of any credit extended. Equity and mortgage REITs are also subject to heavy cash flow dependency, defaults by borrowers, and self-liquidations. The risk of defaults is generally higher in the case of mortgage pools that include subprime mortgages involving borrowers with blemished credit histories. The liquidity and value of subprime mortgages and non-investment grade mortgage-backed securities that are not guaranteed by Ginnie Mae, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac could change dramatically over time. Operating REITs requires specialized management skills, and a portfolio that invests in REITs indirectly bears REIT management and administration expenses along with the direct expenses of the portfolio. Individual REITs may own a limited number of properties and may concentrate in a particular region or property type. Domestic REITs also must satisfy specific Internal Revenue Code requirements to qualify for the tax-free pass-through of net investment income and net realized gains distributed to shareholders. Failure to meet these requirements may have adverse consequences on the Portfolio. In addition, even the larger REITs in the industry tend to be small- to medium-sized companies in relation to the equity markets as a whole. Moreover, shares of REITs may trade less frequently and, therefore, are subject to more erratic price movements than securities of larger issuers.

 

Securities Lending Risk: The Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to seek income. There is a risk that a borrower may default on its obligations to return loaned securities. The Portfolio will be responsible for the risks associated with the investment of cash collateral and may lose money on its investment of cash collateral or may fail to earn sufficient income on its investment to meet obligations to the borrower. Securities lending may introduce leverage into the Portfolio. In addition, delays may occur in the recovery of loaned securities from borrowers, which could interfere with the Portfolio’s ability to vote proxies or to settle transactions.

 

Risk/Return Bar Chart and Table

 

The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio’s performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual total returns for the past one, five and ten years (or since inception) through December 31, 2019 compared to the returns of a broad-based securities market index. The return of the broad-based securities market index (and any additional comparative index) shown in the right hand column below is the return of the index for the last 10 years or, if shorter, since the inception of

 

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the share class with the longest history. Past performance is not an indication of future performance. Performance information for the periods prior to December 9, 2016 is that of the Portfolio when it engaged a different Sub-Adviser.

 

The performance results do not reflect any Contract-related fees and expenses, which would reduce the performance results.

 

Calendar Year Annual Total Returns — Class IB

 

LOGO

 

   
Best quarter (% and time period)   Worst quarter (% and time period)
18.40% (2019 1st Quarter)   –19.53% (2011 3rd Quarter)

 

     
Average Annual Total Returns                
     One
Year
    Five
Years
    Ten
Years/
Since
Inception
 

EQ/Janus Enterprise Portfolio – Class IA Shares

    36.48%       9.16%       11.02%  

EQ/Janus Enterprise Portfolio – Class IB Shares

    36.49%       9.16%       10.97%  

Russell Midcap® Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)

    35.47%       11.60%       14.24%  

 

WHO MANAGES THE PORTFOLIO

 

Investment Adviser: FMG LLC

 

Portfolio Managers: The members of the team that are jointly and primarily responsible for the selection, monitoring and oversight of the Portfolio’s Sub-Adviser are:

 

Name    Title    Date Began
Managing
the Portfolio

Kenneth T. Kozlowski, CFP®, CLU, ChFC

   Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of FMG LLC    May 2011

Alwi Chan, CFA®

   Senior Vice President and Deputy Chief Investment Officer of FMG LLC    May 2009

 

Sub-Adviser: Janus Capital Management LLC (“Janus” or the “Sub-Adviser”)

 

Portfolio Managers: The members of the team that are jointly and primarily responsible for the securities selection, research and trading for the Portfolio are:

 

Name   Title   Date Began
Managing
the Portfolio

Brian Demain, CFA®

  Executive Vice President of Janus and Co-Portfolio Manager of the Portfolio   December 2016

Cody Wheaton, CFA®

  Executive Vice President of Janus and Co-Portfolio Manager of the Portfolio   December 2016

 

AXA Equitable Funds Management Group, LLC (“FMG LLC” or the “Adviser”) has been granted relief by the Securities and Exchange Commission to hire, terminate and replace Sub-Advisers and amend sub-advisory agreements subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees and without obtaining shareholder approval. However, the Adviser may not enter into a sub-advisory agreement on behalf of the Portfolio with an “affiliated person” of the Adviser, such as AllianceBernstein L.P., unless the sub-advisory agreement is approved by the Portfolio’s shareholders. The Adviser is responsible for overseeing Sub-Advisers and recommending their hiring, termination and replacement to the Board of Trustees.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF PORTFOLIO SHARES

 

The Portfolio’s shares are currently sold only to insurance company separate accounts in connection with Contracts issued by AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company (“AXA Equitable”), AXA Life and Annuity Company, or other affiliated or unaffiliated insurance companies and to The AXA Equitable 401(k) Plan. Shares also may be sold to other portfolios managed by FMG LLC that currently sell their shares to such accounts and to other investors eligible under applicable federal income tax regulations.

 

The Portfolio does not have minimum initial or subsequent investment requirements. Shares of the Portfolio are redeemable on any business day (which typically is any day the New York Stock Exchange is open) upon receipt of a request. All redemption requests will be processed and payment with respect thereto will normally be made within seven days after tender. Please refer to your Contract prospectus for more information on purchasing and redeeming Portfolio shares.

 

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TAX INFORMATION

 

The Portfolio’s shareholders are (or may include) insurance company separate accounts and other investors eligible under applicable federal income tax regulations. Distributions made by the Portfolio to such an account, and exchanges and redemptions of Portfolio shares made by such an account, ordinarily do not cause the holders of underlying Contracts to recognize income or gain for federal income tax purposes at the time of the distributions, exchanges or redemptions; the holders generally are taxed only on amounts they withdraw from their Contract. See the prospectus for your Contract for further tax information.

 

PAYMENTS TO BROKER-DEALERS AND OTHER FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARIES

 

This Portfolio is not sold directly to the general public but instead is offered as an underlying investment option for Contracts and to other eligible investors. The Portfolio and the Adviser and its affiliates may make payments to sponsoring insurance companies (and their affiliates) or other financial intermediaries for distribution and/or other services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing an insurance company or other financial intermediary and your financial adviser to recommend the Portfolio over another investment or by influencing an insurance company to include the Portfolio as an underlying investment option in the Contract. The prospectus (or other offering document) for your Contract may contain additional information about these payments. Ask your financial adviser or visit your financial intermediary’s website for more information.

 

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