497K 1 f38448d1.htm AST MID-CAP GROWTH - 497K AST Mid-Cap Growth - 497K
ADVANCED SERIES TRUST
AST Mid-Cap Growth Portfolio
SUMMARY PROSPECTUS • May 1, 2024

Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s Prospectus, which contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio's Prospectus, Statement of Additional Information (SAI), Annual Report and other information about the Portfolio online at www.prudential.com/variableinsuranceportfolios. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1-800-346-3778 or by sending an e-mail to: service@prudential.com. The Portfolio’s Prospectus and SAI, both dated May 1, 2024, as supplemented and amended from time to time, and the Portfolio’s most recent shareholder report, dated December 31, 2023 are all hereby incorporated by reference into (legally made a part of) this Summary Prospectus.
INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE
The investment objective of the Portfolio is to seek long-term growth of capital.
PORTFOLIO FEES AND EXPENSES
The table below shows the fees and expenses that you may pay if you invest in shares of the Portfolio. The table does not include Contract charges. Because Contract charges are not included, the total fees and expenses that you will incur will be higher than the fees and expenses set forth in the table. See your Contract prospectus for more information about Contract charges.
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)(1)
 
Management Fees
0.82%
+ Distribution and/or Service Fees (12b-1 Fees)
0.25%
+ Other Expenses
0.04%
+ Acquired Fund Fees & Expenses
0.01%
= Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses
1.12%
(1) Any differences in total annual portfolio operating expenses shown in the table above and the expense ratio (after waivers and/or reimbursements) in the Portfolio’s Financial Highlights are attributable to changes in management fees, fee waivers and/or expense limitations occurring after the end of the most recent fiscal year.
Example.  The following example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The table does not include Contract charges. Because Contract charges are not included, the total fees and expenses that you will incur will be higher than the fees and expenses set forth in the example. See your Contract prospectus for more information about Contract charges.
The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:
 
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
AST Mid-Cap Growth Portfolio
$114
$356
$617
$1,363
Portfolio Turnover.  The Portfolio pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or turns over its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs. These costs, which are not reflected in annual portfolio operating expenses or in the example, affect the Portfolio's performance. During the Portfolio's most recent fiscal year ended December 31, the Portfolio's portfolio turnover rate was 42% of the average value of its portfolio.
INVESTMENTS, RISKS AND PERFORMANCE
Principal Investment Strategies.  In pursuing its investment objective, the Portfolio normally invests at least 80% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings made for investment purposes) in securities issued by medium capitalization companies. The Portfolio normally pursues its objective by investing primarily in the common stocks of mid-capitalization companies identified via fundamental analyses and quantitative screenings. The Portfolio seeks to invest in stocks of companies with above average earnings growth potential compared to other companies and companies that will produce
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sustainable earnings growth over a multi-year horizon. For purposes of the Portfolio, mid-capitalization companies are generally those that have market capitalizations between $1 billion and 120% of the market capitalization of the largest company included in the Russell Midcap Growth Index (Index). The size of the companies in the Index changes with market conditions and the composition of the Index. As of January 31, 2024, the range of the market capitalizations of the issuers in the Index was between $627 million and $77 billion.
The assets of the Portfolio are independently managed by four subadvisers under a multi-manager structure. The subadvisers are Massachusetts Financial Services Company (MFS), Delaware Investments Fund Advisers (Macquarie), J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. (J.P. Morgan) and TimesSquare Capital Management, LLC (TimesSquare). The Strategic Investment Research Group of the Manager determines the allocation among the subadvisers based on its analysis, taking into account market conditions, risks and other factors.
Principal Risks of Investing in the Portfolio. The risks summarized below are the principal risks of investing in the Portfolio. The relative significance of the risks summarized below may change over time. All investments have risks to some degree, and it is possible that you could lose money by investing in the Portfolio. An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit with a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. While the Portfolio makes every effort to achieve its objective, the Portfolio cannot guarantee success. To the extent the Portfolio invests in underlying investment companies or other underlying portfolios, the Portfolio may be exposed to these risks directly through securities and other investments held directly by the Portfolio or indirectly through investments made by underlying portfolios in which the Portfolio invests.
Equity Securities Risk. The value of a particular stock or equity-related security held by the Portfolio could fluctuate, perhaps greatly, in response to a number of factors, such as changes in the issuer’s financial condition or the value of the equity markets or a sector of those markets. Such events may result in losses to the Portfolio. In addition, due to decreases in liquidity, the Portfolio may be unable to sell its securities holdings within a reasonable time at the price it values the security or at any price.
Mid-Sized Company Risk. The shares of mid-sized companies tend to trade less frequently than those of larger, more established companies, which can have an adverse effect on the pricing and volatility of these securities and on the Portfolio’s ability to sell the securities.
Investment Style Risk. Securities held by the Portfolio as a result of a particular investment style, such as growth or value, tend to perform differently (i.e., better or worse than other segments of, or the overall, stock market) depending on market and economic conditions and investor sentiment. At times when the investment style is out of favor, the Portfolio may underperform other funds that invest in similar asset classes but use different investment styles.
Asset Transfer Program Risk. Predetermined, nondiscretionary mathematical formulas used by the participating insurance companies to manage the guarantees offered in connection with certain benefit programs under the Contracts may result in systematic transfers of assets among the investment options under the Contracts, including the Portfolio. These formulas may result in large-scale asset flows into and out of the Portfolio, which could adversely affect the Portfolio, including its risk profile, expenses, and performance. For example, the asset flows may adversely affect performance by requiring the Portfolio to purchase or sell securities at inopportune times, by otherwise limiting the subadviser’s ability to fully implement the Portfolio’s investment strategies, or by requiring the Portfolio to hold a larger portion of its assets in highly liquid securities than it otherwise would hold. The asset flows may also result in high turnover, low asset levels, and high operating expense ratios for the Portfolio. The asset flows could remove all or substantially all the assets of the Portfolio. The efficient operation of the asset flows depends on active and liquid markets. If market liquidity is strained, the asset flows may not operate as intended which in turn could adversely affect performance.
Economic and Market Events Risk. Economic and market events risk is the risk that one or more markets in which the Portfolio invests will decline in value, including the possibility that the markets will decline sharply and unpredictably. While a Portfolio’s Manager or Subadviser(s) may make efforts to control the risks associated with market changes, and may attempt to identify changes as they occur, market environment changes can be sudden and extreme. Significant shocks to or disruptions of the financial markets or the economy, including those relating to general economic, political, or financial market conditions; significant or unexpected failures, near-failures or credit downgrades of key institutions; investor sentiment and market perceptions; unexpected changes in the prices of key commodities; government actions; geopolitical events or changes; and factors related to a specific issuer, geography, industry or sector, could adversely affect the liquidity and volatility of securities held by the Portfolio. In periods of market volatility and/or declines, the Portfolio may experience high levels of shareholder redemptions, and may have to sell securities at times when it would otherwise not do so, and at unfavorable prices.
Expense Risk. The actual cost of investing in the Portfolio may be higher than the expenses shown in the Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses table above for a variety of reasons, including, for example, if the Portfolio’s average net assets decrease.

Foreign Investment Risk. Foreign markets tend to be more volatile than US markets and are generally not subject to regulatory requirements comparable to those in the US. Foreign securities include investments in securities of foreign issuers denominated in foreign currencies, as well as securities of foreign issuers denominated in US dollars and American Depositary Receipts. Foreign investment risk includes the risk that: changes in currency exchange rates may affect the value of foreign securities held by the Portfolio; foreign markets generally are more volatile than, and generally are not subject to regulatory requirements comparable to, US markets; foreign financial reporting and tax standards usually differ from those in the US; foreign exchanges are often less liquid than US markets; political or social developments may adversely affect the value of foreign securities; foreign holdings may be subject to special taxation and limitations on repatriating investment proceeds; and certain events in foreign markets may adversely affect foreign and domestic issuers, including, among others, military conflict, geopolitical developments, interruptions in the global supply chain, natural disasters, and outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Market and Management Risk. Markets in which the Portfolio invests may experience volatility and go down in value, and possibly sharply and unpredictably in short periods of time. Investment techniques, risk analyses, and investment strategies, which may include quantitative models or methods, used by a subadviser in making investment decisions for the Portfolio are subject to human error and may not produce the intended or desired results. The value of the Portfolio’s investments may be negatively affected by the occurrence of domestic or global events, including war, terrorism, environmental disasters, natural disasters, sanctions, cybersecurity events, supply chain disruptions, political or civil instability, and public health emergencies, among others. Such events may reduce consumer demand or economic output, result in market closures, travel restrictions or quarantines, and significantly adversely impact the economy. There is no guarantee that the investment objective of the Portfolio will be achieved.
Redemption Risk. A Portfolio that serves as an underlying fund for a fund of funds is subject to certain risks. When a fund of funds reallocates or rebalances its investments, an underlying fund may experience relatively large redemptions or investments. These transactions may cause the Portfolio serving as the underlying fund to sell portfolio securities to meet such redemptions, or to invest cash from such investments, at times that it would not otherwise do so, and may as a result increase transaction costs or adversely affect Portfolio performance.
Regulatory Risk. The Portfolio is subject to a variety of laws and regulations which govern its operations. The Portfolio is subject to regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC). Similarly, the businesses and other issuers of the securities and other instruments in which the Portfolio invests are also subject to considerable regulation. Changes in laws and regulations may materially impact the Portfolio, a security, business, sector, or market.
Past Performance. The bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in the Portfolio's performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio's average annual returns for 1, 5, and 10 years compare with those of a broad-based securities market index that reflects the performance of the overall market applicable to the Portfolio and an additional index that represents the market sectors in which the Portfolio primarily invests. Past performance does not mean that the Portfolio will achieve similar results in the future.
The annual returns and average annual returns shown in the chart and table are after deduction of expenses and do not include Contract charges. If Contract charges were included, the returns shown would have been lower than those shown. Consult your Contract prospectus for information about Contract charges.
Note: The AST Mid-Cap Growth Portfolio, formerly the AST Goldman Sachs Mid-Cap Growth Portfolio, changed subadvisers, changed its primary benchmark and changed certain of its investment strategies, effective April 29, 2019. The annual returns prior to April 29, 2019 for the Portfolio reflect the investment performance, investment operations, investment policies and investment strategies of the former subadviser, and do not represent the actual or predicted performance of the Portfolio or its current subadvisers.
Note: Effective December 5, 2022, the Portfolio added subadvisers and changed its investment strategy. The performance figures prior to December 5, 2022 for the Portfolio reflect the Portfolio's former investment operations, policies, strategies and subadvisers prior to this date. Such performance is not representative of the Portfolio's current investment operations, policies, strategies, and subadvisers that took effect as of this date, and the Portfolio's performance after this date could be materially different.
Effective May 1, 2024, the Portfolio's broad-based performance index changed to the S&P 500 Index. The S&P 500 Index is an appropriate broad-based securities market index that represents the overall market applicable to the Portfolio. The Portfolio will utilize the Russell Mid-Cap Growth Index as its additional benchmark for performance comparison.

Best Quarter:
Worst Quarter:
28.30%
2nd
Quarter
2020
-19.91%
2nd
Quarter
2022
Average Annual Total Returns (For the periods ended December 31, 2023)
 
One Year
Five Years
Ten Years
 
21.94%
10.31%
7.82%
Index % (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) (as of 12-31-23)
Russell MidCap Growth Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
25.87%
13.81%
10.57%
S&P MidCap 400 Index (former)(reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
16.44%
12.62%
9.27%
Broad-Based Securities Market Index: S&P 500 Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
26.29%
15.69%
12.03%
MANAGEMENT OF THE PORTFOLIO
Investment Managers
Subadviser
Portfolio Managers
Title
Service Date
PGIM Investments LLC / AST Investment
Services, Inc.
 
Rick T. Babich
Vice President, Portfolio
Manager
December 2021
 
 
Jeffrey Peasley
Vice President, Portfolio
Manager
December 2021
 
Massachusetts Financial Services Company
Eric B. Fischman, CFA
Investment Officer
April 2019
 
 
Eric Braz, CFA
Investment Officer
June 2021
 
Delaware Investments Fund Advisers
Nathan A. Brown, CFA*
Managing Director,
Senior Portfolio
Manager
December 2022
 
 
Bradley P. Halverson,
CFA
Managing Director,
Senior Portfolio
Manager
December 2022
 
 
Kimberly A. Scott, CFA
Managing Director,
Senior Portfolio
Manager
December 2022
 
J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc.
Felise Agranoff
Managing Director
December 2022
 
 
Daniel Bloomgarden
Managing Director
December 2022
 
TimesSquare Capital Management, LLC
Sonu Chawla, CFA
Partner, Portfolio
Manager
December 2022
 
 
Grant R. Babyak
Chief Executive Officer,
Portfolio Manager
December 2022
*Effective June 1, 2024, Nathan A. Brown will no longer serve as a portfolio manager to the Portfolio.
TAX INFORMATION
Contract owners should consult the prospectus of the appropriate separate account or description of the plan for a discussion and information on the tax consequences of the Contract, policy or plan. In addition, Contract owners may wish to consult with their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investments in the Contracts and the Portfolio, including the application of US federal, state, local and non-US taxes. The Portfolio currently intends to be treated as a partnership for US federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Portfolio's income, gains, losses, deductions, and credits are passed through pro rata directly to the Participating Insurance Companies and retain the same character for US federal income tax purposes.

FINANCIAL INTERMEDIARY COMPENSATION
If you purchase your Contract through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), the Participating Insurance Company, the Portfolio, or their related companies may pay the intermediary for the sale of the Contract, the selection of the Portfolio, and related services. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Contract over another investment or insurance product, or to recommend the Portfolio over another investment option under the Contract. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.

Notes

Notes

 
 
By Mail:
Advanced Series Trust, 655 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102
By Telephone:
1-800-346-3778
On the Internet:
www.prudential.com/variableinsuranceportfolios
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