Form 497K PIMCO VARIABLE INSURANCE
PIMCO Short-Term Portfolio
Summary Prospectus
April 29, 2022
Share Class: |
Administrative Class |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s prospectus, which, as supplemented, contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio’s prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information about the Portfolio online at http://www.pimco.com/pvit. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1.800.927.4648 or by sending an email request to
[email protected]. The Portfolio’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated April 29, 2022, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective
The Portfolio seeks maximum current income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Administrative Class
shares of the Portfolio. You may pay other fees, such as commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. Overall fees and expenses
of investing in the Portfolio are higher than shown because the table does not reflect variable contract fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
N/A |
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment):
|
Administrative
Class |
Management Fees |
0.45% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
0.15% |
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses |
0.60% |
Example. The
Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Administrative Class shares of the Portfolio with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated,
and then redeem all 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, the Example shows what your costs would be based on these assumptions. The Example does not reflect fees and expenses of any variable annuity contract or variable life
insurance policy, and would be higher if it did.
|
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Administrative Class |
$61 |
$192 |
$335 |
$750 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio pays transaction costs 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 the
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Example table,
affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the
Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 98% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income
Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. “Fixed Income Instruments” include bonds, debt securities
and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Portfolio will vary based on PIMCO’s forecast for interest rates and will
normally not exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in
interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Portfolio, under
normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years.
The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total
assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated B or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
(“S&P”) or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security,
PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S.
dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Portfolio may invest up to 5% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not
apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year
remaining to maturity, which means the Portfolio may invest, together with any other investments
denominated in foreign currencies, up to 10% of its total assets in such instruments). The Portfolio will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its
total assets.
The Portfolio may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to
applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Portfolio’s prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or
forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase
and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Portfolio may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.
PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust | Summary Prospectus
PIMCO
Short-Term Portfolio
Principal Risks
It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Portfolio. The principal risks of investing in the Portfolio, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and
total return, are listed below.
Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a portfolio with a longer average portfolio duration will be
more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a portfolio with a shorter average portfolio duration
Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a
call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons
(e.g.,
declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer’s credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Portfolio has invested in, the Portfolio may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and
may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features
Credit
Risk: the risk that the Portfolio could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling, or
is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to meet its financial obligations
High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as
“junk bonds”) are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make
principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity
Market
Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Portfolio may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets
generally or particular industries
Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand
for the issuer’s goods or services
Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Portfolio may be unable to sell illiquid investments at an advantageous time or
price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in
fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other
circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal,
causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity
Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including
leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and valuation
complexity. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be
more sensitive to market events than, the
underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Portfolio’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the Portfolio, a
reduction in the Portfolio’s returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the
other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. The primary credit risk on derivatives that are exchange-traded or traded
through a central clearing counterparty resides with the Portfolio's clearing broker or the clearinghouse. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund’s use of derivatives and related instruments could
potentially limit or impact the Portfolio’s ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Portfolio’s ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the
Portfolio’s performance
Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not
specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities
Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in
mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk
Foreign (Non-U.S.)
Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Portfolio experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value
than a portfolio that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets,
differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of
portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political
changes, diplomatic developments or the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers
Emerging Markets
Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk
Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a
result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer’s inability or
unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion
Currency
Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Portfolio’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies
2 Summary Prospectus | PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust
Summary Prospectus
Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Portfolio, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed
delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage,
magnifying gains and losses and causing the Portfolio to be more volatile than if it had not been
leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss
Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired
results and that actual or potential conflicts of interest, legislative, regulatory, or tax
restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO
and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Portfolio and may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. There is no guarantee that the investment objective
of the Portfolio will be achieved
Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to
the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Portfolio
LIBOR Transition Risk: the risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate
(“LIBOR”). Certain instruments held by the Portfolio rely in some fashion upon LIBOR.
Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the
transition away from LIBOR on the Portfolio or on certain instruments in which the Portfolio invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or
illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR and may result in a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Portfolio
Please see “Description of Principal Risks” in the Portfolio's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. 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.
Performance Information
The performance information shows summary performance information for the Portfolio in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in its
performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. The Portfolio’s performance information reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the
periods presented. Absent such fee waivers and/or expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. Performance shown does not reflect any charges or expenses imposed by an insurance company, and, if it did, performance shown would be lower. The bar chart and the table show performance
of the Portfolio’s Administrative Class shares. The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will
perform in the future.
The FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index representing monthly return equivalents of yield
averages of the last 3-month Treasury Bill issues.
Performance for the Portfolio is updated daily and monthly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on
the net asset value may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO and monthly performance may be obtained at www.pimco.com/pvit.
Calendar Year Total Returns — Administrative Class
Best Quarter |
June 30, 2020 |
3.67% |
Worst Quarter |
March 31, 2020 |
-2.22% |
Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/21)
|
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Administrative Class Return |
-0.06% |
1.78% |
1.64% |
FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or taxes) |
0.05% |
1.11% |
0.60% |
Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers
PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s portfolio is jointly and primarily managed by Jerome Schneider, Andrew Wittkop and Nathan Chiaverini. Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has
managed the Portfolio since its inception in January 2011. Mr. Wittkop is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Portfolio since January 2011. Mr. Chiaverini is a Senior Vice President of
PIMCO, and he has managed the Portfolio since April 2019.
Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares
Shares of the Portfolio currently are sold to segregated asset accounts (“Separate Accounts”) of
insurance companies that fund variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies (“Variable Contracts”) and other funds that serve as underlying investment options
April 29, 2022 | SUMMARY PROSPECTUS 3
PIMCO
Short-Term Portfolio
for Variable Contracts (i.e., variable insurance funds). Investors do not deal directly with the Portfolio to purchase and redeem shares.
Please refer to the prospectus for the Separate Account for information on the allocation of
premiums and on transfers of accumulated value among sub-accounts of the Separate Account.
Tax Information
The
shareholders of the Portfolio are the insurance companies offering the variable products or other variable insurance funds. Please refer to the prospectus for the Separate Account and the Variable Contract for information regarding the federal income
tax treatment of distributions to the Separate Account.
Payments to Insurance Companies and Other Financial
Intermediaries
The Portfolio and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the insurance company and other intermediaries for the sale of the Portfolio and/or other services. These
payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the insurance company or intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Variable Contract and the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your insurance
company or salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.
PVIT0339S_042922
PIMCO Short-Term Portfolio
Summary Prospectus
April 29, 2022
Share Class: |
Advisor Class |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s prospectus, which, as supplemented, contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio’s prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information about the Portfolio online at http://www.pimco.com/pvit. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1.800.927.4648 or by sending an email request to
[email protected]. The Portfolio’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated April 29, 2022, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective
The Portfolio seeks maximum current income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Advisor Class shares of
the Portfolio. You may pay other fees, such as commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. Overall fees and expenses of investing in the
Portfolio are higher than shown because the table does not reflect variable contract fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
N/A |
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment):
|
Advisor
Class |
Management Fees |
0.45% |
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees |
0.25% |
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses |
0.70% |
Example. The
Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Advisor Class shares of the Portfolio with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 for the time periods indicated,
and then redeem all 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, the Example shows what your costs would be based on these assumptions. The Example does not reflect fees and expenses of any variable annuity contract or variable life
insurance policy, and would be higher if it did.
|
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Advisor Class |
$72 |
$224 |
$390 |
$871 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio pays transaction costs 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 the
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Example table,
affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the
Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 98% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income
Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. “Fixed Income Instruments” include bonds, debt securities
and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Portfolio will vary based on PIMCO’s forecast for interest rates and will
normally not exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in
interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Portfolio, under
normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years.
The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total
assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated B or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
(“S&P”) or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security,
PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S.
dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Portfolio may invest up to 5% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not
apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year
remaining to maturity, which means the Portfolio may invest, together with any other investments
denominated in foreign currencies, up to 10% of its total assets in such instruments). The Portfolio will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its
total assets.
The Portfolio may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to
applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Portfolio’s prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or
forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase
and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Portfolio may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.
PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust | Summary Prospectus
PIMCO
Short-Term Portfolio
Principal Risks
It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Portfolio. The principal risks of investing in the Portfolio, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and
total return, are listed below.
Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a portfolio with a longer average portfolio duration will be
more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a portfolio with a shorter average portfolio duration
Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a
call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons
(e.g.,
declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer’s credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Portfolio has invested in, the Portfolio may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and
may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features
Credit
Risk: the risk that the Portfolio could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling, or
is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to meet its financial obligations
High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as
“junk bonds”) are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make
principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity
Market
Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Portfolio may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets
generally or particular industries
Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand
for the issuer’s goods or services
Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Portfolio may be unable to sell illiquid investments at an advantageous time or
price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in
fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other
circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal,
causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity
Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including
leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and valuation
complexity. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be
more sensitive to market events than, the
underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Portfolio’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the Portfolio, a
reduction in the Portfolio’s returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the
other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. The primary credit risk on derivatives that are exchange-traded or traded
through a central clearing counterparty resides with the Portfolio's clearing broker or the clearinghouse. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund’s use of derivatives and related instruments could
potentially limit or impact the Portfolio’s ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Portfolio’s ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the
Portfolio’s performance
Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not
specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities
Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in
mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk
Foreign (Non-U.S.)
Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Portfolio experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value
than a portfolio that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets,
differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of
portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political
changes, diplomatic developments or the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers
Emerging Markets
Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk
Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a
result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer’s inability or
unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion
Currency
Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Portfolio’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies
2 Summary Prospectus | PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust
Summary Prospectus
Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Portfolio, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed
delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage,
magnifying gains and losses and causing the Portfolio to be more volatile than if it had not been
leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss
Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired
results and that actual or potential conflicts of interest, legislative, regulatory, or tax
restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO
and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Portfolio and may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. There is no guarantee that the investment objective
of the Portfolio will be achieved
Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to
the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Portfolio
LIBOR Transition Risk: the risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate
(“LIBOR”). Certain instruments held by the Portfolio rely in some fashion upon LIBOR.
Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the
transition away from LIBOR on the Portfolio or on certain instruments in which the Portfolio invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or
illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR and may result in a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Portfolio
Please see “Description of Principal Risks” in the Portfolio's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. 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.
Performance Information
The performance information shows summary performance information for the Portfolio in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in its
performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. The Portfolio’s performance information reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the
periods presented. Absent such fee waivers and/or expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. Performance shown does not reflect any charges or expenses imposed by an insurance company, and, if it did, performance
shown would be lower. The bar chart and the table show
performance of the Portfolio’s Advisor Class shares. The
Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will perform in the future.
The FTSE
3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index representing monthly return equivalents of yield averages of the last 3-month Treasury Bill issues.
Performance for the Portfolio is updated daily and monthly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on the net asset value may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO and monthly performance may be obtained at
www.pimco.com/pvit.
Calendar Year Total Returns — Advisor Class
Best Quarter |
June 30, 2020 |
3.65% |
Worst Quarter |
March 31, 2020 |
-2.24% |
Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/21)
|
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Advisor Class Return |
-0.16% |
1.68% |
1.53% |
FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or taxes) |
0.05% |
1.11% |
0.60% |
Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers
PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s portfolio is jointly and primarily managed by Jerome Schneider, Andrew Wittkop and Nathan Chiaverini. Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has
managed the Portfolio since its inception in January 2011. Mr. Wittkop is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Portfolio since January 2011. Mr. Chiaverini is a Senior Vice President of
PIMCO, and he has managed the Portfolio since April 2019.
Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares
Shares of the Portfolio currently are sold to segregated asset accounts (“Separate Accounts”) of
insurance companies that fund variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies (“Variable
April 29, 2022 | SUMMARY PROSPECTUS 3
PIMCO
Short-Term Portfolio
Contracts”) and other funds that serve as underlying investment options for Variable Contracts (i.e., variable insurance funds). Investors do not deal directly with the Portfolio to purchase and redeem shares.
Please refer to the prospectus for the Separate Account for information on the allocation of
premiums and on transfers of accumulated value among sub-accounts of the Separate Account.
Tax Information
The
shareholders of the Portfolio are the insurance companies offering the variable products or other variable insurance funds. Please refer to the prospectus for the Separate Account and the Variable Contract for information regarding the federal income
tax treatment of distributions to the Separate Account.
Payments to Insurance Companies and Other Financial
Intermediaries
The Portfolio and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the insurance company and other intermediaries for the sale of the Portfolio and/or other services. These
payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the insurance company or intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Variable Contract and the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your insurance
company or salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.
PVIT1956S_042922
PIMCO Short-Term Portfolio
Summary Prospectus
April 29, 2022
Share Class: |
Institutional Class |
Before you invest, you may want to review the Portfolio’s prospectus, which, as supplemented, contains more information about the Portfolio and its risks. You can find the Portfolio’s prospectus, reports to shareholders and other information about the Portfolio online at http://www.pimco.com/pvit. You can also get this information at no cost by calling 1.800.927.4648 or by sending an email request to
[email protected]. The Portfolio’s prospectus and Statement of Additional Information, both dated April 29, 2022, as supplemented, are incorporated by reference into this Summary Prospectus.
Investment Objective
The Portfolio seeks maximum current income, consistent with preservation of capital and daily liquidity.
Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy, hold and sell Institutional Class
shares of the Portfolio. You may pay other fees, such as commissions and other fees to financial
intermediaries, which are not reflected in the table and example below. Overall fees and expenses
of investing in the Portfolio are higher than shown because the table does not reflect variable contract fees and expenses.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): |
N/A |
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a
percentage of the value of your investment):
|
Institutional
Class |
Management Fees |
0.45% |
Total Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses |
0.45% |
Example. The Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in Institutional Class shares of the
Portfolio with the costs of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest
$10,000 for the time periods indicated, and then redeem all 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, the Example shows what your costs
would be based on these assumptions. The Example does not reflect fees and expenses of any
variable annuity contract or variable life insurance policy, and would be higher if it
did.
|
1 Year |
3 Years |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Institutional Class |
$46 |
$144 |
$252 |
$567 |
Portfolio Turnover
The Portfolio pays transaction costs 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 the
Annual Portfolio Operating Expenses or in the Example table,
affect the Portfolio’s performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the
Portfolio’s portfolio turnover rate was 98% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies
The Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing under normal circumstances at least 65% of its total assets in a diversified portfolio of Fixed Income
Instruments of varying maturities, which may be represented by forwards or derivatives such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements. “Fixed Income Instruments” include bonds, debt securities
and other similar instruments issued by various U.S. and non-U.S. public- or private-sector entities. The average portfolio duration of this Portfolio will vary based on PIMCO’s forecast for interest rates and will
normally not exceed one year. Duration is a measure used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in
interest rates. In addition, the dollar-weighted average portfolio maturity of the Portfolio, under
normal circumstances, is expected not to exceed three years.
The Portfolio invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, but may invest up to 10% of its total
assets in high yield securities (“junk bonds”) rated B or higher by Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”), or equivalently rated by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services
(“S&P”) or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”), or, if unrated, determined by PIMCO to be of comparable quality. In the event that ratings services assign different ratings to the same security,
PIMCO will use the highest rating as the credit rating for that security. The Portfolio may invest up to 10% of its total assets in securities denominated in foreign currencies, and may invest beyond this limit in U.S.
dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers. The Portfolio may invest up to 5% of its total assets in securities and instruments that are economically tied to emerging market countries (this limitation does not
apply to investment grade sovereign debt denominated in the local currency with less than 1 year
remaining to maturity, which means the Portfolio may invest, together with any other investments
denominated in foreign currencies, up to 10% of its total assets in such instruments). The Portfolio will normally limit its foreign currency exposure (from non-U.S. dollar-denominated securities or currencies) to 20% of its
total assets.
The Portfolio may invest all of its assets in derivative instruments, such as options, futures contracts or swap agreements, or in mortgage- or asset-backed securities, subject to
applicable law and any other restrictions described in the Portfolio’s prospectus or Statement of Additional Information. The Portfolio may purchase or sell securities on a when-issued, delayed delivery or
forward commitment basis and may engage in short sales. The Portfolio may, without limitation, seek to obtain market exposure to the securities in which it primarily invests by entering into a series of purchase
and sale contracts or by using other investment techniques (such as buy backs or dollar rolls). The Portfolio may also invest up to 10% of its total assets in preferred securities.
PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust | Summary Prospectus
PIMCO
Short-Term Portfolio
Principal Risks
It is possible to lose money on an investment in the Portfolio. The principal risks of investing in the Portfolio, which could adversely affect its net asset value, yield and
total return, are listed below.
Interest Rate Risk: the risk that fixed income securities will decline in value because of an increase in interest rates; a portfolio with a longer average portfolio duration will be
more sensitive to changes in interest rates than a portfolio with a shorter average portfolio duration
Call Risk: the risk that an issuer may exercise its right to redeem a fixed income security earlier than expected (a
call). Issuers may call outstanding securities prior to their maturity for a number of reasons
(e.g.,
declining interest rates, changes in credit spreads and improvements in the issuer’s credit quality). If an issuer calls a security that the Portfolio has invested in, the Portfolio may not recoup the full amount of its initial investment and
may be forced to reinvest in lower-yielding securities, securities with greater credit risks or securities with other, less favorable features
Credit
Risk: the risk that the Portfolio could lose money if the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivative contract, is unable or unwilling, or
is perceived (whether by market participants, rating agencies, pricing services or otherwise) as unable or unwilling, to meet its financial obligations
High Yield Risk: the risk that high yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (commonly known as
“junk bonds”) are subject to greater levels of credit, call and liquidity risks. High yield securities are considered primarily speculative with respect to the issuer’s continuing ability to make
principal and interest payments, and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities of similar maturity
Market
Risk: the risk that the value of securities owned by the Portfolio may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to factors affecting securities markets
generally or particular industries
Issuer Risk: the risk that the value of a security may decline for a reason directly related to the issuer, such as management performance, financial leverage and reduced demand
for the issuer’s goods or services
Liquidity Risk: the risk that a particular investment may be difficult to purchase or sell and that the Portfolio may be unable to sell illiquid investments at an advantageous time or
price or achieve its desired level of exposure to a certain sector. Liquidity risk may result from the lack of an active market, reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in
fixed income securities, and may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other
circumstances where investor redemptions from fixed income funds may be higher than normal,
causing increased supply in the market due to selling activity
Derivatives Risk: the risk of investing in derivative instruments (such as futures, swaps and structured securities), including
leverage, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and valuation
complexity. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with, and may be
more sensitive to market events than, the
underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio could lose more than the initial amount invested. The Portfolio’s use of derivatives may result in losses to the Portfolio, a
reduction in the Portfolio’s returns and/or increased volatility. Over-the-counter (“OTC”) derivatives are also subject to the risk that a counterparty to the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations to the
other party, as many of the protections afforded to centrally-cleared derivative transactions might not be available for OTC derivatives. The primary credit risk on derivatives that are exchange-traded or traded
through a central clearing counterparty resides with the Portfolio's clearing broker or the clearinghouse. Changes in regulation relating to a mutual fund’s use of derivatives and related instruments could
potentially limit or impact the Portfolio’s ability to invest in derivatives, limit the Portfolio’s ability to employ certain strategies that use derivatives and/or adversely affect the value of derivatives and the
Portfolio’s performance
Equity Risk: the risk that the value of equity securities, such as common stocks and preferred securities, may decline due to general market conditions which are not
specifically related to a particular company or to factors affecting a particular industry or industries. Equity securities generally have greater price volatility than fixed income securities
Mortgage-Related and Other Asset-Backed Securities Risk: the risks of investing in
mortgage-related and other asset-backed securities, including interest rate risk, extension risk, prepayment risk and credit risk
Foreign (Non-U.S.)
Investment Risk: the risk that investing in foreign (non-U.S.) securities may result in the Portfolio experiencing more rapid and extreme changes in value
than a portfolio that invests exclusively in securities of U.S. companies, due to smaller markets,
differing reporting, accounting and auditing standards, increased risk of delayed settlement of
portfolio transactions or loss of certificates of portfolio securities, and the risk of unfavorable foreign government actions, including nationalization, expropriation or confiscatory taxation, currency blockage, or political
changes, diplomatic developments or the imposition of sanctions and other similar measures. Foreign securities may also be less liquid and more difficult to value than securities of U.S. issuers
Emerging Markets
Risk: the risk of investing in emerging market securities, primarily increased foreign (non-U.S.) investment risk
Sovereign Debt Risk: the risk that investments in fixed income instruments issued by sovereign entities may decline in value as a
result of default or other adverse credit event resulting from an issuer’s inability or
unwillingness to make principal or interest payments in a timely fashion
Currency
Risk: the risk that foreign (non-U.S.) currencies will change in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the Portfolio’s investments in foreign (non-U.S.)
currencies or in securities that trade in, and receive revenues in, or in derivatives that provide exposure to, foreign (non-U.S.) currencies
2 Summary Prospectus | PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust
Summary Prospectus
Leveraging Risk: the risk that certain transactions of the Portfolio, such as reverse repurchase agreements, loans of portfolio securities, and the use of when-issued, delayed
delivery or forward commitment transactions, or derivative instruments, may give rise to leverage,
magnifying gains and losses and causing the Portfolio to be more volatile than if it had not been
leveraged. This means that leverage entails a heightened risk of loss
Management Risk: the risk that the investment techniques and risk analyses applied by PIMCO will not produce the desired
results and that actual or potential conflicts of interest, legislative, regulatory, or tax
restrictions, policies or developments may affect the investment techniques available to PIMCO
and the individual portfolio managers in connection with managing the Portfolio and may cause PIMCO to restrict or prohibit participation in certain investments. There is no guarantee that the investment objective
of the Portfolio will be achieved
Short Exposure Risk: the risk of entering into short sales, including the potential loss of more money than the actual cost of the investment, and the risk that the third party to
the short sale will not fulfill its contractual obligations, causing a loss to the Portfolio
LIBOR Transition Risk: the risk related to the anticipated discontinuation of the London Interbank Offered Rate
(“LIBOR”). Certain instruments held by the Portfolio rely in some fashion upon LIBOR.
Although the transition process away from LIBOR has become increasingly well-defined in advance of the anticipated discontinuation date, there remains uncertainty regarding the nature of any replacement rate, and any potential effects of the
transition away from LIBOR on the Portfolio or on certain instruments in which the Portfolio invests can be difficult to ascertain. The transition process may involve, among other things, increased volatility or
illiquidity in markets for instruments that currently rely on LIBOR and may result in a reduction in the value of certain instruments held by the Portfolio
Please see “Description of Principal Risks” in the Portfolio's prospectus for a more detailed description of the risks of investing in the Portfolio. 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.
Performance Information
The performance information shows summary performance information for the Portfolio in a bar chart and an Average Annual Total Returns table. The information provides some indication of the risks of investing in the Portfolio by showing changes in its
performance from year to year and by showing how the Portfolio’s average annual returns compare with the returns of a broad-based securities market index. The Portfolio’s performance information reflects applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations in effect during the
periods presented. Absent such fee waivers and/or expense limitations, if any, performance would have been lower. Performance shown does not reflect any charges or expenses imposed by an insurance company, and, if it did, performance shown would be lower. The bar chart and the table show performance
of the Portfolio’s Institutional Class shares. The Portfolio’s past performance is not necessarily an indication of how the Portfolio will
perform in the future.
The FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index is an unmanaged index representing monthly return equivalents of yield
averages of the last 3-month Treasury Bill issues.
Performance for the Portfolio is updated daily and monthly and may be obtained as follows: daily updates on
the net asset value may be obtained by calling 1-888-87-PIMCO and monthly performance may be obtained at www.pimco.com/pvit.
Calendar Year Total Returns — Institutional Class
Best Quarter |
June 30, 2020 |
3.71% |
Worst Quarter |
March 31, 2020 |
-2.18% |
Average Annual Total Returns (for periods ended 12/31/21)
|
1 Year |
5 Years |
10 Years |
Institutional Class Return |
0.09% |
1.93% |
1.79% |
FTSE 3-Month Treasury Bill Index (reflects no deductions
for fees, expenses or taxes) |
0.05% |
1.11% |
0.60% |
Investment Adviser/Portfolio Managers
PIMCO serves as the investment adviser for the Portfolio. The Portfolio’s portfolio is jointly and primarily managed by Jerome Schneider, Andrew Wittkop and Nathan Chiaverini. Mr. Schneider is a Managing Director of PIMCO, and he has
managed the Portfolio since its inception in January 2011. Mr. Wittkop is an Executive Vice President of PIMCO, and he has managed the Portfolio since January 2011. Mr. Chiaverini is a Senior Vice President of
PIMCO, and he has managed the Portfolio since April 2019.
Purchase and Sale of Portfolio Shares
Shares of the Portfolio currently are sold to segregated asset accounts (“Separate Accounts”) of
insurance companies that fund variable annuity contracts and variable life insurance policies (“Variable Contracts”) and other funds that serve as underlying investment options
April 29, 2022 | SUMMARY PROSPECTUS 3
PIMCO
Short-Term Portfolio
for Variable Contracts (i.e., variable insurance funds). Investors do not deal directly with the Portfolio to purchase and redeem shares.
Please refer to the prospectus for the Separate Account for information on the allocation of
premiums and on transfers of accumulated value among sub-accounts of the Separate Account.
Tax Information
The
shareholders of the Portfolio are the insurance companies offering the variable products or other variable insurance funds. Please refer to the prospectus for the Separate Account and the Variable Contract for information regarding the federal income
tax treatment of distributions to the Separate Account.
Payments to Insurance Companies and Other Financial
Intermediaries
The Portfolio and/or its related companies (including PIMCO) may pay the insurance company and other intermediaries for the sale of the Portfolio and/or other services. These
payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the insurance company or intermediary and your salesperson to recommend a Variable Contract and the Portfolio over another investment. Ask your insurance
company or salesperson or visit your financial intermediary’s Web site for more information.
PVIT0549S_042922
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