MFS Total Return Bond Series
MFS VARIABLE INSURANCE TRUST
Expense ratio
Net assets1
$1.47B
Holdings1
747
Category
Taxable Bond
Return

Investment objective & strategy

As of April 29, 2025 · prospectus

Objective. The funds investment objective is to seek total return with an emphasis on current income, but also considering capital appreciation.

Strategy. MFS (Massachusetts Financial Services Company, the funds investment adviser) normally invests at least 80% of the funds net assets in debt instruments. Debt instruments include corporate bonds, U.S. Government securities, foreign government securities, securitized instruments (including mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities), municipal instruments, and other obligations to repay money borrowed. MFS primarily invests the funds assets in investment grade quality debt instruments, but may also invest the funds assets in below investment grade quality debt instruments. MFS may purchase or sell securities for the fund on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis where payment and delivery take place at a future settlement date, including mortgage-backed securities purchased or sold in the TBA market. MFS may invest the … MFS (Massachusetts Financial Services Company, the funds investment adviser) normally invests at least 80% of the funds net assets in debt instruments. Debt instruments include corporate bonds, U.S. Government securities, foreign government securities, securitized instruments (including mortgage-backed securities and other asset-backed securities), municipal instruments, and other obligations to repay money borrowed. MFS primarily invests the funds assets in investment grade quality debt instruments, but may also invest the funds assets in below investment grade quality debt instruments. MFS may purchase or sell securities for the fund on a when-issued, delayed delivery, or forward commitment basis where payment and delivery take place at a future settlement date, including mortgage-backed securities purchased or sold in the TBA market. MFS may invest the funds assets in foreign securities. MFS normally invests the fund's assets across different industries and sectors, but MFS may invest a significant percentage of the fund's assets in issuers in a single industry or sector. MFS may invest a significant percentage of the funds assets in a single issuer or a small number of issuers. While MFS may use derivatives for any investment purpose, to the extent MFS uses derivatives, MFS expects to use derivatives primarily to increase or decrease exposure to a particular market, segment of the market, or security, to increase or decrease interest rate exposure, or as alternatives to direct investments. Derivatives include futures, forward contracts, options, and swaps. MFS uses an active bottom-up investment approach to buying and selling investments for the fund. Investments are selected primarily based on fundamental analysis of individual instruments and their issuers. Quantitative screening tools that systematically evaluate instruments may also be considered. In structuring the fund, MFS also considers top-down factors. For purposes of the fund's 80% policy, net assets include the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes.

Top holdings

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
SecurityTickerValue% of fund
US TREASURY N/B $70.88M 4.83%
US TREASURY N/B $34.33M 2.34%
US TREASURY N/B $30.03M 2.04%
US TREASURY N/B $20.07M 1.37%
US TREASURY N/B $19.52M 1.33%
US TREASURY N/B $17.39M 1.18%
US TREASURY N/B $15.91M 1.08%
US TREASURY N/B $14.63M 1.00%
WFCM 2016-LC25 A4 $13.01M 0.89%
US TREASURY N/B $12.99M 0.88%
View all holdings →

Allocation by sector

As of March 31, 2026 · N-PORT
View portfolio breakdown →

Portfolio moves

Dec 31, 2025 → Mar 31, 2026
Opened
33
Exited
30
Increased
3
Decreased
470
Unchanged
242

How many positions this fund opened, exited, grew, trimmed, or left unchanged between its two most recent N-PORT snapshots — net changes between point-in-time reports, not a trade log.

View portfolio moves →

Similar funds

Funds whose portfolios most overlap this one, by weight
FundOverlapNet exp.
MFS Total Return Bond Fund · MRBFX, MRBJX, MRBBX, MRBCX, MRBIX, MRBGX, MRRRX, MRBHX, MRBKX 67% 0.36%
SA JPMorgan MFS Core Bond Portfolio 39% 0.54%
MFS Income Portfolio 26% 0.67%
View all similar funds →

Advisers

As of December 31, 2025 · N-CEN
FirmRole
MASSACHUSETTS FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPANY Adviser

Footnotes

  1. Net assets and holdings count as of March 31, 2026, from the fund's N-PORT filing.

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