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Share Name | Share Symbol | Market | Type |
---|---|---|---|
Dividend and Income Fund | NYSE:DNI | NYSE | Common Stock |
Price Change | % Change | Share Price | High Price | Low Price | Open Price | Shares Traded | Last Trade | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
0.00 | 0.00% | 9.79 | 0 | 01:00:00 |
Investment Company Act file number: 811-08747
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TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS
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December 31, 2020
|
Dear Fellow Shareholders:
It is a pleasure to welcome each of our new shareholders to Dividend and Income Fund and to submit this 2020 Annual Report. The Fund seeks to achieve its primary investment objective of high current income and secondary objective of capital appreciation by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 50% of its total assets in income generating equity securities. These securities may include dividend paying common stocks, convertible securities, preferred stocks, securities of registered investment companies, exchange traded funds organized as investment companies or otherwise, real estate investment trusts, depositary receipts, and other equity related securities. Of course, there can be no assurance that the Fund will achieve its objectives.
Economic and Market Report
After its December 2020 meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) of the Federal Reserve Bank issued a statement that economic activity and employment have continued to recover but remain well below their levels at the beginning of the year. Nevertheless, the FOMC indicated that the Federal Reserve is committed to using its full range of tools to support the U.S. economy in this challenging time, thereby promoting its maximum employment and price stability goals. Accordingly, the FOMC decided to keep the target range for the federal funds rate at 0 to 1/4% and expects it will be appropriate to maintain this target range until labor market conditions have reached levels consistent with the FOMC’s assessments of maximum employment and inflation has risen to 2% and is on track to moderately exceed 2% for some time. Meanwhile, the FOMC observed, the ongoing public health crisis will continue to weigh on economic activity, employment, and inflation in the near term, and poses considerable risks to the economic outlook over the medium term.
In financial markets, many investments gained ground in 2020 on low interest rates and supportive government policies, including generally U.S. stocks and bonds.
In general, the FOMC appears to be suggesting that substantial headwinds remain for economic activity in the near term with considerable medium term risks. Accordingly, our investing outlook is currently somewhat cautious and we are prepared for periods of heightened volatility and price weakness.
Investment Strategy and Returns
In view of these economic and market developments, the Fund’s strategy in 2020 was to seek companies with strong operations showing superior returns on equity and assets, generating free cash flow, and with reasonable valuations. Generally, the Fund purchased and held income generating equity securities of profitable, growing, and conservatively valued companies across a broad array of
industries in seeking to achieve its primary investment objective of high current income and secondary objective of capital appreciation and sold investments that appeared to have appreciated to levels reflecting full or over-valuation.
In the year ended December 31, 2020, the Fund’s net investment income, net realized gain on investments, and unrealized appreciation on investments were, respectively, $512,844, $5,494,674, and $6,040,940, which contributed materially to the Fund’s net asset value return of 10.26%, including the reinvestment of dividends, as did dilution occurring under the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan. Profitable sales in the period were made of, among others, shares of Apple Inc. in the Industrial and Commercial Machinery and Computer Equipment sector. Losses were taken on, among others, ViacomCBS Inc. in the Communications sector. The Fund’s holdings of the Wells Fargo & Company in the Depository Institutions sector contributed to unrealized depreciation during the period. At the same time, the Fund benefited from unrealized appreciation from its investment in Medifast, Inc. in the Food and Kindred Products sector.
The Fund’s market return for 2020, also including the reinvestment of dividends, was (7.33)%. Generally, the Fund’s total return on a market value basis will be lower than total return on a net asset value basis in periods when there is an increase in the discount or a decrease in the premium of the market value to the net asset value from the beginning to the end of such periods. For comparison, in the same period, the S&P 500 Index total return was 18.40%. This index is unmanaged and does not reflect fees and expenses, nor is it available for direct investment. At December 31, 2020, the Fund’s portfolio included securities of over 65 different issuers, with the top ten securities amounting to approximately 29% of net assets. At that time, the Fund’s investments totaled approximately $213 million on net assets of approximately $203 million and leverage of approximately $10 million. As the Fund pursues its primary investment objective of seeking high current income, with capital appreciation as a secondary objective, these holdings and allocations are subject to change at any time.
Quarterly Distributions
On December 1, 2020, the Fund declared a distribution of $0.25, its fourth distribution of the year, bringing the annual total to $1.00 per share. The quarterly distribution reflects the Fund’s current distribution policy to provide shareholders with a relatively stable cash flow per share. This policy did not have a material effect on the Fund’s investment strategy and resulted in distributions of capital that reduced the Fund’s per share net asset value by $0.45 in 2020. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s current distribution policy will reduce or eliminate the Fund’s market price discount to its net asset value per share and the Fund’s trustees have no fiduciary
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 1
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TO OUR SHAREHOLDERS
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December 31, 2020
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duty to take action, or to consider taking any action, to narrow any such discount. The distribution policy may be changed or discontinued without notice.
As of December 1, 2020, and based on the Fund’s results and estimates for the current quarter, the distribution of $0.25 per share would include approximately 8%, 0%, and 92% from net investment income, capital gains, and return of capital, respectively. Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of this distribution. The amounts and sources of distributions reported are only estimates based on book basis earnings, are likely to change over time, and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund’s investment experience during the entirety of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations. The amounts and sources of distributions year-to-date may be subject to additional adjustments. The Fund intends to send shareholders a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will instruct how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Distributions may be paid in part or in full from net investment income, realized capital gains, return of capital, or a combination thereof. To the extent that the Fund has estimated that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund’s investment performance and should not be confused with “yield” or “income.” Additionally, a return of capital is not taxable; rather it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her shares of the Fund, thereby increasing the shareholder’s potential gain or reducing its potential loss on the subsequent sale of those shares.
For those shareholders who are currently receiving the Fund’s quarterly distributions in cash but are interested in adding to their account through the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan, we encourage you to review the plan set forth later in this document and contact the Fund’s transfer agent, who will be pleased to assist you with no obligation on your part.
New Trading Market and Ticker Symbol
On October 8, 2020, the Fund announced that its common shares of beneficial interest would begin trading on the OTC Market, a nationally recognized electronic trading market, under the trading symbol DNIF at the open of the market on October 9, 2020. Previously, the Fund had announced the voluntary delisting of the shares from the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”).
The Board of Trustees of the Fund, with the recommendation of the Governance Committee of the Board, unanimously approved the delisting for reasons based on many factors. These factors include, but are not limited to: the expenses, both direct and indirect, associated with being listed on the NYSE; the extent to which the Fund has taken advantage of its NYSE listing, including raising capital; trading, liquidity, spreads, and discount to net asset value of the Fund’s shares on the NYSE; and the burden of governance, shareholder meeting, and reporting requirements of the NYSE. Also considered was the extent to which the delisting would permit the Fund’s Board and management to focus on seeking the Fund’s primary investment objective of high current income with capital appreciation as a secondary objective. The Fund will continue to maintain its investment company registration and update its shareholders with financial and other information as required by applicable law.
We are pleased that our transition from the NYSE to the OTC Market has been successfully completed. From the date of moving our trading market through the end of 2020, according to OTC Markets Group, our shares have traded over 5,600 times, with total volume of over 2 million shares (of approximately 12.5 million outstanding), representing over $20 million in cumulative dollar volume. Bloomberg data indicates during this period an average inside spread of around 9 cents. Average daily OTC volume in the period was about 35,000 shares, versus in the year ago period about 36,000 shares on the NYSE. Recently, 7 market makers have been quoting bids and asks on our shares.
Fund Website
The Fund’s website, www.DividendandIncomeFund.com, provides investors with investment information, news, and other material about the Fund. The website also has links to SEC filings, performance, tax, and daily net asset value reporting. You are invited to use this resource to learn more about the Fund.
Management’s Long Term Focus
We thank you for investing in the Fund and share your enthusiasm for its potential, as evidenced by the fact that affiliates of the Investment Manager own approximately 10.0% of the Fund’s outstanding shares pursuant to the Fund’s governing documents that permit ownership of more than 4.99% of the Fund’s outstanding shares only with the prior approval of the Fund’s Board of Trustees. We look forward to serving your investment needs over the years ahead.
Sincerely,
Thomas B. Winmill
President and Portfolio Manager
2 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS
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December 31, 2020
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TOP TEN |
December 31, 2020
|
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SECURITY HOLDINGS | ||
1 AutoZone, Inc. (4%) |
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2 Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (3%) |
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3 Medifast, Inc. (3%) |
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4 T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (3%) |
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5 Tractor Supply Company (3%) |
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6 Credit Acceptance Corp. (3%) |
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7 Intel Corp. (3%) |
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8 Comcast Corp. (3%) |
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9 Citizens Financial Group, Inc. (2%) |
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10 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (2%)
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TOP TEN |
December 31, 2020
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INDUSTRIES |
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1 Business Services (9%) |
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2 Chemical and Allied Products (9%) |
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3 Depository Institutions (8%) |
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4 Insurance Carriers (8%) |
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5 Electronic and Other Electrical Equipment and
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6 Security and Commodity Brokers, Dealers,
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7 Transportation Equipment (5%)
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8 Non-Depository Credit Institutions (5%) |
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9 Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply,
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10 Food and Kindred Products (5%)
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Top ten security holdings and industries are shown for informational purposes only as an approximate percentage of net assets and are subject to change. Top ten industries uses Standard Industrial Classification codes. The above portfolio information should not be considered as a recommendation to purchase or sell a particular security and there is no assurance that any securities will remain in or out of the Fund.
SECURITY HOLDINGS
by Sector on December 31, 2020*
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 3
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FUND PERFORMANCE
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December 31, 2020
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HYPOTHETICAL $10,000 INVESTMENT This chart shows the value of a hypothetical $10,000 investment in the Fund at market price compared to the S&P 500 Index (“S&P 500”) over the past 10 years. Fund returns reflect reinvestment of dividend distributions at the price received in the Fund’s dividend reinvestment plan and do not reflect the deduction of taxes, if any, that a shareholder would pay on Fund distributions or the sale of shares. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged broad equity index and is fully invested in common stocks. You cannot invest directly in an index. The data presented represents past performance and cannot be used to predict future results.
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Average Annual Total Returns at December 31, 2020
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||||||||||||||
1-Year
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5-Year
|
10-Year
|
||||||||||||||
DNIF Market Price
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(7.33)%
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8.08%
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5.20%
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S&P 500
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18.40%
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15.22%
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|
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13.89%
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4 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS
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December 31, 2020
|
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Financial Statements
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Common Stocks (103.69%)
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Shares
|
Value
|
||||||
Automotive Dealers and Gasoline Service Stations (3.53%) |
|
|||||||
AutoZone, Inc. (a) |
6,050 | $ | 7,171,912 | |||||
Automotive Repair, Services, and Parking (2.24%) |
|
|||||||
AMERCO |
10,000 | 4,539,600 | ||||||
Building Materials, Hardware, Garden Supply, and Mobile Home Dealers (4.90%) |
|
|||||||
The Home Depot, Inc. |
15,000 | 3,984,300 | ||||||
Tractor Supply Company |
42,500 | 5,974,650 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
9,958,950 | ||||||||
Business Services (9.22%) |
|
|||||||
Accenture plc |
6,100 | 1,593,381 | ||||||
Alphabet Inc. Class A (a) |
727 | 1,274,169 | ||||||
BG Staffing, Inc. |
40,522 | 546,642 | ||||||
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (a) |
29,000 | 3,854,390 | ||||||
eBay Inc. |
85,000 | 4,271,250 | ||||||
Kforce Inc. |
50,000 | 2,104,500 | ||||||
Open Text Corporation |
22,237 | 1,010,894 | ||||||
Robert Half International Inc. |
65,000 | 4,061,200 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
18,716,426 | ||||||||
Chemical and Allied Products (8.64%) |
|
|||||||
Amgen Inc. |
16,000 | 3,678,720 | ||||||
Biogen Inc. (a) |
4,900 | 1,199,814 | ||||||
Celanese Corporation |
22,500 | 2,923,650 | ||||||
LyondellBasell Industries N.V. Class A |
35,000 | 3,208,100 | ||||||
Roche Holding Ltd. ADR |
80,000 | 3,507,200 | ||||||
Westlake Chemical Corporation |
37,000 | 3,019,200 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
17,536,684 | ||||||||
Coal Mining (1.73%) |
|
|||||||
Warrior Met Coal, Inc. |
165,000 | 3,517,800 | ||||||
Communications (3.73%) |
|
|||||||
AMC Networks Inc. Class A (a) |
65,000 | 2,325,050 | ||||||
Comcast Corporation |
100,000 | 5,240,000 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
7,565,050 | ||||||||
Depository Institutions (8.06%) |
|
|||||||
Citigroup Inc. |
40,000 | 2,466,400 | ||||||
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. |
140,000 | 5,006,400 | ||||||
Signature Bank Corp. |
20,500 | 2,773,445 | ||||||
U.S. Bancorp |
70,000 | 3,261,300 | ||||||
Wells Fargo & Company |
95,000 | 2,867,100 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
16,374,645 |
See notes to financial statements.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 5
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SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO INVESTMENTS
|
December 31, 2020
|
|
Financial Statements
|
Common Stocks (continued) | Shares | Value |
Oil and Gas Extraction (1.65%) |
|
|||||||
Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation |
206,000 | $ | 3,353,680 | |||||
Paper and Allied Products (1.90%) |
|
|||||||
Packaging Corporation of America |
28,000 | 3,861,480 | ||||||
Petroleum Refining and Related Industries (1.37%) |
|
|||||||
Valvoline Inc. |
120,000 | 2,776,800 | ||||||
Primary Metal Industries (1.42%) |
||||||||
Steel Dynamics, Inc. |
78,000 | 2,875,860 | ||||||
Security and Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges, and Services (6.37%) |
|
|||||||
Ameriprise Financial, Inc. |
18,000 | 3,497,940 | ||||||
BlackRock, Inc. |
4,700 | 3,391,238 | ||||||
T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. |
39,876 | 6,036,828 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
12,926,006 | ||||||||
Transportation by Air (4.51%) |
||||||||
Alaska Air Group, Inc. |
65,000 | 3,380,000 | ||||||
Allegiant Travel Company |
19,700 | 3,728,028 | ||||||
Southwest Airlines Co. |
44,000 | 2,050,840 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
9,158,868 | ||||||||
Transportation Equipment (5.31%) |
|
|||||||
Honeywell International Inc. |
18,000 | 3,828,600 | ||||||
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. |
7,000 | 1,193,360 | ||||||
LCI Industries |
22,500 | 2,917,800 | ||||||
Lockheed Martin Corporation |
8,000 | 2,839,840 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
10,779,600 | ||||||||
Total common stocks (Cost $162,350,301) |
|
210,549,013 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Corporate Bonds and Notes (0.17%)
|
Principal
|
Value
|
||||||
Electric Services (0.17%) |
||||||||
Elwood Energy LLC, 8.159%,
|
327,392 | 350,309 | ||||||
Reorganization Interests (0.00%)
|
Shares
|
Value
|
||||||
Penson Technologies LLC Units (a) (b) |
|
|||||||
(Cost $0) | 813,527 | 0 |
Master Limited Partnership (0.39%)
|
Units
|
Value
|
||||||
Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services (0.39%) |
|
|||||||
Enterprise Products Partners L.P. Units (Cost $374,214) |
40,000 | $ | 783,600 | |||||
Preferred Stocks (0.56%)
|
Shares
|
Value
|
||||||
Holding and other Investment Offices (0.56%) |
|
|||||||
Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc.,
|
15,000 | 199,125 | ||||||
Cedar Realty Trust, Inc.,
|
15,000 | 321,000 | ||||||
Hersha Hospitality Trust 6.50%
|
2,812 | 53,105 | ||||||
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust,
|
35,000 | 360,850 | ||||||
Washington Prime Group Inc.,
|
9,000 | 135,090 | ||||||
Washington Prime Group Inc.,
|
5,000 | 70,050 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Total preferred stocks (Cost $1,742,738) |
|
1,139,220 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Total investments (Cost $164,797,839) (104.81%) (c) |
|
212,822,142 | ||||||
Liabilities in excess of cash and other assets (-4.81%) |
(9,776,370 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net assets (100.00%) |
$ | 203,045,772 | ||||||
|
|
(a) |
Non-income producing. |
(b) |
Illiquid and/or restricted security that has been fair valued. |
(c) |
The Fund’s total investment portfolio value of $212,822,142 has been pledged as collateral for borrowings under the Fund’s credit agreement. As of December 31, 2020 there was $9,401,500 in outstanding borrowing. |
See notes to financial statements.
6 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES
|
||
Financial Statements
|
Assets |
December 31, 2020
|
|||||||
Investments, at value (cost: $164,797,839) |
$ | 212,822,142 | ||||||
Cash |
363,650 | |||||||
Receivables: |
||||||||
Dividends |
122,818 | |||||||
Interest |
13,066 | |||||||
Prepaid expenses and other assets |
66,556 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Total assets |
213,388,232 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Liabilities |
||||||||
Credit agreement borrowing |
9,401,500 | |||||||
Payables: |
||||||||
Securities purchased |
625,616 | |||||||
Investment management |
170,598 | |||||||
Accrued expenses |
122,029 | |||||||
Administrative services |
18,889 | |||||||
Trustees |
3,828 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Total liabilities |
10,342,460 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net Assets |
$ | 203,045,772 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net Asset Value Per Share |
||||||||
(applicable to 12,564,957 shares issued and outstanding) |
$ | 16.16 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net Assets Consist of |
||||||||
Paid in capital |
$ | 154,144,871 | ||||||
Distributable earnings |
48,900,901 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
$ | 203,045,772 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
See notes to financial statements.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 7
|
STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
|
||
Financial Statements
|
Year Ended | ||||||||
December 31, 2020
|
||||||||
Investment Income |
||||||||
Dividends (net of $78,256 foreign tax withholding) |
$ | 4,423,954 | ||||||
Interest |
26,489 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Total investment income |
4,450,443 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Expenses |
||||||||
Investment management |
1,832,930 | |||||||
Legal |
910,501 | |||||||
Interest and fees on credit agreement |
458,566 | |||||||
Administrative services |
226,341 | |||||||
Shareholder communications |
145,333 | |||||||
Trustees |
113,178 | |||||||
Bookkeeping and pricing |
98,475 | |||||||
Insurance |
48,717 | |||||||
Auditing |
34,620 | |||||||
Custodian |
23,961 | |||||||
Transfer agent |
21,535 | |||||||
Registration |
14,765 | |||||||
Other |
8,637 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Total expenses |
3,937,559 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net investment income |
512,884 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss) |
||||||||
Net realized gain (loss) on |
||||||||
Investments |
5,497,237 | |||||||
Foreign currencies |
(2,563 | ) | ||||||
Unrealized appreciation on investments |
6,040,940 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain |
11,535,614 | |||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations |
$ | 12,048,498 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
||||||||
See notes to financial statements.
8 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
|
||
Financial Statements
|
Year Ended | Year Ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, 2020
|
December 31, 2019
|
|||||||||||||||
Operations |
||||||||||||||||
Net investment income |
$ | 512,884 | $ | 1,998,234 | ||||||||||||
Net realized gain on investments |
5,494,674 | 1,016,950 | ||||||||||||||
Unrealized appreciation investments |
6,040,940 | 49,675,582 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net increase in net assets resulting from operations |
12,048,498 | 52,690,766 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Distributions to Shareholders |
||||||||||||||||
Distributable earnings |
(6,787,214 | ) | (2,659,077 | ) | ||||||||||||
Return of capital |
(5,701,511 | ) | (7,273,076 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total distributions |
(12,488,725 | ) | (9,932,153 | ) | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Capital Share Transactions |
||||||||||||||||
Reinvestment of distributions to shareholders |
1,138,790 | 736,352 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Increase in net assets from capital share transactions |
1,138,790 | 736,352 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total change in net assets |
698,563 | 43,494,965 | ||||||||||||||
Net Assets |
||||||||||||||||
Beginning of period |
202,347,209 | 158,852,244 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
End of period |
$ | 203,045,772 | $ | 202,347,209 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
See notes to financial statements.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 9
|
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
|
||
Financial Statements
|
See notes to financial statements.
10 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
|
December 31, 2020
|
|
Financial Statements
|
1. ORGANIZATION AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES Dividend and Income Fund (the “Fund”), a Delaware statutory trust registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Company Act”), is a diversified, closed end management investment company whose shares are quoted over the counter under the ticker symbol DNIF. The Fund’s primary investment objective is to seek high current income. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective. The Fund retains Bexil Advisers LLC as its investment manager (the “Investment Manager”).
As an investment company, the Fund follows the accounting and reporting guidance of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standard Codification Topic 946 “Financial Services – Investment Companies.” The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”), which require management to make certain estimates and assumptions at the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Subsequent events, if any, through the date that the financial statements were issued have been evaluated in the preparation of the financial statements. The following summarizes the significant accounting policies of the Fund:
Valuation of Investments – Portfolio securities are valued by various methods depending on the primary market or exchange on which they trade. Most equity securities for which the primary market is in the United States are usually valued at the official closing price, last sale price or, if no sale has occurred, at the closing bid price. Most equity securities for which the primary market is outside the United States are usually valued using the official closing price or the last sale price in the principal market in which they are traded. If the last sale price on the local exchange is unavailable, the last evaluated quote or closing bid price normally is used. In the event of an unexpected closing of the primary market or exchange, a security may continue to trade on one or more other markets, and the price as reflected on those other trading venues may be more reflective of the security’s value than an earlier price from the primary market or exchange. Accordingly, the Fund may seek to use these additional sources of pricing data or information when prices from the primary market or exchange are unavailable, or are earlier and less representative of current market value. Certain debt securities may be priced through pricing services that may utilize a matrix pricing system which takes into consideration factors such as yields, prices, maturities, call features, and ratings on comparable securities or according to prices quoted by a securities dealer that offers pricing services. Open end investment companies are valued at their net asset
value. Foreign securities markets may be open on days when the U.S. markets are closed. For this reason, the value of any foreign securities owned by the Fund could change on a day when shareholders cannot buy or sell shares of the Fund. Securities for which market quotations are not readily available or reliable and other assets may be valued as determined in good faith by the Investment Manager under the direction of or pursuant to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”), called “fair value pricing.” Due to the inherent uncertainty of valuation, fair value pricing values may differ from the values that would have been used had a readily available and reliable market quotation for the securities existed. These differences in valuation could be material. A security’s valuation may differ depending on the method used for determining value. The use of fair value pricing by the Fund may cause the NAV of its shares to differ from the net asset value that would be calculated using market prices. A fair value price is an estimate and there is no assurance that such price will be at or close to the price at which a security is next quoted or traded.
Cash – Cash may include deposits allocated among banks insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation in amounts up to the insurance coverage maximum amount of $250,000. Cash may also include uninvested cash balances held by the Fund’s custodian.
Foreign Currency Translation – Securities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into U.S. dollars at prevailing exchange rates. Realized gain or loss on sales of such investments in local currency terms is reported separately from gain or loss attributable to a change in foreign exchange rates for those investments.
Investments in Other Investment Companies – The Fund may invest in shares of other investment companies such as closed end funds, exchange traded funds, and mutual funds (each, an “Acquired Fund”) in accordance with the Company Act and related rules. Shareholders in the Fund bear the pro rata portion of the fees and expenses of an Acquired Fund in addition to the Fund’s expenses. Expenses incurred by the Fund that are disclosed in the Statement of Operations do not include fees and expenses incurred by an Acquired Fund. The fees and expenses of an Acquired Fund are reflected in such Acquired Fund’s total return.
Option Transactions – The Fund may write (i.e., sell) covered call options on securities or on indexes to attempt to enhance returns through price changes of the option, increase income, hedge to reduce overall portfolio risk, and hedge to reduce individual
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 11
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Financial Statements
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security risk. When the Fund writes an option, an amount equal to the premium received by the Fund is recorded as a liability and is subsequently adjusted to the current fair value of the option written. Premiums received from writing options that expire unexercised are treated by the Fund on the expiration date as realized gains from investments. The difference between the premium and the amount paid on effecting a closing purchase transaction, including brokerage commissions, is also treated as a realized gain or, if the premium is less than the amount paid for the closing purchase transaction, as a realized loss. If a call option is exercised, the premium is added to the proceeds from the sale of the underlying security or currency in determining whether the Fund has realized a gain or loss. If a put option is exercised, the premium reduces the cost basis of the securities purchased by the Fund. The Fund, as the writer of an option, bears the market risk of an unfavorable change in the price of the option. Writing option contracts results in off-balance sheet risk as the Fund’s ultimate obligation to satisfy terms of the contract may exceed the amount recognized in the statement of assets and liabilities.
Investments in Real Estate Investment Trusts (“REITs”) – Dividend income is recorded based on the income included in distributions received from the REIT investments using published REIT reclassifications, including some management estimates when actual amounts are not available. Distributions received in excess of this estimated amount are recorded as a reduction of the cost of investments or reclassified to capital gains. The actual amounts of income, return of capital, and capital gains are only determined by each REIT after its fiscal year end, and may differ from the estimated amounts.
Short Sales – The Fund may sell a security short it does not own in anticipation of a decline in the market value of the security. When the Fund sells a security short, it must borrow the security sold short and deliver it to the broker/dealer through which it made the short sale. The Fund is liable for any dividends or interest paid on securities sold short. A gain, limited to the price at which the Fund sold the security short, or a loss, unlimited in size, normally is recognized upon the termination of the short sale. Securities sold short result in off balance sheet risk as the Fund’s ultimate obligation to satisfy the terms of a sale of securities sold short may exceed the amount recognized in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.
Investment Transactions – Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date (the date the order to buy or sell is executed). Realized gains or losses are determined by specifically identifying the cost basis of the investment sold.
Investment Income – Dividend income is recorded on the ex-divdend date or in the case of certain foreign securities and private company securities, as soon as practicable after the Fund is notified. Interest income is recorded on the accrual basis. Amortization of premium and accretion of discount on corporate bonds and notes are included in interest income. Taxes withheld on foreign dividends have been provided for in accordance with the Fund’s understanding of the applicable country’s tax rules and rates.
Expenses – Expenses deemed to have been incurred solely by the Fund are normally charged to the Fund in the entirety. Expenses deemed to have been incurred jointly by the Fund and one or more of the other investment companies for which the Investment Manager or its affiliates serve as investment manager, or other related entities, are generally allocated based on the most practicable method deemed equitable at the time the expense is incurred, including, without limitation, on the basis of relative assets under management.
Distributions to Shareholders – Distributions to shareholders are determined in accordance with the Fund’s distribution policies and income tax regulations and are recorded on the ex-dividend date.
Income Taxes – No provision has been made for U.S. income taxes because the Fund’s current intention is to continue to qualify as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “IRC”), and to distribute to its shareholders substantially all of its taxable income and net realized gains. The Fund recognizes the tax benefits of uncertain tax positions only where the position is “more likely than not” to be sustained assuming examination by tax authorities. The Fund has reviewed its tax positions and has concluded that no liability for unrecognized tax benefits should be recorded related to uncertain tax positions taken on federal, state, and local income tax returns for open tax years (2017-2019) or expected to be taken in the Fund’s 2020 tax returns.
The Fund may be subject to foreign taxation related to foreign securities held by the Fund, income received, capital gains on the sale of securities, and certain foreign currency transactions in the foreign jurisdictions in which it invests. Foreign taxes, if any, are recorded based on the tax regulations and rates that exist in the foreign markets in which the Fund invests. When a capital gain tax is determined to apply, the Fund records an estimated deferred tax liability in an amount that would be payable if the securities were disposed of on the valuation date.
12 Annual Report 2020
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DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Financial Statements
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2. FEES AND TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES The Fund has retained the Investment Manager pursuant to an investment management agreement. Under the terms of the investment management agreement, the Investment Manager receives a fee payable monthly for investment advisory services at an annual rate of 0.95% of the Fund’s Managed Assets. “Managed Assets” means the average weekly value of the Fund’s total assets minus the sum of the Fund’s liabilities, which liabilities exclude debt relating to leverage, short term debt, and the aggregate liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock.
Pursuant to the investment management agreement, the Fund reimburses the Investment Manager for providing at cost certain administrative services comprised of compliance and accounting services. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the Fund’s reimbursements of such costs were $226,341, of which $133,478 and $92,863 was for compliance and accounting services, respectively. Certain officers and trustees of the Fund are officers and managers of the Investment Manager. As of December 31, 2020, Bexil Securities LLC (“Bexil Securities”), an affiliate of the Investment Manager, and the Investment Manager, collectively, owned approximately 9.8% of the Fund’s outstanding shares, pursuant to the Fund’s governing documents that permit ownership of more than 4.99% of the Fund’s outstanding shares only with the prior approval of the Fund’s Board. Bexil Securities and the Investment Manager, collectively, acquired 83,424 and 42,451 shares of the Fund during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, through the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
Each Fund trustee who is not an employee of the Investment Manager or its affiliates is compensated by the Fund. These trustees receive fees for service as a trustee from the Fund and the other funds of which they are a director and for which the Investment Manager or its affiliates serve as investment manager. In addition, trustee out-of-pocket expenses are allocated to such funds which the Investment Manager or its affiliates serve as investment manager based on the most practicable method deemed equitable at the time the expense is incurred, including, without limitation, on the basis of relative assets under management. Expenses deemed to have been incurred solely by the Fund are normally charged to the Fund in the entirety.
3. DISTRIBUTIONS TO SHAREHOLDERS AND DISTRIBUTABLE EARNINGS The tax character of distributions paid by the Fund for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are comprised of the following:
Tax characteristics of distributions: |
2020 | 2019 | ||||||
Ordinary income |
$ | 335,397 | $ | 2,659,077 | ||||
Capital gains |
6,451,817 | - | ||||||
Return of capital |
5,701,511 | 7,273,076 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total distribution |
$
|
12,488,725
|
|
$
|
9,932,153
|
|
||
|
||||||||
As of December 31, 2020, the component of distributable earnings on a tax basis was as follows:
Unrealized appreciation
|
$
|
48,900,901
|
|
|
|
||||
The difference between book and tax unrealized depreciation is primarily related to partnership income.
Federal income tax regulations permit post-October net capital losses, if any, to be deferred and recognized on the tax return of the next succeeding taxable year.
GAAP requires certain components related to permanent differences of net assets to be classified differently for financial reporting than for tax reporting purposes. These differences have no effect on net assets or net asset value per share. These differences, which may result in distribution reclassifications, are primarily due to differences in partnership income, recharacterization of capital gain income, and timing of distributions. As of December 31, 2020, the Fund recorded the following financial reporting reclassifications to the net asset accounts to reflect those differences:
Distributable Earnings |
Paid in Capital |
|
$228,579 | $(228,579) | |
4. VALUE MEASUREMENTS GAAP establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation methods. The three levels of inputs are:
• Level 1 - unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities including securities actively traded on a securities exchange.
• Level 2 - observable inputs other than quoted prices included in level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability which may
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 13
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Financial Statements
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include quoted prices for similar instruments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, yield curves, default rates, and similar data.
• Level 3 - unobservable inputs for the asset or liability including the Fund’s own assumptions about the assumptions a market participant would use in valuing the asset or liability.
The availability of observable inputs can vary from security to security and is affected by a wide variety of factors including, for example, the type of security, whether the security is new and not yet established in the marketplace, the liquidity of markets, and other characteristics particular to the security. To the extent that valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair value requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised in deter mining fair value is greatest for investments categorized in level 3. The inputs used to measure fair value may fall into different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the fair value measurement falls in its entirety is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value measurement in its entirety. The inputs or methodology used for valuing investments are not necessarily an indication of the risk associated with investing in those securities.
The following is a description of the valuation techniques applied to the Fund’s major categories of assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis:
Equity Securities (Common and Preferred Stock) – Most publicly traded equity securities are valued normally at the most recent official closing price, last sale price, evaluated quote, or closing
bid price. To the extent these securities are actively traded and valuation adjustments are not applied, they may be categorized in level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. Equities on inactive markets or valued by reference to similar instruments may be categorized in level 2.
Corporate Bonds and Notes – The fair value of corporate bonds and notes is normally estimated using various techniques which may consider, among other things, recently executed transactions in securities of the issuer or comparable issuers, market price quotations (where observable), bond spreads, and fundamental data relating to the issuer. Although many corporate bonds and notes may be categorized in level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, in instances where lower relative weight is placed on transaction prices, quotations, or similar observable inputs, they may be categorized in level 3.
Restricted and/or Illiquid Securities – Restricted and/or illiquid securities for which quotations are not readily available or reliable may be valued with fair value pricing as determined in good faith by the Investment Manager under the direction of or pursuant to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board. Restricted securities issued by publicly traded companies are generally valued at a discount to similar publicly traded securities. Restricted or illiquid securities issued by nonpublic entities may be valued by reference to comparable public entities or fundamental data relating to the issuer or both or similar inputs. Depending on the relative significance of valuation inputs, these instruments may be categorized in either level 2 or level 3 of the fair value hierarchy.
The following is a summary of the inputs used as of December 31, 2020 in valuing the Fund’s assets. Refer to the Schedule of Portfolio Investments for detailed information on specific investments.
ASSETS
|
Level 1
|
Level 2
|
Level 3
|
Total
|
||||
Investments, at value |
||||||||
Common stocks |
$ 210,549,013 | $ - | $ - | $ 210,549,013 | ||||
Corporate bonds and notes |
- | 350,309 | - | 350,309 | ||||
Reorganization interests |
- | - | 0 | 0 | ||||
Master limited partnerships |
783,600 | - | - | 783,600 | ||||
Preferred stocks |
1,139,220 | - | - | 1,139,220 | ||||
Total Investments, at value |
$ 212,471,833
|
$ 350,309
|
$ 0
|
$ 212,822,142
|
||||
|
||||||||
There were no securities transferred into or out of level 3 during the year ended December 31, 2020.
14 Annual Report 2020
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DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Financial Statements
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The following is a reconciliation of level 3 assets including securities valued at zero:
Unrealized gains (losses) are included in the related amounts on investments in the Statement of Operations.
The Investment Manager, under the direction of or pursuant to procedures approved by the Fund’s Board, considers various valuation techniques and inputs for valuing assets categorized within level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. These include, but are not limited to: the type of the security; the size of the asset; the initial cost of the security; the existence of any contractual restrictions on the security’s disposition; prices of and extent of public trading in similar securities of the issuer or of comparable issuers; quotations or evaluated prices from broker-dealers and/or pricing services; information obtained from the issuer or analysts; an analysis of the issuer’s financial statements; an evaluation of the forces that influence the issuer and the market in which the asset is purchased and sold; multiples of earnings, cash flow, enterprise value, and similar measures; and the discount rate for lack of marketability. Significant changes in any of those techniques or inputs in isolation may result in a significantly lower or higher fair value measurement. The pricing of all fair value assets is regularly reported to the Fund’s Board. As of December 31, 2020, these investments did not have a material impact on the Fund’s net assets and, there fore, disclosure of unobservable inputs used in formulating valuations is not presented.
5. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS Purchases and proceeds from sales or maturities of investment securities, excluding short term investments, were $55,318,058 and $92,264,179, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2020. As of December 31, 2020, for federal income tax purposes, the aggregate cost of securities was $163,921,241 and net unrealized appreciation was $48,900,901, comprised of gross unrealized appreciation of $53,371,517 and gross unrealized depreciation of $4,470,616. The aggregate cost of securities for tax purposes will depend upon the Fund’s investment experience during the
entirety of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations.
6. ILLIQUID AND RESTRICTED SECURITIES The Fund owns securities which have a limited trading market and/or certain restrictions on trading and, therefore, may be illiquid and/or restricted. Such securities have been valued using fair value pricing. Due to the inherent uncertainty of valuation, fair value pricing values may differ from the values that would have been used had a readily available and reliable market quotation for the securities existed. These differences in valuation could be material. Illiquid and/or restrict ed securities owned as of December 31, 2020 were as follows:
Acquisition
|
|
Cost
|
|
|
Value
|
|
||||
Penson Technologies LLC
|
4/09/14
|
|
$ 0
|
|
|
$ 0
|
|
|||
Percent of net assets
|
|
0
|
%
|
|
0
|
%
|
||||
7. CREDIT AGREEMENT The Fund entered into a revolving credit agreement and other related agreements (collectively, as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”) with The Huntington National Bank (“HNB”), the Fund’s custodian, under which HNB may make loans to the Fund in such amounts as the Fund may from time to time request. The maximum loan amount under the Credit Agreement is the lesser of: (i) $55,000,000 or (ii) 30% of the Fund’s daily market value, which market value may be decreased by the exclusion of certain Fund assets or asset classes, as HNB may decide from time to time in its sole discretion. The Fund pledges its securities and other assets as collateral to secure its obligations under the Credit Agreement and retains the risks and rewards of the ownership of such securities and other assets pledged.
Borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear an interest rate per annum to be applied to the principal balance outstanding, from time to time, equal to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus 1.20%. An unused fee is charged equal to 0.125% per annum of the daily excess of the maximum loan amount over the out standing principal balance of the loan. The Fund was charged origination fees and expenses of $70,250 upon the annual renewal of the Credit Agreement and such cost is amortized ratably through May 29, 2021, the maturity date of the Credit Agreement.
The outstanding loan balance under the Credit Agreement was $9,401,500 as of December 31, 2020. The weighted average interest rate and average daily amount outstanding under the Credit
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 15
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Financial Statements
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Agreement for the year ended December 31, 2020 were 1.61% and $21,742,104, respectively. The maximum amount outstanding during the year ended December 31, 2020 was $37,018,500.
8. SHARE TRANSACTIONS The Fund is authorized to issue an unlimited amount of $0.01 par value shares of beneficial interest. As of December 31, 2020, there were 12,564,957 shares outstanding. Share transactions for the following periods were:
Year Ended December 31, 2020 Shares issued in: |
Shares | Amount | ||||||
Reinvestment of distributions
|
|
115,343
|
|
|
$ 1,138,790
|
|
||
Year Ended December 31, 2019 Shares issued in: |
Shares | Amount | ||||||
Reinvestment of distributions
|
|
62,491
|
|
|
$ 736,352
|
|
||
9. MARKET AND CREDIT RISKS The Fund may invest in below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk” bonds). Below investment grade securities are regarded as being predominantly speculative as to the issuer’s ability to make payments of principal and interest. The risks associated with acquiring the securities of such issuers generally are greater than is the case with higher rated securities. For example, during an economic downturn or a sustained period of rising interest rates, issuers of below investment grade securities may be more likely to experience financial stress, especially if such issuers are highly leveraged. During periods of economic downturn, such issuers may not have sufficient revenues to meet their interest payment obligations. The issuer’s ability to service its debt obligations also may be adversely affected by specific issuer developments, the issuer’s inability to meet specific projected business forecasts, or the unavailability of additional financing. Therefore, there can be no assurance that in the future there will not exist a higher default rate relative to the rates currently existing in the market for below investment grade securities. The risk of loss due to default by the issuer is significantly greater for the holders of below investment grade securities because such securities may be unsecured and may be subordinate to other creditors of the issuer. The relative illiquidity of some of these securities may adversely affect the ability of the Fund to dispose of such securities in a timely manner and at a fair price at times when it might be necessary or advantageous for the Fund to liquidate portfolio securities.
10. FOREIGN SECURITIES RISK Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve special risks which include changes in
foreign exchange rates and the possibility of future adverse political, tax, and economic developments which could adversely affect the value of such securities. Moreover, securities of foreign issuers and securities traded in foreign markets may be less liquid and their prices more volatile than those of U.S. issuers and markets. In addition, in certain foreign countries, there is the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation, political, or social instability, or diplomatic developments that could affect U.S. investments in the securities of issuers domiciled in those countries. For example, the United Kingdom (UK) withdrew from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020 following a June 2016 referendum referred to as “Brexit.” Although the UK and EU agreed to a trade deal in December 2020, certain post-EU arrangements, such as those relating to the offering of cross-border financial services and sharing of cross-border data, have yet to be reached and the EU’s willingness to grant equivalency to the UK remains uncertain. There is significant market uncertainty regarding Brexit’s ramifications, and the range of possible political, regulatory, economic and market outcomes are difficult to predict. The uncertainty surrounding the UK’s economy, and its legal, political, and economic relationship with the remaining member states of the EU, may cause considerable disruption in securities markets, including decreased liquidity and increased volatility, as well as currency fluctuations in the British pound’s exchange rate against the U.S. dollar.
11. LEVERAGE RISK The Fund from time to time may borrow under its Credit Agreement to increase the assets in its investment portfolio over its net assets, a practice called leverage. Leverage borrowing creates an opportunity for increased return but, at the same time, involves special risk considerations. Leverage increases the likelihood of greater volatility of the NAV and market price of the Fund’s shares. If the return that the Fund earns on the additional securities purchased fails to cover the interest and fees incurred on the monies borrowed, the NAV of the Fund (and the return of the Fund) would be lower than if borrowing had not been incurred. In addition, when the Fund borrows at a variable interest rate, there is a risk that fluctuations in the interest rate may adversely affect the return to the Fund’s shareholders. Interest payments and fees incurred in connection with such borrowings will reduce the amount of net income available for distribution to shareholders. There is no assurance that a borrowing strategy will be successful during any period in which it is employed. Borrowing on a secured basis results in certain additional risks. Should securities that are pledged as collateral to secure its obligations under the Credit Agreement decline in value, the Fund may be required to pledge additional assets in the form of cash or securities to the lender to avoid liquidation of the pledged assets. In
16 Annual Report 2020
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DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
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Financial Statements
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the event of a steep drop in the value of pledged securities, it might not be possible to liquidate assets quickly enough and this could result in mandatory liquidation of the pledged assets in a declining market at relatively low prices. Furthermore, the Investment Manager’s ability to sell the pledged securities is limited by the terms of the Credit Agreement, which may reduce the Fund’s investment flexibility over the pledged securities. Because the fee paid to the Investment Manager is calculated on the basis of the average weekly value of the Fund’s total assets minus the sum of the Fund’s liabilities, which liabilities exclude debt relating to leverage, short term debt and the aggregate liquidation preference of any outstanding preferred stock, the dollar amount of the management fee paid by the Fund to the Investment Manager will be higher (and the Investment Manager will benefit to that extent) when leverage is utilized.
12. CYBERSECURITY RISK With the increased use of technologies such as the Internet to conduct business, the Fund is susceptible to operational, information security, and related risks. Cyber incidents affecting the Fund or its service providers may cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in financial losses, interference with the Fund’s ability to calculate its NAV, impediments to trading, the inability of shareholders to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional related costs.
13. CONTINGENCIES To the maximum extent permitted by the Delaware Statutory Trust Act, as amended from time to time, and to the extent applicable, the Company Act, the Fund indemnifies its officers, trustees, and employees from certain liabilities that might arise from the performance of their duties for the Fund and, without requiring a preliminary determination of the ultimate entitlement to indemnification, may pay or reimburse reasonable expenses of the foregoing in advance of final disposition of a proceeding, in accordance with the terms of its governing documents and agreements. Additionally, in the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that contain a variety of representations and warranties and which may provide general indemnifications and/or limitations of liability with respect to, among others, the Investment Manager in accordance with the Fund’s investment management agreement.
Shortly after announcement of the Fund’s shares delisting form the NYSE, a plaintiff’s law firm advertised for clients interested in
challenging the NYSE delisting. This law firm has subsequently been in contact with the Fund. Although the Fund believes that the position expressed is entirely without merit, the Fund is likely to incur costs in connection with this or any other objection to the NYSE delisting.
The foregoing is not an exhaustive list of the Fund’s indemnification and other contingent obligations and is subject to the Fund’s governing documents, contracts, and other arrangements. The Fund maintains directors and officers/errors and omissions liability insurance which may limit the Fund’s exposure and may enable it to recover a portion of any future amounts paid in accordance with, and subject to the limits of, the policy. Not withstanding the foregoing, the potential future payments the Fund could be required to make with respect to its indemnification and other contingent obligations is unlimited.
14. SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM In accordance with Section 23(c) of the Company Act, the Fund may from time to time repurchase its shares in the open market at the discretion of and upon such terms as determined by the Board. The Fund did not repurchase any of its shares during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
15. OTHER INFORMATION The Fund may at times raise cash for investment by issuing shares through one or more offerings, including rights offerings. Proceeds from any such offerings will be invested in accordance with the investment objectives and policies of the Fund.
16. CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC During the first quarter of 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a public health emergency. COVID-19 has led to increased short-term market volatility and may have adverse long-term effects on U.S. and world economies and markets in general. COVID-19 may adversely impact the Fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives. Because of the uncertainties on valuation, the global economy and business operations, values reflected in these financial statements may materially differ from the value received upon actual sales of those investments. The extent of the impact on the performance of the Fund and its investments will depend on future developments, including, but not limited to, the duration and spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, related restrictions and advisories, and the effects on the financial markets and economy overall, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 17
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FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
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Financial Statements
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Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
Per Share Operating Performance | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||||||||
Net asset value, beginning of period |
$16.25 | $12.82 | $16.78 | $14.18 | $13.11 | |||||||||||||||
Income from investment operations: (1) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income |
0.04 | 0.16 | 0.20 | 0.16 | 0.25 | |||||||||||||||
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investments |
0.90 | 4.09 | (2.93 | ) | 3.05 | 1.84 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
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Total income (loss) from investment operations |
0.94 | 4.25 | (2.73 | ) | 3.21 | 2.09 | ||||||||||||||
Less distributions: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net investment income |
(0.03 | ) | (0.21 | ) | (0.11 | ) | (0.39 | ) | (0.23 | ) | ||||||||||
Capital gains |
(0.52 | ) | - | (0.47 | ) | (0.09 | ) | - | ||||||||||||
Return of capital |
(0.45 | ) | (0.59 | ) | (0.12 | ) | (0.12 | ) | (0.77 | ) | ||||||||||
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Total distributions |
(1.00 | ) | (0.80 | ) | (0.70 | ) | (0.60 | ) | (1.00 | ) | ||||||||||
Fund share transactions |
||||||||||||||||||||
Effect of reinvestment of distributions |
(0.03 | ) | (0.02 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.02 | ) | ||||||||||
Decrease in net asset value from rights offering |
- | - | (0.52 | ) | - | - | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total Fund share transactions |
(0.03 | ) | (0.02 | ) | (0.53 | ) | (0.01 | ) | (0.02 | ) | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net asset value, end of period |
$16.16 | $16.25 | $12.82 | $16.78 | $14.18 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Market value, end of period |
$11.25 | $13.46 | $9.53 | $13.43 | $11.85 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total Return (2) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Based on net asset value |
10.26 | % | 35.50 | % | (18.75 | )% | 24.09 | % | 18.13 | % | ||||||||||
Based on market price |
(7.33 | )% | 50.99 | % | (24.54 | )% | 18.84 | % | 17.55 | % | ||||||||||
Ratios/Supplemental Data (3) |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net assets, end of period (000s omitted) |
$203,046 | $202,347 | $158,852 | $179,401 | $151,005 | |||||||||||||||
Ratios to average net assets of: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Total expenses (4) (5) |
2.26 | % | 1.91 | % | 1.63 | % | 1.77 | % | 1.62 | % | ||||||||||
Net expenses (6) |
2.26 | % | 1.91 | % | 1.63 | % | 1.77 | % | 1.62 | % | ||||||||||
Net investment income |
0.29 | % | 1.07 | % | 1.28 | % | 1.04 | % | 1.85 | % | ||||||||||
Portfolio turnover rate |
28 | % | 42 | % | 59 | % | 40 | % | 69 | % | ||||||||||
Leverage analysis, end of period: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Outstanding loan balance (000s omitted) |
$ 9,401 | $ 36,687 | $ 26,728 | $ 35,000 | $ 27,780 | |||||||||||||||
Asset coverage per $1,000 (7) |
$ 22,597 | $ 6,515 | $ 6,943 | $ 6,126 | $ 6,436 | |||||||||||||||
Average commission rate paid |
$ 0.0200 | $ 0.0163 | $ 0.0215 | $ 0.0174 | $ 0.0143 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(1) |
The per share amounts were calculated using the average number of shares outstanding during the period. |
(2) |
Total return on a market value basis is calculated assuming a purchase of shares on the opening of the first day and a sale on the closing of the last day of each period reported. Dividends and distributions, if any, are assumed for purposes of this calculation to be reinvested at prices obtained under the Fund’s Dividend Reinvestment Plan. Generally, total return on a net asset value basis will be higher than total return on a market value basis in periods where there is an increase in the discount or a decrease in the premium of the market value to the net asset value from the beginning to the end of such periods. Conversely, total return on a net asset value basis will be lower than total return on a market value basis in periods where there is a decrease in the discount or an increase in the premium of the market value to the net asset value from the beginning to the end of such periods. Total return calculated for a period of less than one year is not annualized. The calculation does not reflect brokerage commissions, if any. |
(3) |
Expenses and income ratios do not include expenses incurred by the Acquired Funds in which the Fund invests. |
(4) |
“Total expenses” are the expenses of the Fund as presented in the Statement of Operations before fee waivers and expense reductions. |
(5) |
The ratio of net expenses excluding interest expense and fees incurred from the use of leverage to average net assets was 2.00%,1.47%, 1.34%, 1.44%, and 1.46%, for the years ended December 31, 2020 2019, 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively. |
(6) |
“Net expenses” are the expenses of the Fund presented in the Statement of Operations after expense reductions. |
(7) |
Represents the value of total assets less liabilities not represented by senior securities representing indebtedness divided by the total number of senior indebtedness units, where one unit equals $1,000 of senior indebtedness. For purposes of this calculation, the credit agreement is considered a senior security representing indebtedness. |
See notes to financial statements.
18 Annual Report 2020
|
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
|
|
|
Additional Information
|
To the Shareholders and Board of Trustees of
Dividend and Income Fund
New York, New York
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying statement of assets and liabilities of Dividend and Income Fund (the “Fund”), including the schedule of investments, as of December 31, 2020, the related statement of operations and cash flows for the year then ended, the statements of changes in net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Fund as of December 31, 2020, the results of its operations and cash flows for the year then ended, the changes in its net assets for each of the two years in the period then ended, and the financial highlights for each of the five years in the period then ended, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Fund’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Fund’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Fund in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB. We have served as the Fund’s auditor since 2011.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Fund is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our procedures included confirmation of securities owned as of December 31, 2020 by correspondence with the custodian and broker. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
TAIT, WELLER & BAKER LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
February 24, 2021
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 19
|
TRUSTEES
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Financial Statements
|
The following table sets forth certain information concerning the trustees currently serving on the Board of Trustees of the Fund. The trustees of each class shall serve for terms of three years, or thereafter when their successors are elected and qualify.
20 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
OFFICERS
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Additional Information
|
The executive officers, other than those who serve as trustees, and their relevant biographical information are set forth below.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 21
|
POLICIES AND UPDATES
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Additional Information
|
Investment Objectives and Policies
The Fund’s primary investment objective is to seek high current income. Capital appreciation is a secondary objective. The investment objectives of the Fund are fundamental policies that may not be changed without a vote of a majority of the Fund’s outstanding voting securities. The Fund is also subject to certain investment policies and restrictions that are fundamental and cannot be changed without such vote. A majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund is defined under the Company Act as the lesser of: (i) 67% or more of the Fund’s shares present at a meeting if more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund are present or represented by proxy; or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding shares of the Fund. All other investment strategies, policies, and restrictions described are not fundamental and may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval except as required by law.
Limitations on Ownership
Article II of the Fund’s Amended and Restated Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the “Declaration”) currently limits the ability of persons to own more than 4.99% of the Fund’s outstanding shares without the Trustees’ prior approval (“4.99% Share Limitations”). The 4.99% Share Limitations may assist the Board to better defend against take over activities, such as to defend against arbitrageurs attempting to make a short term profit in Fund shares while trading at a discount to net asset value potentially at the expense of long term investors. The 4.99% Share Limitations also are intended to have the effect of impeding or discouraging a merger, tender offer, or proxy contest.
The Declaration generally restricts any person from attempting to purchase or otherwise acquire (an “Acquisition”), without the Trustees’ prior approval, any direct or indirect interest in the Fund’s shares (or, if issued in the future, options, warrants, or other rights to acquire Fund shares or securities convertible or exchangeable into them), if the Acquisition would either (1) cause such person to become either an owner (within the meaning of Section 382 of the IRC or a beneficial owner (within the meaning of Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and exemptions granted therefrom, both as amended from time to time (the “Exchange Act”)) of greater than 4.99% of the Shares, (a “Five Percent Shareholder”) or (2) increase the percentage of Shares owned by a Five Percent Shareholder. Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act provides that “[f]or the purposes of sections 13(d) and 13(g) of the [Exchange] Act, a beneficial owner of a security includes any per son who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise has or shares: (1) Voting power which includes the power to vote, or to direct the voting of, such security; and/or, (2) Investment power which includes the power to dispose, or to direct the disposition of, such security.”
The Declaration provides that any Acquisition attempted to be made in violation of the 4.99% Share Limitations will be null and void ab initio to the fullest extent permitted by law and contains detailed terms that seek to achieve that result. The Declaration also provides that any person who knowingly violates the 4.99% Share Limitations,
or any persons in the same control group with such a person, shall be liable to the Fund for, and shall indemnify and hold it harmless against, any and all damages suffered as a result of the violation, including damages resulting from a reduction in or elimination of the Fund’s ability to use its current or potential capital loss carryovers under Section 1212 of the IRC from previous taxable years and unrealized capital losses in its portfolio and attorneys’ and auditors’ fees incurred in connection with such violation.
Additional Offerings
Previously, the Fund has issued additional shares of beneficial interest through rights offerings. In the future, subject to market conditions, the Fund may raise additional equity capital from time to time in varying amounts and utilizing various offering methods. While raising additional equity capital by selling new shares may allow the Fund to pursue additional investment opportunities without the need to sell existing portfolio investments, it also entails risks — including net asset value and voting dilution, and that the issuance of additional shares of beneficial interest may reduce the premium or increase the discount at which the Fund’s shares trade to net asset value in the secondary market.
Future offerings, if any, will be described in a registration statement which contains detailed information regarding the offering and should be reviewed carefully before investing. This report is not an offer to sell Fund shares and is not a solicitation of an offer to buy Fund shares in any jurisdiction where the offers or sales are not permitted.
Proxy Voting
The Fund’s Proxy Voting Guidelines, which describe the policies and procedures the Fund uses to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities, as well as its proxy voting record for the most recent 12 months ended June 30, are available without charge, upon request, by calling the Fund toll free at 1-855-411-6432, on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, and on the Fund’s website at www.DividendandIncomeFund.com.
Quarterly Schedule of Portfolio Holdings
The Fund files its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the SEC for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year of Part F of Form N-PORT. The Fund’s Forms N-PORT are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and a link thereto can be found on the Fund’s website at www.DividendandIncomeFund.com.
Risks Associated with the Transfer of the Trading Market for Fund’s Shares.
The following is a summary of certain changes since the June 30,2020 semi-annual report and may not reflect all of the changes that have occurred since you purchased the Fund. Effective October 9, 2020, the Fund’s shares delisted from the NYSE and began trading on the OTC Market. Potential principal risk factors associated with investment in the Fund arising from such action may include, but are not limited to: reduced trading volume and
22 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
POLICIES AND UPDATES
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Additional Information
|
liquidity, greater trading spreads, increased market discount to net asset value of the Fund’s shares, and the elimination of the governance, shareholder meeting and reporting requirements of the NYSE. While the Fund believes that the potential benefits of transferring the trading market of the Fund’s shares, such as reduced direct and indirect expenses and increased ability for the Fund’s Board and management to focus on the Fund’s investment objectives, outweighed the potential risks, there is no guarantee that such benefits will be realized. Shortly after announcement of the NYSE delisting, a plaintiff’s law firm advertised for clients interested in challenging the NYSE delisting. This law firm has subsequently been in contact with the Fund. Although the Fund believes that the position expressed is entirely without merit, the Fund is likely to incur costs in connection with this or any other objection to the NYSE delisting, and any such challenges could potentially frustrate the potential benefits of the NYSE delisting. The Fund continues to maintain its investment company
registration and will update its shareholders with financial and other information as required by applicable law.
Governing Documents
Certain provisions in the Fund’s governing documents could have the effect of, among other things, depriving the owners of shares in the Fund of opportunities to sell their shares at a premium over prevailing market prices by discouraging a third party from seeking to obtain control of the Fund in a tender offer or similar transaction or bringing litigation against the Fund and/or any trustee, officer, employee or affiliate thereof. The overall effect of these provisions is to, among other things, render more difficult the accomplishment of a merger or the assumption of control by a principal shareholder. For more information, please refer to the governing documents of the Fund, which are on file or are expected to be filed with the SEC and available on the Fund’s website www.DividendandIncomeFund.com.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 23
|
DISTRIBUTIONS
|
||
Additional Information
|
2021 Quarterly Distribution Dates
Declaration | Record | Payment | ||
March 1 | March 15 | March 25 | ||
June 1 | June 14 | June 24 | ||
September 1 | September 16 | September 28 | ||
December 1 | December 15 | December 30 |
Distribution Policy
The Fund’s quarterly distributions reflect the Fund’s current distribution policy to provide shareholders with a relatively stable cash flow per share. There is no guarantee that the Fund’s current distribution policy will reduce or eliminate the Fund’s market price discount to its NAV per share, if any, and the Fund’s trustees have no fiduciary duty to take action, or to consider taking any action, to narrow any such discount. The distribution policy and the distribution amount may be amended, suspended, or terminated at any time without prior notice.
Under U.S. tax rules applicable to the Fund, the amount and character of distributable income for each tax year can be finally determined only as of the end of the Fund’s tax year. However, under Section 19 of the Company Act, and related Rules, the Fund may be required to indicate to shareholders the source of certain distributions to shareholders. The information provided in those notices does not represent information for tax reporting purposes. Earnings and profits on a tax basis may differ.
24 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
DISTRIBUTIONS
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Additional Information
|
Shareholders should not draw any conclusions about the Fund’s investment performance from the amount of this distribution or from the terms of the Fund’s distribution policy. The Fund is subject to risks that could have an adverse impact on its ability to maintain level distributions. Examples of potential risks include, but are not limited to, economic downturns impacting the markets, equity securities risk, corporate bonds risk, credit risk, interest rate risk, leverage and borrowing risk, and other risks discussed in the Fund’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Distributions may be paid in part or in full from net investment income, realized capital gains, and by returning capital, or a combination there of. To the extent that the Fund has estimated that it has distributed more than its income and net realized capital gains, a portion of your distribution may be a return of capital. A return of capital may occur, for example, when some or all of the money that you invested in the Fund is paid back to you. A return of capital distribution does not necessarily reflect the Fund’s investment performance and should not be confused with “yield” or “income.” Additionally, a return of capital is not taxable; rather it reduces a shareholder’s tax basis in his or her shares of the Fund, thereby increasing the shareholder’s potential gain or reducing its potential loss on the subsequent sale of those shares.
The amounts and sources of distributions reported in the Fund’s 19(a) notices are only estimates based on book earnings, are likely to change over time and are not being provided for tax reporting purposes. The actual amounts and sources of the amounts for tax reporting purposes will depend upon the Fund’s investment experience during the entirety of its fiscal year and may be subject to changes based on tax regulations.
The Fund intends to send you a Form 1099-DIV for the calendar year that will instruct you how to report these distributions for federal income tax purposes.
Terms and Conditions of the 2015 Amended Dividend Reinvestment Plan
1. Each shareholder (the “Shareholder”) holding shares (the “Shares”) of Dividend and Income Fund (the “Fund”) will automatically be a participant in the Dividend Reinvestment Plan (the “Plan”), unless the Shareholder specifically elects to receive all dividends and capital gains in cash by notice to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC, 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, 1-800-278-4353, as agent under the Plan (the “Agent”). The Agent will open an account for each Shareholder under the Plan in the same name in which such Shareholder’s Shares are registered.
2. Whenever the Fund declares a capital gain distribution or an income dividend payable in Shares or cash, participating Shareholders will take the distribution or dividend entirely in Shares and the Agent will automatically receive the Shares, including fractions, for the Shareholder’s account in accordance with the following:
Whenever the Market Price (as defined in Section 3 below) per Share is equal to or exceeds the net asset value per Share at the time Shares are valued for the purpose of determining the number of Shares equivalent to the cash dividend or capital gain distribution (the “Valuation Date”), participants will be issued additional Shares equal to the amount of such dividend divided by the lower of the Fund’s net asset value per Share or the Fund’s Market Price per Share. Whenever the Market Price per Share is less than such net asset value on the Valuation Date, participants will be issued additional Shares equal to the amount of such dividend divided by the Market Price. The Valuation Date is the business day before the dividend or distribution payment date. If the Fund should declare a dividend or capital gain distribution payable only in cash, the Agent will, as purchasing agent for the participating Shareholders, buy Shares in the open market or elsewhere, for such Shareholders’ accounts after the payment date, except that the Agent will endeavor to terminate purchases in the open market and cause the Fund to issue the remaining Shares if, following the commencement of the purchases, the Market Price of the Shares exceeds the net asset value. These remaining Shares will be issued by the Fund at a price equal to the lower of the Fund’s net asset value per Share or the Market Price.
In a case where the Agent has terminated open market purchases and caused the issuance of remaining Shares by the Fund, the number of Shares received by the participant in respect of the cash dividend or distribution will be based on the weighted average of prices paid for Shares purchased in the open market and the price at which the Fund issues remaining Shares. To the extent that the Agent is unable to terminate purchases in the open market before the Agent has completed its purchases, or remaining Shares cannot be issued by the Fund because the Fund declared a dividend or distribution payable only in cash, and the Market Price exceeds the net asset value of the Shares, the average Share purchase price paid by the Agent may exceed the net asset value of the Shares, resulting in the acquisition of fewer Shares than if the dividend or capital gain distribution had been paid in Shares issued by the Fund.
The Agent will apply all cash received as a dividend or capital gain distribution to purchase shares on the open market as soon as practicable after the payment date of the dividend or capital gain distribution, but in no event later than 45 days after that date, except when necessary to comply with applicable provisions of the federal securities laws.
3. For all purposes of the Plan: (a) the Market Price of the Shares on a particular date shall be the average of the volume weighted average sale prices or, if no sale occurred, then the mean between the closing bid and asked quotations, for the Shares quoted on the NYSE on each of the five business days the Shares traded ex-dividend on the NYSE immediately prior to such date, and (b) net asset value per share on a particular date shall be as determined by or on behalf of the Fund.
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 25
|
DISTRIBUTIONS
|
(Unaudited) | |
Additional Information
|
4. The open market purchases provided for herein may be made on any securities exchange on which the Shares are traded, in the over-the-counter market, or in negotiated transactions, and may be on such terms as to price, delivery, and otherwise as the Agent shall determine. Funds held by the Agent uninvested will not bear interest, and it is understood that, in any event, the Agent shall have no liability in connection with any inability to purchase Shares within 45 days after the initial date of such purchase as herein provided, or with the timing of any purchases effected. The Agent shall have no responsibility as to the value of the Shares acquired for the Shareholder’s account.
5. The Agent will hold Shares acquired pursuant to the Plan in non-certificated form in the Agent’s name or that of its nominee. At no additional cost, a Shareholder participating in the Plan may send to the Agent for deposit into its Plan account those certificate shares of the Fund in its possession. These Shares will be combined with those unissued full and fractional Shares acquired under the Plan and held by the Agent. Shortly thereafter, such Shareholder will receive a statement showing its combined holdings. The Agent will forward to the Shareholder any proxy solicitation material and will vote any Shares so held for the Shareholder only in accordance with the proxy returned by the Shareholder to the Fund.
6. The Agent will confirm to the Shareholder each acquisition for the Shareholder’s account as soon as practicable but not later than 60 days after the date thereof. Although the Shareholder may from time to time have an individual fractional interest (computed to three decimal places) in a Share, no certificates for fractional Shares will be issued. However, dividends and distributions on fractional Shares will be credited to Shareholders’ accounts. In the event of a termination of a Shareholder’s account under the Plan, the Agent will adjust for any such undivided fractional interest in cash at the opening market value of the Shares at the time of termination.
7. Any stock dividends or split Shares distributed by the Fund on Shares held by the Agent for the Shareholder will be credited to the Shareholder’s account. In the event that the Fund makes available to the Shareholder the right to purchase additional Shares or other securities, the Shares held for a Shareholder under the Plan will be added to other Shares held by the Shareholder in calculating the number of rights to be issued to such Shareholder. Transaction processing may either be curtailed or suspended until the completion of any stock dividend, stock split, or corporate action.
8. The Agent’s service fee for handling capital gain distributions or income dividends will be paid by the Fund. The Shareholder will be charged a pro rata share of brokerage commissions on all open market purchases.
9. The Shareholder may terminate the account under the Plan by notifying the Agent. A termination will be effective immediately if notice is received by the Agent three days prior to any dividend or distribution payment date. If the request is received less than three days prior to the payment date, then that dividend will be invested, and all subsequent dividends will be paid in cash.
10. These terms and conditions may be amended or supplemented by the Fund at any time or times but, except when necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law or the rules or policies of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other regulatory authority, only by mailing to the Shareholder appropriate written notice at least 30 days prior to the effective date thereof. The amendment or supplement shall be deemed to be accepted by the Shareholder unless, prior to the effective date thereof, the Agent receives written notice of the termination of such Shareholder’s account under the Plan. Any such amendment may include an appointment by the Fund of a successor agent in its place and stead under these terms and conditions, with full power and authority to perform all or any of the acts to be performed by the Agent. Upon any such appointment of an Agent for the purpose of receiving dividends and distributions, the Fund will be authorized to pay to such successor Agent all dividends and distributions payable on Shares held in the Shareholder’s name or under the Plan for retention or application by such successor Agent as provided in these terms and conditions.
11. In the case of Shareholders, such as banks, brokers, or nominees, which hold Shares for others who are the beneficial owners, the Agent will administer the Plan on the basis of the number of Shares certified from time to time by the Shareholders as representing the total amount registered in the Shareholder’s name and held for the account of beneficial owners who are to participate in the Plan.
12. The Agent shall at all times act in good faith and agree to use its best efforts within reasonable limits to insure the accuracy of all services performed under this agreement and to comply with applicable law, but assumes no responsibility and shall not be liable for loss or damage due to errors unless the errors are caused by its negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct or that of its employees.
13. Neither the Fund nor the Agent will be liable for any act performed in good faith or for any good faith omission to act, including without limitation, any claim of liability arising out of (i) failure to terminate a Shareholder’s account, sell shares, or purchase shares, (ii) the prices at which shares are purchased or sold for the Shareholder’s account, and (iii) the time such purchases or sales are made, including price fluctuation in market value after such purchases or sales.
26 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Rev. 7/2020
PRIVACY POLICY
FACTS | WHAT DOES DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND DO WITH YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION? | |||||
Why? |
Financial companies choose how they share your personal information. Federal law gives consumers the right to limit some but not all sharing. Federal law also requires us to tell you how we collect, share, and protect your personal information. Please read this notice carefully to understand what we do. |
|||||
What? |
The types of personal information we collect and share depend on the product or service you have with us. This information can include:
|
|||||
• Social Security number |
• Transaction or loss history |
• Retirement assets |
||||
• Account balances |
• Account transactions |
|||||
When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.
|
||||||
How? |
All financial companies need to share customer’s personal information to run their everyday business. In the section below, we list the reasons financial companies can share their customers’ personal information; the reasons Dividend and Income Fund chooses to share; and whether you can limit this sharing.
|
Reasons we can share your personal information |
Does Dividend and Income
|
Can you limit this sharing? |
|||||
For our everyday business purposes - Such as to process your transactions, maintain your account(s), respond to court orders and legal investigations, or report to credit bureaus
|
Yes | No | |||||
For our marketing purposes - To offer our products and services to you
|
Yes | No | |||||
For joint marketing with other nonaffiliated financial companies
|
No | We don’t share | |||||
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes - Information about your transactions and experiences
|
No | We don’t share | |||||
For our affiliates’ everyday business purposes – Information about your creditworthiness
|
No | We don’t share | |||||
For our affiliates to market to you -
|
Yes | Yes | |||||
For nonaffiliates to market to you -
|
No | We don’t share |
To Limit Sharing |
• Call Dividend and Income Fund at 212-785-0900; or • Mail the form below
Please note:
If you are a new customer, we can begin sharing your information 30 days from the date we sent this notice. When you are no longer our customer, we continue to share your information as described in this notice.
However, you can contact us at any time to limit our sharing. |
|
Questions? |
Call Dividend and Income Fund at 1-212-785-0900 or go to www.dividendandincomefund.com
|
Mail-in Form |
Leave blank or [If you have a joint account, your choice will apply to everyone on your account unless you mark below. ☐ Apply my choice only to me]
Mail to: Dividend and Income Fund 11 Hanover Square 12th floor New York, NY 10005
|
Mark if you want to limit: ☐ Do not allow your affiliates to use my personal information to market to me.
|
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Name |
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Address |
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City, State, Zip |
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Account # |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
Annual Report 2020 27
|
Page 2
|
Who we are
|
||
Who is providing this notice?
|
Dividend and Income Fund
|
What we do | ||
How does Dividend and Income Fund protect my personal information? |
To protect your personal information from unauthorized access and use, we use security measures that comply with federal law. These measures include computer safeguards and secured files and buildings.
|
|
How does Dividend and Income Fund collect my personal information? |
We collect your personal information, for example, when you
• Open an account • Buy securities from us • Provide account information • Give us your contact information • Tell us where to send the money |
|
Why can’t I limit all sharing? |
Federal law gives you the right to limit only
• Sharing for affiliate’s everyday business purposes - information about your creditworthiness • Affiliates from using your information to market to you • Sharing for nonaffiliates to market to you
State laws and individual companies may give you additional rights to limit sharing
|
|
What happens when I limit sharing for an account I hold jointly with someone else?
|
Your choices will apply to everyone on your account - unless you tell us otherwise |
28 Annual Report 2020 |
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
|
GENERAL INFORMATION
|
(Unaudited)
|
|
Additional Information
|
Investment Manager |
Bexil Advisers LLC
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11 Hanover Square
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New York, NY 10005
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1-212-785-0900 |
Stock Transfer Agent and Registrar |
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC
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6201 15th Avenue
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Brooklyn, NY 11219
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www.amstock.com
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1-800-937 5449 |
Dividend and Income Fund is part of a fund complex which includes Midas Fund, Midas Magic, and Foxby Corp.
Please Note - There is no assurance that the Fund’s investment objectives will be attained. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. You should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of the Fund carefully before investing. The Fund’s investment policies, management fees, and other matters of interest to prospective investors may be found in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) including its annual and semi-annual reports. To obtain a copy of the reports, please call us toll free at 1-855-411-6432 or download them at http://dividendandincomefund.com/literature/. Please read the reports carefully before investing.
Shares of closed end funds frequently trade at a discount from their Net Asset Value (“NAV”). This characteristic is a risk separate and distinct from the risk that the Fund’s NAV has decreased in the past, and may decrease in the future, as a result of its investment activities and other events. Neither the Investment Manager nor the Fund can predict whether shares of the Fund will trade at, below, or above NAV. The risk of holding shares of the Fund that might trade at a discount is more pronounced for investors expecting to sell their shares in a relatively short period of time after acquiring them because, for those investors, realization of a gain or loss on their investments is likely to be more dependent upon the existence of a premium or discount than upon portfolio performance. The shares of the Fund are designed primarily for long term investors and should not be considered a vehicle for trading purposes. The NAV of the Fund’s shares typically will fluctuate with price changes of the Fund’s portfolio securities, and these fluctuations are likely to be greater in the case of a fund which uses leverage, as the Fund may from time to time. In the event that shares of the Fund trade at a premium to NAV, there is no assurance that any such premium will be sustained for any period of time and will not decrease, or that the shares of the Fund will not trade at a discount to NAV thereafter. The market price for the Fund is based on supply and demand which fluctuates daily based on many factors, such as economic conditions and global events, investor sentiment, and security-specific factors.
This report, including the financial statements herein, is provided for informational purposes only. This is not a prospectus, circular, or representation intended for use in the purchase of shares of the Fund or any securities mentioned in this report. This report shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state in which such offer, solicitation, or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or an exemption therefrom. The internet address for the Fund is included several times in this report as a textual reference only. The information on the web site is not incorporated by reference into this report.
The Fund does not make available copies of its Statement of Additional Information because the Fund’s shares are not continuously offered, which means that the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information has not been updated since completion of the Fund’s most recent offering and the information contained in the Fund’s Statement of Additional Information may have become outdated.
Investment products, including shares of the Fund, are not federally or Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) insured, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by, any financial institution and involve investment risk, including possible loss of principal and fluctuation in value. Consult with your tax advisor or attorney regarding specific tax issues.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements - Certain information presented in this report may contain “forward looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements concerning the Fund’s plans, objectives, goals, strategies, distributions and their amounts and timing, distribution declarations, future events, future performance, prospects of its portfolio holdings, or intentions, and other information that is not historical information. Generally, forward looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “believes,” “expects,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” or “intends,” or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy. All forward looking statements by the Fund involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Fund, which may cause the Fund’s actual results to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks include, but are not limited to, equity securities risk, corporate bonds risk, credit risk, interest rate risk, leverage and borrowing risk, additional risks of certain securities in which the Fund invests, market discount from NAV, distribution policy risk, management risk, risks related to the negative impacts from the continued spread of COVID-19 on the economy and the broader financial markets, and other risks discussed in the Fund’s filings with the SEC. All such subsequent forward looking statements, whether written or oral, by the Fund or on its behalf, are also expressly qualified by these cautionary statements. Investors should carefully consider the risks, uncertainties, and other factors, together with all of the other information included in the Fund’s filings with the SEC, and similar information. The Fund may also make additional forward looking statements from time to time. All forward looking statements apply only as of the date made. The Fund undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise forward looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Thus you should not place undue reliance on forward looking statements.
Section 23 Notice - Pursuant to Section 23 of the Company Act, notice is hereby given that the Fund may in the future purchase its own shares in the open market. These purchases may be made from time to time, at such times, and in such amounts, as may be deemed advantageous to the Fund, although nothing herein shall be considered a commitment to purchase such shares.
This report is for shareholder information. This is not a prospectus intended for use in the purchase or sale of Fund shares.
NOT FDIC INSURED MAY LOSE VALUE NOT BANK GUARANTEED
DIVIDEND AND INCOME FUND
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Annual Report 2020 29
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(a)
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The registrant has adopted a code of ethics (the "Code") that applies to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, or persons performing
similar functions, regardless of whether these individuals are employed by the registrant or a third party.
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(b)
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No information need be disclosed pursuant to this paragraph.
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(c)
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Not applicable.
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(d)
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Not applicable.
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(e)
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Not applicable.
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(f)
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The text of the Code can be viewed on the registrant's website, www.DividendandIncomeFund.com, or a copy of the Code may be obtained free of charge by calling the registrant collect at 1-212-785-0900.
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(a) |
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The aggregate fees billed for each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for the audit of the registrant's annual financial statements or services that
are normally provided by the accountant in connection with statutory and regulatory filings or engagements for those fiscal years are as follows:
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AUDIT FEES
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2020 - $34,000
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2019 - $33,500
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(b)
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The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for assurance and related services by the principal accountant that are reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant's
financial statements and are not reported under paragraph (a) of this Item are as follows:
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AUDIT-RELATED FEES
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2020 - $2,000
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2019 - $2,000
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Audit-related fees include amounts reasonably related to the performance of the audit of the registrant's financial statements, including the issuance of a report on internal controls and review of periodic
reporting.
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(c)
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The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for professional services rendered by the principal accountant for tax compliance, tax advice, and tax planning are as follows:
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TAX FEES
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2020 - $5,250
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2019 - $5,250
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Tax fees include amounts related to tax compliance, tax planning, and tax advice.
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(d) |
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The aggregate fees billed in each of the last two fiscal years for products and services provided by the principal accountant, other than the services reported in paragraphs (a) through (c) of this Item are
as follows:
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ALL OTHER FEES
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2020 - $0
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2019 - $0
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All other fees consist of the aggregate fees billed for products and services provided by the principal accountant other than audit, audit-related, and tax services.
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(e) |
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(1) Pursuant to the registrant's Audit Committee Charter, the Audit Committee shall consider for pre-approval any non-audit services proposed to be provided by the auditors to the registrant, and any
non-audit services proposed to be provided by such auditors to the registrant’s investment manager and any service providers controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the registrant’s investment manager, if any, which
have a direct impact on registrant operations or financial reporting. In those situations when it is not convenient to obtain full Audit Committee approval, the Chairman of the Audit Committee is delegated the authority to grant
pre-approvals of auditing, audit-related, non-audit related, tax, and all other services so long as all such pre-approved decisions are reviewed with the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting. Such pre-approval of non-audit
services proposed to be provided by the auditors to the registrant is not necessary, however, if such services fall within the de minimis exception under Section 10A of the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
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(2) No services included in (b) - (d) above were approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(i)(C) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X.
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(f) |
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Not applicable.
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(g)
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The aggregate non-audit fees billed by the registrant's accountant for services rendered to the registrant, and rendered to the registrant's investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is primarily portfolio
management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the adviser that provides ongoing services to the registrant for each of the last
two fiscal years of the registrant were $57,250 in 2020 and $56,250 in 2019.
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(h)
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The registrant's audit committee has determined that the provision of non-audit services that were rendered by accountant to the registrant's investment adviser (not including any sub-adviser whose role is
primarily portfolio management and is subcontracted with or overseen by another investment adviser), and any entity controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the investment adviser that provides ongoing services to the
registrant that were not pre-approved pursuant to paragraph (c)(7)(ii) of Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X is compatible with maintaining the principal accountant's independence.
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1.
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Delegation to Proxy Service Provider
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2.
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Conflicts of Interest
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3.
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Review of and Response to Errors
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4. |
Ongoing Due Diligence
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i.
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Review the adequacy of these proxy voting policies and procedures;
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ii.
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Assess whether the Proxy Firm has properly submitted the voting instructions on behalf of the Funds, including, without limitation, seeking to determine whether it is voting consistently with these policies and procedures,
which may include, among other things, sampling proxy votes;
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iii.
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Review the proxy voting guidelines of the Proxy Firm; and |
iv.
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Request the Proxy Firm to provide information about, among other things, changes to its policies and procedures. |
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General Recommendation: Generally vote for director nominees, except under the following circumstances (with new nominees1
considered on case-by-case basis):
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Independent directors comprise 50 percent or less of the board;
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The non-independent director serves on the audit, compensation, or nominating committee;
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The company lacks an audit, compensation, or nominating committee so that the full board functions as that committee; or
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The company lacks a formal nominating committee, even if the board attests that the independent directors fulfill the functions of such a committee.
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Medical issues/illness;
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Family emergencies; and
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Missing only one meeting (when the total of all meetings is three or fewer).
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Sit on more than five public company boards; or
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Are CEOs of public companies who sit on the boards of more than two public companies besides their own—withhold only at their outside boards4.
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The board failed to act on a shareholder proposal that received the support of a majority of the shares cast in the previous year or failed to act on a management proposal seeking to ratify
an existing charter/bylaw provision that received opposition of a majority of the shares cast in the previous year. Factors that will be considered are:
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Disclosed outreach efforts by the board to shareholders in the wake of the vote;
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Rationale provided in the proxy statement for the level of implementation;
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The subject matter of the proposal;
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The level of support for and opposition to the resolution in past meetings;
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Actions taken by the board in response to the majority vote and its engagement with shareholders;
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The continuation of the underlying issue as a voting item on the ballot (as either shareholder or management proposals); and
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Other factors as appropriate.
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The board failed to act on takeover offers where the majority of shares are tendered;
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At the previous board election, any director received more than 50 percent withhold/against votes of the shares cast and the company has failed to address the issue(s) that caused the high
withhold/against vote.
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The company’s previous say-on-pay received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast. Factors that will be considered are:
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The company's response, including:
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Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors, including the frequency and timing of engagements and the company participants (including whether independent directors
participated);
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Disclosure of the specific concerns voiced by dissenting shareholders that led to the say-on-pay opposition;
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Disclosure of specific and meaningful actions taken to address shareholders' concerns;
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Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
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Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
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The company's ownership structure; and
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Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
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The board implements an advisory vote on executive compensation on a less frequent basis than the frequency that received the plurality of votes cast.
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The company has a poison pill that was not approved by shareholders6.
However, vote case-by-case on nominees if the board adopts an initial pill with a term of one year or less, depending on the disclosed rationale for the adoption, and other factors as relevant (such as a commitment to put any renewal to a
shareholder vote);
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The board makes a material adverse modification to an existing pill, including, but not limited to, extension, renewal, or lowering the trigger,
without shareholder approval; or
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The pill, whether short-term7 or long-term, has a deadhand or
slowhand feature.
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A classified board structure;
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A supermajority vote requirement;
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Either a plurality vote standard in uncontested director elections, or a majority vote standard in contested elections;
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The inability of shareholders to call special meetings;
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The inability of shareholders to act by written consent;
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A multi-class capital structure; and/or
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A non-shareholder-approved poison pill.
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The board's rationale for adopting the bylaw/charter amendment without shareholder ratification;
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Disclosure by the company of any significant engagement with shareholders regarding the amendment;
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The level of impairment of shareholders' rights caused by the board's unilateral amendment to the bylaws/charter;
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The board's track record with regard to unilateral board action on bylaw/charter amendments or other entrenchment provisions;
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The company's ownership structure;
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The company's existing governance provisions;
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The timing of the board's amendment to the bylaws/charter in connection with a significant business development; and
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Other factors, as deemed appropriate, that may be relevant to determine the impact of the amendment on shareholders.
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Classified the board;
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Adopted supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter; or
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Eliminated shareholders' ability to amend bylaws.
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Supermajority vote requirements to amend the bylaws or charter;
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A classified board structure; or
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Other egregious provisions.
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The presence of a shareholder proposal addressing the same issue on the same ballot;
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The board's rationale for seeking ratification;
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Disclosure of actions to be taken by the board should the ratification proposal fail;
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Disclosure of shareholder engagement regarding the board’s ratification request;
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The level of impairment to shareholders' rights caused by the existing provision;
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The history of management and shareholder proposals on the provision at the company’s past meetings;
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Whether the current provision was adopted in response to the shareholder proposal;
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The company's ownership structure; and
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Previous use of ratification proposals to exclude shareholder proposals.
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The company’s governing documents impose undue restrictions on shareholders’ ability to amend the bylaws. Such restrictions include but are not
limited to: outright prohibition on the submission of binding shareholder proposals or share ownership requirements, subject matter restrictions, or time holding requirements in excess of SEC Rule 14a-8. Vote against or withhold on an
ongoing basis.
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The non-audit fees paid to the auditor are excessive;
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The company receives an adverse opinion on the company’s financial statements from its auditor; or
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There is persuasive evidence that the Audit Committee entered into an inappropriate indemnification agreement with its auditor that limits the
ability of the company, or its shareholders, to pursue legitimate legal recourse against the audit firm.
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Poor accounting practices are identified that rise to a level of serious concern, such as: fraud; misapplication of GAAP; and material weaknesses
identified in Section 404 disclosures. Examine the severity, breadth, chronological sequence, and duration, as well as the company’s efforts at remediation or corrective actions, in determining whether withhold/against votes are
warranted.
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There is an unmitigated misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
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The company maintains significant problematic pay practices; or
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The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders.
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The company fails to include a Say on Pay ballot item when required under SEC provisions, or under the company’s declared frequency of say on pay;
or
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The company fails to include a Frequency of Say on Pay ballot item when required under SEC provisions.
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The presence of an anti-pledging policy, disclosed in the proxy statement, that prohibits future pledging activity;
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The magnitude of aggregate pledged shares in terms of total common shares outstanding, market value, and trading volume;
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Disclosure of progress or lack thereof in reducing the magnitude of aggregate pledged shares over time;
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Disclosure in the proxy statement that shares subject to stock ownership and holding requirements do not include pledged company stock; and
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Any other relevant factors.
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Material failures of governance, stewardship, risk oversight9, or
fiduciary responsibilities at the company;
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Failure to replace management as appropriate; or
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Egregious actions related to a director’s service on other boards that raise substantial doubt about his or her ability to effectively oversee
management and serve the best interests of shareholders at any company.
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General Recommendation: In cases where companies are targeted in connection with public
“vote-no” campaigns, evaluate director nominees under the existing governance policies for voting on director nominees in uncontested elections. Take into consideration the arguments submitted by shareholders and other publicly available
information.
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General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on the election of directors in contested elections,
considering the following factors:
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Long-term financial performance of the company relative to its industry;
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Management’s track record;
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Background to the contested election;
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Nominee qualifications and any compensatory arrangements;
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Strategic plan of dissident slate and quality of the critique against management;
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Likelihood that the proposed goals and objectives can be achieved (both slates); and
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Stock ownership positions.
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General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on management proposals regarding director
term/tenure limits, considering:
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The rationale provided for adoption of the term/tenure limit;
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The robustness of the company’s board evaluation process;
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Whether the limit is of sufficient length to allow for a broad range of director tenures;
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Whether the limit would disadvantage independent directors compared to non-independent directors; and
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Whether the board will impose the limit evenly, and not have the ability to waive it in a discriminatory manner.
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The scope of the shareholder proposal; and
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Evidence of problematic issues at the company combined with, or exacerbated by, a lack of board refreshment.
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General Recommendation: Generally vote against management and shareholder proposals to limit
the tenure of independent directors through mandatory retirement ages. Vote for proposals to remove mandatory age limits.
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General Recommendation: Generally vote for shareholder proposals requiring that the board chair
position be filled by an independent director, taking into consideration the following:
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The scope and rationale of the proposal;
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The company's current board leadership structure;
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The company's governance structure and practices;
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Company performance; and
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Any other relevant factors that may be applicable.
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A majority non-independent board and/or the presence of non-independent directors on key board committees;
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A weak or poorly-defined lead independent director role that fails to serve as an appropriate counterbalance to a combined CEO/chair role;
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The presence of an executive or non-independent chair in addition to the CEO, a recent recombination of the role of CEO and chair, and/or
departure from a structure with an independent chair;
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Evidence that the board has failed to oversee and address material risks facing the company;
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A material governance failure, particularly if the board has failed to adequately respond to shareholder concerns or if the board has materially
diminished shareholder rights; or
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Evidence that the board has failed to intervene when management’s interests are contrary to shareholders' interests.
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General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on advance notice proposals, giving support to those
proposals which allow shareholders to submit proposals/nominations as close to the meeting date as reasonably possible and within the broadest window possible, recognizing the need to allow sufficient notice for company, regulatory, and
shareholder review.
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General Recommendation: Generally vote for federal forum selection provisions in the charter or
bylaws that specify "the district courts of the United States" as the exclusive forum for federal securities law matters, in the absence of serious concerns about corporate governance or board responsiveness to shareholders.
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General Recommendation: Generally vote for charter or bylaw provisions that specify courts
located within the state of Delaware as the exclusive forum for corporate law matters for Delaware corporations, in the absence of serious concerns about corporate governance or board responsiveness to shareholders.
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The company's stated rationale for adopting such a provision;
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Disclosure of past harm from duplicative shareholder lawsuits in more than one forum;
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The breadth of application of the charter or bylaw provision, including the types of lawsuits to which it would apply and the definition of key
terms; and
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Governance features such as shareholders' ability to repeal the provision at a later date (including the vote standard applied when shareholders
attempt to amend the charter or bylaws) and their ability to hold directors accountable through annual director elections and a majority vote standard in uncontested elections.
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General Recommendation: Generally vote against provisions that mandate fee-shifting whenever
plaintiffs are not completely successful on the merits (i.e., including cases where the plaintiffs are partially successful).
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General Recommendation: Generally vote for management proposals allowing for the convening of
shareholder meetings by electronic means, so long as they do not preclude in-person meetings. Companies are encouraged to disclose the circumstances under which virtual-only10 meetings would be held, and to allow for comparable rights and opportunities for shareholders to participate electronically as they would have during an in-person meeting.
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Scope and rationale of the proposal; and
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Concerns identified with the company’s prior meeting practices.
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General Recommendation: Vote for proposals to increase the number of authorized common shares
where the primary purpose of the increase is to issue shares in connection with a transaction on the same ballot that warrants support.
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Past Board Performance:
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The company's use of authorized shares during the last three years;
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The Current Request:
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Disclosure in the proxy statement of the specific purposes of the proposed increase;
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Disclosure in the proxy statement of specific and severe risks to shareholders of not approving the request; and
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The dilutive impact of the request as determined relative to an allowable increase calculated by ISS (typically 100 percent of existing authorized
shares) that reflects the company's need for shares and total shareholder returns.
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A.
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Most companies: 100 percent of existing authorized shares.
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B.
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Companies with less than 50 percent of existing authorized shares either outstanding or reserved for issuance: 50
percent of existing authorized shares.
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C.
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Companies with one- and three-year total shareholder returns (TSRs) in the bottom 10 percent of the U.S. market as of the end of the calendar
quarter that is closest to their most recent fiscal year end: 50 percent of existing authorized shares.
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D.
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Companies at which both conditions (B and C) above are both present: 25 percent of existing authorized
shares.
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General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on mergers and acquisitions. Review and evaluate the
merits and drawbacks of the proposed transaction, balancing various and sometimes countervailing factors including:
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Valuation - Is the value to be received by the
target shareholders (or paid by the acquirer) reasonable? While the fairness opinion may provide an initial starting point for assessing valuation reasonableness, emphasis is placed on the offer premium, market reaction, and strategic
rationale.
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Market reaction - How has the market responded
to the proposed deal? A negative market reaction should cause closer scrutiny of a deal.
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Strategic rationale - Does the deal make sense
strategically? From where is the value derived? Cost and revenue synergies should not be overly aggressive or optimistic, but reasonably achievable. Management should also have a favorable track record of successful integration of
historical acquisitions.
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Negotiations and process - Were the terms of
the transaction negotiated at arm's-length? Was the process fair and equitable? A fair process helps to ensure the best price for shareholders. Significant negotiation "wins" can also signify the deal makers' competency. The
comprehensiveness of the sales process (e.g., full auction, partial auction, no auction) can also affect shareholder value.
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Conflicts of interest - Are insiders benefiting
from the transaction disproportionately and inappropriately as compared to non-insider shareholders? As the result of potential conflicts, the directors and officers of the company may be more likely to vote to approve a merger than if
they did not hold these interests. Consider whether these interests may have influenced these directors and officers to support or recommend the merger. The CIC figure presented in the "ISS Transaction Summary" section of this report is
an aggregate figure that can in certain cases be a misleading indicator of the true value transfer from shareholders to insiders. Where such figure appears to be excessive, analyze the underlying assumptions to determine whether a
potential conflict exists.
|
◾
|
Governance - Will the combined company have a better or worse governance profile than the
current governance profiles of the respective parties to the transaction? If the governance profile is to change for the worse, the burden is on the company to prove that other issues (such as valuation) outweigh any deterioration in
governance.
|
1.
|
Maintain appropriate pay-for-performance alignment, with emphasis on long-term shareholder value: This principle encompasses overall executive pay practices, which must be designed to
attract, retain, and appropriately motivate the key employees who drive shareholder value creation over the long term. It will take into consideration, among other factors, the link between pay and performance; the mix between fixed and
variable pay; performance goals; and equity-based plan costs;
|
2.
|
Avoid arrangements that risk “pay for failure”: This principle addresses the appropriateness of long or indefinite contracts, excessive severance packages, and guaranteed
compensation;
|
3.
|
Maintain an independent and effective compensation committee: This principle promotes oversight of executive pay programs by directors with appropriate skills, knowledge, experience,
and a sound process for compensation decision-making (e.g., including access to independent expertise and advice when needed);
|
4.
|
Provide shareholders with clear, comprehensive compensation disclosures: This principle underscores the importance of informative and timely disclosures that enable shareholders to
evaluate executive pay practices fully and fairly;
|
5.
|
Avoid inappropriate pay to non-executive directors: This principle recognizes the interests of shareholders in ensuring that compensation to outside directors is reasonable and does
not compromise their independence and ability to make appropriate judgments in overseeing managers’ pay and performance. At the market level, it may incorporate a variety of generally accepted best practices.
|
|
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on ballot items related to executive pay and
practices, as well as certain aspects of outside director compensation.
|
◾
|
There is an unmitigated misalignment between CEO pay and company performance (pay for performance);
|
◾
|
The company maintains significant problematic pay practices;
|
◾
|
The board exhibits a significant level of poor communication and responsiveness to shareholders.
|
◾
|
There is no SOP on the ballot, and an against vote on an SOP would otherwise be warranted due to pay-for-performance misalignment, problematic pay
practices, or the lack of adequate responsiveness on compensation issues raised previously, or a combination thereof;
|
◾
|
The board fails to respond adequately to a previous SOP proposal that received less than 70 percent support of votes cast;
|
◾
|
The company has recently practiced or approved problematic pay practices, such as option repricing or option backdating; or
|
◾
|
The situation is egregious.
|
1.
|
Peer Group12 Alignment:
|
◾
|
The degree of alignment between the company's annualized TSR rank and the CEO's annualized total pay rank within a peer group, each measured over
a three-year period.
|
◾
|
The rankings of CEO total pay and company financial performance within a peer group, each measured over a three-year period.
|
◾
|
The multiple of the CEO's total pay relative to the peer group median in the most recent fiscal year.
|
2.
|
Absolute Alignment13 – the absolute alignment between the trend in CEO pay and
company TSR over the prior five fiscal years – i.e., the difference between the trend in annual pay changes and the trend in annualized TSR during the period.
|
◾
|
The ratio of performance- to time-based incentive awards;
|
◾
|
The overall ratio of performance-based compensation to fixed or discretionary pay;
|
◾
|
The rigor of performance goals;
|
◾
|
The complexity and risks around pay program design;
|
◾
|
The transparency and clarity of disclosure;
|
◾
|
The company's peer group benchmarking practices;
|
◾
|
Financial/operational results, both absolute and relative to peers;
|
◾
|
Special circumstances related to, for example, a new CEO in the prior FY or anomalous equity grant practices (e.g., bi-annual awards);
|
◾
|
Realizable pay14 compared to grant pay; and
|
◾
|
Any other factors deemed relevant.
|
◾
|
Problematic practices related to non-performance-based compensation elements;
|
◾
|
Incentives that may motivate excessive risk-taking or present a windfall risk; and
|
◾
|
Pay decisions that circumvent pay-for-performance, such as options backdating or waiving performance requirements.
|
◾
|
Repricing or replacing of underwater stock options/SARs without prior shareholder approval (including cash buyouts and voluntary surrender of
underwater options);
|
◾
|
Extraordinary perquisites or tax gross-ups;
|
◾
|
New or materially amended agreements that provide for:
|
◾
|
Excessive termination or CIC severance payments (generally exceeding 3 times base salary and average/target/most recent bonus);
|
◾
|
CIC severance payments without involuntary job loss or substantial diminution of duties ("single" or "modified single" triggers) or in connection
with a problematic Good Reason definition;
|
◾
|
CIC excise tax gross-up entitlements (including "modified" gross-ups);
|
◾
|
Multi-year guaranteed awards that are not at risk due to rigorous performance conditions;
|
◾
|
Liberal CIC definition combined with any single-trigger CIC benefits;
|
◾
|
Insufficient executive compensation disclosure by externally-managed issuers (EMIs) such that a reasonable assessment of pay programs and
practices applicable to the EMI's executives is not possible;
|
◾
|
Any other provision or practice deemed to be egregious and present a significant risk to investors.
|
◾
|
Reason and motive for the options backdating issue, such as inadvertent vs. deliberate grant date changes;
|
◾
|
Duration of options backdating;
|
◾
|
Size of restatement due to options backdating;
|
◾
|
Corrective actions taken by the board or compensation committee, such as canceling or re-pricing backdated options, the recouping of option gains
on backdated grants; and
|
◾
|
Adoption of a grant policy that prohibits backdating and creates a fixed grant schedule or window period for equity grants in the future.
|
◾
|
Failure to respond to majority-supported shareholder proposals on executive pay topics; or
|
◾
|
Failure to adequately respond to the company's previous say-on-pay proposal that received the support of less than 70 percent of votes cast,
taking into account:
|
◾
|
Disclosure of engagement efforts with major institutional investors, including the frequency and timing of engagements and the company
participants (including whether independent directors participated);
|
◾
|
Disclosure of the specific concerns voiced by dissenting shareholders that led to the say-on-pay opposition;
|
◾
|
Disclosure of specific and meaningful actions taken to address shareholders' concerns;
|
◾
|
Other recent compensation actions taken by the company;
|
◾
|
Whether the issues raised are recurring or isolated;
|
◾
|
The company's ownership structure; and
|
◾
|
Whether the support level was less than 50 percent, which would warrant the highest degree of responsiveness.
|
|
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on certain equity-based compensation plans15 depending on a combination of certain plan features and equity grant practices, where positive factors may counterbalance negative factors, and vice versa, as
evaluated using an "Equity Plan Scorecard" (EPSC) approach with three pillars:
|
◾
|
Plan Cost: The total estimated cost of the
company’s equity plans relative to industry/market cap peers, measured by the company's estimated Shareholder Value Transfer (SVT) in relation to peers and considering both:
|
◾
|
SVT based on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants, plus outstanding unvested/unexercised grants; and
|
◾
|
SVT based only on new shares requested plus shares remaining for future grants.
|
◾
|
Plan Features:
|
◾
|
Quality of disclosure around vesting upon a change in control (CIC);
|
◾
|
Discretionary vesting authority;
|
◾
|
Liberal share recycling on various award types;
|
◾
|
Lack of minimum vesting period for grants made under the plan;
|
◾
|
Dividends payable prior to award vesting.
|
◾
|
Grant Practices:
|
◾
|
The company’s three-year burn rate relative to its industry/market cap peers;
|
◾
|
Vesting requirements in CEO's recent equity grants (3-year look-back);
|
◾
|
The estimated duration of the plan (based on the sum of shares remaining available and the new shares requested, divided by the average annual
shares granted in the prior three years);
|
◾
|
The proportion of the CEO's most recent equity grants/awards subject to performance conditions;
|
◾
|
Whether the company maintains a sufficient claw-back policy;
|
◾
|
Whether the company maintains sufficient post-exercise/vesting share-holding requirements.
|
◾
|
Awards may vest in connection with a liberal change-of-control definition;
|
◾
|
The plan would permit repricing or cash buyout of underwater options without shareholder approval (either by expressly permitting it – for NYSE
and Nasdaq listed companies – or by not prohibiting it when the company has a history of repricing – for non-listed companies);
|
◾
|
The plan is a vehicle for problematic pay practices or a significant pay-for-performance disconnect under certain circumstances;
|
◾
|
The plan is excessively dilutive to shareholders' holdings;
|
◾
|
The plan contains an evergreen (automatic share replenishment) feature; or
|
◾
|
Any other plan features are determined to have a significant negative impact on shareholder interests.
|
|
General Recommendation: Generally vote case-by-case, examining primarily whether implementation of the proposal is likely to enhance or protect shareholder value. The following factors will be
considered:
|
◾
|
If the issues presented in the proposal are more appropriately or effectively dealt with through legislation or government regulation;
|
◾
|
If the company has already responded in an appropriate and sufficient manner to the issue(s) raised in the proposal;
|
◾
|
Whether the proposal's request is unduly burdensome (scope or timeframe) or overly prescriptive;
|
◾
|
The company's approach compared with any industry standard practices for addressing the issue(s) raised by the proposal;
|
◾
|
Whether there are significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's environmental or social practices;
|
◾
|
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether reasonable and sufficient information is currently available to shareholders from the company or from other
publicly available sources; and
|
◾
|
If the proposal requests increased disclosure or greater transparency, whether implementation would reveal proprietary or confidential information that could place the company at a
competitive disadvantage.
|
|
General Recommendation: Generally vote for resolutions requesting that a company disclose information on the financial, physical, or regulatory risks it faces related to climate change on its
operations and investments or on how the company identifies, measures, and manages such risks, considering:
|
◾
|
Whether the company already provides current, publicly-available information on the impact that climate change may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures
to address related risks and/or opportunities;
|
◾
|
The company's level of disclosure compared to industry peers; and
|
◾
|
Whether there are significant controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's climate change-related performance.
|
◾
|
The company already discloses current, publicly-available information on the impacts that GHG emissions may have on the company as well as associated company policies and procedures to
address related risks and/or opportunities;
|
◾
|
The company's level of disclosure is comparable to that of industry peers; and
|
◾
|
There are no significant, controversies, fines, penalties, or litigation associated with the company's GHG emissions.
|
◾
|
Whether the company provides disclosure of year-over-year GHG emissions performance data;
|
◾
|
Whether company disclosure lags behind industry peers;
|
◾
|
The company's actual GHG emissions performance;
|
◾
|
The company's current GHG emission policies, oversight mechanisms, and related initiatives; and
|
◾
|
Whether the company has been the subject of recent, significant violations, fines, litigation, or controversy related to GHG emissions.
|
|
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on requests for reports on a company's pay data by gender or race/ ethnicity, or a report on a company’s policies and goals to reduce any gender or
race/ethnicity pay gaps, taking into account:
|
◾
|
The company's current policies and disclosure related to both its diversity and inclusion policies and practices and its compensation philosophy on fair and equitable compensation practices;
|
◾
|
Whether the company has been the subject of recent controversy, litigation, or regulatory actions related to gender, race, or ethnicity pay gap issues;
|
◾
|
The company’s disclosure regarding gender, race, or ethnicity pay gap policies or initiatives compared to its industry peers; and
|
◾
|
Local laws regarding categorization of race and/or ethnicity and definitions of ethnic and/or racial minorities.
|
|
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on requests for a report on a company’s use of mandatory arbitration on employment-related claims, taking into account:
|
◾
|
The company's current policies and practices related to the use of mandatory arbitration agreements on workplace claims;
|
◾
|
Whether the company has been the subject of recent controversy, litigation, or regulatory actions related to the use of mandatory arbitration agreements on workplace claims; and
|
◾
|
The company's disclosure of its policies and practices related to the use of mandatory arbitration agreements compared to its peers.
|
|
General Recommendation: Vote case-by-case on requests for a report on company actions taken to strengthen policies and oversight to prevent workplace sexual harassment, or a report on risks posed
by a company’s failure to prevent workplace sexual harassment, taking into account:
|
◾
|
The company's current policies, practices, oversight mechanisms related to preventing workplace sexual harassment;
|
◾
|
Whether the company has been the subject of recent controversy, litigation, or regulatory actions related to workplace sexual harassment issues; and
|
◾
|
The company's disclosure regarding workplace sexual harassment policies or initiatives compared to its industry peers.
|
Portfolio Managers
|
Registered Investment Companies
|
Other Pooled Investment Vehicles
|
Other Accounts
|
|
Thomas B. Winmill
|
Number:
|
3
|
N/A
|
7
|
Total Assets (millions):
|
$50
|
N/A
|
$25
|
(a)
|
The registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a- 3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as
amended (the "1940 Act")), are effective as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report that includes the disclosure required by this paragraph, based on their evaluation of the disclosure controls and procedures
required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act and Rule 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
|
||
|
|
||
(b)
|
There were no changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting (as defined in
Rule 30a-3(d) under the 1940 Act) that occurred during the registrant's second fiscal quarter of the period covered by the report that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's
internal control over financial reporting.
|
(a)
|
No income was received by the registrant from securities lending activities in the period covered by this report. The registrant does not have a securities lending agent.
|
||
(b)
|
The registrant does not have a securities lending agent.
|
(a)(1)
|
Not applicable.
|
||
|
|
||
(a)(2)
|
|||
|
|
||
(b) | Certifications pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 attached hereto as Exhibit 99.906 CERT. |
Dividend and Income Fund
|
|
March 3, 2021
|
By: /s/ Thomas B. Winmill
|
Thomas B. Winmill, President
|
|
Dividend and Income Fund
|
|
March 3, 2021
|
By: /s/ Thomas O’Malley
|
Thomas O’Malley, Chief Financial Officer
|
|
Dividend and Income Fund
|
|
March 3, 2021
|
By: /s/ Thomas B. Winmill
|
Thomas B. Winmill, President
|
|
Dividend and Income Fund
|
|
March 3, 2021
|
By: /s/ Thomas O’Malley
|
Thomas O’Malley, Chief Financial Officer
|
1 Year Dividend and Income Chart |
1 Month Dividend and Income Chart |
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