Certified Semi-annual Shareholder Report for Management Investment Companies (n-csrs)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM N-CSR

CERTIFIED SHAREHOLDER REPORT OF REGISTERED

MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES

Investment Company Act file number 811-23102

Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

Nuveen Investments

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code)

Gifford R. Zimmerman

Nuveen Investments

333 West Wacker Drive

Chicago, IL 60606

(Name and address of agent for service)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: [phone]

Date of fiscal year end: May 31

Date of reporting period: November 30, 2019

Form N-CSR is to be used by management investment companies to file reports with the Commission not later than 10 days after the transmission to stockholders of any report that is required to be transmitted to stockholders under Rule 30e-1 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (17 CFR 270.30e-1). The Commission may use the information provided on Form N-CSR in its regulatory, disclosure review, inspection, and policymaking roles.

A registrant is required to disclose the information specified by Form N-CSR, and the Commission will make this information public. A registrant is not required to respond to the collection of information contained in Form N-CSR unless the Form displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”) control number. Please direct comments concerning the accuracy of the information collection burden estimate and any suggestions for reducing the burden to Secretary, Securities and Exchange Commission, 450 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20549-0609. The OMB has reviewed this collection of information under the clearance requirements of 44 U.S.C. ss. 3507.

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ITEM 1. REPORTS TO STOCKHOLDERS.

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NOT FDIC INSURED MAY LOSE
VALUE NO BANK GUARANTEE

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Table of Contents

Chair’s Letter to Shareholders	4
Portfolio Managers’ Comments	5
Common Share Information	7
Risk Considerations and Investment Policy Updates	9
Performance Overview and Holding Summaries	10
Portfolio of Investments	12
Statement of Assets and Liabilities	20
Statement of Operations	21
Statement of Changes in Net Assets	22
Financial Highlights	24
Notes to Financial Statements	26
Additional Fund Information	32
Glossary of Terms Used in this Report	33
Reinvest Automatically, Easily and Conveniently	35

 

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Table of Contents

Chair’s Letter
to Shareholders

Dear Shareholders,

Financial markets finished 2019 on a high note, despite the challenges of a weak start to the year, a slower global economy and heightened geopolitical risks. While global manufacturing languished, consumers remained resilient amid tight labor markets, growing wages and tame inflation. Global business sentiment, however, was less optimistic due to trade frictions and weaker global demand, and across advanced economies, growth in corporate profits and earnings was subdued in 2019. Nevertheless, the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) pivot to easing monetary conditions, along with liquidity provided by other central banks around the world, provided confidence that the economic cycle could be extended. Additionally, the year ended with a reduction in trade tensions and Brexit uncertainty, although the direction of policy and sentiment from here remains difficult to predict.

While we continue to anticipate muted economic growth and increased market volatility, we note that recession fears appear to have receded. The U.S. economy held steady in the third quarter, and fourth quarter economic indicators have provided upside surprises. Consumer confidence remains underpinned by low unemployment and modest wage growth. Looser financial conditions, in part driven by the Fed’s three interest rate cuts in 2019, have revived momentum in the housing market and should continue to encourage borrowing by consumers and businesses. Outside the U.S., Germany avoided a recession in the second half of 2019 and other eurozone economic indicators are pointing to stabilization and improving sentiment. Consumer spending in Europe and Japan, like in the U.S., has remained supported by jobs growth and rising wages.

At Nuveen, we still see investment opportunities in the maturing economic environment, but we are taking a selective approach. If you’re concerned about where the markets are headed from here, we encourage you to work with your financial advisor to review your time horizon, risk tolerance and investment goals. On behalf of the other members of the Nuveen Fund Board, we look forward to continuing to earn your trust in the months and years ahead.

Sincerely,

Terence J. Toth
Chair of the Board
January 21, 2020

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Table of Contents

Portfolio Managers’ Comments

Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund (NHA)

This Fund features portfolio management by Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (NAM), an affiliate of Nuveen, LLC. Portfolio managers John V. Miller, CFA, and Steven M. Hlavin discuss key investment strategies and the six-month performance of NHA. John and Steve have managed NHA since its inception in 2016.

What key strategies were used to manage the Fund during the six-month reporting period ended November 30, 2019?

The Fund invests in a portfolio of primarily municipal securities, the income from which is exempt from regular U.S. federal income tax. At least 65% of its managed assets are invested in low- to medium-quality municipal securities that, at the time of investment, are rated BBB/Baa or lower or unrated but judged by the portfolio managers to be of comparable quality. The Fund does not invest in securities rated CCC+/Caa1 or lower, or unrated but judged by the portfolio managers to be of comparable quality, nor does it invest in defaulted or distressed securities at the time of investment. No more than 25% will be in any one sector, no more than 5% in any one issuer and no more than 10% in tobacco settlement bonds. Up to 20% may be invested in securities that pay interest that is taxable under the federal alternative minimum tax applicable to individuals (AMT bonds).

The Fund seeks to identify municipal securities across diverse sectors and industries that the managers believe are underrated or undervalued. In seeking to return the original NAV on or about March 1, 2021, the Fund intends to utilize various portfolio and cash-flow management techniques, including setting aside a portion of its net investment income, possibly retaining gains and limiting the longest maturity of any holding to no later than September 1, 2021.

As of the end of the reporting period, NHA’s maturity profile was structured with approximately 60% of the portfolio invested in bonds maturing in 2021, 35% maturing in 2020 and the balance in cash to be reinvested. As we continue to seek bonds that may be appropriate for the Fund, to the extent possible, we’ll focus on buying 2021 maturities while looking to sell the earlier maturities first, to continue to reduce the Fund’s interest rate sensitivity as the Fund approaches its term date. The Fund’s credit quality and sector positioning remained in line with Nuveen’s ongoing strategic emphasis on lower rated (including below investment grade) credits and sectors offering higher yields. The Fund’s portfolio turnover was relatively muted in this reporting period as we found opportunities to buy bonds maturing in 2020 and 2021, to reinvest the small amount of proceeds from maturing and called bonds and sinking fund payments. We added eight bonds to the portfolio in this reporting period with maturity dates ranging from August 2020 to September 2021.

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This material is not intended to be a recommendation or investment advice, does not constitute a solicitation to buy, sell or hold a security or an investment strategy and is not provided in a fiduciary capacity. The information provided does not take into account the specific objectives or circumstances of any particular investor, or suggest any specific course of action. Investment decisions should be made based on an investor’s objectives and circumstances and in consultation with his or her advisors.

Certain statements in this report are forward-looking statements. Discussions of specific investments are for illustration only and are not intended as recommendations of individual investments. The forward-looking statements and other views expressed herein are those of the portfolio managers as of the date of this report. Actual future results or occurrences may differ significantly from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, and the views expressed herein are subject to change at any time, due to numerous market and other factors. The Fund disclaims any obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or views expressed herein.

The ratings disclosed are the lowest rating given by one of the following national rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s Group (S&P), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (Moody’s) or Fitch, Inc. (Fitch). Credit ratings are subject to change. AAA, AA, A and BBB are investment grade ratings, while BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D are below investment grade ratings. Holdings designated N/R are not rated by these national rating agencies.

Bond insurance guarantees only the payment of principal and interest on the bond when due, and not the value of the bonds themselves, which will fluctuate with the bond market and the financial success of the issuer and the insurer. Insurance relates specifically to the bonds in the portfolio and not to the share prices of a Fund. No representation is made as to the insurers’ ability to meet their commitments.

Refer to the Glossary of Terms Used in this Report for further definition of the terms used within this section.

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Table of Contents

Portfolio Managers’ Comments (continued)

How did the Fund perform during the six-month reporting period ended November 30, 2019?

The table in the Fund’s Performance Overview and Holding Summaries section of this report provides the Fund’s total returns for the six-month, one-year and since-inception periods ended November 30, 2019. The Fund’s total returns at common share net asset value (NAV) are compared with the performance of a corresponding market index.

For the six months ended November 30, 2019, the total returns at common share NAV for NHA underperformed the return for the S&P Short Duration Municipal Yield Index.

Virtually all of the Fund’s underperformance relative to the benchmark is attributable to the Fund’s significantly shorter duration. As NHA approaches its 2021 target term date, the portfolio’s duration has naturally drifted lower, whereas the benchmark continuously rebalances to maintain its duration target. NHA’s duration has now declined to 2.5 years shorter than the benchmark’s duration. With short-term interest rates falling (and bond prices rising) over this reporting period, the Fund benefited less than the index from the drop in rates. As expected, the best performing bonds in the portfolio on an absolute basis were the longest dated bonds, i.e., those maturing in late-2021. However, these longer bonds on average still underperformed the benchmark given the bonds’ relatively shorter durations.

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Table of Contents

Common Share Information

COMMON SHARE DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION

The following information regarding the Fund’s distributions is current as of November 30, 2019. The Fund’s distribution levels may vary over time based on its investment activity and portfolio investment value changes.

During the current reporting period, the Fund’s distributions to common shareholders were as shown in the accompanying table.

	Per Common
Monthly Distributions (Ex-Dividend Date)	Share Amounts
June 2019	$0.0150
July	0.0150
August	0.0150
September	0.0150
October	0.0150
November 2019	0.0150
Total Distributions from Net Investment Income	$0.0900
Yields
Market Yield*	1.85%
Taxable-Equivalent Yield*	3.10%

*

Market Yield is based on the Fund’s current annualized monthly dividend divided by the Fund’s current market price as of the end of the reporting period. Taxable-Equivalent Yield represents the yield that must be earned on a fully taxable investment in order to equal the yield of the Fund on an after-tax basis. It is based on a federal income tax rate of 40.8%. The Taxable-Equivalent Yield also takes into account the percentage of the Fund’s income generated and paid by the Fund (based on payments made during the previous calendar year) that was not exempt from federal income tax. Separately, if the comparison were instead to investments that generate qualified dividend income, which is taxable at a rate lower than an individual’s ordinary graduated tax rate, the fund’s Taxable-Equivalent Yield would be lower.

 

The Fund seeks to pay regular monthly dividends out of its net investment income at a rate that reflects its past and projected net income performance. To permit the Fund to maintain a more stable monthly dividend, the Fund may pay dividends at a rate that may be more or less than the amount of net income actually earned by the Fund during the period. Distributions to common shareholders are determined on a tax basis, which may differ from amounts recorded in the accounting records. In instances where the monthly dividend exceeds the earned net investment income, the Fund would report a negative undistributed net ordinary income. Refer to Note 6 – Income Tax Information for additional information regarding the amounts of undistributed net ordinary income and undistributed net long-term capital gains and the character of the actual distributions paid by the Fund during the period.

All monthly dividends paid by the Fund during the current reporting period were paid from net investment income. If a portion of the Fund’s monthly distributions is sourced or comprised of elements other than net investment income, including capital gains and/or a return of capital, shareholders will be notified of those sources. For financial reporting purposes, the per share amounts of the Fund’s distributions for the reporting period are presented in this report’s Financial Highlights. For income tax purposes, distribution information for the Fund as of its most recent tax year end is presented in Note 6 – Income Tax Information within the Notes to Financial Statements of this report.

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Table of Contents

Common Share Information (continued)

CHANGE IN METHOD OF PUBLISHING NUVEEN CLOSED-END FUND DISTRIBUTION AMOUNTS

During November 2019, the Nuveen Closed-End Funds discontinued the practice of announcing Fund distribution amounts and timing via press release. Instead, information about the Nuveen Closed-End Funds’ monthly and quarterly periodic distributions to shareholders are posted and can be found on Nuveen’s enhanced closed-end fund resource page, which is at www.nuveen.com/closed-end-fund-distributions, along with other Nuveen closed-end fund product updates. Shareholders can expect regular distribution information to be posted on www.nuveen.com on the first business day of each month. To ensure that our shareholders have timely access to the latest information, a subscribe function can be activated at this link here, or at this web page (www.nuveen.com/en-us/people/about-nuveen/for-the-media).

COMMON SHARE REPURCHASES

During August 2019, the Fund’s Board of Trustees reauthorized an open-market share repurchase program, allowing the Fund to repurchase an aggregate of up to approximately 10% of its outstanding shares.

As of November 30, 2019, and since the inception of the Fund’s repurchase program, the Fund has cumulatively repurchased and retired its common shares as shown in the accompanying table.

	NHA
Common shares cumulatively repurchased and retired	0
Common shares authorized for repurchase	860,000

 

During the current reporting, the Fund did not repurchase any of its outstanding common shares.

OTHER COMMON SHARE INFORMATION

As of November 30, 2019, and during the current reporting period, the Fund’s common share price was trading at a premium/(discount) to its common share NAV as shown in the accompanying table.

	NHA
Common share NAV	$9.90
Common share price	$9.74
Premium/(Discount) to NAV	(1.62)%
6-Month average premium/(discount) to NAV	(1.52)%

 

The Fund has an investment objective to return $9.85 (the original net asset value following the Fund’s initial public offering (the “Original NAV”)) to common shareholders on or about the end of the Fund’s term. There can be no assurance that the Fund will be able to return the Original NAV to shareholders, and such return is not backed or otherwise guaranteed by the Fund’s investment adviser, Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), or any other entity.

The Fund’s ability to return Original NAV to common shareholders on or about the termination date will depend on market conditions and the success of various portfolio and cash flow management techniques. The Fund currently intends to set aside and retain in its net assets a portion of its net investment income and possibly all or a portion of its gains. This will reduce the amounts otherwise available for distribution prior to the liquidation of the Fund, and the Fund may incur taxes on such retained amount, which will reduce the overall amounts that the Fund would have otherwise been able to distribute. Such retained income or gains, net of any taxes, would constitute a portion of the liquidating distribution returned to investors at the end of the Fund’s term. In addition, the Fund’s investment in shorter term and lower yielding securities, especially as the Fund nears the end of its term, may reduce investment income and, therefore, the monthly dividends during the period prior to termination. Investors that purchase common shares in the secondary market (particularly if their purchase price differs meaningfully from the Original NAV) may receive more or less than their original investment.

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Table of Contents

Risk Considerations and Investment Policy Updates

Fund shares are not guaranteed or endorsed by any bank or other insured depository institution, and are not federally insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund (NHA)

Investing in closed-end funds involves risk; principal loss is possible. There is no guarantee the Fund’s investment objectives will be achieved. Closed-end fund shares may frequently trade at a discount or premium to their net asset value. Debt or fixed income securities, such as those held by the Fund, are subject to market risk, credit risk, interest rate risk, derivatives risk, liquidity risk, and income risk. As interest rates rise, bond prices fall. Lower credit debt securities may be more likely to fail to make timely interest or principal payments. For these and other risks, including the Fund’s limited term and inverse floater risk, see the Fund’s web page at www.nuveen.com/NHA.

Investment Policy Updates

Change in Investment Policy

The Fund has recently adopted the following policy regarding limits to investments in illiquid securities:

While there are no such limits imposed by applicable regulations, certain Nuveen Closed-End Funds formerly had investment policies that placed limits on a Fund’s ability to invest in illiquid securities. All exchange-listed Nuveen Closed-End Funds now have no formal limit on their ability to invest in such illiquid securities, but the Fund’s portfolio management team will monitor such investments in the regular, overall management of the Fund’s portfolio securities.

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Table of Contents

NHA	Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund
	Performance Overview and Holding Summaries
	as of November 30, 2019

 

Refer to the Glossary of Terms Used in this Report for further definition of the terms used within this section.
Average Annual Total Returns as of November 30, 2019
	Cumulative	Average Annual
			Since
	6-Month	1-Year	Inception
NHA at Common Share NAV	1.12%	3.83%	2.25%
NHA at Common Share Price	2.40%	4.89%	1.44%
S&P Short Duration Municipal Yield Index	2.52%	7.52%	4.55%

 

Since inception returns are from 1/26/16. Past performance is not predictive of future results. Current performance may be higher or lower than the data shown. Returns do not reflect the deduction of taxes that shareholders may have to pay on Fund distributions or upon the sale of Fund shares. Returns at NAV are net of Fund expenses, and assume reinvestment of distributions. Comparative index return information is provided for the Fund’s shares at NAV only. Indexes are not available for direct investment.

Common Share Price Performance — Weekly Closing Price

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Table of Contents

This data relates to the securities held in the Fund’s portfolio of investments as of the end of the reporting period. It should not be construed as a measure of performance for the Fund itself. Holdings are subject to change.

The ratings disclosed are the lowest rating given by one of the following national rating agencies: Standard & Poor’s Group, Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. or Fitch, Inc. Credit ratings are subject to change. AAA, AA, A and BBB are investment grade ratings; BB, B, CCC, CC, C and D are below investment grade ratings. Holdings designated N/R are not rated by these national rating agencies.

Fund Allocation
(% of net assets)
Long-Term Municipal Bonds	97.7%
Other Asset Less Liabilities	2.3%
Net Assets	100%

 

Portfolio Credit Quality
(% of total investment exposure)
U.S. Guaranteed	1.7%
AA	9.3%
A	23.1%
BBB	23.8%
BB or Lower	27.0%
N/R (not rated)	15.1%
Total	100%

 

Portfolio Composition
(% of total investments)
Tax Obligation/Limited	27.2%
Tax Obligation/General	19.4%
Transportation	14.0%
Utilities	10.8%
Education and Civic Organizations	10.4%
Other	18.2%
Total	100%

 

States and Territories
(% of total investments)
Illinois	12.7%
New Jersey	12.5%
Pennsylvania	10.0%
California	9.2%
New York	8.8%
Florida	7.2%
Texas	5.7%
Wisconsin	3.9%
Virginia	3.3%
Ohio	3.3%
Alaska	2.9%
Indiana	2.8%
Other	17.7%
Total	100%

 

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Table of Contents

NHA	Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund
	Portfolio of Investments
	November 30, 2019 (Unaudited)

 

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS – 97.7%
		MUNICIPAL BONDS – 97.7%
		Alabama – 0.3%
$ 235		The Improvement District of the City of Mobile, Alabama, McGowin Park Project, Sales Tax	No Opt. Call	N/R	$ 236,600
		Revenue Bonds, Series 2016A, 4.000%, 8/01/20
		Alaska – 2.8%
1,000		Valdez, Alaska, Marine Terminal Revenue Bonds, BP Pipelines Inc Project, Refunding	No Opt. Call	A–	1,038,040
		Series 2003B, 5.000%, 1/01/21
1,325		Valdez, Alaska, Marine Terminal Revenue Bonds, BP Pipelines Inc Project, Refunding	No Opt. Call	A–	1,375,403
		Series 2003C, 5.000%, 1/01/21
2,325		Total Alaska			2,413,443
		Arizona – 2.1%
325		Goodyear Community Facilities Utilities District 1, Arizona, General Obligation Bonds,	No Opt. Call	A–	339,576
		Refunding Series 2016, 4.000%, 7/15/21
625		Pima County Industrial Development Authority, Arizona, Education Facility Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	642,631
		American Leadership Academy Project, Series 2019, 4.000%, 6/15/21, 144A
795		Pima County Industrial Development Authority, Arizona, Education Revenue Bonds, Arizona	No Opt. Call	Ba2	800,295
		Charter Schools Refunding Project, Series 2016R, 2.875%, 7/01/21
10		Salt Verde Financial Corporation, Arizona, Senior Gas Revenue Bonds, Citigroup Energy	No Opt. Call	BBB+	10,000
		Inc Prepay Contract Obligations, Series 2007, 5.250%, 12/01/19
1,755		Total Arizona			1,792,502
		Arkansas – 0.0%
15		Arkansas Development Finance Authority, Hospital Revenue Bonds, Washington Regional	No Opt. Call	Baa1	15,595
		Medical Center, Refunding Series 2015B, 5.000%, 2/01/21
		California – 9.0%
955		Antelope Valley Healthcare District, California, Revenue Bonds, Series 2016A,	No Opt. Call	Ba3	975,752
		5.000%, 3/01/21
85		California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, Revenue Bonds, The Walt Disney	No Opt. Call	A+	87,966
		Family Museum, Refunding Series 2016, 4.000%, 2/01/21
1,490		California School Finance Authority Charter School Revenue Notes, Inspire Charter	No Opt. Call	N/R	1,491,505
		Schools, Series 2019B, 3.000%, 7/15/20, 144A
		California School Finance Authority, California, Charter School Revenue Bonds, Aspire
		Public Schools, Refunding Series 2016:
550		5.000%, 8/01/20, 144A	No Opt. Call	BBB	562,419
500		5.000%, 8/01/21, 144A	No Opt. Call	BBB	527,155
730		California Statewide Communities Development Authority, Revenue Bonds, American Baptist	No Opt. Call	A–	751,849
		Homes of the West, Refunding Series 2015, 5.000%, 10/01/20
		California Statewide Communities Development Authority, Special Tax Bonds, Community
		Facilities District 2015-01, Improvement Area No 1, University District, Series 2016A:
260		2.000%, 9/01/20	No Opt. Call	N/R	260,822
265		2.125%, 9/01/21	No Opt. Call	N/R	266,834
235		California Statewide Communities Development Authority, Statewide Community	No Opt. Call	N/R	237,449
		Infrastructure Program Revenue Bonds, Series 2016A, 3.000%, 9/02/20
200		Cucamonga School District, San Bernardino County, California, Special Tax Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	204,716
		Community Facilities District 97-1, Series 2016, 3.000%, 9/01/21
305		Fresno, California, Airport Revenue Bonds, Refunding Series 2013B, 5.000%, 7/01/21 – BAM	No Opt. Call	AA	321,628
		Insured (AMT)

 

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Table of Contents

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		California (continued)
$ 50		Poway Unified School District, San Diego County, California, Special Tax Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	$ 52,161
		Community Facilities District 15 Del Sur East Improvement Area C, Series 2016, 4.000%, 9/01/21
700		Roseville, California, Special Tax Bonds, Community Facilities District 1 Hewlett	No Opt. Call	N/R	716,002
		Parkard Campus Oaks, Series 2016, 3.250%, 9/01/21
10		South Orange County Public Financing Authority, California, Special Tax Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	AA	10,286
		Ladera Ranch, Refunding Series 2014A, 5.000%, 8/15/20
995		Western Hills Water District, Stanislaus County, California, Special Tax Bonds, Diable	No Opt. Call	N/R	756,200
		Grande Community Facilities District 1, Refunding Series 2014, 4.000%, 9/01/21
420		Yuba City Redevelopment Agency, California, Tax Allocation Bonds, Redevelopment Project,	No Opt. Call	BBB+	423,309
		Refunding Series 2015, 2.000%, 9/01/21
7,750		Total California			7,646,053
		Colorado – 0.4%
230		E-470 Public Highway Authority, Colorado, Senior Revenue Bonds, Series 1997B, 0.000%,	No Opt. Call	A	224,703
		9/01/21 – NPFG Insured
116		Mountain Shadows Metropolitan District, Colorado, General Obligation Limited Tax Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	116,550
		Refunding Series 2016, 3.250%, 12/01/20
346		Total Colorado			341,253
		Connecticut – 0.4%
180		Stafford, Connecticut, General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018, 5.000%, 8/01/21 –	No Opt. Call	A1	191,275
		BAM Insured
125		University of Connecticut, General Obligation Bonds, Series 2013A, 5.000%, 8/15/21	No Opt. Call	A	132,968
305		Total Connecticut			324,243
		Florida – 7.0%
150		Bellagio Community Development District, Hialeah, Florida, Special Assessment Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BBB	150,741
		Series 2016, 2.250%, 11/01/20
135		Belmont Community Development District, Florida, Capital Improvement Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	135,799
		Series 2016A, 3.625%, 11/01/20
110		Bexley Community Development District, Pasco County, Florida, Special Assessment Revenue	No Opt. Call	N/R	110,766
		Bonds, Series 2016, 3.500%, 5/01/21
2,000		Broward County, Florida, Airport Facility Revenue Bonds, Learjet Inc, Series 2000,	12/19 at 100.00	Caa1	2,001,420
		7.500%, 11/01/20 (AMT)
36		Champion’s Reserve Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Revenue	No Opt. Call	N/R	36,280
		Bonds, Series 2016, 3.625%, 11/01/20
100		Creekside at Twin Creeks Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment	No Opt. Call	N/R	100,883
		Bonds, Area 1 Project, Series 2016A-1, 3.700%, 11/01/20
215		East Homestead Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Revenue	No Opt. Call	N/R	216,370
		Bonds, Refunding Series 2015, 3.750%, 5/01/20
700		Grand Bay at Doral Community Development District, Miami-Dade County, Florida, Special	No Opt. Call	N/R	705,250
		Assessment Bonds, South Parcel Assessment Area Project, Series 2016, 3.500%, 5/01/21
335		Live Oak Community Development District 2, Hillsborough County, Florida, Special	No Opt. Call	A–	335,322
		Assessment Bonds Refunding Series 2016, 2.000%, 5/01/21
160		Miromar Lakes Community Development District, Lee County, Florida, Capital Improvement	No Opt. Call	N/R	160,568
		Revenue Bonds, Refunding Series 2015, 3.500%, 5/01/20
15		Palm Beach County Health Facilities Authority, Florida, Hospital Revenue Bonds, BRCH	No Opt. Call	N/R (4)	15,559
		Corporation Obligated Group, Refunding Series 2014, 5.000%, 12/01/20 (ETM)
70		Palm Beach County Health Facilities Authority, Florida, Revenue Bonds, Lifespace	No Opt. Call	BBB	72,951
		Community Inc, Series 2015C, 5.000%, 5/15/21
505		Palm Glades Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Bonds, Refunding	No Opt. Call	A	509,631
		Series 2016, 2.250%, 5/01/21

 

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NHA	Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund
	Portfolio of Investments (continued)
	November 30, 2019 (Unaudited)

 

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		Florida (continued)
$ 275		Palm Glades Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Bonds, Refunding	No Opt. Call	BBB–	$ 277,255
		Series 2017, 3.500%, 5/01/21
215		Reunion East Community Development District, Osceola County, Florida, Special Assessment	No Opt. Call	N/R	216,694
		Bonds, Refunding Series 2015A, 4.000%, 5/01/20
105		Reunion West Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Bonds, Area 3	No Opt. Call	N/R	105,715
		Project, Series 2016, 3.625%, 11/01/20
		Rolling Hills Community Development District, Florida, Capital Improvement Revenue
		Bonds, Series 2015A-1:
65		4.300%, 5/01/20	No Opt. Call	N/R	64,877
70		4.600%, 5/01/21	No Opt. Call	N/R	69,602
105		Six Mile Creek Community Development District, Florida, Capital Improvement Revenue	No Opt. Call	N/R	105,785
		Bonds, Assessment Area 2, Series 2016, 3.750%, 11/01/20
140		South Fork III Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Revenue	No Opt. Call	N/R	140,883
		Bonds, Refunding Series 2016, 4.000%, 5/01/20
160		Tapestry Community Development District, Florida, Special Assessment Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	161,877
		Series 2016, 3.625%, 5/01/21
70		Union Park Community Development District, Florida, Capital Improvement Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	70,542
		Series 2016A-1, 3.750%, 11/01/20
105		Windsor at Westside Community Development District, Osceola County, Florida, Special	No Opt. Call	N/R	106,109
		Assessment Bonds, Area 2 Project, Series 2016, 3.500%, 11/01/20
130		Wiregrass Community Development District, Florida, Capital Improvement Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	130,549
		Series 2016, 3.625%, 5/01/21
5,971		Total Florida			6,001,428
		Georgia – 0.3%
275		Atlanta, Georgia, Tax Allocation Bonds, Eastside Project, Series 2016, 5.000%, 1/01/21 (ETM)	No Opt. Call	A2 (4)	286,426
		Guam – 1.0%
475		Guam Education Financing Foundation, Certificates of Participation, Guam Public School	No Opt. Call	BB	486,072
		Facilities Project, Refunding Series 2016A, 5.000%, 10/01/20
355		Guam Government Department of Education, Certificates of Participation, John F Kennedy	No Opt. Call	B+	358,554
		High School Project, Series 2010A, 6.000%, 12/01/20
830		Total Guam			844,626
		Illinois – 12.4%
255		Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University, Housing and Auxiliary Facilities	No Opt. Call	Baa2	253,256
		System Revenue Bonds, Series 1999A, 0.000%, 4/01/20 – NPFG Insured
75		Cary, Illinois, Special Tax Bonds, Special Service Area 2, Refunding Series 2016,	No Opt. Call	AA	75,036
		1.900%, 3/01/21 – BAM Insured
		Chicago Board of Education, Illinois, General Obligation Bonds, Dedicated Revenues,
		Refunding Series 2010F:
405		5.000%, 12/01/19 (ETM)	No Opt. Call	N/R (4)	405,000
1,565		5.000%, 12/01/19	No Opt. Call	B1	1,565,000
150		5.000%, 12/01/20	No Opt. Call	B1	154,453
1,000		Chicago Board of Education, Illinois, Unlimited Tax General Obligation Bonds, Dedicated	No Opt. Call	BB–	1,036,070
		Tax Revenues, Series 1999A, 5.250%, 12/01/20 – NPFG Insured
1,000		Chicago, Illinois, General Obligation Bonds, Project and Refunding Series 2003B,	No Opt. Call	Ba1	1,002,320
		5.000%, 1/01/20
800		Chicago, Illinois, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Series 2012C, 5.000%, 1/01/21	No Opt. Call	Ba1	832,272
		Chicago, Illinois, Motor Fuel Tax Revenue Bonds, Refunding Series 2014:
45		5.000%, 1/01/20	No Opt. Call	BB+	45,090
10		5.000%, 1/01/21	No Opt. Call	BB+	10,257
50		Chicago, Illinois, O’Hare Airport Customer Facility Charge Senior Lien Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BBB	50,144
		Series 2013A, 5.000%, 1/01/20

 

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Table of Contents

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		Illinois (continued)
$ 630		Cook County School District 87, Berkeley, Illinois, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding	No Opt. Call	A1	$ 640,672
		School Series 2012A, 3.000%, 12/01/20
300		Cook County, Illinois, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Series 2012C, 5.000%, 11/15/20	No Opt. Call	A2	309,834
620		Illinois Finance Authority, Revenue Bonds, Ascension Health/fkaPresence Health Network,	No Opt. Call	Aa2	647,900
		Series 2016C, 5.000%, 2/15/21
1,000		Illinois Finance Authority, Revenue Bonds, Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Series	No Opt. Call	A–	1,053,800
		2013A, 5.000%, 7/01/21
270		Illinois Finance Authority, Student Housing & Academic Facility Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BBB–	277,015
		CHF-Collegiate Housing Foundation – Chicago LLC University of Illinois at Chicago Project,
		Series 2017A, 4.000%, 2/15/21
315		Illinois Sports Facility Authority, State Tax Supported Bonds, Series 2001, 0.000%,	No Opt. Call	BBB–	311,888
		6/15/20 – AMBAC Insured
85		Illinois State, General Obligation Bonds, February Series 2014, 5.000%, 2/01/21	No Opt. Call	BBB–	88,130
635		Illinois State, General Obligation Bonds, January Series 2016, 5.000%, 1/01/21	No Opt. Call	BBB–	656,863
110		Illinois State, General Obligation Bonds, March Series 2012, 5.000%, 3/01/21	No Opt. Call	BBB–	114,295
105		Illinois State, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Series 2006, 5.000%, 1/01/21	No Opt. Call	BBB–	108,615
1,000		Winnebago-Boone Counties School District 205 Rockford, Illinois, General Obligation	No Opt. Call	A+	979,730
		Bonds, Series 2013, 0.000%, 2/01/21
10,425		Total Illinois			10,617,640
		Indiana – 2.7%
1,250		Indiana Finance Authority, Environmental Facilities Revenue Bonds, Indianapolis Power	No Opt. Call	A–	1,300,600
		and Light Company Project, Refunding Series 2011A, 3.875%, 8/01/21
1,000		Indiana Finance Authority, Environmental Improvement Revenue Bonds, United States Steel	No Opt. Call	B	1,000,000
		Corporation Project, Refunding Series 2011, 6.000%, 12/01/19
2,250		Total Indiana			2,300,600
		Iowa – 0.4%
350		Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa, Midwestern Disaster Area Revenue Bonds, Iowa Fertilizer	12/19 at 104.00	B–	364,424
		Company Project, Series 2016, 5.875%, 12/01/26, 144A
		Kentucky – 1.9%
1,535		Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, Revenue Bonds, Next Generation Kentucky	No Opt. Call	Baa2	1,603,645
		Information Highway Project, Senior Series 2015A, 5.000%, 7/01/21
		Louisiana – 0.0%
15		Louisiana Public Facilities Authority, Revenue Bonds, Ochsner Clinic Foundation Project,	No Opt. Call	A3	15,746
		Series 2015, 5.000%, 5/15/21
		Maine – 0.3%
265		Maine Health and Higher Educational Facilities Authority, Revenue Bonds, Maine General	No Opt. Call	Ba3	276,936
		Medical Center, Series 2011, 5.250%, 7/01/21
		Massachusetts – 0.1%
50		Massachusetts Development Finance Agency, Revenue Bonds, UMass Memorial Health, Series	No Opt. Call	BBB+	51,032
		2011H, 5.000%, 7/01/20
25		Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority, Revenue Bonds, UMass Memorial	7/20 at 100.00	BBB+	25,537
		Issue Series 2010G, 5.000%, 7/01/21
75		Total Massachusetts			76,569
		Michigan – 1.2%
500		Detroit Downtown Development Authority, Michigan, Tax Increment Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	AA	526,780
		Development Area 1 Projects, Series 2018B, 5.000%, 7/01/21 – AGM Insured
140		Detroit Downtown Development Authority, Michigan, Tax Increment Refunding Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BB+	131,559
		Development Area 1 Projects, Series 1996C-1, 0.000%, 7/01/21

 

15

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Table of Contents

NHA	Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund
	Portfolio of Investments (continued)
	November 30, 2019 (Unaudited)

 

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		Michigan (continued)
$ 325		Detroit Local Development Finance Authority, Michigan, Tax Increment Bonds, Senior Lien	12/19 at 100.00	B	$ 325,910
		Series 1997A, 5.375%, 5/01/21
965		Total Michigan			984,249
		Minnesota – 0.6%
		Red Wing, Minnesota Senior Housing Revenue Refunding Bonds, Deer Crest Project,
		Series 2012A:
105		3.750%, 5/01/20	No Opt. Call	N/R	105,785
105		3.750%, 11/01/20	No Opt. Call	N/R	106,736
70		Saint Cloud, Minnesota, Charter School Lease Revenue Bonds, Stride Academy Project,	No Opt. Call	N/R	47,600
		Series 2016A, 3.000%, 4/01/21
250		Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, Health Care Facilities Revenue Bonds, Mount Olivet Careview	No Opt. Call	N/R	249,635
		Home Project, Series 2016C, 2.250%, 6/01/21
530		Total Minnesota			509,756
		Mississippi – 0.4%
305		Pearl River County School District, Mississippi, General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018,	No Opt. Call	AA	318,280
		4.000%, 8/01/21 – BAM Insured
		Missouri – 1.8%
100		Branson Industrial Development Authority, Missouri, Tax Increment Revenue Bonds, Branson	No Opt. Call	N/R	100,653
		Shoppes Redevelopment Project, Refunding Series 2017A, 3.000%, 11/01/20
1,000		Kansas City Industrial Development Authority, Missouri, Downtown Redevelopment District	No Opt. Call	A1	1,065,570
		Revenue Bonds, Series 2011A, 5.000%, 9/01/21
325		Saint Louis County Industrial Development Authority, Missouri, Health Facilities Revenue	No Opt. Call	N/R	328,851
		Bonds, Nazareth Living Center, Series 2015A, 4.000%, 8/15/20
1,425		Total Missouri			1,495,074
		Nevada – 1.1%
815		Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency, Nevada, Tax Increment Revenue Bonds, Refunding Series	No Opt. Call	BBB+	845,008
		2016, 4.000%, 6/15/21
125		North Las Vegas, Nevada, Local Improvement Bonds, Special Improvement District 64 Valley	No Opt. Call	N/R	127,154
		Vista, Series 2019, 3.500%, 6/01/21
940		Total Nevada			972,162
		New Hampshire – 1.0%
850		Manchester Housing and Redevelopment Authority, New Hampshire, Revenue Bonds, Series	No Opt. Call	B3	847,994
		2000B, 0.000%, 1/01/20 – RAAI Insured
		New Jersey – 12.2%
275		Bordentown , New Jersey, General Obligation Bonds, Series 2018, 3.000%, 8/01/21	No Opt. Call	AA	283,528
		New Jersey Building Authority, State Building Revenue Bonds, Refunding Series 2016A:
200		4.000%, 6/15/21 (ETM)	No Opt. Call	N/R (4)	208,576
300		4.000%, 6/15/21	No Opt. Call	BBB+	311,511
1,000		New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Cigarette Tax Revenue Refunding Bonds, Series	No Opt. Call	BBB+	1,051,220
		2012, 5.000%, 6/15/21
425		New Jersey Economic Development Authority, Private Activity Bonds, The Goethals Bridge	No Opt. Call	BBB	447,350
		Replacement Project, Series 2013, 5.000%, 7/01/21 (AMT)
1,000		New Jersey Economic Development Authority, School Facilities Construction Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BBB+	1,053,480
		Refunding Series 2015XX, 5.000%, 6/15/21
2,000		New Jersey Economic Development Authority, School Facilities Construction Financing	3/21 at 100.00	BBB+	2,086,960
		Program Bonds, Refunding Series 2011GG, 5.000%, 9/01/21
500		New Jersey Economic Development Authority, School Facilities Construction Financing	No Opt. Call	BBB+ (4)	523,265
		Program Bonds, Refunding Series 2012II, 5.000%, 3/01/21 (ETM)

 

16

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Table of Contents

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		New Jersey (continued)
$ 1,000		New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, Multifamily Conduit Revenue Bonds, Garden	8/20 at 100.00	AA+	$ 1,004,060
		Spires Urban Renewal Project, Series 2018A, 2.020%, 8/01/21 (Mandatory Put 8/01/20)
540		New Jersey State, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Series 2009O, 5.250%, 8/01/21	No Opt. Call	A–	575,948
1,000		New Jersey State, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Series 2016T, 5.000%, 6/01/21	No Opt. Call	A–	1,056,270
1,000		New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Transportation System Bonds, Refunding	No Opt. Call	BBB+	1,038,830
		Series 2006A, 5.250%, 12/15/20
780		New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority, Transportation System Bonds, Series	No Opt. Call	BBB+	794,656
		2011B, 5.000%, 6/15/20
10,020		Total New Jersey			10,435,654
		New York – 8.6%
200		Franklin County Solid Waste Management Authority, New York, Solid Waste Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BBB+	209,758
		Series 2015A, 5.000%, 6/01/21 (AMT)
1,000		New York City, New York, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Fiscal 2015 Series A,	No Opt. Call	AA	1,063,830
		5.000%, 8/01/21
		New York Transportation Development Corporation, New York, Special Facility Revenue
		Bonds, American Airlines, Inc John F Kennedy International Airport Project, Refunding
		Series 2016:
1,085		5.000%, 8/01/20 (AMT)	No Opt. Call	BB–	1,107,470
2,000		5.000%, 8/01/21 (AMT)	No Opt. Call	BB–	2,103,040
185		Niagara Tobacco Asset Securitization Corporation, New York, Tobacco Settlement	No Opt. Call	N/R	192,567
		Asset-Backed Bonds, Series 2014, 5.000%, 5/15/21
1,500		Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Public	No Opt. Call	AA	1,595,085
		Improvement Series 2014B, 5.000%, 8/15/21 – BAM Insured
1,000		TSASC Inc, New York, Tobacco Settlement Asset-Backed Bonds, Fiscal 2017 Series B,	No Opt. Call	BBB+	1,035,400
		5.000%, 6/01/21
6,970		Total New York			7,307,150
		North Carolina – 0.3%
225		Goldsboro, North Carolina, General Obligation Bonds, Street Improvement Series 2018,	No Opt. Call	AA	239,402
		5.000%, 8/01/21
		Ohio – 3.2%
1,000		Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, Ohio, Air Quality Development Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	882,500
		FirstEnergy Generation Corporation Project, Series 2009A, 5.700%, 8/01/20 (5)
1,400		Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, Ohio, Pollution Control Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	N/R	1,235,500
		FirstEnergy Nuclear Generation Project, Refunding Series 2008C, 3.950%, 11/01/32 (AMT)
		(Mandatory Put 5/01/20) (5)
400		Scioto County, Ohio, Hospital Facilities Revenue Bonds, Southern Ohio Medical Center,	No Opt. Call	A3	416,628
		Refunding Series 2016, 5.000%, 2/15/21
205		Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, Ohio, Student Housing Revenue Bonds, CHF-Toledo,	No Opt. Call	BBB–	213,622
		LLC – The University of Toledo Project, Series 2014A, 5.000%, 7/01/21
3,005		Total Ohio			2,748,250
		Pennsylvania – 9.7%
910		Bucks County Industrial Development Authority, Pennsylvania, Revenue Bonds, School Lane	No Opt. Call	BBB–	915,906
		Charter School Project, Series 2016, 3.125%, 3/15/21
375		Northeastern Pennsylvania Hospital and Education Authority, University Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	BBB	387,525
		Wilkes University Project, Refunding Series 2016A, 5.000%, 3/01/21
2,000		Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, Exempt Facilities Revenue	No Opt. Call	B3	2,033,900
		Refunding Bonds, PPL Energy Supply, LLC Project, Series 2009C, 5.000%, 12/01/37 (Mandatory
		Put 9/01/20)
1,000		Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Authority, Special Facilities Revenue Bonds,	No Opt. Call	B1	1,021,910
		US Airways Group Inc Project, Series 2010A, 7.500%, 5/01/20

 

17

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Table of Contents

NHA	Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund
	Portfolio of Investments (continued)
	November 30, 2019 (Unaudited)

 

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		Pennsylvania (continued)
$ 1,250		Pennsylvania State, General Obligation Bonds, First Refunding Series 2011-1,	No Opt. Call	A+	$ 1,325,425
		5.000%, 7/01/21
2,000		Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Turnpike Revenue Bonds, Refunding Subordinate Series	No Opt. Call	A3	2,109,480
		2016, 5.000%, 6/01/21
500		Scranton, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Series	No Opt. Call	BB+	524,025
		2017, 5.000%, 9/01/21, 144A
8,035		Total Pennsylvania			8,318,171
		Rhode Island – 0.5%
400		Providence Redevelopment Agency, Rhode Island, Revenue Bonds, Public Safety and	No Opt. Call	BBB	416,280
		Municipal Building Projects, Refunding Series 2015A, 5.000%, 4/01/21
		South Carolina – 0.3%
230		South Carolina State, General Obligation State Institution Bonds, University of South	No Opt. Call	AA+	241,111
		Carolina, Refunding Series 2011A, 5.000%, 3/01/21
		Tennessee – 2.2%
400		Memphis, Tennessee, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding General Improvement Series 2011,	No Opt. Call	AA	421,780
		5.000%, 5/01/21
300		Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County Health and Educational Facilities	No Opt. Call	BBB	308,676
		Board, Tennessee, Revenue Bonds, Lipscomb University, Refunding & Improvement Series 2016A,
		5.000%, 10/01/20
710		Tennessee Housing Development Agency, Homeownership Program Bonds, Series 2011-1A,	No Opt. Call	AA+	726,763
		4.125%, 1/01/21 (AMT)
260		The Tennessee Energy Acquisition Corporation, Gas Revenue Bonds, Series 2006A,	No Opt. Call	BBB+	276,273
		5.250%, 9/01/21
115		The Tennessee Energy Acquisition Corporation, Gas Revenue Bonds, Series 2006C,	No Opt. Call	Baa2	119,476
		5.000%, 2/01/21
1,785		Total Tennessee			1,852,968
		Texas – 5.6%
135		Brazos County, Texas, General Obligation Bonds, Refunding Limited Tax Series 2017,	No Opt. Call	AA	144,045
		5.000%, 9/01/21
65		Celina, Texas, Special Assessment Revenue Bonds, Glen Crossing Public Improvement	No Opt. Call	N/R	65,164
		District Phase 1 Project, Series 2016, 3.400%, 9/01/20
		Dallas County Schools, Texas, Public Property Finance Contractual Obligations, Series 2014:
234		2.564%, 6/01/20 (5)	No Opt. Call	B3	231,292
169		3.227%, 6/01/21 (5)	No Opt. Call	B3	167,769
1,000		Houston, Texas, Airport System Special Facilities Revenue Bonds, United Airlines Inc	No Opt. Call	BB	1,019,950
		Terminal Improvement Project, Refunding Series 2015B-2, 5.000%, 7/15/20 (AMT)
1,250		Houston, Texas, Airport System Special Facilities Revenue Bonds, United Airlines Inc	No Opt. Call	BB	1,276,262
		Terminal Improvement Project, Refunding Series 2015C, 5.000%, 7/15/20 (AMT)
110		La Marque, Galveston County, Texas, Tax and Revenue Certificates of Obligation, Series	No Opt. Call	AA–	117,213
		2018, 5.000%, 9/01/21
500		Mesquite Health Facilities Development Corporation, Texas, Retirement Facility Revenue	No Opt. Call	BB–	504,720
		Bonds, Christian Care Centers Inc, Refunding Series 2016, 5.000%, 2/15/21
175		Polk County, Texas, General Obligation Bonds, Series 2017, 4.000%, 8/15/21	No Opt. Call	A+	183,249
1,000		Texas Public Finance Authority, Revenue Bonds, Texas Southern University Financing	No Opt. Call	Baa3	1,030,620
		System, Refunding Series 2013, 5.000%, 11/01/20 – BAM Insured
4,638		Total Texas			4,740,284
		Utah – 0.0%
10		Utah Charter School Finance Authority, Charter School Revenue Bonds, Paradigm High	No Opt. Call	BB	10,165
		School, Series 2010A, 5.750%, 7/15/20

 

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Table of Contents

Principal			Optional Call
Amount (000)		Description (1)	Provisions (2)	Ratings (3)	Value
		Virgin Islands – 0.3%
$ 285		Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority, Electric System Revenue Bonds, Refunding	No Opt. Call	Caa2	$ 276,345
		Series 2012A, 4.000%, 7/01/21
		Virginia – 3.2%
1,255		Halifax County Industrial Development Authority, Virginia, Recovery Zone Facility	No Opt. Call	BBB+	1,262,593
		Revenue Bonds, Virginia Electric & Power Company Project, Series 2010A, 2.150%, 12/01/41
		(Mandatory Put 9/01/20)
1,000		Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, Virginia, Multi-Family Housing Revenue	12/19 at 100.00	N/R	1,000,060
		Bonds, American Tobacco Apartments, Series 2017, 3.125%, 7/01/20, 144A
500		Wise County Industrial Development Authority, Virginia, Solid Waste and Sewage Disposal	No Opt. Call	BBB+	503,025
		Revenue Bonds, Virginia Electric and Power Company, Series 2009A, 2.150%, 10/01/40
		(Mandatory Put 9/01/20)
2,755		Total Virginia			2,765,678
		Washington – 0.6%
520		Washington State Housing Finance Commission, Nonprofit Refunding Revenue Bonds, Wesley	No Opt. Call	N/R	522,922
		Homes at Lea Hill Project, Series 2016, 3.200%, 7/01/21, 144A
		Wisconsin – 3.8%
2,100		Glendale Community Development Authority, Wisconsin, Community Development Lease Revenue	9/20 at 100.00	A1	2,121,084
		Bonds, Tax Increment District 7, Refunding Series 2012, 2.600%, 9/01/21
1,000		Superior, Wisconsin, Limited Obligation Revenue Refunding Bonds, Midwest Energy	No Opt. Call	A	1,089,450
		Resources Company, Series 1991E, 6.900%, 8/01/21 – FGIC Insured
3,100		Total Wisconsin			3,210,534
$ 81,715		Total Long-Term Investments (cost $83,540,227)			83,370,158
		Other Assets Less Liabilities – 2.3%			1,959,433
		Net Assets Applicable to Common Shares – 100%			$ 85,329,591

 

(1)	All percentages shown in the Portfolio of Investments are based on net assets applicable to common shares unless otherwise noted.
(2)	Optional Call Provisions: Dates (month and year) and prices of the earliest optional call or redemption. There may be other call provisions at varying prices at later dates. Certain mortgage-backed securities may be subject to periodic principal paydowns.
(3)	The ratings disclosed are the lowest of Standard & Poor’s Group (“Standard & Poor’s”), Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”) or Fitch, Inc. (“Fitch”) rating. Ratings below BBB by Standard & Poor’s, Baa by Moody’s or BBB by Fitch are considered to be below investment grade. Holdings designated N/R are not rated by any of these national rating agencies.
(4)	Backed by an escrow or trust containing sufficient U.S. Government or U.S. Government agency securities, which ensure the timely payment of principal and interest.
(5)	Defaulted security. A security whose issuer has failed to fully pay principal and/or interest when due, or is under the protection of bankruptcy.
144A	Investment is exempt from registration under Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. These investments may only be resold in transactions exempt from registration, which are normally those transactions with qualified institutional buyers.
AMT	Alternative Minimum Tax
ETM	Escrowed to maturity
	See accompanying notes to financial statements.

 

19

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Table of Contents

Statement of Assets and Liabilities

November 30, 2019 (Unaudited)

Assets
Long-term investments, at value (cost $83,540,227)		$	83,370,158
Cash			663,734
Receivable for:
Interest			1,137,312
Investments sold			368,000
Other assets			881
Total assets			85,540,085
Liabilities
Payable for dividends			125,890
Accrued expenses:
Management fees			38,955
Custodian fees			10,330
Professional fees			14,412
Shareholder reporting expenses			10,679
Trustees fees			873
Other			9,355
Total liabilities			210,494
Net assets applicable to common shares		$	85,329,591
Common shares outstanding			8,622,711
Net asset value (“NAV”) per common share outstanding		$	9.90
Net assets applicable to common shares consist of:
Common shares, $0.01 par value per share		$	86,227
Paid-in surplus			84,526,223
Total distributable earnings			717,141
Net assets applicable to common shares		$	85,329,591
Authorized shares:
Common		Unlimited
Preferred		Unlimited

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

20

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Table of Contents

Statement of Operations

Six Months Ended November 30, 2019 (Unaudited)

Investment Income		$	1,212,337
Expenses
Management fees			237,946
Custodian fees			12,801
Trustees fees			1,158
Professional fees			14,772
Shareholder reporting expenses			13,176
Shareholder servicing agent fees			6,797
Stock exchange listing fees			3,442
Investor relations expenses			2,853
Other			5,025
Total expenses			297,970
Net investment income (loss)			914,367
Realized and Unrealized Gain (Loss)
Net realized gain (loss) from investments			(5,474	)
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments			(11,076	)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss)			(16,550	)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to common shares from operations		$	897,817

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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Statement of Changes in Net Assets

(Unaudited)

		Six Months				Year
		Ended				Ended
		11/30/19				5/31/19
Operations
Net investment income (loss)		$	914,367			$	1,973,753
Net realized gain (loss) from investments			(5,474	)			(31,162	)
Change in net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments			(11,076	)			1,154,673
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to common shares from operations			897,817				3,097,264
Distributions to Common Shareholders
Dividends			(776,044	)			(1,590,890	)
Decrease in net assets applicable to common shares from distributions to common shareholders			(776,044	)			(1,590,890	)
Net increase (decrease) in net assets applicable to common shares			121,773				1,506,374
Net assets applicable to common shares at the beginning of period			85,207,818				83,701,444
Net assets applicable to common shares at the end of period		$	85,329,591			$	85,207,818

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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Financial Highlights (Unaudited)

Selected data for a common share outstanding throughout each period:

						Investment Operations												Less Distributions to Common Shareholders												Common Share
		Beginning Common Share NAV				Net Investment Income (Loss)				Net Realized/ Unrealized Gain (Loss)				Total				From Net Investment Income				From Accumulated Net Realized Gains				Total				Offering Costs				Ending NAV				Ending Share Price
Year Ended 5/31:
2020(f)		$	9.88			$	0.11			$	—			$	0.11			$	(0.09	)		$	—			$	(0.09	)		$	—			$	9.90			$	9.74
2019			9.71				0.23				0.12				0.35				(0.18	)			—				(0.18	)			—				9.88				9.60
2018			9.70				0.25				(0.03	)			0.22				(0.21	)			—				(0.21	)			—				9.71				9.45
2017			9.91				0.26				(0.23	)			0.03				(0.24	)			—				(0.24	)			—				9.70				9.76
2016(e)			9.85				0.07				0.07				0.14				(0.06	)			—				(0.06	)			(0.02	)			9.91				9.95

		VMTP Shares at the End of Period
		Aggregate				Asset
		Amount				Coverage
		Outstanding				Per $100,000
			(000)			Share
Year Ended 5/31:
2020(f)		$	—			$	—
2019			—				—
2018			—				—
2017			28,300				395,466
2016(e)			28,300				401,661

 

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								Common Share Supplemental Data/ Ratios Applicable to Common Shares
Common Share Total Returns												Ratios to Average Net Assets(b)
				Based				Ending								Net
Based				on				Net								Investment				Portfolio
on				Share				Assets								Income				Turnover
NAV(a)				Price(a)					(000	)		Expenses(c)				(Loss)				Rate(d)
	1.12	%			2.40	%		$	85,330				0.70	%*			2.14	%*			4	%
	3.69				3.57				85,208				0.71				2.34				12
	2.32				(1.01	)			83,701				1.50				2.57				8
	0.32				0.53				83,617				1.53				2.68				18
	1.22				0.10				85,370				1.28	*			2.15	*			2

(a)	Total Return Based on Common Share NAV is the combination of changes in common share NAV, reinvested dividend income at NAV and reinvested capital gains distributions at NAV, if any. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending NAV. The actual reinvest price for the last dividend declared in the period may often be based on the Fund’s market price (and not its NAV), and therefore may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized.
	Total Return Based on Common Share Price is the combination of changes in the market price per share and the effect of reinvested dividend income and reinvested capital gains distributions, if any, at the average price paid per share at the time of reinvestment. The last dividend declared in the period, which is typically paid on the first business day of the following month, is assumed to be reinvested at the ending market price. The actual reinvestment for the last dividend declared in the period may take place over several days, and in some instances may not be based on the market price, so the actual reinvestment price may be different from the price used in the calculation. Total returns are not annualized.
(b)	Net Investment Income (Loss) ratios reflect income earned and expenses incurred on assets attributable to preferred shares issued by the Fund, where applicable.
(c)	The expense ratios reflect, among other things, all interest expense and other costs related to preferred shares where applicable, as follows:

Year Ended 5/31:
2020(f)			—	%
2019			—
2018			0.61
2017			0.60
2016(e)			0.34	*

(d)	Portfolio Turnover Rate is calculated based on the lesser of long-term purchases or sales (as disclosed in Note 4 – Portfolio Securities and Investments in Derivatives, Investment Transactions) divided by the average long-term market value during the period.
(e)	For the period January 26, 2016 (commencement of operations) through May 31, 2016.
(f)	For the six months ended November 30, 2019.
*	Annualized.

 

See accompanying notes to financial statements.

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Notes to

Financial Statements (Unaudited)

1. General Information

Fund Information

The fund covered in this report and its corresponding New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) symbol is Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund (NHA) (the “Fund”). The Fund is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), as a diversified, closed-end management investment company. The Fund was organized as a Massachusetts business trust on October 13, 2015.

The end of the reporting period for the Fund is November 30, 2019, and the period covered by these Notes to Financial Statements is for the six months ended November 30, 2019 (the “current fiscal period”).

Investment Adviser

The Fund’s investment adviser is Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC (the “Adviser”), a subsidiary of Nuveen, LLC (“Nuveen”). Nuveen is the investment management arm of Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America (TIAA). The Adviser has overall responsibility for management of the Fund, oversees the management of the Fund’s portfolio, manages the Fund’s business affairs and provides certain clerical, bookkeeping and other administrative services, and, if necessary, asset allocation decisions. The Adviser has entered into a sub-advisory agreement with Nuveen Asset Management, LLC (the “Sub-Adviser”), a subsidiary of the Adviser, under which the Sub-Adviser manages the investment portfolio of the Fund.

2. Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying financial statements were prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”), which may require the use of estimates made by management and the evaluation of subsequent events. Actual results may differ from those estimates. The Fund is an investment company and follows the accounting guidance in the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies. The net asset value (“NAV”) for financial reporting purposes may differ from the NAV for processing security and common share transactions. The NAV for financial reporting purposes includes security and common share transactions through the date of the report. Total return is computed based on the NAV used for processing security and common share transactions. The following is a summary of the significant accounting policies consistently followed by the Fund.

Compensation

The Fund pays no compensation directly to those of its trustees who are affiliated with the Adviser or to its officers, all of whom receive remuneration for their services to the Fund from the Adviser or its affiliates. The Fund’s Board of Trustees (the “Board”) has adopted a deferred compensation plan for independent trustees that enables trustees to elect to defer receipt of all or a portion of the annual compensation they are entitled to receive from certain Nuveen-advised funds. Under the plan, deferred amounts are treated as though equal dollar amounts had been invested in shares of select Nuveen-advised funds.

Distributions to Common Shareholders

Distributions to common shareholders are recorded on the ex-dividend date. The amount, character and timing of distributions are determined in accordance with federal income tax regulations, which may differ from U.S. GAAP.

Indemnifications

Under the Fund’s organizational documents, its officers and trustees are indemnified against certain liabilities arising out of the performance of their duties to the Fund. In addition, in the normal course of business, the Fund enters into contracts that provide general indemnifications to other parties. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred. However, the Fund has not had prior claims or losses pursuant to these contracts and expects the risk of loss to be remote.

Investments and Investment Income

Securities transactions are accounted for as of the trade date for financial reporting purposes. Realized gains and losses on securities transactions are based upon the specific identification method. Investment income is comprised of interest income, which reflects the amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts for financial reporting purposes, and is recorded on an accrual basis. Interest income also reflects payment-in-kind (“PIK”) interest and paydown gains and losses, if any. PIK interest represents income received in the form of securities in lieu of cash.

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Netting Agreements

In the ordinary course of business, the Fund may enter into transactions subject to enforceable International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. (ISDA) master agreements or other similar arrangements (“netting agreements”). Generally, the right to offset in netting agreements allows the Fund to offset certain securities and derivatives with a specific counterparty, when applicable, as well as any collateral received or delivered to that counterparty based on the terms of the agreements. Generally, the Fund manages its cash collateral and securities collateral on a counterparty basis.

The Fund’s investments subject to netting agreements as of the end of the reporting period, if any, are further described in Note 4 – Portfolio Securities and Investments in Derivatives.

New Accounting Pronouncements and Rule Issuances

FASB Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2017-08 (“ASU 2017-08”) Premium Amortization on Purchased Callable Debt Securities

The FASB has issued ASU 2017-08, which shortens the premium amortization period for purchased non-contingently callable debt securities. ASU 2017-08 specifies that the premium amortization period ends at the earliest call date, for purchased non-contingently callable debt securities. ASU 2017-08 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. During the current fiscal period, ASU 2017-08 became effective for the Fund and it did not have a material impact on the Fund’s financial statements.

Fair Value Measurement: Disclosure Framework

During August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13 (“ASU 2018-13”), Fair Value Measurement: Disclosure Framework – Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurements. ASU 2018-13 modifies the disclosures required by Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements. The amendments in ASU 2018-13 are effective for all entities for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Management has early implemented this guidance and it did not have a material impact on the Fund’s financial statements.

3. Investment Valuation and Fair Value Measurements

The fair valuation input levels as described below are for fair value measurement purposes.

The Fund’s investments in securities are recorded at their estimated fair value. Fair value is defined as the price that would be received upon selling an investment or transferring a liability in an orderly transaction to an independent buyer in the principal or most advantageous market for the investment. A three-tier hierarchy is used to maximize the use of observable market data and minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes. Observable inputs reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Observable inputs are based on market data obtained from sources independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs reflect the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. Unobservable inputs are based on the best information available in the circumstances. The following is a summary of the three-tiered hierarchy of valuation input levels.

Level 1 – Inputs are unadjusted and prices are determined using quoted prices in active markets for identical securities.

Level 2 – Prices are determined using other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar securities, interest rates, credit spread, etc.).

Level 3 – Prices are determined using significant unobservable inputs (including management’s assumptions in determining the fair value of investments).

Prices of fixed income securities are provided by an independent pricing service (“pricing service”) approved by the Board. The pricing service establishes a security’s fair value using methods that may include consideration of the following: yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and rating, market quotes or indications of value from security dealers, evaluations of anticipated cash flows or collateral, general market conditions and other information and analysis, including the obligor’s credit characteristics considered relevant. These securities are generally classified as Level 2. In pricing certain securities, particularly less liquid and lower quality securities, the pricing service may consider information about a security, its issuer or market activity provided by the Adviser. These securities are generally classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the observability of the significant inputs.

Certain securities may not be able to be priced by the pre-established pricing methods as described above. Such securities may be valued by the Board and/or its appointee at fair value. These securities generally include, but are not limited to, restricted securities (securities which may not be publicly sold without registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) for which a pricing service is unable to provide a market price; securities whose trading has been formally suspended; debt securities that have gone into default and for which there is no current market quotation; a security whose market price is not available from a pre-established pricing source; a security with respect to which an event has occurred that is likely to materially affect the value of the security after the market has closed but before the calculation of the Fund’s NAV (as may be the case in non-U.S. markets on which the security is primarily traded) or make it difficult or impossible to obtain a reliable market quotation; and a security whose price, as provided by the pricing service, is not deemed to reflect the security’s fair value. As a general principle, the fair value of a security would appear to be the amount that the owner might reasonably expect to receive for it in a current sale. A variety of factors may be considered in determining the fair value of such securities, which may include consideration of the following: yields or prices of investments of comparable quality, type of issue, coupon, maturity and rating, market quotes or indications of value from security dealers, evaluations of anticipated cash flows or collateral, general market

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Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued)

conditions and other information and analysis, including the obligor’s credit characteristics considered relevant. These securities are generally classified as Level 2 or Level 3 depending on the observability of the significant inputs. Regardless of the method employed to value a particular security, all valuations are subject to review by the Board and/or its appointee.

The inputs or methodologies used for valuing securities are not an indication of the risks associated with investing in those securities. The following is a summary of the Fund’s fair value measurements as of the end of the reporting period:

		Level 1				Level 2				Level 3				Total
Long-Term Investments*:
Municipal Bonds		$	—			$	83,370,158			$	—			$	83,370,158

*	Refer to the Fund’s Portfolio of Investments for state classifications.

 

4. Portfolio Securities and Investments in Derivatives

Portfolio Securities

Zero Coupon Securities

A zero coupon security does not pay a regular interest coupon to its holders during the life of the security. Income to the holder of the security comes from accretion of the difference between the original purchase price of the security at issuance and the par value of the security at maturity and is effectively paid at maturity. The market prices of zero coupon securities generally are more volatile than the market prices of securities that pay interest periodically.

Investment Transactions

Long-term purchases and sales (including maturities) during the current fiscal period were as follows:

Purchases		$	7,161,259
Sales and maturities			3,315,000

 

Investments purchased on a when-issued/delayed delivery basis may have extended settlement periods. Any investments so purchased are subject to market fluctuation during this period. The Fund has earmarked securities in its portfolio with a current value at least equal to the amount of the when-issued/delayed delivery purchase commitments.

As of the end of the reporting period, the Fund did not have any outstanding when issued/delayed delivery purchase commitments.

Investments in Derivatives

The Fund is authorized to invest in certain derivative instruments such as futures, options and swap contracts. The Fund limits its investments in futures, options on futures and swap contracts to the extent necessary for the Adviser to claim the exclusion from registration by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund. The Fund records derivative instruments at fair value, with changes in fair value recognized on the Statement of Operations, when applicable. Even though the Fund’s investments in derivatives may represent economic hedges, they are not considered to be hedge transactions for financial reporting purposes.

Although the Fund is authorized to invest in derivative instruments, and may do so in the future, it did not make any such investments during the current fiscal period.

Market and Counterparty Credit Risk

In the normal course of business the Fund may invest in financial instruments and enter into financial transactions where risk of potential loss exists due to changes in the market (market risk) or failure of the other party to the transaction to perform (counterparty credit risk). The potential loss could exceed the value of the financial assets recorded on the financial statements. Financial assets, which potentially expose the Fund to counterparty credit risk, consist principally of cash due from counterparties on forward, option and swap transactions, when applicable. The extent of the Fund’s exposure to counterparty credit risk in respect to these financial assets approximates their carrying value as recorded on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

The Fund helps manage counterparty credit risk by entering into agreements only with counterparties the Adviser believes have the financial resources to honor their obligations and by having the Adviser monitor the financial stability of the counterparties. Additionally, counterparties may be required to pledge collateral daily (based on the daily valuation of the financial asset) on behalf of the Fund with a value approximately equal to the amount of any unrealized gain above a pre-determined threshold. Reciprocally, when the Fund has an unrealized loss, the Fund has instructed the custodian to pledge assets of the Fund as collateral with a value approximately equal to the amount of the unrealized loss above a pre-determined threshold. Collateral pledges are monitored and subsequently adjusted if and when the valuations fluctuate, either up or down, by at least the pre-determined threshold amount.

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5. Fund Shares

Common Share Transactions

There were no transactions in common shares during the Fund’s current and prior fiscal periods.

6. Income Tax Information

The Fund intends to comply with the requirements of Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code applicable to regulated investment companies. In any year, the Fund may choose to distribute all or a portion of net investment income and net capital gains to shareholders, or retain a portion of its net investment income and net capital gains and pay corporate income taxes on such retained net investment income and retained net capital gains. The Fund intends to distribute at least the percentage of its net investment income and gains to maintain its status as a regulated investment company for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

Furthermore, the Fund intends to satisfy conditions that will enable interest from municipal securities, which is exempt from regular federal income tax, to retain such tax-exempt status when distributed to shareholders of the Fund. Net realized capital gains and ordinary income distributions paid by the Fund are subject to federal taxation.

For all open tax years and all major taxing jurisdictions, management of the Fund has concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions that would require recognition in the financial statements. Open tax years are those that are open for examination by taxing authorities (i.e., generally the last four tax year ends and the interim tax period since then). Furthermore, management of the Fund is also not aware of any tax positions for which it is reasonably possible that the total amounts of unrecognized tax benefits will significantly change in the next twelve months.

The following information is presented on an income tax basis. Differences between amounts for financial statement and federal income tax purposes are primarily due to timing differences in recognizing taxable market discount and timing differences in recognizing certain gains and losses on investment transactions. To the extent that differences arise that are permanent in nature, such amounts are reclassified within the capital accounts as detailed below. Temporary differences do not require reclassification. Temporary and permanent differences do not impact the NAV of the Fund.

The table below presents the cost and unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of the Fund’s investment portfolio, as determined on a federal income tax basis, as of November 30, 2019.

Tax cost of investments		$	83,048,497
Gross unrealized:
Appreciation		$	1,090,507
Depreciation			(768,846	)
Net unrealized appreciation (depreciation) of investments		$	321,661

 

Permanent differences, primarily due to paydowns, federal taxes paid and taxable market discount, resulted in reclassifications among the Fund’s components of net assets as of May 31, 2019, the Fund’s last tax year end.

The tax components of undistributed net tax-exempt income, net ordinary income and net long-term capital gains as of May 31, 2019, the Fund’s last tax year end, were as follows:

Undistributed net tax-exempt income1		$	735,174
Undistributed net ordinary income2			13,762
Undistributed net long-term capital gains			—

1	Undistributed net tax-exempt income (on a tax basis) has not been reduced for the dividend declared on May 1, 2019, paid on June 3, 2019.
2	Net ordinary income consists of taxable market discount income and net short-term capital gains, if any.

 

The tax character of distributions paid during the Fund’s last tax year ended May 31, 2019 was designated for purposes of the dividends paid deduction as follows:

Distributions from net tax-exempt income		$	1,581,068
Distributions from net ordinary income2			22,756
Distributions from net long-term capital gains			—

2	Net ordinary income consists of taxable market discount income and net short-term capital gains, if any.

 

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Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited) (continued)

As of May 31, 2019, the Fund’s last tax year end, the Fund had unused capital losses carrying forward available for federal income tax purposes to be applied against future capital gains, if any. The capital losses are not subject to expiration.

Not subject to expiration:
Short-term		$	—
Long-term			273,756
Total		$	273,756

 

7. Management Fees and Other Transactions with Affiliates

Management Fees

The Fund’s management fee compensates the Adviser for overall investment advisory and administrative services and general office facilities. The Sub-Adviser is compensated for its services to the Fund from the management fees paid to the Adviser.

The Fund’s management fee consists of two components – a fund-level fee, based only on the amount of assets within the Fund, and a complex-level fee, based on the aggregate amount of all eligible fund assets managed by the Adviser. This pricing structure enables Fund shareholders to benefit from growth in the assets within the Fund as well as from growth in the amount of complex-wide assets managed by the Adviser.

The annual fund-level fee, payable monthly, is calculated according to the following schedule:

Average Daily Managed Assets*		Fund-Level Fee Rate
For the first $125 million			0.4000	%
For the next $125 million			0.3875
For the next $250 million			0.3750
For the next $500 million			0.3625
For the next $1 billion			0.3500
For the next $3 billion			0.3250
For managed assets over $5 billion			0.3125

 

The annual complex-level fee, payable monthly, is calculated by multiplying the current complex-wide fee rate, determined according to the following schedule by the Fund’s daily managed assets:

Complex-Level Eligible Asset Breakpoint Level*		Effective Complex-Level Fee Rate at Breakpoint Level
$55 billion			0.2000	%
$56 billion			0.1996
$57 billion			0.1989
$60 billion			0.1961
$63 billion			0.1931
$66 billion			0.1900
$71 billion			0.1851
$76 billion			0.1806
$80 billion			0.1773
$91 billion			0.1691
$125 billion			0.1599
$200 billion			0.1505
$250 billion			0.1469
$300 billion			0.1445

*

For the complex-level fees, managed assets include closed-end fund assets managed by the Adviser that are attributable to certain types of leverage. For these purposes, leverage includes the fund’s use of preferred stock and borrowings and certain investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by a TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate securities, subject to an agreement by the Adviser as to certain funds to limit the amount of such assets for determining managed assets in certain circumstances. The complex-level fee is calculated based upon the aggregate daily managed assets of all Nuveen open-end and close-end funds that constitute “eligible assets.” Eligible assets do not include assets attributable to investments in other Nuveen funds and assets in excess of a determined amount (originally $2 billion) added to the Nuveen fund complex in connection with the Adviser’s assumption of the management of the former First American Funds effective January 1, 2011, but do not include certain assets of certain Nuveen funds that were reorganized into funds advised by an affiliate of the Adviser during the 2019 calendar year. As of November 30, 2019, the complex-level fee for the Fund was 0.1562%.

 

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Other Transactions with Affiliates

The Fund is permitted to purchase or sell securities from or to certain other funds managed by the Adviser (“inter-fund trade”) under specified conditions outlined in procedures adopted by the Board. These procedures have been designed to ensure that any inter-fund trade of securities by the Fund from or to another fund that is, or could be, considered an affiliate of the Fund under certain limited circumstances by virtue of having a common investment adviser (or affiliated investment adviser), common officer and/or common trustee complies with Rule 17a-7 of the 1940 Act. Further, as defined under these procedures, each inter-fund trade is effected at the current market price as provided by an independent pricing service. Unsettled inter-fund trades as of the end of the reporting period are recognized as a component of “Receivable for investments sold” and/or “Payable for investments purchased” on the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, when applicable.

During the current fiscal period, the Fund did not engage in inter-fund trades pursuant to these procedures.

8. Borrowing Arrangements

Committed Line of Credit

The Fund, along with certain other funds managed by the Adviser (“Participating Funds”), have established a 364-day, $2.65 billion standby credit facility with a group of lenders, under which the Participating Funds may borrow for various purposes other than leveraging for investment purposes. Each Participating Fund is allocated a designated proportion of the facility’s capacity (and its associated costs, as described below) based upon a multi-factor assessment of the likelihood and frequency of its need to draw on the facility, the size of the Fund and its anticipated draws, and the potential importance of such draws to the operations and well-being of the Fund, relative to those of the other Funds. A Fund may effect draws on the facility in excess of its designated capacity if and to the extent that other Participating Funds have undrawn capacity. The credit facility expires in June 2020 unless extended or renewed.

The credit facility has the following terms: a fee of 0.15% per annum on unused commitment amounts, and interest at a rate equal to the higher of (a) one-month LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offered Rate) plus 1.00% per annum or (b) the Fed Funds rate plus 1.00% per annum on amounts borrowed. Participating Funds paid administration, legal and arrangement fees, which are recognized as a component of “Other expenses” on the Statement of Operations, and along with commitment fees, have been allocated among such Participating Funds based upon the relative proportions of the facility’s aggregate capacity reserved for them and other factors deemed relevant by the Adviser and the Board of each Participating Fund.

During the current fiscal period, the Fund did not utilize this facility.

Inter-Fund Borrowing and Lending

The Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has granted an exemptive order permitting registered open-end and closed-end Nuveen funds to participate in an inter-fund lending facility whereby the Nuveen funds may directly lend to and borrow money from each other for temporary purposes (e.g., to satisfy redemption requests or when a sale of securities “fails,” resulting in an unanticipated cash shortfall) (the “Inter-Fund Program”). The closed-end Nuveen funds, including the Fund covered by this shareholder report, will participate only as lenders, and not as borrowers, in the Inter-Fund Program because such closed-end funds rarely, if ever, need to borrow cash to meet redemptions. The Inter-Fund Program is subject to a number of conditions, including, among other things, the requirements that (1) no fund may borrow or lend money through the Inter-Fund Program unless it receives a more favorable interest rate than is typically available from a bank or other financial institution for a comparable transaction; (2) no fund may borrow on an unsecured basis through the Inter-Fund Program unless the fund’s outstanding borrowings from all sources immediately after the inter-fund borrowing total 10% or less of its total assets; provided that if the borrowing fund has a secured borrowing outstanding from any other lender, including but not limited to another fund, the inter-fund loan must be secured on at least an equal priority basis with at least an equivalent percentage of collateral to loan value; (3) if a fund’s total outstanding borrowings immediately after an inter-fund borrowing would be greater than 10% of its total assets, the fund may borrow through the inter-fund loan on a secured basis only; (4) no fund may lend money if the loan would cause its aggregate outstanding loans through the Inter-Fund Program to exceed 15% of its net assets at the time of the loan; (5) a fund’s inter-fund loans to any one fund shall not exceed 5% of the lending fund’s net assets; (6) the duration of inter-fund loans will be limited to the time required to receive payment for securities sold, but in no event more than seven days; and (7) each inter-fund loan may be called on one business day’s notice by a lending fund and may be repaid on any day by a borrowing fund. In addition, a Nuveen fund may participate in the Inter-Fund Program only if and to the extent that such participation is consistent with the fund’s investment objective and investment policies. The Board is responsible for overseeing the Inter-Fund Program.

The limitations detailed above and the other conditions of the SEC exemptive order permitting the Inter-Fund Program are designed to minimize the risks associated with Inter-Fund Program for both the lending fund and the borrowing fund. However, no borrowing or lending activity is without risk. When a fund borrows money from another fund, there is a risk that the loan could be called on one day’s notice or not renewed, in which case the fund may have to borrow from a bank at a higher rate or take other actions to payoff such loan if an inter-fund loan is not available from another fund. Any delay in repayment to a lending fund could result in a lost investment opportunity or additional borrowing costs.

During the current reporting period, the Fund did not enter into any inter-fund loan activity.

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Additional Fund
Information

Board of Trustees
Margo Cook*	Jack B. Evans	William C. Hunter	Albin F. Moschner	John K. Nelson	Judith M. Stockdale
Carole E. Stone	Terence J. Toth	Margaret L. Wolff	Robert C. Young
* Interested Board Member.
Fund Manager	Custodian	Legal Counsel	Independent Registered		Transfer Agent and
Nuveen Fund Advisors, LLC	State Street Bank	Chapman and Cutler LLP	Public Accounting Firm		Shareholder Services
333 West Wacker Drive	& Trust Company	Chicago, IL 60603	KPMG LLP		Computershare Trust
Chicago, IL 60606	One Lincoln Street		200 East Randolph Street		Company, N.A.
	Boston, MA 02111		Chicago, IL 60601		250 Royall Street
					Canton, MA 02021
					[phone]

 

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Portfolio of Investments Information

The Fund is required to file its complete schedule of portfolio holdings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the first and third quarters of each fiscal year as an exhibit to its report on Form N-PORT. You may obtain this information on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

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Nuveen Funds’ Proxy Voting Information

You may obtain (i) information regarding how each fund voted proxies relating to portfolio securities held during the most recent twelve-month period ended June 30, without charge, upon request, by calling Nuveen toll-free at [phone] or on Nuveen’s website at www.nuveen.com and (ii) a description of the policies and procedures that each fund used to determine how to vote proxies relating to portfolio securities without charge, upon request, by calling Nuveen toll free at [phone]. You may also obtain this information directly from the SEC. Visit the SEC on-line at http://www.sec.gov.

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CEO Certification Disclosure

The Fund’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) has submitted to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) the annual CEO certification as required by Section 303A.12(a) of the NYSE Listed Company Manual. The Fund has filed with the SEC the certification of its CEO and Chief Financial Officer required by Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

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Common Share Repurchases

The Fund intends to repurchase, through its open-market share repurchase program, shares of its own common stock at such times and in such amounts as is deemed advisable. During the period covered by this report, the Fund repurchased shares of its common stock, as shown in the accompanying table. Any future repurchases will be reported to shareholders in the next annual or semi-annual report.

Common shares repurchased	—

 

FINRA BrokerCheck

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) provides information regarding the disciplinary history of FINRA member firms and associated investment professionals. This information as well as an investor brochure describing FINRA BrokerCheck is available to the public by calling the FINRA BrokerCheck Hotline number at [phone] or by visiting www.FINRA.org.

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Glossary of Terms Used in this Report

■

Average Annual Total Return: This is a commonly used method to express an investment’s performance over a particular, usually multi-year time period. It expresses the return that would have been necessary each year to equal the investment’s actual cumulative performance (including change in NAV or market price and reinvested dividends and capital gains distributions, if any) over the time period being considered.

■

Duration: Duration is a measure of the expected period over which a bond’s principal and interest will be paid, and consequently is a measure of the sensitivity of a bond’s or bond fund’s value to changes when market interest rates change. Generally, the longer a bond’s or fund’s duration, the more the price of the bond or fund will change as interest rates change.

■

Effective Leverage: Effective leverage is a fund’s effective economic leverage, and includes both regulatory leverage (see leverage) and the leverage effects of certain derivative investments in a fund’s portfolio. Currently, the leverage effects of Tender Option Bond (TOB) inverse floater holdings are included in effective leverage values, in addition to any regulatory leverage.

■	Industrial Development Revenue Bond (IDR): A unique type of revenue bond issued by a state or local government agency on behalf of a private sector company and intended to build or acquire factories or other heavy equipment and tools.

■

Inverse Floating Rate Securities: Inverse floating rate securities, also known as inverse floaters or tender option bonds (TOBs), are created by depositing a municipal bond, typically with a fixed interest rate, into a special purpose trust. This trust, in turn, (a) issues float- ing rate certificates typically paying short-term tax-exempt interest rates to third parties in amounts equal to some fraction of the deposited bond’s par amount or market value, and (b) issues an inverse floating rate certificate (sometimes referred to as an “inverse floater”) to an investor (such as a Fund) interested in gaining investment exposure to a long-term municipal bond. The income received by the holder of the inverse floater varies inversely with the short-term rate paid to the floating rate certificates’ holders, and in most circumstances the holder of the inverse floater bears substantially all of the underlying bond’s downside investment risk. The holder of the inverse floater typically also benefits disproportionately from any potential appreciation of the underlying bond’s value. Hence, an inverse floater essentially represents an investment in the underlying bond on a leveraged basis.

■	Leverage: Leverage is created whenever a fund has investment exposure (both reward and/or risk) equivalent to more than 100% of the investment capital.

■	Net Asset Value (NAV) Per Share: A fund’s Net Assets is equal to its total assets (securities, cash, accrued earnings and receivables) less its total liabilities. NAV per share is equal to the fund’s Net Assets divided by its number of shares outstanding.

■

Pre-Refunding: Pre-Refunding, also known as advanced refundings or refinancings, is a procedure used by state and local governments to refinance municipal bonds to lower interest expenses. The issuer sells new bonds with a lower yield and uses the proceeds to buy U.S. Treasury securities, the interest from which is used to make payments on the higher-yielding bonds. Because of this collateral, pre-refunding generally raises a bond’s credit rating and thus its value.

33

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Table of Contents

Glossary of Terms Used in this Report (continued)

■

S&P Short Duration Municipal Yield Index: An index that contains all bonds in the S&P Municipal Bond Index that mature between 1 month and 12 years, and maintains a 10% weighting to AA rated bonds, 10% to A rated bonds, 20% to BBB rated bonds and 60% to below investment grade and non-rated bonds. Index returns assume reinvestment of distributions, but do not reflect any applicable sales charges or management fees.

■

Total Investment Exposure: Total investment exposure is a fund’s assets managed by the Adviser that are attributable to financial lever- age. For these purposes, financial leverage includes a fund’s use of preferred stock and borrowings and investments in the residual interest certificates (also called inverse floating rate securities) in tender option bond (TOB) trusts, including the portion of assets held by a TOB trust that has been effectively financed by the trust’s issuance of floating rate securities.

■

Zero Coupon Bond: A zero coupon bond does not pay a regular interest coupon to its holders during the life of the bond. Income to the holder of the bond comes from accretion of the difference between the original purchase price of the bond at issuance and the par value of the bond at maturity and is effectively paid at maturity. The market prices of zero coupon bonds generally are more volatile than the market prices of bonds that pay interest periodically.

34

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Table of Contents

Reinvest Automatically, Easily and Conveniently

Nuveen makes reinvesting easy. A phone call is all it takes to set up your reinvestment account.

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Nuveen Closed-End Funds Automatic Reinvestment Plan

Nuveen Closed-End Fund allows you to conveniently reinvest distributions in additional Fund shares. By choosing to reinvest, you’ll be able to invest money regularly and automatically, and watch your investment grow through the power of compounding. Just like distributions in cash, there may be times when income or capital gains taxes may be payable on distributions that are reinvested. It is important to note that an automatic reinvestment plan does not ensure a profit, nor does it protect you against loss in a declining market.

Easy and convenient

To make recordkeeping easy and convenient, each month you’ll receive a statement showing your total distributions, the date of investment, the shares acquired and the price per share, and the total number of shares you own.

How shares are purchased

The shares you acquire by reinvesting will either be purchased on the open market or newly issued by the Fund. If the shares are trading at or above net asset value at the time of valuation, the Fund will issue new shares at the greater of the net asset value or 95% of the then-current market price. If the shares are trading at less than net asset value, shares for your account will be purchased on the open market. If the Plan Agent begins purchasing Fund shares on the open market while shares are trading below net asset value, but the Fund’s shares subsequently trade at or above their net asset value before the Plan Agent is able to complete its purchases, the Plan Agent may cease open-market purchases and may invest the uninvested portion of the distribution in newly-issued Fund shares at a price equal to the greater of the shares’ net asset value or 95% of the shares’ market value on the last business day immediately prior to the purchase date. Distributions received to purchase shares in the open market will normally be invested shortly after the distribution payment date. No interest will be paid on distributions awaiting reinvestment. Because the market price of the shares may increase before purchases are completed, the average purchase price per share may exceed the market price at the time of valuation, resulting in the acquisition of fewer shares than if the distribution had been paid in shares issued by the Fund. A pro rata portion of any applicable brokerage commissions on open market purchases will be paid by Plan participants. These commissions usually will be lower than those charged on individual transactions.

Flexible

You may change your distribution option or withdraw from the Plan at any time, should your needs or situation change. You can reinvest whether your shares are registered in your name, or in the name of a brokerage firm, bank, or other nominee. Ask your investment advisor if his or her firm will participate on your behalf. Participants whose shares are registered in the name of one firm may not be able to transfer the shares to another firm and continue to participate in the Plan. The Fund reserves the right to amend or terminate the Plan at any time. Although the Fund reserves the right to amend the Plan to include a service charge payable by the participants, there is no direct service charge to participants in the Plan at this time.

Call today to start reinvesting distributions

For more information on the Nuveen Automatic Reinvestment Plan or to enroll in or withdraw from the Plan, speak with your financial advisor or call us at [phone].

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Nuveen:

Serving Investors for Generations

Since 1898, financial advisors and their clients have relied on Nuveen to provide dependable investment solutions through continued adherence to proven, long-term investing principles. Today, we offer a range of high quality solutions designed to be integral components of a well-diversified core portfolio.

Focused on meeting investor needs.

Nuveen is the investment manager of TIAA. We have grown into one of the world’s premier global asset managers, with specialist knowledge across all major asset classes and particular strength in solutions that provide income for investors and that draw on our expertise in alternatives and responsible investing. Nuveen is driven not only by the independent investment processes across the firm, but also the insights, risk management, analytics and other tools and resources that a truly world-class platform provides. As a global asset manager, our mission is to work in partnership with our clients to create solutions which help them secure their financial future.

Find out how we can help you.

To learn more about how the products and services of Nuveen may be able to help you meet your financial goals, talk to your financial advisor, or call us at [phone]. Please read the information provided carefully before you invest. Investors should consider the investment objective and policies, risk considerations, charges and expenses of any investment carefully. Where applicable, be sure to obtain a prospectus, which contains this and other relevant information. To obtain a prospectus, please contact your securities representative or Nuveen, 333 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, IL 60606. Please read the prospectus carefully before you invest or send money.

Learn more about Nuveen Funds at: www.nuveen.com/closed-end-funds

Nuveen Securities, LLC member of FINRA and SIPC | 333 West Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606 | www.nuveen.com

ESA-E-1119D 1049650-INV-B-01/21

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ITEM 2. CODE OF ETHICS.

Not applicable to this filing.

ITEM 3. AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT.

Not applicable to this filing.

ITEM 4. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.

Not applicable to this filing.

ITEM 5. AUDIT COMMITTEE OF LISTED REGISTRANTS.

Not applicable to this filing.

ITEM 6. SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS.

(a) See Portfolio of Investments in Item 1.

(b) Not applicable.

ITEM 7. DISCLOSURE OF PROXY VOTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable to this filing.

ITEM 8. PORTFOLIO MANAGERS OF CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable to this filing.

ITEM 9. PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.

Not applicable.

ITEM 10. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.

There have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders may recommend nominees to the registrant’s Board implemented after the registrant last provided disclosure in response to this Item.

ITEM 11. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

(a)

The registrant’s principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, 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”) (17 CFR 270.30a-3(c))) 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 controls and procedures required by Rule 30a-3(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-3(b)) and Rules 13a-15(b) or 15d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)(17 CFR 240.13a-15(b) or 240.15d-15(b)).

(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 (17 CFR 270.30a-3(d)) that occurred during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 12. DISCLOSURE OF SECURITIES LENDING ACTIVITIES FOR CLOSED-END MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANIES.

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 13. EXHIBITS.

File the exhibits listed below as part of this Form.

 

(a)(1)

Any code of ethics, or amendment thereto, that is the subject of the disclosure required by Item 2, to the extent that the registrant intends to satisfy the Item 2 requirements through filing of an exhibit: Not applicable to this filing.

(a)(2)

A separate certification for each principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the registrant as required by Rule 30a-2(a) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-2(a)) in the exact form set forth below: See Ex-99.CERT attached hereto.

(a)(3)

Any written solicitation to purchase securities under Rule 23c-1 under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.23c-1) sent or given during the period covered by the  report by or on behalf of the registrant to 10 or more persons: Not applicable.

(a)(4)

Change in the registrant’s independent public accountant. Not applicable.

 

(b)

If the report is filed under Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, provide the certifications required by Rule 30a-2(b) under the 1940 Act (17 CFR 270.30a-2(b)); Rule 13a-14(b) or Rule 15d-14(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13a-14(b) or 240.15d-14(b)), and Section 1350 of Chapter 63 of Title 18 of the United States Code (18 U.S.C. 1350) as an exhibit. A certification furnished pursuant to this paragraph will not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act (15 U.S.C. 78r), or otherwise subject to the liability of that section. Such certification will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Exchange Act, except to the extent that the registrant specifically incorporates it by reference: See Ex-99.906 CERT attached hereto.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

(Registrant) Nuveen Municipal 2021 Target Term Fund

By (Signature and Title) /s/ Gifford R. Zimmerman

Gifford R. Zimmerman

Vice President and Secretary

Date: February 7, 2020

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

By (Signature and Title) /s/ Cedric H. Antosiewicz

Cedric H. Antosiewicz

Chief Administrative Officer

(principal executive officer)

Date: February 7, 2020

 

By (Signature and Title) /s/ E. Scott Wickerham

E. Scott Wickerham

Vice President and Controller

(principal financial officer)

Date: February 7, 2020