Blackrock Health Sciences Trust

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust is a closed-end investment fund. Its investment objective is to provide total return through a combination of current income, current gains and long-term capital appreciation. The company was founded on March 31, 2005 and is headquartered in Wilmington, DE.

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BlackRock Capital Allocation Trust

BlackRock Resources & Commodities Strategy Trust

BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust

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BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust

BlackRock Innovation & Growth Trust

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust II

BlackRock Enhanced Global Dividend Trust

BlackRock Science & Technology

BlackRock Science and Technology Trust II

BlackRock Utilities Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust

BlackRock Enhanced Capital and Income Fund

Blackrock ESG Capital Allocation Trust

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $BBN--Today, BlackRock Resources & Commodities Strategy Trust (NYSE: BCX), BlackRock Enhanced Equity Dividend Trust (NYSE: BDJ), BlackRock Energy and Resources Trust (NYSE: BGR), BlackRock Enhanced International Dividend Trust (NYSE: BGY), BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (NYSE: BME), BlackRock Health Sciences Term Trust (NYSE: BMEZ), BlackRock Enhanced Global Dividend Trust (NYSE: BOE), BlackRock Utilities, Infrastructure & Power Opportunities Trust (NYSE: BUI), Bla.

Certain BlackRock Closed-End Funds Announce Estimated Sources of Distributions

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust offers exposure to healthcare companies and employs a covered call strategy to generate option premiums to help support the distribution. The latest tender offer measurement period for BlackRock discount management programs has come to a close, and BME made the list, but it was close this time. The fund's 6.15% distribution yield might not be the most exciting, but it is one of the most consistent and steady you'll find in the CEF space.

BME: Defensive Healthcare Exposure With A Tender Offer Opportunity

BME has delivered solid long-term returns since its 2005 launch, earning positive ratings from Seeking Alpha analysts, with most recent articles rating it a Buy or Strong Buy. The trust has a relatively high expense ratio and has experienced significant volatility related to trading levels relative to NAV. BlackRock recently announced a tender offer that will allow 2.5% of the fund's units to be repurchased at 98% of NAV.

BME: Discount To NAV But High Fees And Volatility

Adams Diversified Equity Fund

Calamos Strategic Total Return Fund

NXG NextGen Infrastructure Income Fund

The broader equity market saw declines in early August but ended near all-time highs to finish off the month. I put some capital to work this month at the low, but not as much as I had planned initially, as the market swiftly recovered. Most of the moves this month were corporate action-driven events, primarily the BlackRock tender offers, as we finished up the first measurement period.

9 Closed-End Fund Buys In The Month Of August 2024

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $BGY--The BlackRock closed-end funds (the “Funds”) listed below announced today the expiration and preliminary results of each Fund's tender offer (each, a “Tender Offer”) for up to 2.5% of its outstanding common shares (the “Shares”). Each Tender Offer commenced on July 18, 2024 and expired at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on August 19, 2024. Based on preliminary information, the number of Shares properly tendered for each Fund and not withdrawn is noted in the table below. Fund.

Certain BlackRock Funds Announce Expiration and Preliminary Results of Tender Offers: BMEZ, BME, BGY

Aberdeen Standard Global Infr Inc Fd

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Global Dividend Income Fund

Flaherty & Crumrine Total Return Fund Inc

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund

Nuveen AMT-Free Municipal Value Fund

Western Asset Investment Grade Income Fund

Cohen & Steers Real Estate Opportunities and Income Fund

Closed-end funds overall have seen discounts narrow since the start of the year, but opportunities still exist in certain areas of the market. With increased market volatility more recently, that may lead to discounts widening back out, which could create even more opportunities in this structure. I hold 42 positions in my CEF portfolio, with the top 10 positions making up 37.40% of the portfolio—here's a review of those top 10 names.

My Top 10 Closed-End Fund Holdings: August 2024

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust (BME) offers exposure to the healthcare space while also utilizing a covered call strategy. BME's discount has narrowed since our last update but remains attractive, with the potential for attractive returns going forward. BME's distribution yield may be more modest than other CEFs, but that has helped it boast of never having to cut the regular distribution and helped it provide some capital.

BME: An Attractive Discount On This Healthcare CEF

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust trades at an attractive discount to net asset value. The dividend yield of 6.1% remains supported from net investment income. Some weakness revolves around the use of return of capital, however. Future interest rate cuts may serve as a price catalyst. Inflation continues to cool while the unemployment rate ticks upward.

BME: Future Interest Rate Cuts May Be A Catalyst

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust is a healthcare sector-specific closed-end fund that invests in a fairly diversified portfolio of common stocks in the healthcare sector. It currently provides a reasonable yield of 6.3% plus an attractive discount of close to -8% (below NAV). The BME closed-end fund has a very decent long-term record of nearly 19 years, matching and even exceeding the performance of the S&P 500. However, the recent near and midterm performance has been lackluster.

BME: Quality Healthcare Fund With 6% Income And An Attractive Discount

DNP Select Income Fund Inc

Gabelli Global Utility & Income Trust

Guggenheim Strategic Opportunities Fund

Gabelli Utility Trust

Leggett & Platt

PIMCO Corporate & Income Strategy Fund

Reaves Utility Income Fund

Closed-end funds tend to cut their payouts over time due to negative consequences of leverage during market crashes, leading to potential permanent capital destruction. Today, we are looking to revisit the six funds that have inceptions prior to the 2008/09 Global Financial Crisis that have still never cut their regular distributions. A long history of no-cuts can be important for income-focused investors, but we also examine coverage and valuations to determine whether they are worth exploring further.

Closed-End Funds: 2024 Revisit Of Funds That Never Cut Distributions With Inception Pre-2008

XAI Octagon Floating Rate & Alternative Income Term Trust

April turned out to be a little more exciting, with the broader equity market pulling back. This helped to create some added volatility that saw discounts widen in some closed-end funds. Every month I put some money to work in an effort to grow my monthly cash flow over time.

5 Closed-End Fund Buys In The Month Of April 2024

BlackRock Health Sciences is trading at a discount not seen since the Global Financial Crisis, creating a potentially strong opportunity at this time. BME is a healthcare-focused fund with a stable underlying portfolio that employs a covered call writing strategy. BME's distribution has never been cut since its inception going back to 2005, and despite some softer performance, it doesn't look at risk either.

BME: Discount Widens Substantially Creating An Opportunity

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust is a diversified closed-end fund that focuses on the healthcare sector, offering a 6.35% dividend yield. BME currently trades at a historical discount to NAV of nearly -8%. The fund presents an attractive opportunity to capitalize on the projected growth of the healthcare industry and increased medical spending.

BME: Trading At A Historical Discount To NAV

abrdn World Healthcare Fund 

We had contrasting outlooks on the BlackRock Health Sciences Trust and abrdn World Healthcare Fund closed-end funds on our last coverage, with BME getting a "Buy" and THW getting a "Goodbye". BME has outperformed THW by 10% in total returns since then. We update our outlook and explain why one of these two gets a downgrade.

BME Vs. THW: A Distribution Cut Should Widen The Performance Gap

PIMCO Dynamic Income Opportunities Fund

John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund

Cohen & Steers Tax-Adv Pref Secs and Inc Fund

Cohen & Steers Quality Income Realty Fund

I have a total of 41 positions in my closed-end fund portfolio, with the top ten positions making up 36.52% of the portfolio. We have four new names making their way to my top ten list since the prior update, but three were already positions that have simply grown to be larger allocations. Closed-end funds overall look to be a place of opportunity as discounts remain historically wide across both equity and fixed-income-focused funds.

My Top 10 Closed-End Fund Holdings: December 2023

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust aims to generate total returns through a combination of current income and long-term capital appreciation. BME employs a covered call strategy, resulting in a high dividend yield of 6.7% that has not been cut since switching to a monthly distribution. The fund's portfolio consists of profitable and large-cap companies in the health sciences sector.

BME: Historically One Of The Best Times For Entry

ClearBridge Energy MLP Fund Inc

Central Securities

European Equity Fund

Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Fund

Eaton Vance Tax Advantaged Global Dividend Opportunities Fund

Eaton Vance Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund

Sprott Focus Trust

General American Investors

Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust

Gabelli Global Small and Mid Cap Value Trust

Eagle Capital Growth Fund Inc

Gabelli Healthcare & Wellness Trust

abrdn Healthcare Investors 

abrdn Life Sciences Investors 

India Fund Inc

Morgan Stanley India Investment Fund Inc

Barings Corporate Investors

Barings Participation Investors

Mexico Fund

PIMCO Energy and Tactical Credit Opportunities Fund

Income Portfolio - 38 CEFs Worth Exploring

SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust

SPDR S&P Biotech ETF

Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund

September was the worst month for equities in 2023, but that's simply creating buying opportunities for the long-term investor. I added to four different positions in my CEF portfolio this month, though they are all familiar names that I've already owned. The theme this month was once again avoiding taking on leveraged funds, and none of the four funds take on any leverage in the form of borrowings.

4 Closed-End Fund Buys In The Month Of September 2023

BlackRock Health Sciences is trading at an attractive discount, creating a potential opportunity for income investors. BME employs a covered call writing strategy and has a history of steady monthly distributions. The fund's portfolio is focused on large and stable healthcare companies, providing defensive characteristics in volatile markets.

BME: A Discounted Opportunity In The Healthcare Space

BlackRock Health Sciences Trust is a CEF focusing on healthcare, offering a 6.5% yield and a strong performance record, even beating S&P 500 in total returns since its inception. The fund trades stocks and writes covered calls, and is currently trading at a rare -4.3% discount against its NAV; its dividends have remained fairly flat despite its holdings being known as dividend growers. BME is considered a good fund with an above-average performance and supports a dividend yield close to 7%, but investors should not expect dividends to rise significantly in.

BME Offers A Good Mix Of High Yield And Market-Beating Total Returns

ArrowMark Financial

Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity Fund

Eaton Vance Enhanced Equity Income Fund II

Nuveen Core Equity Alpha Fund

Putnam High Income Securities Fund

LMP Capital and Income Fund

For income investors, closed-end funds remain an attractive investment class that covers a variety of asset classes and promises high distributions and reasonable total returns. Closed-end funds, or CEFs, are generally characterized by higher volatility and deeper drawdowns than the broader market. For these reasons, they are not suited for everyone. In this monthly series, we highlight five CEFs that have solid track records, pay high distributions, and are offering "excess" discounts. We try to separate the wheat from the chaff using our filtering process to select just five CEFs every month from around 500 closed-end funds.

5 Best CEFs To Buy This Month (June 2023)

MIAMI--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $BME #Brands--Global communications consulting firm LLYC presents “Monetizing Creativity: How creators make an impact in the digital world,” a new study into the rise of creators in the digital world, focusing on the opportunities that the Creator Economy can offer companies operating in the United States, as well as in Brazil, Mexico, and Spain. It shares how the creator economy has become a significant monetary force and presents some of the main ways businesses can best leverage it.

LLYC Study Reveals What U.S. Businesses Should Know About The Evolving Creator Economy

BME continues to trade flirting at or close to premiums but remains a solid holding nonetheless. If you lack some healthcare exposure, BME could be one way to gain further exposure.

BME: A Solid Healthcare Fund For The Long Term

BME is a large-cap focused health care CEF. It pays a generous 5.9% distribution yield.

BME: Solid High Yielding Healthcare CEF

BME is a top healthcare CEF with a long tenure that offers monthly distributions and an average yield. Many of its top individual holdings are currently on dips, making it a good time to consider buying BME.

News for Blackrock Health Sciences Trust ETF (BME)