BTZ Stock Recent News

PDI: 13.7% Yield Attractive Despite Section 19 Notices

BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust is a debt-focused closed-end fund that boasts a 9.23% current yield. The BTZ closed-end fund claims to invest in a combination of floating-rate and fixed-rate debt, but the portfolio is almost entirely in fixed-rate assets with floating-rate securities an afterthought. The BTZ fund substantially underperformed competing funds that are more flexible in the balance between floaters and fixed-rate bonds over the past three years.

The BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust offers a current yield of 9.68%, lower than other debt funds in the market. The fund's shares have increased by 7.19% since October 12, 2023, outperforming the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. BTZ's performance history suggests competent management, but it favors fixed-rate securities over floating-rate securities, which may impact performance.

Investment-grade corporate-focused closed-end funds offer attractive fixed-income options with higher yields in the current higher-rate environment. Leverage and discounts/premiums in CEFs add volatility to consider when investing in these funds, which would otherwise be for more conservative investors. Besides the higher yields, when rates decline investment-grade funds should see a significant rebound, adding a catalyst for potential upside and 'locking in' higher yields now.

The BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust offers a high yield of 10.29%, but it is lower than other fixed-income closed-end funds. The BTZ closed-end fund has outperformed its peers in the past, but may have been slower to adapt its strategy to higher interest rates. The BTZ fund's leverage is above the preferred level, but it is not out of line with other debt-focused closed-end funds.

Taxable closed-end fund discounts have narrowed, reducing their attractiveness, while credit spreads have tightened, producing returns in some areas of the CEF market. Municipal CEFs remain exceptionally cheap, with discounts wider than 99% of historical observations. The risk-reward in the taxable bond CEF space is on the downside, while the upside potential in municipal CEFs is significant, but dependent on a shift in Fed policy and inflation.

BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust provides diversified exposure to fixed-income securities with a multi-sector approach. BTZ remains attractively valued despite a bit of a narrowing discount, but distribution coverage has worsened. The fund utilizes derivatives with its highly flexible investment strategy, which could potentially provide for capital gains to fund the payout.

BTZ invests with a split between investment-grade and below-investment-grade debt with a multi-sector approach. The fund's latest discount has dropped into the double-digit area, where it becomes a more appealing investment option.

BTZ provides high current income from a portfolio of credit instruments. It has a relatively high duration of 6.4 years, which caused 2022's poor performance.

BTZ has been under pressure along with everything else through 2022 as interest rates have wreaked havoc. Now that some large declines are in and the fund has gone to a discount, there could be a better opportunity here.