1.Aggregate Information for Federal Income Tax Purposes
At February 28, 2025, the aggregate cost of securities for federal income tax purposes was $1,334,783,912, the aggregate gross unrealized appreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of value over tax cost was $30,788,015 and the aggregate gross unrealized depreciation for all securities in which there was an excess of tax cost over value was $42,798,336.
2.Additional Accounting Standards
Portfolio Valuation: Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “1940 Act”), establishes requirements for determining fair value in good faith for purposes of the 1940 Act. Rule 2a-5 permits fund boards to designate a Valuation Designee to perform fair value determinations, subject to board oversight and certain other conditions. Rule 2a-5 also defines when market quotations are “readily available” for purposes of Section 2(a)(41) of the 1940 Act, which requires a fund to fair value a security when market quotations are not readily available.
The net asset value of the Fund’s Common Stock is calculated by the Fund’s Administrator no less frequently than on the last business day of each week and month in accordance with the policies and procedures adopted by the Adviser, as the Valuation Designee of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Fund. Net asset value is calculated by dividing the value of the Fund’s net assets available to Common Stock by the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding. The value of the Fund’s net assets available to Common Stock is deemed to equal the value of the Fund’s total assets less (i) the Fund’s liabilities and (ii) the aggregate liquidation value of any outstanding preferred stock.
The Fund’s preferred and debt securities are valued on the basis of current market quotations provided by independent pricing services or dealers approved by the Valuation Designee. In determining the evaluated mean value of a particular preferred or debt security, a pricing service or dealer may use information with respect to transactions in such investments, quotations (based on the mean of bid and asked price), market transactions in comparable investments, various relationships observed in the market between investments, and/or calculated yield measures based on valuation technology commonly employed in the market for such investments. Common stocks that are traded on stock exchanges are valued at the last sale price or official close price on the exchange, as of the close of business on the day the securities are being valued or, lacking any sales, at the last available mean price. Futures contracts and option contracts on futures contracts are valued on the basis of the settlement price for such contracts on the primary exchange on which they trade. Investments in over-the-counter derivative instruments, such as interest rate swaps and options thereon (“swaptions”), are valued using prices supplied by a pricing service, or if such prices are unavailable, prices provided by a single broker or dealer that is not the counterparty or, if no such prices are available, at a price at which the counterparty to the contract would repurchase the instrument or terminate the contract. Investments for which market quotations are not readily available or for which the Valuation Designee determines that the prices are not reflective of current market conditions are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by the Valuation Designee, including reference to valuations of other securities which are comparable in quality, maturity and type.
Investments in money market instruments and all debt and preferred securities which mature in 60 days or less are valued at amortized cost, provided such amount approximates market value. Investments in money market funds are valued at the net asset value of such funds.
