Company Description
Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity Fund (NYSE American: EOD) is a diversified closed-end management investment company in the finance and insurance sector. The fund is described as a closed-end equity and high-yield bond fund with an investment objective to seek a high level of current income, and a secondary objective of long-term growth of capital. It trades on the secondary market and is no longer available as an initial public offering.
The fund allocates its assets between distinct investment strategies or sleeves. According to available information, under normal market conditions the fund allocates a significant portion of its total assets to an equity sleeve comprised of common stocks. In addition, the fund employs a high-yield bond sleeve and an option strategy. Different portfolio management teams within Allspring Global Investments are responsible for these components, with one team managing the equity sleeve, another managing the high-yield sleeve, and specialists managing the fund’s option strategy.
The Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity Fund is managed under the Allspring Global Investments trade name. Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC is described as a holding company indirectly owned by certain private funds of GTCR LLC and Reverence Capital Partners, L.P. Asset management and fund management activities for EOD are carried out through entities such as Allspring Global Investments, LLC and Allspring Funds Management, LLC, and certain products managed by Allspring entities are distributed by Allspring Funds Distributor, LLC, a broker-dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC.
As a closed-end fund, EOD issues a fixed number of shares that trade on an exchange. The fund is not required to buy its shares back from investors upon request. Shares may trade at a premium or discount relative to the fund’s net asset value, and the market price is influenced by supply and demand in the secondary market rather than being set directly by net asset value. Disclosures for the fund note that distributions may be sourced from income, capital gains, and/or return of capital under a managed distribution plan approved by the fund’s Board of Trustees.
The fund’s investment approach exposes shareholders to several types of risk described in its public communications. These include risks associated with equity securities, which can fluctuate in value in response to factors specific to issuers; risks related to small- and mid-cap securities, which may be more volatile and subject to narrower product lines and limited financial resources; and risks tied to debt securities, including credit risk and interest rate risk. High-yield and unrated debt securities are noted as having a greater risk of default and more volatile values than higher-rated securities with similar maturities.
The fund may invest in foreign securities, and its disclosures highlight that foreign investments may contain more risk due to changing political climates, foreign market instability, and foreign currency fluctuations. Risks of foreign investing are described as magnified in emerging or developing markets. In some materials, the fund is also described as being exposed to mortgage- and asset-backed securities risk.
Derivatives and options are part of the fund’s toolkit, and the fund’s materials describe risks associated with derivatives, including interest rate risk, credit risk, the risk of improper valuation, and the risk of noncorrelation to the instruments they are designed to hedge or track. The fund’s option-writing activities, including writing index call options and options on individual securities or indexes, can limit potential appreciation while leaving the fund exposed to declines in the value of its portfolio securities. This combination is described as potentially leading to a decline in the fund’s net asset value over time.
The fund uses leverage through a revolving credit facility and may incur additional leverage by issuing preferred shares. Leverage is described as increasing the likelihood of greater volatility in both the net asset value and the market price of the fund’s common shares. Fund communications emphasize that the use of leverage and derivatives adds layers of risk that investors should consider when evaluating the fund.
Governance for the Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity Fund is overseen by a Board of Trustees. A definitive proxy statement filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission describes the structure of the Board, including the use of staggered terms for Trustees, the existence of standing committees such as a Nominating and Governance Committee and an Audit Committee, and the process for electing Trustees at an annual meeting of shareholders. Shareholders of record as of a specified record date are entitled to vote on matters such as the election of Trustees, and the proxy materials outline quorum requirements, voting procedures, and the role of proxy solicitation firms.
The proxy statement also notes that certain entities have reported beneficial ownership of more than 5% of the fund’s outstanding shares in filings with the SEC. It further states that officers and Trustees of the fund, together with their immediate family members, beneficially own less than a specified percentage of the fund’s shares and of the outstanding securities of Allspring Global Investments Holdings, LLC.
Overall, the Allspring Global Dividend Opportunity Fund combines an equity sleeve, a high-yield bond sleeve, and an options strategy within a closed-end fund structure. Its stated objectives focus on generating a high level of current income and pursuing long-term capital growth, while its public disclosures emphasize the structural features of closed-end funds, the potential for premiums or discounts to net asset value, and the range of investment and structural risks associated with its strategy.