Company Description
BlackRock Corporate High Yield Fund Inc. (HYT) is a diversified, closed-end management investment company that trades on the New York Stock Exchange. According to the fund’s stated objectives, its primary goal is to provide shareholders with current income, with a secondary objective of capital appreciation. The fund seeks to achieve these objectives by investing in a diversified portfolio of fixed-income securities, with a focus on the corporate high yield segment of the bond market.
The fund is part of the broader BlackRock family of investment products. BlackRock Advisors, LLC serves as the fund’s investment adviser. As an actively managed closed-end fund, HYT issues a fixed number of common shares that trade on an exchange, and its market price can differ from its net asset value. The fund’s structure allows it to pursue its income and capital appreciation objectives through a portfolio of high yield fixed-income securities selected and managed by the adviser.
Investment objectives and strategy
The fund’s primary investment objective is to provide shareholders with current income. Its secondary investment objective is to provide shareholders with capital appreciation. To pursue these objectives, the fund invests in a diversified portfolio of fixed-income securities. The emphasis on corporate high yield securities means the portfolio is oriented toward bonds that offer higher coupon payments in exchange for higher credit risk compared to investment-grade issuers, as described in the fund’s materials.
As a closed-end management investment company, HYT can employ portfolio management techniques consistent with its objectives and policies as described in its prospectus and regulatory filings. The fund’s investment adviser evaluates the opportunity set in the high yield market and allocates assets across fixed-income securities that it believes are consistent with the fund’s income and appreciation goals.
Role of BlackRock Advisors, LLC
BlackRock Advisors, LLC acts as the investment adviser to the fund. In connection with a rights offering announced by the fund, the adviser stated that it believes market conditions present an attractive time to raise additional assets for the fund. The adviser cited factors such as attractive yields and evolving market dynamics in the high yield market, as well as the impact of lower financing costs on the fund’s earnings and its monthly distribution rate, as reasons to support additional asset growth in the fund.
In the same context, BlackRock Advisors, LLC indicated that it would bear all expenses of the rights offering, rather than passing those costs on to the fund or its shareholders. This reflects the adviser’s decision regarding how to structure the offering and its associated costs, as described in the fund’s public announcement.
Recent rights offering announcement
The fund announced the terms of a transferable rights offering to holders of its common stock. Under this offering, shareholders of record on a specified record date are to receive transferable rights that allow them to subscribe for additional common shares at a discount to the market price, subject to a pricing formula based on the average of recent NYSE trading prices and the fund’s net asset value on the expiration date of the offer.
According to the announcement, shareholders receive one right for each outstanding share owned on the record date. The rights entitle the holder to purchase one new share for every five rights held, with a provision that any shareholder who owns fewer than five shares on the record date is entitled to subscribe for one share. Fractional shares are not issued on the exercise of rights. The subscription price is determined using a formula that references both market price and net asset value, with specific thresholds that can adjust the final subscription price relative to net asset value.
The rights are described as transferable and are expected to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under a separate symbol during the course of the offer. Record date shareholders who fully exercise the rights issued to them may also have an over-subscription privilege, subject to limitations and allotment, allowing them to request additional shares that are not subscribed for by other rights holders. The fund’s Board of Directors retains the ability to eliminate this over-subscription privilege. Investors who acquire rights in the secondary market but are not record date shareholders are not entitled to participate in the over-subscription privilege.
Potential effects of the offering
In connection with the rights offering, the fund and its adviser described several potential benefits of increasing the fund’s asset base. These include the ability to take advantage of existing and future investment opportunities in line with the fund’s objectives, the spreading of fixed operating costs across a larger pool of assets, and the possibility of enhanced trading volume and liquidity in the fund’s shares. The adviser also noted that the offering structure allows shareholders either to subscribe for new shares at a discount to market price or potentially to realize value from selling their rights on the exchange during the trading period.
The fund indicated that it expects to maintain its current distribution level following the offering. Shares issued pursuant to the offering are expected to be entitled to receive the monthly distribution payable after a specified date, but not to receive the distribution payable immediately prior to that date, as outlined in the announcement.
Regulatory information and reporting
The fund’s annual and semi-annual reports and other regulatory filings are accessible through the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and through BlackRock’s own website, as stated in the public announcement. These documents discuss factors that may affect the fund, its risks, and other information relevant to shareholders and prospective investors. The rights offering itself is to be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus, which provide detailed terms of the offer and additional information about the fund.
BlackRock has indicated that it updates performance and certain other data for the fund on a monthly basis on its website in a section dedicated to closed-end funds, and that other material information about the fund may also be released there as necessary. The reference to the website is presented as a means of providing public access to information about the fund, and the announcement notes that the website information is not incorporated into the press release.
Position within the financial sector
Within the broader Finance and Insurance sector, BlackRock Corporate High Yield Fund Inc. is categorized under all other insurance related activities for industry classification purposes. In practical terms, however, the fund operates as a closed-end investment company focused on fixed-income securities, particularly in the corporate high yield area. Its shares provide investors with exposure to a managed portfolio of such securities, with the stated objectives of generating current income and, secondarily, capital appreciation.
Key structural features
- Closed-end structure: HYT issues a fixed number of common shares that trade on the New York Stock Exchange, and the market price may trade at a premium or discount to net asset value.
- Investment focus: The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of fixed-income securities with an emphasis on corporate high yield bonds, consistent with its stated objectives.
- Income orientation: The primary objective is to provide current income to shareholders, with capital appreciation as a secondary goal.
- Adviser support: BlackRock Advisors, LLC serves as the investment adviser and, in connection with the rights offering, has agreed to bear the expenses of the offer.
- Exchange-traded rights: In the announced offering, shareholders receive transferable rights that can be exercised to purchase additional shares or sold on the exchange during the trading period for the rights.
Investor considerations
Investors evaluating HYT can review the fund’s prospectus, prospectus supplements, and regulatory filings for detailed information about its investment policies, risks, and costs. The rights offering announcement emphasizes that the information in the press release is not complete and is subject to change, and that the offer itself is made only by means of the applicable prospectus documents. As with any closed-end fund, potential investors may consider how the fund’s objectives, portfolio focus on corporate high yield fixed-income securities, and exchange-traded structure align with their own income and risk preferences.